While researchers with the GCE-LTER have been busy investigating the marsh dieoff, the summertime Schoolyard ‘field collaborators’ a group involving teachers and students at elementary schools in Georgia coastal communities has been busy collecting and logging physical and photographic data- documenting changes in the marsh grasses over time.
When asked about their work , the students’ voices suddenly become serious as they explain the potential impact of their own study. "You don’t know you need to collect data until it’s too late to start collecting data." Words of wisdom from one 10-year old involved in the project. "We get to take science for two years in a row with Ms. Pat. Last year," the student explains. "We set up this site [pointing to a map]. Every month, we went there and took pictures, used our quadrats to do counts...you know, just the usual stuff. Well, last month, after the whole summer off, we went back...to this site. Nothing was there!" All the marsh grasses had dies off over the course of the season.
"It was completely dead," the student continues. "Thank goodness, we had our notes and pictures! We could prove that it just happened...over the summer...in only a few months!" These 10 year old scientists actually documented the transformation. The lesson in this Schoolyard LTER project is clear: Take the time to work with your schoolyard program. You never know how far your voice will travel!