The Wrack
The Wrack is the Wells Reserve blog.
From Corn Fields to the Salt Marsh: A Summer of Teaching and Learning
Posted by
Emma Knudson
| August 27, 2025
| Filed under: Program Activities
Emma Knudson
Emma Knudson, NOAA Hollings Scholar and Summer Camp Assistant, reflects on her experience this summer.
As someone who grew up and has gone to school in the Midwest for my entire life, I was over the moon to get to spend the summer in such a new and beautiful environment along the coast of Maine. I’ve always loved the ocean, so the chance to get to live briefly next to one for a summer was a dream come true. I was also excited to learn the ecology of a different ecosystem. My classes in environmental science in Missouri focus on prairies and forests, so the opportunity to study coastal and estuarine ecology was completely new to me. As I reflected on my summer as the camp assistant for the Wells Reserve summer camps, I quickly began to realize that I learned just as much as the campers!
Teamwork along the river
This summer, the campers were extremely excited about catching eels in the Merriland River, something long-time coordinator Amanda Bailiff said wasn’t a typical favorite of young campers. However, this year, we had several groups that wanted to return to the river in the hopes of wrangling some very hard-to-catch American eels using only small aquarium nets. The campers were quite successful, one week of camp even catching 9 eels in one morning (the new camp record)! I learned so much about these resilient escape artists, but even more importantly, learned about the incredible ability of campers to work together and become leaders when it came to catching. I observed as campers took the charge in lifting rocks to search for eels and guiding other campers to form the walls of nets around the eel. Their cooperation and communication as a team was inspiring to watch progress!
Marsh bravery
As a soil-loving student, getting to spend so much time in the marsh with all of its rich peat was such a joy! I got to learn so much more about marsh plant identification and nekton and invertebrates in the estuary, something I had no experience with. With campers, we caught dozens of green crabs, mummichogs, sticklebacks, and silversides along the research marsh. I had about as much fun as the campers identifying different fish and watching the crabs interact in the large buckets before releasing them. I was also inspired by the campers' bravery in so eagerly going after these critters with nothing but excitement. It just goes to show that when we put kids in these environments, they’ll step up in unexpected ways to learn and grow.
Giving time for curiosity
One of my favorite aspects of camp this summer was watching campers move from the fast-paced tempo of typical summer excitement to soak in different aspects of the natural world around them. One afternoon of birding with camp highlighted these campers’ ability to slow down and become so naturally observant and curious, something lacking so often in the highly intense school environment they’re used to. As I asked campers questions about observations we’d make along the trails, I was often amazed by their thoughts and predictions that drew on their own observations. Campers clearly grew in their confidence as the week progressed, becoming more sure of themselves when identifying plants and animals or answering questions.
While my role often required me to teach about the wonders of nature to campers from across the country, it’s easy to realize that these campers also taught me so much in return about the beauty and resiliency of our natural world and future generations of environmental stewards.
