Day three of Seabird Camp started in the microscopic world as we looked at slides of zooplankton. Some kids had studied plankton the night before and found it so interesting that we decided everyone should get a chance to glimpse the wonderful world of tiny creatures.
St. Paul Tribal Government’s Ecosystem Conservation Office (ECO) staff visited the classroom to give a presentation on rats. Campers learned about the dangers of rats arriving on St. Paul and what the ECO office is doing to prevent this from happening.
Now that everyone had developed an appropriate dislike of rats on St. Paul, it was time to paint our “No Rats” tote bags. Disposable bags aren’t allowed at the AC Store, so everyone here uses cloth bags to bring home groceries. These totes will have the “No Rats” symbol on one side and a seabird on the other. After 35 people painted cross-out symbols, we were running low on red paint!
Next, we dived into the world of undersea exploration with Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROVs). Tonia told us all about ROVs and how scientists and deep water industries use them. We were joined by half a dozen older kids who had worked with the Prince William Sound Science Camp (PWSSC) to build ROVs before and had the know-how to help out younger campers. Thanks to PWSSC for letting us use their equipment!
Working with a bag containing three motors, cable, controller and a bunch of PVC pieces, each team had to design a balanced and buoyant ROV that wouldn’t sink too much or float too much or tip one way or the other. Not easy! This was a lesson in both engineering and team work as the groups had to work together to build a good machine. After building a framework, the young engineers strapped on motors and floaties with zip ties and electrical tape. A quick test of motors and controls told us it was time to head to the docks!
From the Floating Dock campers submerged their strange-looking creations into the dark, icy waters of the Bering Sea. Up, down, forwards, backwards: each team had to demonstrate a fully functioning ROV before an adult strapped on a Go Pro camera. Who knows what these underwater videos will reveal?
Word on the basketball court is that Seabird Camp is cool. Several older boys, who hadn’t been to camp, put away the b-ball for a little while and joined the regulars for our evening session with ROVs. The destination was East Landing, a rugged wave-battered coastline much different for the sheltered confines of the harbor and floating dock. ROVs weaved through beds of flowing kelp as we gathered more video footage.
A team of painters stayed late into the night as the process of coloring our animal masks began. With so many odd surfaces to paint, we sometimes resorted to finger painting or even grabbing handfuls of nontoxic tempera paint and rubbing it on the masks. At this messy task….the kids were all naturals.
