Proctor Academy Kicks off Ocean Semester Program

We were joined by a great group of students from Proctor Academy on Hurricane from September 16-22 as they kicked off their Ocean term. After leaving Hurricane, they will be departing on the Schooner Roseway to continue their academics under sail, with a final destination of Puerto Rico.

HIF instructor Oakley explains how lobster traps work, and the culture of the lobster industry

Students spent time on Hurricane learning about Maine's rocky intertidal zone and lobster industry from HIF educators, they were also were in charge of cooking their own meals, learning how to work as a team, and take initiative as leaders in the program. Students enjoyed several rock-climbing sessions on our granite quarry face, and Ocean staff took students out on hikes around the island, students also spent time learning about maritime history and building the leather-bound journals they are going to use for the rest of the trip. We always enjoy having Proctor students out to the island, and we wish them safe travels and fair seas on the second leg of their adventure!

Here is a poem one of the Proctor students wrote while out on Hurricane:

A student shows off a lobster he banded.

A House Beside the Water

Heaven seems a little closer
In a house beside the water.
Where seabirds fly
And foghorns cry
And white sails float and wander.

With waves that splash
And tides that crash
Against the rocks and clutter.
Creating the sound
Of those who have found
Hurricane’s solemn harbor.

They have come to explore,
To love and adore
All that the island can offer.
But did not expect
To gain the respect
Of a lifetime’s work of wonder.

And so I now
Must steer around
To face the other corner.
But I’ll never forget
The time I have spent
At this house beside the water.

Kyle Heller
Proctor Fall 2014

Islesboro Central School

The Environmental Science class

Students from Islesboro Central School's 9th/10th grade Environmental Science class came out to Hurricane on September 11-13, 2014 to learn about Hurricane Island's phenology monitoring efforts, which are part of the USA National Phenology Network (NPN). Phenology refers to key seasonal changes in plants and animals from year to year—such as flowering, fruiting, falling leaves, and bird migration—especially their timing and relationship with weather and climate.

Hurricane Island has been monitoring three different sites around the island this season, collecting data on a weekly basis that will serve as a local dataset for us to observe the impacts of global climate change on the seasonality, migration, and life history of plants and animals on Hurricane Island. As we develop our phenology sites, we are also hoping to work with more Maine schools to create a small phenology monitoring network where students can start to ask their peers from other schools for their data to address questions about microclimates and seasonal differences across Maine.

While Islesboro students were out on Hurricane, they focused on improving their botanical identification skills and learning the basics of phenology monitoring. Students paired up and were each in charge of finding and presenting on Maine trees that are listed in the NPN, taking time to highlight observations that they made about features that would help their peers be able to positively identify species in the field. We spent part of the last day on a long "plant-off," where students competed to be able to identify the plants they had just learned as they were pointed out during a hike around the island. By the end of their time on Hurricane, students were comfortably able to distinguish between different species of spruce trees, aspen, and speckled alder. Our education staff will go out to Islesboro this spring to help them set up their own phenology monitoring sites! Stay tuned for how this project develops!

Students work on field ID to prepare for phenology monitoring.

Here is a student quote from the trip:

"The following are reasons why our trip to Hurricane Island was awesome: First of all, we got to be outside, which was, literally, a breath of fresh air. I am interested in plants, their uses, and learning how to identify them, and we certainly did quite a bit of that - outside! I enjoyed that part a lot. I learned about the difference between shrubbery and trees, and between different types of pines, as well as how to identify wildflowers and vines...and more! So that was cool. Another thing that I really enjoyed doing during that trip was splitting into groups and taking the plant identification form things, and getting to learn about a specific plant in front of us, and draw conclusions about it.

I [also] hung out with people that I didn't normally hang out with who weren't in my grade level, and laughed a lot, which was fun! I also spent more time than usual with other people in my class that I don't usually hang out with, and realized that they can also be pretty fun to be around. Also, that one moment where all the freshmen decided to lie down on that flat rock, look up at the night sky, and also actually be quiet for a series of minutes was not only the nicest, most peaceful moment ever, but it was also the most connected I feel we have ever been to each other. All in all, I learned a lot and had fun."

North Haven Middle School 2014

To kick off the fall season on Hurricane we hosted the North Haven Middle School 5th and 6th graders for a two-day exploration of wild edible botany. Students started off by learning about the basic names of plant parts and how to identify plants with field guides. They also learned about how plants edibility changes with the seasons, about edible plant habitat and environment, and the differences between domestic edible plants and wild edible plants.

A student spends time drawing a field guide entry for her edible plant: the high-bush cranberry

From there they focused on looking at the top ten edible plants that can be found on Hurricane. Each student was assigned one of those plants and spent time on a hike around the island identifying them and collecting specimens, which they brought back to the lab to do more research. The students then worked on creating their own field guide entry of their foraged edible plant, which included sketches and paintings as well as information. The North Haven Middle School students did a great job at being creative with their field guide entries and will continue to work on them back at school. 

