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Learning Barge Field Trips are
Big Spring Success!
Learning Barge field trips are underway for the Spring 2010 season! Students from Corporate Landing Middle School and Booker T. Washington Middle School were the first to explore the barge at our new location at Deep Creek Lock Park.
More than 4,500 students have already signed on for field trips this spring and summer, beginning with the new docking point, Deep Creek Lock Park near the Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge. The new site contrasts dramatically with our fall location on the busy working waterfront in downtown Portsmouth. The swamp is teeming with wildlife.
"We love introducing the students to the turtles and other freshwater species in the swamp," said Robin Dunbar, Education Director for the Barge. "We've also added new interactive components at each learning station, such as a live underwater camera."
The Learning Barge moves to Harborfest on June 11 and will be open to the public at Otter Berth throughout the waterfront festival. There, river lovers of all ages can explore the floating classroom and discover what they can do to help make the Elizabeth River swimmable and fishable by 2020.
"We're also recruiting 30 pilot
River Star Families
to commit to training aboard the Learning Barge along with special assistance and documentation of changes you can make at home to help the river," said Dunbar. (
Download River Star Families application packet here
.) The River Star Families pilot program is targeting the Lafayette branch of the Elizabeth.
Adding to the Learning Barge excitement, student art actually created aboard the Learning Barge is the subject of a coming national publication funded by National Endowment for the Arts!
The Learning Barge Field Trip adventure is already booked up for this spring so
reserve a summer or fall date now
for your group.
