Along one of our borders is the Parker River whose estuary is part of The Great Marsh. The largest salt marsh in New England covers 20,000 acres from Gloucester to Salisbury. Our history is tied to our location. The first Dummer arrived from England with cattle and settled here as the Parker and Mill Rivers made natural fences for his animals. Our science students research in the marsh and along the river. Students fish from Thurlow's Bridge which from 1654 to 1758 was the only bridge along the Bay Road from Boston north. And on my ways to and from home, I drive through the marsh and over the bridge. Each season has its own beauty although now is my favorite with the abundance of red-winged blackbirds.
Our interaction with the marsh is to become an even greater part of our curriculum. And to that end, we have started to enlarge our books on environmental writings and issues. One series is on Invasive Species by Suellen May. Of special interest to us is the section on purple loosestrife, a beautiful plant introduced for its purple flowers but of great threat to our wetlands. Another book to dip within is American Earth: Environmental Writing since Thoreau edited by Bill McKibben. Essays and short pieces are joined by artowork, maps, and historical photographs. Come by the library and look through the new books.
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