« Life Happens | Main | First Leaves of Autumn In My Own Backyard »
October 6, 2006
"Little Island" Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
About 35 miles east of the Smithsonian's museums on the National Mall, a marsh walkway and a sanctuary for wildlife, including wild turkeys and great blue herons, make for scenic hikes and outings. A deep country quiet, without a trace of city noise, completes the contrast to Washington, Baltimore and nearby Annapolis."People tell me, 'I've always driven past and don't know what happens here.' And I say, 'We're here, come see us,'" said Karen S. McDonald, the center's first outreach coordinator.
"This is its own little island, but we're trying to change the view. We'd like people to see what we're doing for the Chesapeake and the world."
The concerted effort at the research center is a way of saying that what happens there is not only academic. Scientists working there would like more residents of the county and state to know about the jewel in their midst.
"The science we do, such as studying ultraviolet radiation and habitat destruction, provides answers to how to improve stewardship, both to policymakers and the general public," Anson H. "Tuck" Hines, the center's director, said yesterday.
"The bay is the shining star of the coastal zones, but it's also had enormous problems. Our natural resources illustrate directly the science of the ecosystem to visitors."
Hines, a scientist who has worked on the SERC campus for 27 years, estimated that the center draws 12,000 visitors a year, most of them schoolchildren.
The center's secluded 3,000 acres by the bay includes 14 miles of shoreline for 18 main research divisions to study. Forest canopy, jellyfish behavior and the depletion of overfished oysters on Maryland's side of the Chesapeake Bay since 1987 are among the subjects scrutinized.
What a fantastic concept! I must admit I had never heard of this place until I read the article, but I most definitely plan to check it out. I think Alexis would enjoy it too! A learning center that is dedicated to educating people about the fragile Chesapeake Bay ecosystem is worth noting. It's amazing how many people don't understand how they effect the system as a whole, because quite frankly in this area we all do. Though my concern as always is that the people that really need to hear this message don't care and won't bother, but it's an interesting concept one the less.
Found via the Baltimore Sun.
Posted by Dianne at October 6, 2006 12:09 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.daffodillane.com/movabletype/mt-tb.cgi/7100