LITTLE EGG HARBOR – A popular new honors class at Pinelands Regional High School takes advantage of the school’s natural surroundings and proximity to the bay to provide students with an immersive ecological experience unlike any other.
Spanning over 40 acres within the Pine Barrens, the school’s campus offers access to wooded paths, former cranberry bogs, and the Gifford Mill Branch stream. For Pinelands teacher Jim Arden, the setting serves as a living laboratory for ecological exploration and conservation efforts.
Armed with a passion for environmental education, Arden created the curriculum for a class aptly named ‘Honors Ecology: From the Barrens to the Bay.’ Just under 60 high school juniors and seniors signed up without really knowing what to expect.
“They were way ahead of their time when they built this campus in 1979,” shared Arden. “It was always intended to have outdoor space and get kids out there to learn.”
In the past, a few teachers occasionally seized the opportunity to conduct outdoor classes to explore environmental science. However, those experiences were sporadic and weren’t consistently offered. The once-thriving bogs on the campus remained largely untouched for over a decade, serving as a dormant reminder of missed learning opportunities.
Arden’s vision for the class actually blossomed in response to the unprecedented disruptions faced by schools during the pandemic. The biology and environmental science teacher grew concerned about his students’ engagement levels during their virtual Wednesday classes.
“I was teaching from my kitchen counter and knew it had to be hard for the kids to stay focused,” said Arden. “I decided to start doing virtual field trips where I’d meet with scientists like the ones from Rutgers Marine Field Station. We’d meet at a location and stream from the phone.”
The students loved the virtual field trips so much that they requested Arden do something similar once everything was back to normal. The class essentially allows students to be out in the field without ever leaving the high school campus.
“The first three periods of every day is Honors Ecology,” Arden said. “The three goals are discovery and learning about the Pine Barrens, Barnegat Bay, and the estuaries in between.”
Arden said that Terry O’Leary, who was the school’s first environmental science teacher, left behind some information that continues to play an essential role in the class. O’Leary was part of the group that did the original survey, which included identifying all the plant and animal life in 1979.
“They had five species of carnivorous plants,” shared Arden. “We’ve only found one; it’s just a matter of time; we need time.”
Other organizations from outside the school have also agreed to lend their expertise to the new class. Arden arranged for projects with the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarian Research, Barnegat Bay Partnership, Ocean County Soil Conservation District, Jersey Friendly Yards Program, AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassadors, NJ Pinelands Commission and NJ Fish and Wildlife, and the NJ Forest Service.
Earlier this month, Arden and his classes set up educational stations outside to present what they’d learned from their classes and field experiences. Students from Pinelands 7th & 8th Grade GATE classes and Bordentown Regional HS AP Bio students had the opportunity to rotate between the stations. Members of the community who lived near the high school also came to learn about the discoveries made as part of the learning experience.
Topics featured included watersheds and water quality, macroinvertebrates as water quality indicators, ecology and organisms of white cedar swamps, soils, plant and animals found in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, as well as the ecology of fire in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
A New Jersey Fire Service member scheduled to attend the sessions was cancelled at the last minute as he was needed at one of the many fires to break out in recent weeks. However, representatives from the Ocean County Soil Conservation District, the Barnegat Bay Partnership, and NJ Pinelands Commission participated in discussions with students and visitors.
Grant money allowed for the first of two major projects with the help of outside resources. The first was a culvert filter designed and installed by Stevens Institute of Technology staff and students.
“We bought a weather station,” shared Arden. “Every time it rains a half an inch or more, we run out and take samples before the filter, and after the filter and overflow.”
“After the samples are collected, the students do laboratory tests to see if there are problems with high phosphate levels,” Arden continued.
Delaney Lowe, who graduates this year, stood before some test tubes as she shared more information about the project.
“We’re also testing nitrates to see how they differ before and after they’re filtered,” Delaney explained. “The water comes from the parking lot and then down through the retention basins. We’re looking for the excess nutrients that come from things like people’s cars.”
Delaney said she does not intend to pursue a career in science but had lots of fun with the hands-on experience and being outside in nature.
Arden said that a Rutgers graduate student is developing a bog restoration plan. Once it’s in place, grant applications will go in to fund the project.
Sasha Manger, a senior, said she plans to study endocrinology once she graduates. Sasha’s always been interested in the bogs. She first began exploring them as a member of the Science Club two years ago.
“I’m pretty involved in this experience and renewing the bogs,” Sasha said. “And making them a functioning ecosystem and teaching other people about them.”
While the program’s first year has involved a lot of clearing the path, Sasha is excited about what comes next. The plan is to introduce a hemi-marsh so that new fish can come in and the bog becomes more of a real functioning ecosystem. Right now, it’s more of a mud flat.
The students’ excitement echoed through their voices as they recounted their class nature walks, delving into the wonders of the Pinelands, ecology, and the diverse flora and fauna that inhabit the region. Notably, the discovery of wild orchids in the fall and delicate lady tresses in the second bog further enhanced the area’s natural splendor.
A one-hour tour of the work done by Arden and his classes wasn’t nearly enough. Arden’s infectious energy perfectly reflected the fervor radiating from his students.
“The kids make it easy to be enthusiastic,” Arden admitted. “It’s a symbiotic relationship where I feed from their energy. They are just amazing kids.”
