Chesapeake Connections:

Smith Island

During the fall, Forest Oak eighth-graders took a special trip to Smith Island which located in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. They took a ferry from Crisfield to Tylerton. Smith Island has three towns. Ewell is the largest and the location of the island's school. Tylerton is next in size. The smallest town is Rhodes Point.

At last count there are about 300 people living on the island.

TYLERTON

The students explored the town of Tylerton and interviewed the people on the island. They found out that all of the kids in Tylerton go to school on a boat. The elementary school children go to Ewell on a boat. The high school students take the school boat to Crisfield.

We also visited the store, Drum Point Market, and talked to the people who worked there. During high tide most of the streets and yards of Tylerton are flooded. The people told us a lot about the history of the town. We visited the crab co-op and saw the women picking the crab meat out of the crab. Here is a picture of the Tylerton Methodist Church.

MARSH MUCKING

We learned how the marsh helps the Chesapeake Bay by acting as a filter for the Bay's water. We learned that the mud of the marsh - detritus - is composed of dead and decaying plants and animals. It is important for us to not pollute the bay and the marsh area because the marsh is a nursrey for young fish and other animals. We found small fish, shrimp, crabs, and tadpoles during our exploration of the marsh. We discovered evidence of life in the marsh. For example, we found broken egg shells, a broken turtle shell and a buoy covered with barnacles.

We learned a lot about the marsh life and had first-hand experiences using camouflage techniques in a big game of hide-and-go-seek.......marsh style.

WATCH OUT FOR THE NEEDLE GRASS!!!!! OUCH!!!!

CRABBING IN THE BAY

Crab Potting

We learned to bait and set a crab pot. The crab pots were made out of galvanized chicken wire. There were holes in the crab pot for crabs to enter. There were special blue holes in the crab pots called culling rings. These let small crabs, jelly fish, and fish escape the pot. We ripped the menhaden (an oily fish) in half to entice the crabs and placed it in the pot's bank. Each crab pot is attached to a buoy by a long rope. We yelled "Bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuue Crabs" as we tossed the buoys and pots over. The next day we went back to retrieve our pots. We used a long hook to "capture" the buoy, and then pulled up the pots. Captain Denny shook the pot to release the crabs. We tossed the bait fish into the bay to feed the fish and the brown pelican.

Crab Scraping

We put a crab scrape into the shallow grasses of the bay and dragged it along the bottom. After about 5-10 minutes we pulled it back in and dumped our catch into a big wooden box. We found a shedder crab, peelers, hard crabs and lots of shrimp. We culled the crabs, separating the soft shells from the hard shells. We kept only the larger hard crabs. We threw the smaller crabs back into the Bay. We also found a diamond back terrapin.

Crab Eating

We seasoned our crabs with Old Bay and vinegar. Once they were steamed, we smashed them open with hammers and ate the crab meat. We avoided the lungs.

SAVING THE ISLAND In an attempt to save the island from the effects of erosion, the Army Corps of Engineers placed GEOTUBES on the bayside of Smith Island. GEOTUBES are large, white, mesh tubes that are filled with sand. These tubes were about 12 feet across and 5 feet high! The Army Corps of Engineers also planted grasses along the shore.

Written by Joel A., John F., Ariana G. and Kelly J..

Bay Experiences

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This site is created and maintained by Holly Geddes.
Last updated on March 21, 2003

Bay Studies Coordinator: Jay Foster