Thursday, August 14, 2008

Maiden Voyage of New Boat

WHEN? Thursday · August 14

WHERE? Fairhope, Alabama · find us on the map

estuary: A semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are often associated with high rates of biological productivity.

Our first visit to Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve was last February, while geocaching with Dave and Barb. Now Wendell volunteers at its Interpretive Center one morning a week.

Weeks Bay Reserve's new pontoon boat · AKA your tax dollars at work

All aboard!
Now settle into a comfee seat and enjoy the ride.

We've been looking forward to the fledgling voyage of the new Weeks Bay pontoon boat. After several days of rain, the weather on the day of the trip could not have been better. The group on the boat was comprised of Weeks Bay staff and volunteers, along with a few other lucky people who knew someone connected in some way with the Reserve [raising hand].

This voyage was in both Weeks Bay and along the Fish River. While on the ride, a collection net for plankton specimens was put out, and all the passengers got to look at them through microscopes and recognize some of the types. One type I recognized was animal plankton that looked somewhat like crabs with two big eyes. We also learned that so much of the earth’s surface is covered with water that the ocean’s phytoplankters (plant plankton) produce 70-85% of the planet’s oxygen – much more than that produced by rain forests.

Perhaps our collection of photos will help you feel like you were along for the ride:

Maiden Voyage of Weeks Bay Reserve's New Boat
on flickr

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