North Point students take a hike at Port Tobacco River Park
Chesapeake Bay watershed ecosystem is focus of tour
Ten environmental science students from North Point High School took a field trip to Charles County’s newest park early on a crisp, bright Monday morning hoping to spot some of the park’s many feathered denizens.
The Port Tobacco River Conservancy and the Southern Maryland Audubon Society hosted the tour of Port Tobacco River Park, during which the students hiked along three of the park’s four nature trails and paused to observe nests and other habitats.
During the hike, Lee Vines, the Audubon Society’s youth outreach coordinator, and L ynne Wheeler, the society’s president and also director of the Port Tobacco River Conservancy, discussed the various types of birds that inhabit the park during the fall months, including bald eagles, belted kingfishers, several species of woodpecker and wild turkeys.
Vines, a retired biology professor at the College of Southern Maryland, said that tours like this are more than just educational for students, they also help improve students’ mental and physical health.
“I personally think they spend entirely too much time with electronics inside,” Vines said. “They need to get out. It’s better for their health.”
Ever the teacher, Vines interspersed stories about birds with quizzes and reading exercises throughout the tour’s frequent stops to keep students engaged.
Each of the students was given a pair of binoculars for the day to help them spot birds, nests and interesting plants along the way. The binoculars were donated to the park by a local foundation.
North Point — whose mascot, appropriately, is the eagle — is one of two schools in Charles County that participates in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s Ocean Guardian program. The other is J.C. Parks Elementar y.
Ocean Guardian schools offer programs that focus on the conservation of local watersheds, oceans and protected areas such as Mallows Bay. Participating students undertake projects and field trips that help them learn more about their local ecosystems.
Lolita Kiorpes, a biology and environmental sciences teacher at North Point High School and director of the school’s Ocean Guardian program, explained that the number and schedule of trips varies every year, but she always includes a Fall canoe trip to Mallows Bay and a spring field trip to Mattawoman Creek.
“We always try to do something with the Port Tobacco River Conservancy to keep the students involved so that they know what’s happening with community members,” said Kiorpes, who along with AP biology teacher Sarah Earnshaw chaperoned the students on the tour.
Last year, Kiorpes was one of 11 teachers nationwide to receive the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators at a ceremony at the White House.
Kiorpes said that the students volunteered to go on the tour. “I open all the trips to the school, even if they’re not part our Ocean Guardians program,” Kiorpes explained. “A lot of times, they become a part of the team once they’ve done a trip.”
Two years ago, Kiorpes’ students planted over 800 native trees along the Port Tobacco River.
First stop for the students was the eagle observation deck, followed by waterfowl viewing along the river and discussions about the nesting habits of wood ducks and the strikingly different physical characteristics of male and female belted kingfishers.
The students then walked along the park’s wetlands trail hoping to spot more waterfowl and pausing to discuss avian habitats.
A lunchtime lecture at the Port Tobacco courthouse rounded out the field trip, as students learned about the complex food web of the Chesapeake Bay’s water birds and discussed the harm caused by invasive species.
Wheeler said she was excited to be able to educate the students about Southern Maryland’s diverse ecosystems using the park as a model.
“This new park is going to be a real hub,” Wheeler said. “It really is our first true nature park for the county.”
“There’s a desperate need for this in the county, and we’re so excited,” she said.