| "You can teach anything you want using cultural history." | |
| Kelle MacKenzie, Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve |
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It is October, and even though the sun is shining, the wind off Great Bay stings with cold. Soon, the first snow will fall. Turning from shore, you walk quietly through the woods, hearing the call of a wild turkey and stopping to examine deer tracks. When you reach camp, shelter from the wind is found by ducking into a birch-bark wigwam. Settling in around the fire, you savor the taste of smoked fish.
While the scene above describes part of an education program offered every fall by the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) in Stratham, New Hampshire, it could just as well describe the experience of the Msquamskek people who called the estuary home 400 years ago.
Over six weeks in September and October, more than 1,500 third- through fifth-grade students get to experience an Abanaki-style fishing encampment, as well as climb aboard the only Piscataqua River gundalow left in existence to see how early European settlers used the bay to transport their goods.
"Our whole fall school program focuses on the cultural history of Great Bay as it relates to the natural resources that were available at the time, and that are still available," says Kelle MacKenzie, the reserve's education coordinator.
The Fall Cultural History Program, MacKenzie says, is one of the NERR's most popular educational offerings. Teachers must sign up in May, and all program slots are filled within two days. Program evaluations are "always amazing."
Each group of 40 to 75 students and chaperons from across the State of New Hampshire, as well as many from Massachusetts and Maine, spends three hours at the reserve's Sandy Point Discovery Center experiencing the evolving cultural history of the area through listening to interactive storytelling, exploring the wigwam and gundalow, walking trails used by Native Americans, and more.
Over 50 specially trained volunteers and NERR staff members lead the finely scheduled free tours and help bring the natural and cultural history of the area to life.
One of the primary elements of the program is the wigwam, which is as close to an authentic replica as possible. Birch bark makes up the shelter's ceiling and walls, and the wigwam is outfitted with bear and deer hides, grains, and squash. Students get to sample smoked fish, a staple of Native American life.
"Hunting and fishing were a way of surviving," MacKenzie notes. "This is a great place to talk about current hunting and fishing management."
Another program highlight is getting to board a gundalow replica, a simple, flat-bottomed boat, specifically designed for moving cargo on the shallow Great Bay.
Showing how life on the estuary has changed over time, MacKenzie believes, is a great way to help children understand the role and value of natural resources, research, and environmental issues, such as water quality.
"You can teach anything you want using cultural history," she adds. "Historically, what has always drawn people to an area has been the abundant natural resources. . . What it all boils down to really is a healthy ecosystem."
For more information on the Great Bay Fall Cultural History Program, contact Kelle MacKenzie at (603) 778-0015 or kelle@greatbay.org.
