DMAE students taking Environmental Science went to the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in New Vernon, NJ, December 3, 2019, to learn how environmentalists study the earth and climate. This trip was open to anyone willing and interested to learn about wildlife and ecology, and weather the cold. 

“One of the main reasons I went on the trip was to learn information about our water systems and implement what I learned into our community,” junior Joseph Liberti said.

Professionals at the Great Swamp taught the students about the different things environmentalists do, such as promoting conservation, protecting the environment from pollutants and eliminating hazards that affect public health. They were also taught to evaluate land and determine how it would look in the future as they walked along the one-and-a-half mile board walk.

“The kids had a good time. It was very cold, however, and some kids did not dress warm after all the warnings I gave them, so they suffered a little bit, but it was successful and we had fun,” advisor Cliff Nesfield commented.  

This was the first Environmental Science class trip to the Great Swamp, which is a 7,800 acre national landmark established in 1960. Fortunately, there will be another opportunity for students interested in wildlife and climate change to go on this trip in April, when the weather is warmer. Mr. Nesfield will open the trip to any interested students who want to take part in understanding ecology, not only Environmental Science students.

“I enjoyed the trip very much, I found it informative, fun, and important to the fight against climate change,” Joey said thoughtfully.