Science: Exploring our Ecosystem

The girls' study of the Bryn Mawr ecosystem this fall began as each student chose a tree to observe, draw, and describe in her nature journal. The students went on to learn the parts of a plant and to observe wildflowers on the campus. Then they focused on the animals around us, as they continued to record their observations in their nature journals.

A trip to explore Irvine Nature Center and a  presentation on the Chesapeake Bay by the staff of the National Aquarium in Baltimore added to the pool of information that the girls collected themselves.

The girls put together what they had learned about the various organisms, food chains, and food webs in the ecosystem. They read about the changes in Yellowstone Park when the wolves were removed from the area in the 1920's and then the changes in the park due to the re-introduction of the wolves in the late 20th century. They listened to different viewpoints on the deer population in Maryland and pretended to be state legislators as they contemplated and debated possible solutions to the current situation.