Floating Classroom Looks Forward To 2022!

It was a great year for students this summer participating in our Floating Classroom program aboard our scientific research vessel, Sea Girl. 

Habitat Instructor, Briana Yancy.

During the peak of the summer, our Habitat Instructor, Briana Nancy, sets sail nearly every week on our scientific research vessel, Sea Girl, to develop young scientists and encourage stewardship of our waterways.

SRA’s Floating Classroom provides students with hands-on experience to collect water quality monitoring data, study oyster reefs and their contribution to the Severn River habitat.

The Floating Classroom curriculum covers oxygen, salinity, pH, temperature and clarity levels in the river and the threats to habitat from algae blooms and dead zones.

The class also learn how to sample and identify species of underwater grasses, their habitat and the huge contribution these grasses make to the health of the Severn River.

That’s Briana with some lads at left who are overcome with excitement after investigating another key part of the river’s ecosystem – our underwater grasses outside of Asquith Creek.

We’ll be recruiting them to join our SAV Navy one day soon!

Thanks to a support from our generous donors and a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, we were able to host dozens of students, parents and guests on our three-hour Floating Classroom science-based adventures to:

• practice quality monitoring techniques,
• study oyster and underwater grass habitat,
• appreciate the importance of oxygen, salinity and clarity,
• learn about threats posed by algae blooms and dead zones,
• enjoy visits from osprey, eagles, kingfishers, herons, turtles, muskrats, river otters, water snakes and cicadas, and
• savor a great day on the river!

Here are some more pics of our guests who have enjoyed a day on the water as part of the Floating Classroom program.

The Floating Classroom will be setting sail again in spring 2022.  For more information, click here.