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.