Knickerbocker Lake Science Program
Boothbay, Maine – Fun, hands-on science activities usher in the next generation of lake stewards to protect a vital public drinking water supply lake for the towns of Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, and Southport.
In July 2022, Ecological Instincts partnered with the Boothbay Region Water District, Boothbay Regional Land Trust, and Boothbay Region YMCA to offer an interactive science program for campers at YMCA Camp Knickerbocker. Campers experienced a wide-range of hands-on activities including a watershed model and water cycle game, and water quality monitoring from canoes in Knickerbocker Lake- including practice using a Secchi disk and scope, benthic dredge, and plankton tow. A macroinvertebrate station allowed campers to sort bugs and plankton they collected in the lake, use a digital microscope, and create their own bug dial. An aquatic plant ID station featured a matching game for a variety of common native aquatic plants, along with nature journaling, and a scavenger hunt.