The edible plants that students focused on while they were at Hurricane include: bayberry, cattail, rose hips, sheep and wood sorrel, huckleberry, high-bush cranberry, red clover, orach, sea rocket, beach pea, mustard greens, and raspberries and blackberries.

We finished the first evening with a Hurricane-sourced rosehip applesauce (a great vanilla ice cream topper), and a sweet red clover, sorrel, apple, and rosehip drink. We hope students will be able to pick out tasty trail-side edibles when they are back on North Haven!

SEAL

This year we ran our first SEAL program for middle school students, which focused on discovering and documenting the natural world through art. We had a great group of kids from all over New England on Hurricane and each one proved to be a talented and enthusiastic naturalist and artist.

A student shows how she depicted her trip to Hurricane

Students started their time on Hurricane by reflecting on how they got here. After showing students different types of non-traditional maps or navigational aids (explore some images we looked at here or here), their first challenge was to design their own map that depicted their journey from home to Hurricane that day. From there we explored a little bit of everything on Hurricane-- students studied the plants, invertebrates, birds, and landscape-level transitions that make Hurricane Island's ecology unique, all while making close observations and drawing what they saw. Every morning students spent time with our artist-in-residence, Zoe Keller, to go through some drawing exercises and warm up their artistic minds. We did everything from blind contour drawings, to lessons on drawing flowers accurately, to a group game of "exquisite corpse," creating fun mashup creatures that are created in segments and passed to the next artist to draw.

One concept we focused on during this program was learning about Land art or Earthworks, and some of the artists behind this movement (Robert Smithson, Andy Goldsworthy). After getting inspired by looking at examples of artists who created land art pieces, students set out to create their own collaborative piece. Students also learned about Vik Muniz and then created an image of Hurricane using marine debris they collected from our beaches. We had a lot of fun being creative, and using Hurricane's landscape as our canvas!

As our SEAL program came to a close, students also took on an independent project that focused on a natural history subject that peaked their interest over the program. Student projects ranged from smaller scale Earthworks, poems, and creative pieces focused on communicating information about sustainable infrastructure on Hurricane.

Learning about lobsters by drawing them!

Register for our 2015 SEAL program here!

Marine Ecology ISLE

Students search through scallop "spat" bags with Field Research Coordinator, Cait Cleaver

Our third and final ISLE program focused on the marine environment surrounding Hurricane Island. Students spent the first part of the week helping our field research coordinator Cait Cleaver with her summer research project focused on scallops. Students counted larval scallops that Cait collected at several sampling sites in Penobscot Bay. This project helped students understand what it means to do hands on field research with delicate specimens, and to be meticulous and accurate in collecting and measuring their subjects.

This week also caught the best tides and students spent several low tide cycles out exploring the intertidal zone. Students helped summer intern Collin Li pilot an annual intertidal monitoring survey and got hands on experience using transects, quadrates, and field guides to properly key out invertebrates for accurate data collection.

One of the highlights of the program was a fun day fishing off of Hurricane and Greens Island for mackerel and pollack. For some it was their first fishing experience but we came back with a huge catch. Students spent the rest of the day learning how to fillet and dissect their fish, and some even enjoyed smocked mackerel on their pizza for dinner.

Fun with Sugar Kelp

The Rozalia Project For A Clean Ocean, one of our partner organizations, visited Hurricane during this program and showed students their remotely operated vehicle, Hector the Collector, which they use to extricate marine debris from the ocean floor in a non-invasive way. The Rozalia project also took students out on a beach cleanup and challenged them to create public service announcements about the problem of marine debris.

Students also spent a day exploring Vinalhaven after learning about Maine’s lobster fishery and hauling traps with local fisherman, Jason Day. On Vinalhaven students got to see the working waterfront and witness the “fish cannon” at Vinalhaven’s own lobster co-op. The rest of the day was spent swimming in the quarry and enjoying ice cream on a hot summers day. We had a fantastic time with this energetic group and enjoyed their enthusiasm for the marine environment. 

Register for our 2015 Marine Ecology ISLE program here!

LNT collaborative programs with Overland

This summer The Hurricane Island Center For Science and Leadership collaborated with Overland to host six separate groups as a stop-over on their Maine Coast Leadership expeditions. The goal for their time on Hurricane was to become certified Leave No Trace trainers. 

To become certified trainers students had to pick one of the seven LNT principles and make a creative presentation on that principle that they then could teach to the rest of the group. This method of training helped students practice public speaking and leadership as they taught their group in an interactive lesson. Several of the Overland students got very creative with their LNT activities. Some highlights included an LNT game show, which was a Jeopardy game created by students that divided categories built around one of the priciples. Some students led the whole group on a hike to find proper pristine camping areas, which had to be 200 feet from water and on a proper camping surface.

