| | (L to R) Katrina Hashagen and Miranda Nunnery pose in front of an airboat before their marsh ride. |
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| | (L to R) Lillian Barber, Jessie Loyd, Andre' Brock, Miranda Nunnery, and Katrina Hashagen hold an unamused alligator. |
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| | (L to R) Jessie Loyd poses with crabs as an alligator looks jealously on. |
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Four West Feliciana High School 4-H students recently took a fun and educational trip to the marshes of Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Cameron Parish. The weeklong camp, held in mid-July, is offered once per four years per parish, and each parish may select only four students to attend. This year’s West Feliciana attendees were Lillian Barber, Katrina Hashagen, Jessie Loyd, and Miranda Nunnery, who joined students from four other parishes for the experience.
The students took airboat rides, trawled for shrimp, caught crabs, observed wildlife at night, and even handled live alligators. On the last full day of camp, the group travelled to Avery Island, where they participated in a hands-on marsh restoration planting. They also toured the Tabasco hot sauce facilities and the McIllhenny family’s wildlife preserves on the island.
The hands-on experiences were effective educational tools to supplement daily lectures. The 4-H’ers learned about the significance of Louisiana’s wetlands to not only coastal residents, but also to the entire country. The students’ group presentations at the end of the camp proved that they had retained what they learned about delicate biological balances in marsh ecosystems and their complex relationships with human populations.