DAY 14

Karen Sanchez and Dylan Brenner

Today, we took the bus to the the Cornell Cooperative Extension Program in Southold on the north fork. When we got off the bus the place reeked of shellfish. We walked behind the building to get a rundown on what we were going to do. A couple of the volunteers showed us these big nets full of oysters covered in mud and sea squirts. This was the absolute dirtiest of all the service jobs. A couple people had to put on big bibs to open the bags and dump the oysters into bins. Then the bins were brought over to the culling machine, where one person would scoop up the oysters and put them in the machine to clean, wash, and sort by size. As this was going on, the empty nets would be watered down with a high-pressure hose and then laid in the sun to dry.

After a couple of hours of this, Kim Tetrault, our leader, gave us a tour and lecture about the center, and also gave an overview of the entire process required to breed the oysters and clams. First, he took us to a classroom and talked about oysters and the marine life of the east end. He also told us that we did about 3 days work and processed over 35,000 oysters, which is worth over $18,000. He talked about the reproductive cycle of shellfish and their value within their larger ecosystem. In the harvesting rooms, he taught us about aquacultures and how they are used to solve problems. He showed us what looked like a laboratory full of colorful, bubbling beaks, test tubes, and large holding tanks. This room was where all the aquaculture goes on to make the food for the shellfish. SPAT is the project we worked with and their goals are to produce shellfish to seed the bays by growing miniscule shellfish in containment until they reach adult size and reproduce.

Since we didn't finish till around 1pm, we had to take the ferries back to the south fork, which brought a couple of us for the first time onto Shelter Island, in order to reach school in time for lunch. After lunch, we went back to the Shelby’s room and worked on our individual media projects.

DAY 13

Graylen Gatewood and Jessica Kim

Tuesday morning, we went to the Pine Barrens in Hampton Bays, the largest natural preserve on Long Island that lies atop one of our largest water sources, called aquifers. At the trailhead, we read a sign that said the Long Island Pine Barrens is the largest single area of pine barrens in the northeast. We also learned of the extensive damage caused by the Pine Barrens fire of 1995, and that fires can be part of the natural replenishment process for these regions. After that, we hiked into the forrest. Mr. Raebeck asked us to be silent while we hiked so we wouldn't scare away the wildlife. A mile or so in, we stopped to discuss human's effect on nature. Mr. Raebeck spoke about naturalists and artists, of the importance of preserving the natural world, and what is called a "conservation ethic." He also talked about the Native American belief that we come from the Earth and therefore should respect it, and how the human race can't express its own wildness if there are no places to simply be free, such as nature preserves like the Pine Barrens. Then we hiked back to our bus. On the way, Mr. Raebeck asked us all to reflect on the question, "How do you express your own wildness?"

In the afternoon, we went mountain biking along the trails near Ross. The weather was warm and mild and before we started off, Ms. Del Giorno explained the safety rules. The trail was narrow so we had to go one by one. When we came across logs, we had to call them out to the people behind. At the clearing for the power lines, some of the group continued on to into terrain that was more challenging, a mix of mud and sand and rocks, with more dips, curves, and ruts, while others stayed behind. Once the more experienced riders returned, we all headed back to school. We all had a great day, hiking and biking through the preserved land of the east end.

DAY 12

Matt and Christian Rice

This morning the "Exploring the Northeast" gang met with Anita Wright from the Group for the East End, an environmental awareness group of the Hamptons. When we were younger, the two of us participated in several ecology camps over the summers with the Group for the East End and learned a lot about how to protect the environment. The Group for the East End’s purpose is to raise awareness about the protection of the environment, by educating the people who live on the East End. We also met with Richard Povermo from the East Hampton Trail Preservation Society. The EHTPS helps to maintain over 280 miles of trails on the East End. We walked through a portion of the Buckskill Trail, cleaning it as we went along. They gave us lopers and other gardening tools to remove low hanging branches, weeds, logs, and sticks from the trails, making them easier to bike and hike along, and also preserving them for the long term. The Ross School is surrounded by 700 acres of preserved trails and woods, one of them being Buckskill trail. The EHTPS is holding a brunch on the 25th of April. They are inviting people of all ages to help preserve the trails in our community. The EHTPS also works every Tuesday on trail maintenance with volunteers from the East End.

DAY TEN

Paulina Keszler Lillian McCarthy

Today began with the arrival of a surprise snow boarding celebrity . . . Ms. Heaney! Because she had to teach middle school classes, she couldn't come up until today, but she left home at 3:30 a.m. and was on the slopes by 9:00 a.m., where we met her after first stuffing ourselves with pancakes. The first run of the day was a group run so we could all show off how well we were doing. "We're done being beginners!" Noah bellowed after finishing Upper Arrow, the first blue (intermediate) trail several of us went down this trip.

