Connecticut Experiential Learning Center (CELC) students work with environmental educator Lucy Meigs throughout the year studying and exploring nature. Lucy shares her passion for the outdoors and her expertise in botany, geology, and vernal pools.
Vernal pools are temporary pools of water that provide habitat for distinct types of plant and animal life. These pools are especially fascinating, as they changes throughout the year and are critical for "obligate" species - those species that rely on vernal pools for different parts of their life cycles.
During winter, vernal pools are often covered in ice and snow. During spring and early summer, they contain water, and by late summer are completely dry. The obligate species that rely on bodies of water depend on having enough water via rainfall and on having temperatures that are right for their needs. Some of these species are fairy shrimp, mole salamanders, the wood frog.
With Lucy's guidance, CELC students use pond scopes to view - up close and personal - these unique organisms.
A dynamic middle school program, CT Experiential Learning Center (CELC) of Branford provides small classes that combine exceptional academics with hands-on and real-world learning experiences to fit the academic, social, and developmental needs of the 5th – 8th grade student.
