The Valley of Marshland

Building on last week's lesson on beaches, Mazel 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th,  and 6^th graders discussed and explored how salt marshes are a valuable resource for animals and provide protection against storms for mainland Brooklyn. Did you know 75% of ocean's fishes are born in salt marshes? Did you know Jamaica Bay is losing 48 acres of salt marshes each year?

Last Friday student's built models of Brooklyn's coast and included salt marshes, which was replicated through sponges, and models without salt marshes (no sponges).  Through these models, students performed an experiment where they learned first-hand the ability salt marshes have in helping us cope with storms. In this experiment, students poured water into the first model with sponges, a replica of salt marshes, and the sponges soaked up all the water exhibiting the impact salt marshes have to help protect our coasts. Then students poured water on the next model without the sponge, replicating a loss of salt marshes, and as a result water ran onto the land and flooded the coast.

As a reminder, the students will be taking a field trip to the Salt Marsh Nature Center this Friday, May 10th to apply what they have been learning about beaches and marshes to the information presented at the center.