| Growth chamber with four bins of wild celery (Valisneria americana) | Sean Campbell ’11 – draining water from the growth chambers (preparing to transport the chambers from the classroom to the bay) | |
| Students and DNR staff investigate the contents of a seine to survey the aquatic life near the planting site. | Tom Brennan III ’13 and Andrew Vinton ’11 plant wild celery guided by DNR staff. |
The Bay Grasses in Classes (BGIC) program began its thirteenth season in 2010. This year, a total of 65 teachers from 15 counties and Baltimore City raised wild celery, redhead grass and water stargrass. Throughout May and June, most classes will participate in a meaningful bay experience by attending a BGIC planting field trip. In addition to planting the grasses grown in the classroom, students will use seine nets to survey the aquatic life and learn to test the local water quality with the help of Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) biologists.
Over 1,832 classes and 45,796 students participated in BGIC since it began in 1998. During this time students have planted over 3.25 acres of bottom surface in the Bay with the 500,000 plants grown in their classrooms. Surveys taken each year by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) continue to map healthy grass beds planted by students in the program.
To learn more, visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/sav/bgic/