Wetlands Institute

Institute celebrates World Wetlands Day
By DEBRA RECHFor The Press, (609) 463-6719
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Monday, February 6, 2006
Updated: Monday, February 6, 2006

Madison Blithe, 2, didn't know she was learning about the importance of preserving the wetlands on Thursday at the Wetlands Institute. She just enjoyed “fishing” for wooden fish, then matching them in a puzzle board.

Madison's grandmother, Elly Poupard, of Dennis Township, brought her granddaughter to the institute to celebrate World Wetlands Day, which raises awareness of the value and benefits of wetlands. Although the event has been held since 1997, it was the first time for Cape May County.

The event marks the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Erica Hartman, educator and events coordinator at the Wetlands Institute, said the goal is to make people aware of how the wetlands interact with the ecosystem.

“It's important that people know how valuable the wetlands are,” Hartman said. “We decided to hold this event and see how much interest we could generate. We also wanted to give Groundhog Day a run for its money.”

Admission was free for the day, and, although the event started out slowly, with only a few families attending, a crowd did show up for the live animal programs in the evening. Every hour, a different wetlands creature was featured, including crabs, horseshoe crabs and seahorses.

In “Wetlandia,” a room with exhibits and hands-on activities for preschoolers, there were coloring pages and learning “blocks,” wooden tables that have interactive displays for little hands including puzzle boards that showed the ecosystem and how animals in the wetlands live.

A large felt board offered children the chance to create their own wetlands, and in one corner, children could use a miniature telescope. The room was built about a year ago and funded through an anonymous donor. Poupard said Madison was having a great time.

“She just loves animals so I knew she would be interested in coming here,” Poupard said. “She's had the run of the place and is having a great time.”

For more information on the Wetlands Institute or to order a brochure of upcoming events, call 368-1211.