On Tuesday, October 16, a group of students from the 5th, 6th, and 7th grades set out to Hobcaw Barony to explore Winyah Bay on a DNR Discovery Boat. Once they were on the river, they helped to collect data samples and test water quality. So soon after the hurricanes, the usually salty marshes had filled with fresh water, and their nets caught mostly catfish and leaves. “We had a really good time.” said chaperone Hannah Grippo. “I had to keep all the 5th graders from jumping off the boat.”

After returning to land and having their lunch, our long-term friend Beth Thomas of Hobcaw showed the kids around the Discovery Center. They got to see aquariums and terrariums of live animals, hold a live turtle and snake, and view samples of marshwater and feeding barnacles under a microscope. After spending some time indoors, the group took a short trip outside to check out a sculpture made of trash before heading back to school. According to the students, it was “cool, fun, interesting, and awesome!”

By Ryleigh