After a long day on the sunny but cold slopes, we headed in to feast. A big shout out to Ms. D and her trusty sidekick, Karen (and to think, she almost changed her mind about coming on the trip!), who chopped and sauteed and fried and roasted us all into apres-skiing heaven.

Although none of us want to leave, we are looking forward to our last session of skiing and riding tomorrow.

THE WHOLE GANG-From the Summit to the Base

DAY NINE

Anthony Montella and Ben Stein

So today we shredded some nasty nar-nars on the mountain and we all got mad jelly over Matt’s rad specs. We scored some gnarly footy on the terrain park, courtesy of Christian and Dylan, and on Easy Rider and Mountain Road courtesy of Ms. D.

Of course, on some of the terrain we had some falls, Anthony taking the nastiest ones, but everyone appears to be in one piece. A highlight of the day was the entire group meeting at the summit then skiing/riding in one big pack all the way down.

Oh, there were other highlights: Paulina's mad colorful socks AND when she sent her snowboard hauling down the mountain and yours truly (Anthony and Ben) had to chase it down then hike back up the mountain.

After we left the slopes, we hit the girls’ condo and played dominoes while Karen and Ms. D worked their nightly magic in the kitchen, turning out some amazing tacos. Then at 7:30 we went to the Springhouse at Jackson Gore to splash in the pool and laze in the hot tub and sauna. All will sleep well tonight.

DAY 8

Karen Sanchez and Christian Rice

We all woke up to a bright, sunny day in Vermont. The snow was glistening and the wind was barely blowing. The forecast predicted temperatures in the 40s and that is exactly what it felt like all day. Since we had our group meeting the night before, we didn’t have to meet in the morning and could go on the trails as early as 9am, which is when the lifts open. The lessons run from 10am to 12pm and they have proved to be truly rewarding for those who have taken them. Paulina had her second snowboarding lesson and nailed her first jump! Karen and Graylen had never skied before yesterday, but by the end of the day they were skiing down from the top of the mountain with Mr. Raebeck (Okemo has beginner runs from top to bottom). Noah has also been getting better at snowboarding, covering most of the mountain with his lessons, then joining the gang afterward. After our second day of lunch at Base 68 , we headed back to the mountain for our afternoon sessions. The lifts close at 4pm, so we’re getting 3-plus hours in the afternoon, after a solid 3 hours in the morning. Christian, Matthew, Anthony, Cutler, Ben, Lillian, Viktor, and Dylan all went up to the top of the mountain after lunch. Dylan really surprised the group because it was his 4th time skiing and he was making solid turns and skiing with control. The group did a trail through the woods, then went to the terrain park. The conditions were perfect. It was sunny, warm, and all of the jumps were perfectly groomed because they were just made that morning and the sun made the snow soft. After Dylan met up with Noah, the rest of the group found a fun run that consisted of the tree trail, and then two different terrain parks. Anthony, Ben, Viktor, and Christian all called it quits for the day, while Matt and Cutler hit the park for two more runs. Matt landed a sweet board slide and Cutler said that he’s never fallen more in his entire life! By 4 pm, everyone was exhausted. Ms. Del Giorno and Cutler went to the grocery store to stock up and get the food for dinner. Karen made a mixed chopped salad and Ms. Del Giorno made pasta with tomato and meat sauce and garlic bread. Everyone finished with happy, full bellies. Karen has been hand washing the dishes instead of using the dishwasher in order to save water and energy. Tonight, the boys in Cutler’s condo were assigned to help out by drying and putting away the dishes. After that, we hung out in the girls’ condo and watched television, played card games, and laughed until we all called it a night.

DAY SEVEN

Ryan Lewis and Victor Seibert (with help from the editors)

Today was our first day on the mountain. With over 30 inches of recent snowfall, we stepped out of our condos straight onto the well-covered and nicely groomed slopes. After skiing in one large group, the teachers assessed our ability levels and put us in groups or sent us off to get lessons. The lessons were excellent – we had the instructors practically to ourselves. After a couple of hours, everyone was skiing! Some from the top of the mountain, others on the bunny hill – but everyone was sliding and turning.

We all gathered in the base lodge for a hearty, if not healthy, lunch (refer to Mr. Raebeck’s earlier email), then headed back onto the slopes for the afternoon. Many aches and pains, not to mention moans and groans, at dinnertime, but Ms. DelGiorno’s incredible chicken and cheese quesadillas, served with a side of rice and beans, provided much needed comfort.

We capped off the day with a dunk in the hot tub and swim in the pool, both located in the Jackson Gore area, a short ride from our condos at Kettlebrook. Now it’s off to bed to rest up for tomorrow.

