By Gemma
This past Friday, for their day of service, the seventh graders visited Palmyra Cove, a nature park alongside the Delaware River. The first activity they participated in was a beach cleanup. Since Palmyra Cove is across from Philadelphia, the tides deposit trash from Philly ashore, leaving the beach covered in litter. The students paired up and received gloves, a trash bag, and a grabber. The task was to collect the litter they found and help restore the beach’s natural beauty. The students worked very hard and ended up collecting one of the biggest trash hauls the Cove has ever seen!
Common garbage found in the cleanup includes:
- Plastic Water Bottles
- Plastic Bags
- Rubber Tires
- Styrofoam
- Glass
- Straws
- Plastic Plates
- Takeout Containers
- Plastic Bottle Caps
Slidehshow photos by Ailsa Moriuchi ’11
The second activity that the group participated in was a hunt for invasive species. The students were on the lookout for a vine called Oriental Bittersweet. The vines are not native to Palmyra Cove, but were brought there as a food source for the area’s decreasing bird population. Unfortunately, over time, the vines became invasive, aggressively wrapping and climbing native trees, ultimately strangling and killing them. The students were tasked with locating and cutting the vines. The seventh graders worked diligently and helped to save many trees from this invasive species. They went above and beyond, journeying further and doing extra work to help save more wildlife.
