BAM Spring 2016

Here are some fantastic images of our time spent in The Bahamas to conduct the Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves, BAM Spring 2016 project.  Not sure who had more fun … the BAM LOF Education Team, the teachers, or the students!  We all learned a lot and enjoyed planting and nurturing seeds … mangrove seeds… as well as seeds of learning about mangrove stewardship.

Teachers from Abaco Central High School and Forest Heights Academy enjoy identifying marine animals during professional development training at FRIENDS Kenyon Center Lab.
Michelle Bailey, science teacher at Abaco Central High School observes marine snails through a microviewer at FREINDS Kenyon Center Lab.
One of the many creatures that we brought to the professional development training at FRIENDS Kenyon Center Lab and the classes. Photographed is a bristle worm magnified through a microviewer. Notice the toxic bristles on each side.
James Richard, Michelle Bailey, and Lindsey Borsz holding sea stars and sea cucumbers. These educators identified organisms in the mangroves as part of a professional development training at FRIENDS Kenyon Center Lab.
Photographed are some creatures that live in the mangroves including sea stars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and a tulip snail.
Lindsey Borsz, science teacher at Forest Heights Academy, takes a closer look at the upside-down jellyfish, an animal found in the mangrove ecosystem. These jellyfish have symbiotic algae that live in their tentacles. They point their tentacles towards the sun, so the algae can photosynthesize, producing nutrients for the jellyfish.
Here at Abaco Central High School, we are using microviewers to magnify the small animals inside, so that we can take a closer look at the features of the animal.
The red mangrove seedlings that the students planted in September here at Abaco Central High School are growing tall. The question is, "Which ones will grow the fastest? The seedlings planted in mangrove mud, sand, or pebbles?"
Our Director of Education Amy Heemsoth teaching students at Abaco Central High School about food webs.
Amy Heemsoth, our Director of Education, shows the various characteristics of the Phylum Porifera. She is holding a sponge in her hand, which are the animals that are found in this phylum.
Our Director of Education Amy Heemsoth holds up a small decorator crab. She explains that this crab is able to put objects like sponges, rocks, and algae on it's back to camouflage its body.
Student at Abaco Central High School looks through a microviewer to get a better look at a decorator crab.
Amy Heemsoth, our Director of Education, shows students at Abaco Central High School how chitons are able to attach themselves to rocks.
The upside jellyfish intrigues students at Abaco Central High School. Students know not to touch this stinging creature.
Students at Abaco Central High School carefully touch sea urchins for the first time.
FRIENDS Program Assistant AJ McIntosh and Abaco Central Alumni, shows students where the tube feet are located on a sea star.
Students at Abaco Central High School learn about macroalgae, which is better known as seaweed. As the students feel the rigidity of the macroalgae, Amy Heemsoth, our Director of Education, explains that many species of macroalgae obtain calcium carbonate in their structure. When they die, the calcium carbonate is broken down and helps to create more sand.
Forest Heights Academy students are excited to see a pufferfish. The next step is for them to use books to identify the species.
FRIENDS Education Officer Cassandra Abraham helps a student at Forest Heights to identify a sea urchin.
An 11th grader at Forest Heights Academy checks out a decorator crab.
FRIENDS Program Assistant AJ McIntosh allows students to hold sea stars and sea urchins, so that students at Forest Heights Academy can feel the tube feet moving on their hands.
Here is a close-up view of the sea star's tube feet. The sea star is being held upside down.
Students at Forest Heights Academy hold a sea urchin, sea star, and sea cucumber, which they learned are animals that are in the Phylum Echinodermata.
An inquisitive student at Forest Heights Academy observes the behavior of a sea star. She had many questions for us.
Students at Forest Heights Academy form a mangrove food web.
Students at Abaco Central High School participate in a food web activity. Each student is given an animal or plant that can be found in the mangrove food web. A young lady shows that she will be portraying turtle seagrass.

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