The Delaware National Estuarine
Research Reserve
is one of 25 designated
reserves across the country.
The program is a federal-state
partnership whose goal
is to establish, protect
and manage natural
estuarine habitats for
research and education.
Delaware's Reserve consists
of two components, the
St. Jones Reserve and
Blackbird Creek.
These sites include both
brackish and freshwater
estuaries and represent the
diverse estuarine ecosystems
found throughout the
Mid-Atlantic.

Inside:

Meet the Reserves - Live in October

Silver Lake Forbay Project

Smyrna High Volunteers

A Page from the
Naturalists Notebook

Gearing Up for School Programs

Butterfly Garden

-Wes Conley

Gearing Up for School Programs

Education Program lead by Katy Lamborn

The St. Jones Reserve is preparing for a busy fall schedule of school programs. We are educating our youth and providing them with the opportunity to learn about our valuable natural resources. Our programs include on-site as well as out-reach educational opportunities to learn about estuaries and their values and functions as part of the ecosystem. We provide the tools and the knowledge for our students to learn about these valuable resources and how to make decisions about the future of them. We recognize that it is today's youth that will soon be making these difficult decisions and it is our goal to help prepare them. Reserve staff conducts integrated research and education programs that develop a fundamental understanding of estuaries and how these areas are impacted by human activities.


The curriculum covers all the state standards for grades K-12. It is our goal to challenge students to think critically about difficult issues. Hopefully, students will take ownership of the environment and realize they are an integral part of keeping this ecosystem healthy. Our local colleges and universities have taken an active roll in providing their students the opportunity to participate in our programs also.

We offer programs that include hands on activities such as exploring the estuary, watershed pollution and water quality issues. The student's test the St. Jones River for dissolved oxygen levels, nitrates, salinity and turbidity. They are provided with the test kits to determine the health of the St. Jones watershed and to share the data they have collected. Small groups of 30 students or less are provided the opportunity to participate in our Salt to Fresh boat trip. 16 students at a time will experience the St. Jones Estuary from a 24ft. Carolina Skiff or by canoe. They will sample water, discuss what influences salinity changes, and learn about the tidal process. The history of the area will be discussed with a focus on the John Dickinson Plantation and how the river was a navigable, profitable waterway. Students also will learn the flora and fauna found in and along the river. The Muckless Marsh Walk introduces children to the St. Jones Estuary through a walking tour of the Reserve. Wetland ecology is discussed while walking over the salt marsh on our ¼ mile boardwalk. They also will be introduced to our weather station where we have a direct live feed into the reserve building and learn about the nitrogen deposition sampler. If it is Beach Ecology you are looking for join us for a trip to Bowers Beach to determine the relationship of plants and animals and how they adapt to three different beach environments: dunes, sandy beaches, and the coastal water zone. They will use field guides to identify plants and animals in each of the unique habitats. Activities will also include active participation in beach combing, seining, and horseshoe crab ecology.

Outreach programs are also available upon request. We offer an Introduction to the Estuary, which although it can stand alone it is helpful as an introductory activity for an On-Site visit. Other programs include Non-Point Source Pollution/Watersheds and Horseshoe Crab Ecology.

Call the Reserve at (302) 739-3436 for more information or to schedule a program. Hurry though as our calendar is filling up quickly. Ask for Kate Marvel or Katy Lamborn to schedule.

-Katie Lamborn

A Page from the Naturalist's Notebook

During the Fall season we think of cooler temperatures, leaves changing colors of yellow, gold and red, the smell of fresh brisk air, and of course Thanksgiving. This is the time in which we all reflect and give thanks for what we have and for the many joys of life we encounter everyday. We should also give thanks during this time for the many animals and plants we get to enjoy as we take our morning walk, hike through nature trails, and even on our travels to and from work everyday. Many of us would think of the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) since we do enjoy this miraculous bird during the Fall.

Distribution: Wild Turkeys are not often seen even though they cover a wide range of North America. One would see them if hunting, in forested regions, or even on small farmlands where they like to forage for plant seeds. They can also be found in mountain regions with forests, woodlots, and swampland areas. The range of North America in which they cover extends from southern Canada to central Mexico. So while traveling through these regions, be on the lookout for flocks of Wild Turkeys.