DAY SIX

TRAVEL DAY!

DAY FIVE

SNOW DAY- Ross School is closed.

DAY FOUR

Paulina Keszler and Lillian McCarthy

Today in "Exploring the Northeast" we presented power points and slide shows about the work we did in groups the past two days. Each group chose a different subject having to do with Long Island. One group researched Native American history and culture on Long Island. A second group researched Long Island Wildlife, both flora and fauna. The third group studied Long Island geology -- how the island was formed from advancing glaciers and the many interesting geological features it possesses. The final group looked into the fishing and whaling history of Long Island, examining our maritime culture and also the most popular fish that are pursued. The presentations were both informative and entertaining. It's really helpful to know the cultural and natural history of where we live, as well as the history of the ground on which we stand.

In the afternoon, Mr. Raebeck decided to treat us to a classic film related to the whaling and fishing industry we've been studying: Moby Dick. This classic story by Herman Melville begins in the whaling town of New Bedford, Massachusetts in the 1800s. A group of seamen aboard the Pequod set out to harpoon whales but soon find that they are part of the life-threatening scheme of their strict captain, Ahab, to get revenge on the monster white whale, Moby Dick.

DAY THREE

Graylen Gatewood and Noah McKaskill

Today, our M-term group took a trip to some historical sites in Sag Harbor and the Elizabeth Morton Wildlife Refuge in Noyac. Our first stop was the Annie Cooper Boyd house in Sag Harbor. This house also acts as the Historical Society of Sag Harbor. Annie Cooper Boyd was a local artist, and a lot of her work is in the house. She even painted murals on the walls and doors! Our next stop was The Sag Harbor Whaling Museum. The first thing we did in the Museum was watch a short video about whaling back in the 19th century. Whaling was harsh work. It was estimated that one out of three people died either from an accident or disease. The length of a trip could average from 12 months to around four years varying on the amount of whales they would catch. Out of all the types of whales in the ocean the most favored whale for oil was the Sperm Whale, because it had the most valuable oil in one section in his head. After we visited the museum and ate lunch, we drove over to the Elizabeth Morton Wildlife Refuge in Noyac. It was drizzling outside, but that didn't stop us. The teachers brought along bird seed so we could feed the birds. At first we all took cracked corn, but the birds, which included black-capped chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals, woodpeckers, and titmouses (titmice?), among many others, didn't like that very much. We also had mixed wild bird seed and sunflower seeds, and we discovered that they liked the sunflower seeds the best, and many of them ate directly from out hands. We also saw a group of humungous wild turkeys.

DAY TWO

Dylan Brenner

The first thing we did today was hike the Seal Haulout Trail in Montauk. The conditions of the trail were muddy and icy. It was about a 20 minute walk to the bay. When we got to the water, we saw some Harbor Seals sitting on the rocks and swimming. There was even a seal lying on the shore. There were several signs explaining facts about the seals. We found out that there are may more seals on Long Island than anytime in the past sixty or seventy years for two reasons: 1) The hunting laws have become stricter, and 2) The water is cleaner due to anti-pollution laws. After we hiked back to the bus, we drove to the Montauk Point Lighthouse. Although we were not able to go into the lighthouse, we hiked along the rocks at the shore. It was a very fun and intense adventure. After that, we went to the Deep Hollow Ranch, the oldest working ranch in the U.S.A. It was a short visit, but we got to see the horses, donkeys, and even a cat. Once back at school, we were put into groups of three and assigned research projects. The topics were: Long Island Wildlife, Long Island Native American History, Geological History of Long Island, and Whaling/Maritime History on Long Island. Today was a very eventful and productive day. We learned a lot.

DAY ONE

Jessica Kim

We started our first day of M-term hiking at Hither Hills State Park in Montauk. The trail was called the Stephen Talkhouse trail, named for a Native American who was known for walking everyday from Montauk to East Hampton and Sag Harbor, and then back again. The path was muddy, snowy, and icy. The weather, however, was great, sunny and mild. Along the way to Walking Dunes, we stopped at Napeague Harbor and enjoyed a great view of the sea. The hike to Walking Dunes was about 3 miles and as we approached, we entered the dunes area, we saw trees covered by the sand. They looked like bushes, but they are actually trees. Inside we encountered a "phantom forest," trees that had been killed by the drifting sands. The dunes are known as walking dunes because they move constantly in the steady winds off Gardner's Bay. Not only was it great to see the beauty of nature, but also it was an adventurous and challenging trip. Overall, the first day of hiking was a bit tough, but we were able to handle it.

Welcome to our blog for "Exploring the Northeast." Photos and student accounts of our experiences will be coming shortly. Rain or shine!