Burnett Woods Field Trip -- Aquatic Environments

Today, we took a trip out of the building to Burnett Woods, to study aquatic environments. Even though the weather was rainy over night, it turned out to be a lovely, cool, sunny fall day. The park was truly beautiful, and we got a chance to learn about the role that water plays on our planet and in our lives.

We learned about the algae that form the basis of the lake ecosystem, and had a chance to actually see some up close, using some magnifying viewers. We tested the pH of the lake water, and found that our readings were generally between 7 and 8. The naturalists told us that these readings indicate that the lake is a pretty healthy environment for the organisms that live there. We played a game that helped us better understand the water cycle, and we even formed a "web of life," that gave us a good picture of what happens when one part of the web is damaged or destroyed. When we were done, we could se clearly that if even one plant, or one animal is lost from an ecosystem, the whole system is impacted.

After lunch, we took a hike around the lake so that we could see the animals that live in and around the lake. We got the chance to see a turtle, some frogs, some small fish, some ducks, and collect seeds from some of the plants that grow around the edge of the lake. Back at the nature center, we had a short time to learn more about animals like the beaver and the red-earred slider who live in this habitat.

It was a very good day.