by Bethany Smith
Marine Science Legacy
Program Co-coordinator –
Poised on the verge of opening day of the 62nd Annual Urbanna Oyster Festival, the Marine Science Legacy Program has been hard at work coordinating an amazing array of experiential learning opportunities for local students. The Marine Science Legacy Program (MSLP) is the education and outreach arm of the Oyster Festival Foundation. The MSLP is tasked with providing educational enrichment opportunities for students in Middlesex County.
In early October, local students were busy exploring Urbanna Creek and the Rappahannock River onboard the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s deadrise “Jenni S.” These trips supplement and enhance classroom curriculum by immersing students in hands-on learning about the organisms found in the creeks and rivers that border many of their homes, as well as preserving the heritage of working watermen. Students make connections with the environment and in turn are better equipped to become stewards of this amazing natural resource in the future. The trips, organized by the Marine Science Legacy Program, are fully funded by a “license plate grant” from the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund.
These boat trips are just the appetizer to the main course: Oyster Festival Education Day. This year, more than 250 local students and teachers will gather on Thursday, October 31, for Education Day at the Urbanna waterfront. Education Day leverages the resources of the Urbanna Oyster Festival and provides a day of hands-on, mini-lessons that focus on local history, ecology, fisheries and restoration efforts.
This year, the Marine Science Legacy Program will feature the log-bottom bugeye “Edna E. Lockwood” from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, the buyboat “Mildred Belle” from the Living Classrooms Foundation, and the skipjack “Claud W. Somers” from the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum.
In addition to the excitement at the dock, Education Day will also feature a land-based encampment from the Colonial Seaport Foundation, where students will learn about the important trade history of the Rappahannock River and the Port of Urbanna. These featured exhibitors are also fully funded by a “license plate grant” from the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund.
The remainder of this year’s diverse Education Day waterfront exhibitors, who kindly donate their time and talents, includes: Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School, Christchurch School, Fairfield Foundation, Friends of the Rappahannock, Tidewater Soil, Water, and Conservation District, Virginia Gamefish Tagging Program, and Yorktown Watermen’s Museum. Joining these exhibitors for Oyster Festival on Friday and Saturday, November 1-2, will be the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Virginia Sea Grant, and Virginia Earth Day Network. Be sure to stop by the Colonial Seaport Foundation encampment on Saturday, where you’ll be treated to performances by Nasty Nate from the “Rusty Cutlass Band,” and his son Cooper.
When visiting the Urbanna waterfront, be sure to also check out the Jamison Cove Outdoor Classroom. This outdoor classroom, a collaborative venture between the Marine Science Legacy Program, Restore Urbanna Creek, and the Town of Urbanna, allows local students and teachers a place for hands-on, experiential learning and meaningful watershed educational experiences within easy reach of their school classrooms. To date, nearly 50 teachers have received professional development at the outdoor classroom and countless students have gotten their feet wet and hands muddy during outdoor classroom lessons. The outdoor classroom has also served as home to numerous student independent research projects and as a site of citizen science data collection.
The Jamison Cove Outdoor Classroom is available for use by local teachers and students, homeschool groups, and Scouting organizations. To request use of the outdoor classroom and its equipment, contact the Urbanna Town Office (758-2613). The Jamison Cove Outdoor Classroom is funded by a “license plate grant” from the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund, with assistance from Restore Urbanna Creek.
The Urbanna waterfront will be bustling with activity, music, and good food during Oyster Festival. We hope you’ll come visit the “pearl” of the festival, and experience the same wonder and discovery that our local school children do.
