Park Quest #8 ~ Sandy Point State Park

Jimmy, Sally, Sook & Sponge Crab...no, they aren't characters on Sponge Bob!  But after today's Park Quest "Where's Jimmy" at Maryland's Sandy Point State Park (outside of Annapolis), I know the difference.  (And no, I'm not giving away any of the Park Quest Answers!) 

From the Nature Center (which is new to the park since the spring) which is small but has great wall paintings of Chesapeake Bay animals, live creatures in aquariums, and an invitation to touch...to trekking barefoot bay-side in the sand (a good leg muscle workout)...to a wooded thicket, we had it all.  Going from one blue crab placard to another, we completed our informational scavenger hunt with no problemo's!  The hot day lent itself well for both sweaty brows and the beach, but a pending storm (and the promise of food) sent my two young questers and I home earlier than intended. 

Being a teacher who does an art field trip to this park every spring (see Bay Week Revisited at http://greenteamgazette.blogspot.com/2010/04/bay-week-revisited.html), I hope they leave up the crab marker posts year-round.  It would be a great addition to our field trip, and it makes a nice hike mission for anyone who might happen upon it and want an informational hike. The two DNR park rangers who were in the Nature Center told me they that since the Center was new this season, it was on a trial to see how much visiting support it would get.  So far, so good, and they've had a good number of visitors.  If you are an Anne Arundel County native (or anyone, for that matter) who is interested in seeing people connect with nature and the Chesapeake Bay, you might want to drop a line to encourage the continuation of this good thing. (This is also the place to go to schedule a field trip or school visit to you):

Sandy Point State Park
1100 East College Parkway
Annapolis, MD  21409
410-974-2149 office
410-974-2772 marina
sandypoint@dnr.state.md.us

Likewise, the TEAM Program (Teaching Environmental Awareness in Maryland), also through Maryland DNR, offers free classroom programs to Maryland Teachers.  Whether in pursuit of Watershed Studies [they offer 4:  Watershed, Chesapeake Bay, Streams I, and Streams II] or Marine Studies [oyster reefs, horseshoe crabs, or Chesapeake Watermen], there will be something in this 60--120 minute mix of programs that will be to your liking!!  To learn more go to http://www.dnr.state.md.us/education/teamdnr/ .

To learn more about Sandy Point State Park & Maryland's Summer 2010 Park Quest, click the title above or go to http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/parkquest/sandypoint.asp%20 .