Summer Solstice

It’s the official start of summer and the longest day of the year. It is also the date of the Summer Solstice walk, one of the American Littoral Society’s many great traditions. Twenty five people joined Littoral Society and park staff for an evening stroll around the Hook last night. On our way to North Beach we checked out the Sandy Hook light house and the old batteries and learned a bit of Sandy Hook’s history. Additionally, Botany Bill and other Littoral Society folks pointed out some of Sandy Hook’s many plants to the group. We were also able to spot some of Sandy Hook’s resident birds including great egret, eastern towhee, osprey, cat bird, and black crowned night heron.
The timing was perfect; the sun had set as we arrived at the North Beach pavilion and it was just dark enough to see the New York City lights twinkling across the ocean. As we gazed out at the water many people asked great questions, testing our knowledge about Sandy Hook and the littoral zone. The Solstice Walk has been might favorite event thus far. It didn’t quite feel like we were giving a tour, it was more like exploring and sharing stories with friends. It was educational yet very casual and a great way to get people to know us. Be sure to join us next year!

Littorally Yours,
Stevie

The American Littoral Society brings 12 high school students from Camden and Newark out to Sedge Island every year. It’s a small island in Barnegat bay off the coast of Island Beach State Park. The students leave the urban environment for three days and are completely immersed in nature and the serenity of the salt marsh. No phones, no ipods, and nothing to watch at night but the setting sun. The days are spent kayaking, fishing, clamming, and exploring the littoral zone. Students not only learn about the coastal environment, but also learn the importance of conserving our natural resources. They are encouraged not to turn on lights, use as little water for cleaning as possible, recycle, and compost. There are no flushing toilets on Sedge, instead there is a composting toilet. The students are also required to plan and cook all of their own meals. I’m sure that this way of life was very foreign to some kids, but most of them really seemed to enjoy the experience. Some of them even got up at sunrise in order to get some extra fishing time in. This experience is invaluable for these inner city kids, many of which have never even been to the beach.

My favorite memory of the trip was the horseshoe crab rescue. In order to keep Barnegat inlet from eroding, large geotubes have been placed there. While exploring the inlet, some kids noticed large lumps under the fabric of these manmade structures. The lumps were horseshoe crabs that had come up onto the beach to lay their eggs, but had gotten stuck under the fabric during their journey back to the water. It was a truly compassionate and heroic act as students began to cut the fabric open and pull the horseshoe crabs out. Eight horseshoe crabs were rescued. This may not seem like a huge number as far as boosting the population, but it was a great lesson for the kids. After the rescue, many students stated that they didn’t feel protecting the inlet for human use was really worth the sacrifice of the horseshoe crabs. Sounds like we have some future environmentalists on our hands. The Sedge Island experience is amazing in itself, but experiencing it through the eyes of kids that are so often disconnected from nature makes it truly special.

Littorally Yours,
Stevie