Listed below is a detailed list of activities that your child will be participating in during the two weeks at the Environmental Studies Summer Youth Institute. We ask that you read this list and either grant or deny permission for your child to participate in these activities:
Geography of Garbage (Seneca Meadows Landfill) - The students will learn about the life cycle of trash and where it goes once we put it into the waste stream. We take a bus to the landfill in Waterloo, NY and actually go on top of the landfill to get a unique perspective that not many people get to experience. We will stay in the bus when on the landfill itself, but we will get the chance to walk around a few buildings.
Goals:
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Understanding the environmental impact placed on the earth through garbage.
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Understanding how garbage is disposed of and managed.
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Evaluating ways in which our methods of garbage management may be changed to be more sustainable.
The William Scandling - The students will conduct research about the geological, chemical and biological aspects of Seneca Lake aboard the 65-foot research vessel, the William Scandling.
Goals:-
Understanding the chemical and physical characteristics of the Seneca Lake ecosystem
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Introducing the issue of invasive species through zebra and quagga mussels
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Introducing key field study techniques to the students that will be used the following week in the Adirondacks
Zurich Bog - Students spend this trip at Zurich Bog in Arcadia, NY, discussing and observing the natural ecosystem found at the bog. The walk through Zurich bog is relatively easy and is only a few miles long.
Goals:
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Introducing succession, biodiversity, and conservation vs. preservation issues through the bog’s unique ecosystem
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Introducing students to hiking trails through a short walk to the bog
Saint Regis Mountain Trail – Saint Regis Mountain Trail, rising majestically to an elevation of 2,874 feet in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. At its summit stands a historic fire tower, built in 1918 and restored in 2016, offering breathtaking vistas of the surrounding wilderness. It is about a two-mile-long trail to the summit and has one of the best views in the Adirondack Park. Students will take part in a silent hike to the summit and they will be staggered with a partner so that they have minimal interaction with other students.
Goal:
1. Hiking silently up the mountain will allow time for the students to reflect on the natural beauty around them.
Canoe Trip - We will be canoeing a section of the Seven Carries Canoe Trail, nestled in the Adirondack Mountains, linking Blue Mountain Lake to Raquette Lake through a series of portages and waterways. Paddlers will navigate crystal clear lakes and winding rivers, encountering seven portages along the route. On this trip, the students will gather water quality data and forest data along the way. *Life jackets will be worn at all times.
Goal:
1. Gathering forest and water quality data so the students can compare the areas of development along the lakes in the Adirondacks.