Summer Fun at the Huntsman

There are many exciting things happening at the Huntsman and Fundy Discovery Centre this summer. As the community comes together to help raise funds for the St. Andrews Playground Restoration Fund, the Huntsman is donating 50 per cent of the money raised from admissions at the Fundy Discovery Aquarium for the entire day on Canada Day, July 1. Look for our submission into the Canada Day parade and join us at the aquarium afterwards; explore the touch pool and other exhibits and stay for the seal feeding.

The Boys and Girls Club of St. Stephen will be joining us from July 2 - 4th for a day camp program that will have students learning about plankton, invertebrates, fish, marine mammals and seabirds; all types of animals found around the Bay of Fundy.  Students will take part in a number of games, activities and field trips designed around these topics.

On July 7th the first of our theme weeks begin. Throughout the summer, in July and August the staff at the Huntsman will raid the backrooms and their personal stashes of hidden treasures to show off some of the specialities of the Bay of Fundy. A children's day camp will be offered once per week during each theme week. Our first theme week is Plankton Week and on Wednesday July 10th children aged 7 to 12, can take part in a half day or full day program that will include educational games, themed activities, crafts and possibly a field excursion. For more information on our theme weeks and Young Explorer Days check out our website www.huntsmanmarine.ca.

Also beginning on July 8th, is the Introduction to Marine Biology course. This course is for students aged 15 to 18 and lasts for the week. Students will spend the week taking a fun, hands on approach to learning about the Bay of Fundy.  Activities include a scallop drag and otter trawl, various labs, a tour of the Fundy Discovery Centre and fields trips to Holey Point, Pottery Creek and Bar Road.

Here are some pictures of some of the many creatures waiting for you to visit!

The Wolfish likes to eat sea urchins.

A Sculpin shares a tank with the wolfish.

The seastars are slowly returning after last fall's infection.

 

A sea cucumber showing off its feeding tentacles.

Snorkel and Loki enjoying the sun.

Glenview - Day 2

This morning the students braved the rainy weather to hunt for marine worms at Pottery Creek. Later they learnt about the life, biology and history of the local lobster species.  After lunch the students split into two groups, one going to Sunbury Shores to learn about print making and the other group to the lab to classify invertebrates.

Students sift through the dirt uncovered looking for the worms.

This student is taking a closer look at a blood worm; watch out for the fangs!

A Clam worm.

A Blood worm.

Students took the opportunity to check out the Blockhouse while at Pottery Creek.

Students settling in to learn about lobster.

By using a dichotomous key, these students are able to determine which phylum the animals belong to.

The students also studied the animals in order to give a better description of what they looked like, felt like, their colour and size.

Glenview School - Day One

Today students from Glenview school, in Toronto started the day with an exploration of the intertidal zone on Indian Point. Afterwards the students divided into three groups that would either go on the boat to collect plankton and invertebrate specimens, tour the Fundy Discovery Centre or play Plankton Bingo in the lab. In the afternoon the students continued this rotating schedule.

Students just arriving at the beach are a little unsure as to where to start looking.

This student was quite pleased with the Green Crab she found.

A very small Common Sea Star; the sea stars experienced some sort of virus last fall and were all but wiped out. Most of the specimens found on the beach now are quite small.

There were some wet feet as students did not realize the limitations of their rubber boots.

The incoming tide forces students back up the beach.

Students enjoying the smooth ride back to the dock.

It was a little cool but the students are still all smiles.

These girls look rather shocked at what they found peeking back at them from under the microscope.

A sampling of plankton.

These girls are posing with the baleen from a Northern Right Whale.

A Copepod. Can you see the movements of the organs inside the body?

Glenburnie School

Students from Glenburnie School arrived Monday afternoon and have been busy ever since. On Monday the students explored the intertidal zone at Indian Point. Tuesday called for a rotating schedule of a trip on the boat to collect plankton, a lab using the plankton collected and a tour of the Fundy Discovery Centre.  Then in the afternoon they took part in a scavenger hunt around the aquarium and residence buildings.  This morning students boarded the Quoddy Link to go in search of whales and other wildlife. Although no whales were spotted, we did see Harbour Seals, Cormorants, Bald Eagles and a number of other bird species.

After a long day of travel, students were eager to stretch their legs.

The tide was coming in fast.

A few students ended up with wet feet as the tide came in quicker than they did.

Looking for plankton under the microscope.

The beginning of the scavenger hunt.

This group is using a key to decipher the code of Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Our Winners!!

The students are ready to embark on their whale watching journey.

Our guide for the morning, Nick, gives a few safety instructions before departure.

All smiles as we leave the harbour.

The wind did not seem to bother most of the students.

One of the many seals that we saw.

Nesting gulls on Whitehorse island.