Education Coordinator Linton Harrington of The Trustees of Reservations led a group of sixteen children from the Family Service After-school Bioreserve Science Club Program on an exploration of the Watuppa Reservation, part of Fall River's nearly 14,000 acre bioreserve area managed by the Trustees. The 2007 winter school vacation field trip was designed to increase awareness of the Bioreserve and its role in protecting biodiversity, and clean air and water. Other trips with children from the Gen Center and the Highland School were also held to introduce children to the wooded half of the city. Activities included animal tracking, bird identification and a description of where our water comes from and where our garbage goes. To learn more about the Trustees and their activities, check the calendar on their web site, call 508.679.2115 x10, or e-mail them at bioreserve@ttor.org.
 

(Top row, left) Education Coordinator Linton Harrington sets the ground rules for the hike through the wooded path and suggests the kind of things that the group may see. (Top row, center) David Pellot and Jessica Guillemette go over a chart of animal tracks that they might find along the way. (Top row, right) Mr. Harrington points out something that might be an footprint. (Middle row, left) Mr. Harrington talks about some of the pine cones that show evidence that animals have been eating them. (Middle row, center) Mr. Harrington and Bioreserve Youth Corps worker Voun Phin describe the patterns of tracks that different animals make. (Middle row, right) Children listen for some of the bird calls in the forest. (Bottom row, left) Trevor Charron races to a goal using the same foot pattern that raccoons use. (Bottom row, center) Mr. Harrington points out the landfill mound across North Watuppa Pond and some of the things that the children can do to reduce solid waste. (Bottom row, right) Blindfolded Waldemar Chacon is guided to a tree by his buddy Derek Santos as part of a sensory and tactile game.