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
([email protected], 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.

 

Learn more about field trips

 

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 [[email protected]] 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