Ann Street School Children visit Island Beach State Park

by Brooke Sambol, Wildlife Intern 

“This is the best field trip ever!” shouted the fifth grader at the edge of the bay. Many of her Newark classmates agreed.

On a Thursday in June, fifth graders from Ann Street School of Newark came to Island Beach State Park for a day of nature education and fun! Sponsored by PSEG the program was part of Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s WILDCHILD urban initiative, which seeks to make the experience of and knowledge about nature accessible to children from urban environments.

The park is situated on roughly 3,000 acres of barrier island in Seaside Park, New Jersey.  Its access to the ocean and Barnegat Bay, as well as the surrounding maritime thicket, makes it a prime location for aquatic and coastal education.

The program allowed the children to venture the bay and search for sea creatures like blue claw crabs and silversides while seining, hear a talk on ospreys given by CWF’s Maria Grace, examine bones and shells of the animals that live in the region, and visit the park’s nature center.

As a CWF intern working in Island Beach State Park, it’s truly a joy to experience the natural beauty of the Jersey Shore along with the kids, and to help contribute to an environmental understanding for children who might not ordinarily have the opportunity. The excitement and happiness was evident on their faces when they got to examine up close the critters of the bay. Their willingness to participate in activities and answer questions about horseshoe crabs and moon snails was a testament to just how fun caring for the environment can be.

The day proved to be a great success! The children from Ann Street School got to experience and enjoy the natural beauty of Island Beach State Park, and we all learned more about this unique ecosystem from each other and from the land, itself.