We assisted the members of the Science Club and the Wetlands Institute in
raising terrapin hatchlings. We learned it is necessary to wear plastic gloves to protect ourselves and the hatchlings from infections. It is important to keep water from going below 70 degrees so they will not hibernate. Visit our
Action Plan webpages to see photos and activities of the ways we show we care about our environment.
We voted to take direct
personal action to help the terrapins. The Dawes Avenue 6th graders are circulating a petition asking Governor Codey to expediate the closing of the B.L.England Electric Generating Plant because it is leaking mercury into the ground and adding to Greenhouse Gases that might lead to global warming. The plant was scheduled to be closed this year but the state extended it to 2007.
As
environmental "activists," we visited the
Marine Sciences Lab at Richard Stockton College to research the challenges to terrapins and brainstorm solutions.
Our volunteers created chocolate turtle snacks to sell to the
primary grade students when we visited their classes to teach them about our action plan to help reduce the number of terrapin deaths. The Dawes Avenue 6th graders intend to sell candigrams as a fundraiser. They have been visiting the classes of younger students to explain the challenges to the terrapins and our action plan for solutions.
Our "environmental activists" participated in the BayFest Celebration held in our town on April 30. They hosted an informational table and sold lemonade as a fundraiser.
On June 8, 2005, we presented our
Terrapin Rescue Project fund raiser donation of $237.00 to Dr. Roger Wood and the college interns at the Wetlands Institute. We participated the terrapin release.
The "baby" hatchlings were rescued last summer and spent the winter at Stockton College. They are orphans hatched from eggs taken from the crushed bodies of females who were seeking sandy soil for nests.
Join us by visiting our Terrapin Release photo album.
Our participation in the Future Problem Solving/Community Problem Solving program led us to discover new solutions to reduce the negative impact of human-environment interaction on our wetlands environment and the Diamondback Terrapins.
Our quest for new solutions has led us to the discovery that young hands can make a difference!
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