Nearly 5,000 students will sail aboard EXPLORER this school year, and so far, the waters of our three rivers are looking fairly healthy. "Most students come on board and hypothesize that the water quality is somewhere between good and bad. The season so far is showing average to good water quality. We're finding mayfly nymphs fairly regularly, and aside from some of the rain events, the water chemistry is favorable for the majority of what lives in the rivers," says Education Manager Suzi Bloom. "Based on the parameters we study, the conditions are better than most people believe."
As the first full school year on board EXPLORER concludes, the success of the vessel is evident --serving groups as large as 90 students at a time in hands-on river based environmental science. "Ninety students on board sounds like a recipe for mayhem, but our education staff manages the student rotations so that the transitions flow like clockwork," says Assistant Director Jeff Jordan. |
