The Bridgeport WildLife Guards are both learning and educating at Pleasure Beach! RTPI and Audubon Connecticut trained staff members teach these high school students each day, and they in turn help to educate dozens of daily visitors about the rare and endangered plants and animals that surround them along this stunning shoreline. We are teaching the teachers of the next generation about science and conservation, and as you can see below, they are engaging in creative ways to reach people – especially children. I spent some time with the WildLife Guards last Saturday and observed their rapid progress and already successful and very positive interactions with the public in their first full week of the 2016 season.
Here we having people of all ages signing up for the, “Be A Good Egg” pledge which includes staying out of fenced areas for nesting birds, not bringing dogs to the beach, and properly disposing of all of our trash.
Talisha and Jamiya are studying up on butterflies and dragonflies as we focus on these spectacular migratory insects, important pollinators and parts of the food web in these habitats.
Crew Leader Emily was quizzing them after and they both were right on all of the identifications already!
Sara and Ami are greeting Pleasure Beach visitors as they approach our table full of outreach materials.
We also (briefly!) collected a few crabs for some “touch tank” up close education.
Crew Leader Kari coming back with more water.
Here is Alfred conducting some educational outreach about the natural neighbors we share the shore with.
Ecosystem Jenga is in progress! If you pull out too many parts of the food web the entire system collapses.
Alfred made a lot of friends that day…
And Talisha took the time to get to know all of this crab as we broke out the books to delve a little deeper into their biology.
The next couple of days will be very hot and humid, and the WildLife Guards will be ready to conduct some cool outreach on the beach with everyone who stops by to see us.
Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
