So here it is. The rough draft for the article that I am writing for Tom Tetzners photography class. So much for getting Bus Stories of the ground. I had an ephinay and that led to an almost complete remorphing of the story. Anyway more on that later. If anyone happens on this blog and decide to read this entry please feel free to give your input. It's possible that this will make it in some sort of Rhode Island newspaper or something of the sort.
The sun begins it's retreat below the horizon casting a rosy hue upon the clouds. Bank Swallows venture out to make an evening snack of the insects hovering above calm waters. The evening choir starts it's warm-up as crickets, cicadas and frogs take up the song. The calls of a few catbirds, a Belted Kingfisher and a Great blue Heron soon join the chorus. The scene is set for a beautiful evening at Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge.
In our developing world the beauty seen here is becoming more and more hard to find. The U.S fish ad Wildlife Service devotes itself to the conservation of these protected lands all over the country. It's purpose is to create a balance between nature the it's rapidly changing environment. The key to this balance is breaching the gap between our nations natural habitats and the surrounding communities. What better way to start than with the future generation.
One goal of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Refuge System is to instill a sense of the wonder of nature in young minds. The best way to accomplish this is to connect our children directly with the habitats that they will one day help to conserve. The class that Tom Tetzner teaches does exactly that. He combines and active field aspect with the art of photography. This creates an activity that gets kids excited about getting outdoors and interacting with the natural world around them.
This class consists of 2 hour sessions taking place at several of the wildlife refuges located in Rhode Island. I, as an intern for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was asked by Tom to accompany them to bring a more biological aspect the class. I have only had the chance to accompany them o 4 of these trips. What I have experienced has been priceless. A group of 6-10 children and several adults follow Tom as he takes them from forests and shrublands, to vernal pools and salt ponds. The knowledge he has gained as a former scout master provides the perfect background for the exploration of the ecosystems we enter. I have the privilege of providing Tom with a biological background concerning the plants and animals within them.
It's wonderful to see the children scatter too and fro around the vernal pool at Kettle Pond visitor Center. They excitedly dip their nets into the murky water catching all sorts of critters: Spotted Salamander larvae, wood frog tadpoles ad to everyone’s delight and adult Green Frog. Everyone gathers in a circle as I gently place the freshly caught specimen on the leafy ground. He actually seems to pose as the cameras click and lash. Each child and parent is trying to get the best picture they can before the frog hops away. Plastic bins bearing water are filled with the afternoons fruitful findings. Water beetles, Dragonfly nymphs, salamanders and frogs all swirl in the shallow pools. Not only do the kids get to take pictures of what they see, they get to touch and feel them. This provides them with an exciting hands on experience that they cant seem to stop talking about as we take the trail back to the visitor center.
These kids don't only learn to take picture of wildlife. Tom teaches them about landscape photos and taking shots of the beautiful plant life as we walk the trails at Ninigret Wildlife Refuge. At Ninigret pond they get the take underwater pictures of crabs and jellyfish as well as learn how to fish for clams. Everyone has so much to learn from Tom about photography and about nature. He takes walks just about every day to observe nature and capture it's beauty. The pictures these walks yield are stunning. The knowledge and experience he shares creates a wonderful learning experience for his young students.
Getting people interested in nature and it's conservation is very important to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Rhode Island refuge system is lucky to have such and active volunteer program devoted to sharing it's 5 refuges with the world. Tom Tetzners efforts are the mark of a truly devoted volunteer and he hopes in future years to expand his photography class to all ages and further spread a love and appreciation of the natural world around us.
