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Grades: 5-8
Group Capacity: 20 students
Time: At least 2 hours
Cost: $12 per student

 | Introduction | Two Components |
| Resources | Scheduling | Cost | Content Standards |

> Introduction

Explore and enjoy the wetlands as you never have before.
Groups can sign up for one or both of
the Wetland Ecology program's two complementary parts:
the Muddy Creek Canoe Trip and Marsh Explorations.

Content of the Wetland Ecology program is flexible; use the Marsh Exploration Field Guide to run a teacher-led trip, or book in advance to have a guided trip by our education docents. Group size is restricted to about 20 students maximum to ensure safety during the canoe portion of the trip. Parent chaperons are not required to run stations, though all teacher and chaperon support is welcome. Through a combination of an educational canoing experience on Muddy Creek and an on-land investigation of marshes and wetlands on the landscape, students can tap into the vast outdoor resources that SERC has to offer.

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> Two Components

>Muddy Creek Canoe Trip- 20 student maximum

In this aquatic component of the Wetland Ecology Program, students get their hands wet as they go out on canoes to explore and investigate the waters of Muddy Creek and surrounding wetlands.

>Marsh Explorations- 20 student maximum

The second, terrestrial, component of the Wetland Ecology Program offers an exploration of the wetlands by land. Students hike through the forest and marshes of SERC and participate in activities such as nutrient testing, weather monitoring, plant identification, and field research planning; discussions include watershed topography, the nitrogen and phosphorous cycles, and marsh ecosystems.

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> Resources
> Marsh Explorations Teacher and Student Guide 

The Marsh Explorations Teacher and Student Guide provides the scientific background for the investigations and describes the procedures and equipment for each Marsh Explorations station. Before visiting SERC, teachers and station leaders need to learn about the activities at the stations they are responsible for. Experience has shown that the better prepared the teachers and station leaders are, the more rewarding the experience is for the students.

>> Download the Marsh Explorations Field Guide PDF

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> Scheduling
To schedule a field trip, contact Jane Holly at SERC's Education Department for available dates or use our "Field Trip Registration Request" form. After we receive the form, education staff will contact you to discuss dates and confirm your field trip.

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> Cost

Wetland Ecology field trips in 2012 are $12 per student. Please pay when you arrive.  The Teachers' Corner has information on available grants that might help cover part of your field trip expenses. 

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> Content Standards

The bulk of the standards met are fulfilled during the Marsh Exploration half of the Wetland Ecology program. 

> Maryland Content Standards
1.0 Skills & Processes: 1.12.1, 1.12.2, 1.12.3, 1.12.5, 1.12.11, 1.12.14, 1.12.16
2.0 Earth/Space Science: 2.8.4, 2.12.11
3.0 Life Science: 3.8.3, 3.12.8, 3.8.10, 3.8.11, 3.12.12
4.0 Chemistry: 4.8.4, 4.12.6
6.0 Environmental Science: 6.12.1, 6.12.2, 6.12.4, 6.12.5, 6.8.6

> Virginia Standards of Learning
Grade Six: 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.9
Life Science: LS.1, LS.2, LS.5, LS.6, LS.7, LS.8, LS.9, LS.10, LS.11, LS.12
Physical Science: PS.1, PS.2, PS.4, PS.5, PS.7
Earth Science: ES.1, ES.1, ES.3, ES.5, ES.7, ES.9, ES.11, ES.13
Biology: BIO.1, BIO.2, BIO.3, BIO.5, BIO.7, BIO.9
Chemistry: CH.1, CH.3, CH.4, CH.5
Physics: PH.1, PH.3, PH.7

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