General Description: The male turkey, or the Tom, weighs between 18-24 pounds where as the female turkey, or the Hen, weighs around 10 pounds. The plumage for both the Tom and Hen is an iridescent bronze color where it is darker on the Tom and a light brown on the Hen. Their wing span can reach 40 inches across. The male turkey will have a red neck and head and a dewlap (skin under the chin), a caruncle (growth on side and front of neck), and a snood (a flap of skin on the bill). The males will also have a beard that hangs down from their chest, as do a few females. The female turkey will have a bluish color head with more feathers than the male. Both will have a wattle, or the piece of skin that hangs from the throat. During April, mating season, one might here a "gobble gobble" this is the sound of the male turkey getting the attention of the female. The Tom is the only one that gobbles. Other sounds by both the Tom and the Hen could be a yelp, cluck, cackle, purr, or rattle. Once mating has subsided in April it is time for the Hen to start nesting in May. Her nest will look like a small depression on the ground under brush lined with dead leaves. The Hen will lay between 8 and 15 eggs and within 28 days the baby turkeys, or Poults, will hatch. Many nests will be invaded by predators, such as raccoon, skunk, opossum, snake, and fox, which will result in a loss of Poults. Those that survive, when about two weeks old, will be able to fly up to lower branches of trees to escape these predators. Once an adult the turkey will be able to run as fast as 12 mph and fly up to 55 mph. Wild turkeys feast upon acorns, their favorite, beechnuts, grapes, sumac and dogwood fruits, blackberries, cherries, corn and soybeans, insects, spiders, snails, and many more various types of critters. They will consume 90 percent plant matter and 10 percent insects in their diet.

Life History: The history of the wild turkey dates back as far as 1.8 to 5 million years ago. More recent history tells us that the Native American tribes in the Midwest and East would use the turkey as one of their main food sources, as well as for clothing, blankets, ceremonial wear, and tools and utensils. When colonists started to settle here in the 1600's they began to hunt and gather turkey for their food source as well, because an increase in colonists caused an increase in food demand. Due to a high demand for food hunting of turkey went up causing them to almost become extinct in the 1800's. The only place at that time in which to find a wild turkey was to go to a secluded forest region. By the 1900's laws were starting to pass to help regulate and conserve our wildlife. Because of this, the wild turkey started to redeem itself. Now the population of the eastern wild turkey is approximately 3 million and rising.

Wild Turkey photo courtsey of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

	Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be the official United States bird, but was disappointed when learning the bald eagle was going to be the national bird.
	Wild turkeys can hear extremely well even though they have no ears.
	Their vision is extremely good giving them a full range of 270 degrees to stay clear of danger.
	Wild Turkeys can have heart attacks. This was proven when a flock of turkeys in a nearby field dropped dead during test runs by the Air Force when they broke the sound barrier.
	If a turkey looks up when it is raining it can drown.

Butterfly Garden

On June 22, Clayton Feiler along with friends and other volunteers completed a butterfly garden for the St. Jones Reserve. They planted butterfly bushes, black-eyed susans and erected a butterfly house.

The garden was an Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project for Clayton (C. J.). After meeting the prerequisites for Eagle Scout, C. J. needed to follow a plan to reach his goal. First he had to find a project that would benefit community, school, church, civic group, or similar, and not directly benefit a Scouting group. After locating a project, it must be approved by the unit leader, unit committee, and council. Next the project objectives needed to be planned, how to accomplish the plan, and what resources will be needed to complete the project. Approval from the sponsoring organization and the Scouting committees are needed before the final step of completion. The garden took planning, organization, and leadership. The final step was to file a report with the Boy Scouts.

The Reserve now has a raised bed garden with flowers, bees, and butterflies thanks to C.J. and other volunteers.

If anyone is interested in similar projects, contact The St. Jones Reserve at 739-3436 ext. 18.

Thanks to Adam Hulstine, Christian Dubsky, Brian Twilly, Brett Wyatt,
Ben Walls William Farrell, Craig Foster, and C.J. Feiler

-Wes Conley

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Previous "Skimmer" Issues:

Fall/Winter 2000, Volume V, No. III
Winter 2001, Volume VI, No. I
Spring 2001, Volume VI, No. II
Fall 2001, Volume VI, No. III
Winter 2001, Volume VI, No. IV
Spring 2002, Volume VII, No. I
Summer 2002, Volume VII, No. 2

 

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