My fifth-grade class took its first field trip in the middle school to Welwyn Preserve. Guess what we did? We saw nature at its best. We learned all about nature and the environment. We did lots of hiking all around the preserve, and Mrs. Spitz guided us every step of the way. Here is, in detail, what we did.

We arrived at the preserve and everyone was excited. We roamed through the trails until we got to the beach. Once at the beach, we began our scavenger hunt. We had groups and each group had a list of water invertebrates to find. From starfish to horseshoe crabs, to clams and oysters. We also found slipper shells, mussels and razor shells, too. Of course, none of these were alive! Next, we moved to a different part of the beach where we got to hold fiddler crabs that were alive! After that, it was time to move on to...the salt marsh!

The salt marsh had a trail around the perimeter that we stayed on. We saw where the tide came up to on the tall grass. We also saw many species of birds, like blue herons, snowy egrets and osprey. The salt marsh also contained lots of food that birds love and environment that they love, so it was an excellent spot for migrating birds to stop. Another thing we saw in the salt marsh was an endangered plant called lambs ear that was very rare and soft. It grows almost only in salt marshes. But before we knew it, it was time to move on to...the woods!

The woods had many trees, streams and plants. Mrs. Spitz always guided us away from poison ivy and showed us how to identify it. (That was surely a nice thing to do!) Everyone really got into the spirit of hiking. Mrs. Spitz showed us a pond where she lets turtles go each year. The pond had many green leaves and lily pads. Finally, we got back to the buses and left Welwyn Preserve.

Well, it was a great experience and a great trip. Welwyn Preserve is a great place to visit! People of Glen Cove, go to Welwyn Preserve on Crescent Beach Road.

Kieran Basra