MVCTC FFA students Participate in Lake Erie Field Study Trip

06/07/2022

MVCTC FFA students from Natural Resource Management, Animal Care, and Vet Science labs had the opportunity to participate in the Lake Erie field studies trip in May of 2022. 

Under the leadership of Natural Resource Management instructor Joe Beringer, students started the trip by touring Magee Marsh State Wildlife Refuge and the Perry Monument National Peace Museum and viewing tower. Then, they spent the night camping and fishing at South Bass Island State Park.

The next day students visited Ohio State's Stone Laboratory, where they explored the lake on an OSU research vessel. The students used state-of-the-art equipment to measure dissolved oxygen, assess lake clarity, and take benthic samples. They also conducted a fish trawl surveying fish species in the lake. Back on Gibraltar Island, the students took an ornithology hike, sampled the beach for macro-invertebrates, and identified plankton samples collected in the lake. Overall they had a terrific experience on the lake. They learned a lot about OSU Stone Lab and other researchers' efforts to control the Harmful Algae Blooms on Lake Erie and protect the critical Lake Erie ecosystem.