Students enjoy some marshmallows cooked on using the mound fire technique.

A favorite principle among all groups was “Minimize Campfire Impact.” During this lesson kids got the chance to learn how to make a proper campfire that has no impact on the environment. This required students putting a tarp on the ground and covering it with six inches of dirt. They then found sticks that were already dead, down, and smaller than their wrists, as well as some already down birch bark, which is a great natural fire starter. After they started their fire with their collected sticks and bark we had time to roast and enjoy s’mores. When the fire had completely burned out students were able to lift the tarp and distribute the soil and ash evenly across the ground. The earth underneath the tarp doesn’t even get warm!

Another favorite principle for students to teach was dispose of waste properly. Some kids showed the proper technique for catching food particles in gray water, and how to disperse water (and toothpaste) evenly over a landscape rather than pour it on the ground all in one spot. Others showed the technique for disposing of human waste properly, specifically by acting out the “8 D’s of Dumping”: Desire, Distance, Dig, Drop, Dump, Disguise, Disinfect, and most importantly, Dance.

We thoroughly enjoyed welcoming over 60 Overland students to Hurricane this summer, as well as their amazing leaders Abby Conyers, Fischer Hazen, Maggie Hughes, and Jeremiah Firman. We hope to welcome Overland back next year! 

Botany ISLE 2014

We had a fantastic 10 days with students who came from out to Hurricane from as far as New York City to learn about the wildflowers, trees, vines, and shrubs on Hurricane Island. The week started off by looking at Hurricane’s gardens and the difference between domestic and wild edible plants. Students learned about soil health and compost, how to manage a straw bale garden, and the difference between linear and sustainable farming and gardening practices. They also learned how crop rotation can keep plant pests at bay as well as contribute to the overall health of a garden.

Students key into leaf characteristics to help identify the difference between quaking and big-tooth aspen trees.

We also challenged students to plan out the meadow garden plot for next years garden. They did a fantastic job and adhered to crop rotation practices as well as suggested a few new plants that we should try to grow. Students took an afternoon to get their hands dirty in our gardens and helped turn over the adjacent plot to the meadow garden to expand it for next year. They also planted seedlings in new rows and put fresh compost in our flower garden. This focus of farming and gardening during the beginning of the Botany program led to a field trip to Turner Farm on North Haven Island, where they were able to explore and learn about what a large scale sustainable farm looks like.

After domestic plants we moved on to wild edibles and students learned to identify and forage for sorrel, cattails, beach peas, orach, elderberry flowers, and raspberries, which they concocted into a Hurricane sourced meal, which was also supplemented by the vegetables and herbs grown in our gardens.

Each morning featured a different category of plant and students learned all the vocabulary and identification techniques to properly key out the most common wild flowers, trees, and ferns on Hurricane.

As a fun final project students collaborated to create a botany themed rap song, which featured some of their favorite plants that they learned about over their ten-day stay.   

Register for our 2015 Botany ISLE program here! 

Ornithology ISLE 2014

For our first ISLE program of the season we had five boys join us for a week of ornithology themed activities including bird-house building, bird bingo, and morning bird hikes. By the end of the program students were able to identify by site and sound the top 25 birds that call Hurricane home during our summer season.

Students also enjoyed some silly moments trying on bird costumes (like the Osprey in this photo) to learn more about how different birds are adapted to the environment that they live in. 

Some of the birds that we were able to see during the week were Cedar Waxwings, Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Yellow-Rumped Warblers, and Winter Wrens. We helped students visualize bird songs by looking at spectrograms and they were challenged to come up with their own mnemonics to remember the unique songs for each bird. Some standard mnemonics that professional birders use are “witchity-witchity-witchity” for the Common Yellowthroat Warbler, and “Oh Sam peabody-peabody-peabody” for the White-Throated Sparrow.

The Red-Billed Tropicbird flies next to a Tern

One of the highlights of the week was a special day trip out to see offshore nesting seabird colonies on Seal Island with local naturalist and ornithologist John Drury. John took us around the perimeter of Seal Island and then we were met by Nicole, a researcher with Project Puffin, who is living on the island this summer monitoring puffin and tern chicks at their nesting sites. Birds that nest on Seal Island during the summer include Razorbills, Puffins, Great Cormorants, Common and Arctic Terns, Eider Ducks, and Black Guillemots. We were also lucky enough to see a Red-Billed Tropicbird, an out-of-range visitor to the area, which usually is found along the Baja Peninsula on the West Coast of Mexico.  John Drury believes that this bird followed some Terns and has been happily nesting in the area since.

On our final evening we enjoyed a cookout on the south end of the island and a spectacular view of the full moon rising over the water. It was really fun to watch these students get excited about birding and become talented amateur ornithologists!

Students enjoy a quiet moment as the full moon rises over Heron's Neck lighthouse

Register for our 2015 Ornithology ISLE program here!