The Potter Creek Crusaders at BTES was created, with the assistance of a mini grant from the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program, during the 2008-2009 school year. The students were involved in the development of an understanding of their environment and the dissemination of information about the Potter Creek watershed in Bayville, NJ. Through their efforts they were able to spark the interest of students, teachers, and the general public about the importance of the relationship between the local waterways and the Barnegat Bay.
The continuation of this program during the 2009-2010 school year will encompass study of Sloop Creek, Clamming Creek, and Maple Creek which were important to the early settlers and have areas of undeveloped, ecologically sensitive land. The Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program is assisting the PCC with a subaward.
The Potter Creek Crusaders , a small group of dedicated 6 th graders at the Berkeley Township Elementary School in Bayville are enhancing their environmental studies by exploring the Potter Creek sub-watershed and its relationship to the Barnegat Bay estuary. The students plan to share their experiences in the Potter Creek sub-watershed with their fellow schoolmates and the public through a variety of exhibits and multimedia presentations.
Potter Creek’s upland forests, which comprise approximately 60% of the parcel, are dominated by both pine and oak trees. The balance of the property gradually flows through forested wetlands to Phragmites and marsh flora including glasswort, perennial salt marsh aster, and sea pink.
Potter Creek is adjacent to a significant amount of protected land, including a 72-acre wetland of marsh grasses continuing across Bayview Avenue to the bay, which TPL conserved and transferred to Berkeley Township in 1997.
PCC also has a link on the NJDEP Division of Fish & Wildlife webpage as a related project to Trout in the Classroom.
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