BY CARLA ALLEN

The Coast Guard

NovaNewsNow.com

Students from the Evelyn Richardson Memorial Elementary School will be exploring the great outdoors during school hours this spring.

Principal Mary Manning says she couldn’t be happier about the school’s involvement in the Adopt-A-Stream project.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to get the kids out and in touch with the environment,” she said.

ERMES, along with three other schools in Shelburne County and several in Yarmouth County, have submitted proposals to several sources for project funding and will begin organizing excursions shortly.

Manning says her students will be focusing on a portion of the Barrington River watershed system as well as the Shag Harbour Brook locally.

“No one has looked at that yet,” she said.

“This is an interesting river system. There’s history on it and I’ve heard that there are old Acadian houses up there. It hasn’t been charted or recorded. No one has gone in to see if there are any endangered species or sensitive plants in that area.”

The study groups will be looking at what insects and birdlife is in the area, the salinity and flow of the water, and the pH levels. Requests for GPS units and probes are also being placed and if provided, the students will be taking GPS readings and testing the water system.

Manning says the excursions will provide the students with a good opportunity to see what the effects of mankind have on this type of environment.

“Any opportunity to get kids out and one-on-one with nature is great. They’re our stewards; they are the people that will be caring about the environment in the future. If we can’t get them impassioned about it at this age then we’re doomed.”