Summer Mentoring Program

Alverthorpe Park - Wetlands - Arcadia University

Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, NJ

Link to the Institute

In past years, members of the FMI have traveled to the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, NJ, which is a field station for terrapin turtle study. Terrapin turtles are unique in that they inhabit salty waters. Five hundred forty turtles are crushed each year by vehicles on local roads. Scientists perform "egg-ectomies" by extracting the eggs from the dead impregnated females.These eggs are subsequently incubated and many hatch. These young turtles are called "head-starters," and the institute releases 250 young turtles a year. The scientists use three methods to track the turtles: sonar, radio, and microchip injected into the back of the leg.

Later, students went to the beach and learned methods to catch and study marine life. Sand strainers were used to locate organisms in the inter-tidal zone where the mole crab proved to be a popular find. Students learned to use nets to catch fish and other organisms that live in deeper water.