Education & Outreach
Part of Turtle Cove's mission is to provide education and outreach activities to students, teachers, and community members. These activities engender support for preserving the current wetland ecology and for future wetland restoration.
If you're unable to attend an in-person tour, we have some online offerings that may be of interest to your group. Our primary Turtle Cove Power Point that we use for all of our university education and public outreach groups can be found here: Turtle Cove Power Point on Impacts of Coastal Wetland Loss (for all of our university education and public outreach groups), and our 20 minute documentary "Troubled Waters: History of the Manchac Swamp Ecosystem and TurtleCove" and 25 minute PR Video on our return (from the devastation of Katrina) in 2012 are both located on the homepage of our website at: www.southeastern.edu/turtlecove.
Field Trips for Students and Other
Community Groups
Using the 40 ft Turtle Cove Pontoon Boat, our staff take students (usually ranging from 2nd or 3rd graders through college) and community groups of all ages, on field trip tours of the marsh and swamp areas of the Manchac/Maurepas region. These field trips involve both lectures (on the history of our coastal wetland loss problems) as well as hands-on activities where students test water quality, dip net for aquatic species, or conduct field surveys of specific animal and plant species. Field Trips usually offered 2-3 days per week (M-F during Fall and Spring semesters, and M-Th during summer). Check here for each semester's days of availability, or contact Dr. Robert Moreau (rmoreau@southeastern.edu, or cell 504-231-1067) for more information or special requests. See above "field trips" link for more information. Also check out our Self-Guided Boardwalk Tour at Turtle Cove.
Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA)
Environmental Education
In conjunction with GOMA, this project, which was originally funded during 2011 (and which activities continue through the future), seeks to create an environmentally literate public who are good stewards of the Gulf and associated watersheds. Innovative, field-based and classroom-based opportunities are provided for K-12 teachers, students and families in southeast Louisiana. Teachers, other educators and students have been attending Turtle Cove field trip tours where they learn about the impacts of coastal wetland loss, collect/analyze water quality data, perform flora/fauna identification activities and possibly participate in wetland restoration projects (plantings and Christmas tree deployments) that have been and will continue each spring. Included in these trips is a ride through the Manchac Wetlands on the Turtle Cove Pontoon Boat, where passengers are able to view first-hand the characteristics and beauty of Southeast Louisiana wetlands. A major component of each field trip is a Self-guided Boardwalk Tour in the marsh behind Turtle Cove, where individuals can learn detailed information on the flora/fauna species that inhabit the surrounding ecosystem. Families have also been asked to attend and participate in the field trips. See above "Field Trips" section for more information on field trips.
Field Training Program for Young
Scientists (from original NOAA grant)
Originally funded through a NOAA grant from 2010-2011, this project greatly enhanced Turtle Cove's traditional field trips into more of a new field training program for young scientists. This program is appropriate for grade school groups ranging form approximately third grade through high school students, as well as any related community groups, seeking advanced activity training and skills in wetland science. University classes are provided more in-depth discussions and activities on field trips. See above "Field Trips" section or contact Rob Moreau [rmoreau@southeastern.edu] for more information on field trips
Teacher Workshops
Through the years, when funding has been available, Turtle Cove has facilitated single-day teacher workshops for K-12 teachers and other community educators. These workshops have focused on a combination of field collection and identification techniques (water quality/dipnetting/vegetation identification) and classroom lectures, all of which provide an introduction to the natural and socio-economic systems that make up the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.
Learn more about teacher workshops
