The Shadow
LOW MOOR, VA (VR) — Seven Alleghany High School FFA students took their watershed studies beyond the classroom this spring with a trip to Port Isobel West and the Chesapeake Bay.
Gabi Woodson, Katie Stull, Macie Stull, Chloe Franson, Dalton Armentrout, Aiden Hinebaugh, and Chandler Rothwell participated in the trip with their adviser, Teresa Reed, who teaches agriculture at Alleghany High School and is a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience educator.
FFA, formerly known as Future Farmers of America, helps students develop leadership, teamwork, and career skills through hands-on agricultural education and community involvement. For these students, the Chesapeake Bay trip provided an opportunity to put those skills into practice while exploring the connections among agriculture, water, and the environment.
The trip culminated the students’ study of their local watershed and the James River through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. It allowed them to see firsthand how water from their communities eventually reaches the Chesapeake Bay.
“This trip allowed the students to take what they have been learning about our watershed and see it firsthand,” Reed said. “They were able to explore, ask questions, and experience the Chesapeake Bay in a way that you just can’t get from a classroom. It was a great learning experience for all of us.”
CBF staff began the trip by teaching students about important species in the bay, including blue crabs and oysters. Students learned about the importance of these species to the health of the bay and to the people who depend on it.
Aboard the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Walter Ridder, a vessel used for hands-on Chesapeake Bay education, students learned how to bait and set crab pots before releasing them into the bay. They also dredged the bay floor to examine grasses and other aquatic life.
During their time on the water, the students encountered a variety of wildlife, including a burr fish, two terrapins, numerous blue crabs, small fish, and two whelks.
The group also traveled to Tangier Island, where students learned about the island’s history, dialect, and way of life. They also learned about the challenges the island faces as rising sea levels, storms, and erosion continue to erode the land.
Students spent time on the beach, using nets to sample the water for aquatic life. Most of what they caught were small fish, but they also found several lion’s mane jellyfish, which can grow to be among the largest jellyfish species.
Back at Port Isobel, CBF staff helped students identify plants and animals around the island. The group saw numerous waterfowl and explored the marsh while learning about its role as a nursery for many species and its importance in filtering water.
The marsh also provided one of the trip’s more memorable experiences when students encountered a particularly thick section of mud known as “Mother Muck.”
Oyster farming was another part of the experience. Students learned about raising oysters and the role oyster farming plays in the Chesapeake Bay region. One CBF staff member operates an oyster farm and shared his experience with the students. The group also had an opportunity to use oyster tongs to bring oysters up from the bay.
Beyond the environmental lessons, the trip also gave students opportunities to practice responsibility and teamwork. They prepared meals, cleaned up, and helped look after one another throughout their stay. Those responsibilities provided practice with skills they can use after graduation, including working with others, solving problems, managing daily tasks, and taking responsibility for their actions.
Evenings were spent around campfires, sharing stories and taking nighttime walks without artificial light. Students listened to the sounds of the island and experienced the natural environment after dark.
“We definitely did not have a nature-deficit disorder, and no child was left inside,” Reed said.
The trip was supported by FFA families, the Mountain Soil and Water Conservation District, the Alleghany County Farm Bureau, Highlands Community Bank, and the Covington Moose Lodge.
That community support helped students connect what they had learned about their local watershed with the larger Chesapeake Bay watershed. The several days of hands-on learning also gave them opportunities to build teamwork, responsibility, and independence — skills that can serve them in college, careers, and life after graduation.
“This was an incredible experience for these students,” Reed said. “They worked hard, learned a lot, and were able to see how everything we do in our watershed can eventually make its way to the Chesapeake Bay. I’m very thankful to everyone who helped make this trip possible.”
