The LU@CBay course set off on their second field excursion over Fall Break. The Brock Experience course, Stewardship of Public Waterways, focuses on important civic issues related to the Chesapeake Bay and its communities.
On their first day, students embarked on an ecotour with Captain Danny Crabbe and visited Purcell Seafood to learn about the variety of methods used to move oysters to market. The group settled in for the night at The Baliles Center at Hull Springs. The following day, the group traveled to Reedville, Virginia where they spent time at Omega Protein to learn about the menhaden reduction industry, visited the Reedville Fishermans Museum, visited an oyster seed facility to learn more about oyster aquaculture, and continued gathering data for their Cemetery Tales project at the Roseland Cemetery. An early start the next day took them away from the Northern Neck as they made their way to Tangier Island via the Chesapeake Breeze. Here, students engaged in Place-as-Text explorations, visited the Tangier Island Museum & Interpretive Cultural Center, and collected data for their Cemetery Tales project. That evening, students enjoyed a cookout and stories around the fire with local residents. Their adventure continued with a stay at The Brigadune Inn. To wrap up their experience, the group enjoyed another ecotour where they got to explore several Bay species. Students spent time reflecting on their experiences on Tangier Beach, writing about their impressions of island life and culture.
While the group is back on the mainland, they are not finished learning about issues affecting the Bay! The remainder of the semester will be spent hearing from additional stakeholders and synthesizing the data and information gathered in the field.