Stop and Smell the Bay

​Evangelical Heights Christian Academy

Evangelical Heights is located in the surrounding Greater Pittsburgh Area. The 32 students accompanied with their 29 chaperons experienced a lot at the Field Station and took home a wealth of knowledge!

The students hiked through Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, exploring the maritime forests Wednesday morning and in the afternoon they crossed through the intertidal zone to learn about the changing of the tides and organisms like the periwinkle snail and native grasses. Wednesday night the group reflected on the adventure-filled day by the campfire. To wrap up their experience, morning  was spent learning about barrier island formation on the dunes of Wallops Island. Students had time to collect tokens like whelk shells and five keyhole urchins to remember their trip. 

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Do you know the difference?
Sand Dollar vs. Five Keyhole Urchins

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<Sand dollar has no holes. 



Five keyhole urchin has exactly that, five holes.>

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We asked Jeff Bogaczyk, Director of ​Evangelical Heights Christian Academy for a little more than three years, what he learned from this trip. Here's what he told us:

“I learned a lot from this trip about the environment, for 40 years you travel through this and now of course having been here for a long time you know about the ponies and stuff and have some historical background. I learned some of the other environmental issues, tree species, and indigenous species. And I got the opportunity to see some things I wouldn’t have by just passing by.”
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​He also mentioned what he thought the students took from the trip. “The students really expanded their horizons and learned about different ecosystems, how they form and how to protect them. The students get hands on and actually get in the water."

More Photos from the trip!