Master Naturalists

The first Master Naturalist program in New Jersey visited Sedge for one day in early May. Twenty students in the program arrived at the Island Beach State Park dock at 9:00AM to find that the fog made it impossible to see most of the Marine Conservation Zone. Undaunted by the cold, clammy conditions, most members of the group were eager to explore the marsh by kayak. We split the group in two with Dr. Stan Hales, Director of the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program assisted by Mr. Art Webster, Director of the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge at Brigantine, leading half the participants in one direction and Dr. Jim Merritt leading the others in the opposite direction. Although it continued to be foggy, the mist did lift enough at times to be able to see many osprey, the peregrine falcon and a variety of other birds of the salt marsh.

When we returned to the house we ate lunch on the porch and discussed some of the things we had seen on our paddle. We talked about some teaching techniques in outdoor settings. Stan pointed out the many opportunities available to become more involved in working as naturalists in the Barnegat Bay watershed. Many people in the group realize that their time at Sedge was too short and they vowed to return.