My sixth grade science class and I went on a field trip to the James River to learn about the life that lives there and how to protect it. There were three stations that we went to throughout the field trip.

The first station I went to was the station about food webs. There, I learned that even a little bit of pesticide can affect the whole ecosystem. We also learned about how overfishing and hydroelectric dams can affect the paths of migratory fish and therefore can damage their population. We even learned about the change in the bald eagle population over the years.

At the second station we talked about watersheds and how they worked. We also talked about where all of the water from the watersheds goes. At the end of the station we actually went down to the water and tested its pH, dissolved oxygen, and water clarity. After we had tested it we compared the results with the water's normal qualities.

The last station was my favorite station. For the last station everyone got into their own kayak and kayaked to the other side of the river. The instructors helped us into our kayaks and taught us how to row them. Once we were there, we used a dichotomous key to identify the species of an animal. Once we were done, we kayaked back. Then everyone changed into dry clothes and we went back to school.

I had a lot of fun at the field trip and I hope we can go again sometime.

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