Adventures Afloat and Ashore Camp Review

Adventures Afloat...

Our new crew arrived early Monday morning bright eyed and ready for adventure!  16 new campers circled up with staff to make introductions, go over the plan and goals for the week and get ready to board the Spirit of Buffalo.  New crew got involved in ship operations right away, with participants forming two "watches" (traditional "teams" of crew that operate the ship), electing Watch Captains and dividing up responsibilities such as handling dock lines, raising sails and cleaning up the deck.  Once all sails were set and we were under way on the lake, we embarked on some basic seamanship training in navigation techniques (plotting a course, determining location, using a compass) and speed calculations using some left over veggies, a stop watch and a whole lot of math!  After striking sail we came back to the dock, ate lunch and got ready for the second half of our adventures afloat.  In the afternoon, Watch A learned basic kayak strokes and embarked on a kayaking expedition up the Buffalo River, where they practiced their new paddling skills  and learned about the history, industry and environmental issues affecting the Buffalo River.  Watch B was busy practicing their traditional rowing skills with our friends at the Buffalo Maritime Center aboard two War of 1812 wooden bateaux, traditional rowing vessels used by the British to transport goods and soldiers from ship to shore.  Watch B rowed across the Buffalo Harbor to the Outer Harbor, where they embarked on a nature hike of Times Beach Nature Preserve and spent time cooling off and exploring the world of invasive aquatic plants at Wilkenson Pointe Park on the Outer Harbor.  Watch B then rowed back to the Central Wharf and spent some time in the shade before heading home.

Day Two brought more intense heat but our crew was not deterred!  The morning was spent reviewing seamanship and sailing skills, with Watch Captains taking the lead in handling dock lines and setting sail.  We spent the morning on the lake exploring a series of Lake Erie-specific topics, such as the benthic layer (we took a sample of the benthos with our Ponar grab and filtered the sample), plankton (catching plankton in the tow net and identifying it in the shipboard microscope lab), Lake Biology (using our shipboard Lake Tank to identify fish species and learn about their ecology) and Water Quality (taking water samples and completing a series of tests on chemical properties such as nitrates, phosphates and dissolved oxygen).  We even captured a weather balloon that had fallen into the lake and was floating outside the mouth of the Buffalo River!  Our young crew recorded data in their log books, struck sail and disembarked for lunch once we returned to the dock.  While afternoon activities were much the same, with the opposite Watches participating in kayaking and rowing and we were treated to a guided tour of Times Beach Nature Preserve by Jay Burney, the president of the Preserve's "Friends" Group.

...and Ashore!

Wednesday our crew could leave their sea legs at home as they headed inward to Tifft Nature Preserve to learn about the dynamic history and ecosystems that make it a gem in the City of Buffalo. The campers’ time at Tifft started with a walk exploring the past uses of the land that is now the Preserve with seasoned volunteer, Ruth Lasure (otherwise known as Osier J) and seeing first hand the ability for nature to reclaim itself after years of industrial use. Ruth also shared her interest in wildflowers that grow at Tifft with the campers. Much relief was found from the morning heat in the newly air conditioned Visitor Center while having an overview of the many misuses of PowerPoint to prepare for our presentation on Friday. After lunch we took the KidWind challenge working in teams to try and create the best wind turbine blades for maximum speed. We then moved onto a discussion about land use decisions and their affects on neighboring aquatic systems. The imagination the campers had in developing their plots of land was insightful and quite entertaining as well! The day quickly came to an end but not before we started a “meet and greet” with some preserved specimens of common local aquatic invasive species.

Thursday morning we welcomed Tifft volunteers Paul and Nancy (Pine and Nettle) Vigyikan, who came to share with us their love and expertise of birding. Tifft is recognized as an Important Bird Area due to its location on the migration flyway, as well as a nesting area for many species. It was quite a fruitful morning of birding with one of the favorites being the Green Herons we were able to see up close in the marsh.  We moved onto a quick (and messy) activity showing how the topography of the land determines how watersheds form. It was then time for the campers to get to work and remember what it was they did the last three days! Tifft staff assisted campers in developing a Powerpoint to present on Friday. Campers were then able to go out as they were finished and sweep net for insects at the base of Tifft’s mounds. The find of the day was a good sized Praying Mantis.

On Friday morning, we had a great showing of parents, who participated with their young crew members back aboard the Spirit of Buffalo in learning how to set and strike sail, steering and participating in science stations that campers chose to teach to the parents.  They chose navigation and speed calculations...showing their aptitude for the science of traditional seamanship.  The morning concluded with a  boat-building competition in which parents joined their campers in designing a boat that could hold weight without sinking.

Although our lunch plans were altered at the last minute, we were still able to enjoy the gorgeous breezy day eating lunch al fresco at Tifft. The campers then nervously presented a PowerPoint presentation highlighting their adventures throughout the week to some of the parents. We hope this gave a great insight into what the campers spent their week immersed in. The campers and Tifft staff also led the parents through a short walk out to Tifft’s 75 acre remnant cattail marsh, to share some of the campers new knowledge about Tifft with their parents.

Upon our return, campers paired up with their parents or another camper to create their own fish species, taking into careful consideration different adaptations that fish have to aid in their survival. It was a wonderful cooperative activity that had everyone digging into the depths of their creativity. Parents and campers were then invited to stay for fishing or able to leave early if they preferred. We had some great catches from both campers and parents! 

Thank you to all the parents that were able to take time out of their day on Friday to spend time learning along with (and from) their children. This was a fantastic crew who we would welcome to be afloat and ashore again with us any time!  Nice job!

Here is a photo album so you can see some of our adventures: Adventures Afloat and Ashore Photos

BUOE and Tifft Staff :)