Once a Garbage Dump, Now a Thriving Ecosystem
Fifty years ago The Meadowlands was a garbage dump. 5000 tons of garbage were brought into the Meadowlands every single day, six days a week, 300 days a year. Now, thanks to many communities' efforts, it is a thriving ecosystem, and more than 280 species of birds live there. (source)
On Friday, the Upper School attended a program at the Meadowlands Environment Center. While there we saw an Egret, Mallard Ducks, and a turtle. We used our dip nets to collect water and creature samples including Grass Shrimp, Bridge Larva, and Killifish. We took our samples to the lab and put the samples under the microscope. Using the binocular microscopes we were able to see three or four kinds of plankton,
The Meadowlands Environment Center is a great place to visit as a class or as a family.
On Friday, the Upper School attended a program at the Meadowlands Environment Center. While there we saw an Egret, Mallard Ducks, and a turtle. We used our dip nets to collect water and creature samples including Grass Shrimp, Bridge Larva, and Killifish. We took our samples to the lab and put the samples under the microscope. Using the binocular microscopes we were able to see three or four kinds of plankton,
The Meadowlands Environment Center is a great place to visit as a class or as a family.
Students learned to use a Hydrometer to determine the salinity of the brackish water. We also learned what "brackish" means.
Checking out a Grass Shrimp.
Partners learned how to focus and magnify their samples for better viewing.
