Marine Academy Students Teach Beach Ecology At Island Beach State Park

SEASIDE PARK, NJ — Last Thursday, Oct. 12 students from the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES) joined 250 other middle school students from up and down the Jersey Shore for 35th annual Fall Student Summit on Island Beach State Park.

Island Beach State Park's trails, beaches and harbors became outdoor classrooms for the middle schoolers. Students were able to make important connections to the coastal environment and learn ways to protect it.

The MATES students were the ones facilitating the round tables and teaching middle school students from throughout south Jersey.

"The middle school students get hands-on experience and really get to interact with nature. Even our students from the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, not only get to share their knowledge, but they also get to teach about the environment and become better stewards," said Dr. John Wnek, Supervisor of Science and Research at MATES. "Hopefully, the students that are here today will do the same."

The topics covered by the MATES students during the roundtable included horseshoe crabs, invertebrates, nonpoint source pollution, stormwater runoff, marine debris and Project Terrapin.

Field trips included seining at the park’s bayside, traversing trails on a nature walk and observing different beach dwellers on a beachside scavenger hunt. Other trips included learning of common beachcombing shells and critters, identifying various mollusks and crustaceans, participating in a beach sweep and learning how to properly beach profile.

"This is such an amazing day, and we just want to thank Clean Ocean Action for putting this all together and giving students the opportunity to see what the local ecosystem is all about. Many of these students don't [receive] this type of education in their home school," said Dave Werner, a science teacher at MATES.