Sharks of New England Presentation and the Raynham Public Library

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Last Friday, Krill and two NECWA interns, Hayley from Bridgewater State University and Kari from Massachusetts Maritime Academy, were invited to Raynham’s Public Library to participate in “Shark Week” events. The program took place during February school vacation, which was well attended by families, including kindergarten and elementary school aged kids, interested in the talk!

Couple of shark lovers!
To start off the program, Krill gave a lively presentation about various sharks found along our New England coasts, including great whites, thresher sharks, blue sharks, mako sharks, dusky sharks, and sand sharks. Next, Krill explained NECWA’s community sighting network for basking sharks and ocean sunfish (www.nebshark.org) explaining their anatomy, what they eat and how they function in the water, as well as their interesting social behaviors. Using a shark stuffed animal, the kids were actively involved in learning the different body parts of the shark, including the dorsal fins, eyes, jaw, tiny teeth, as well as their ears and nose. 

Kari helps the kids make their own shark keychains.
The fun didn’t stop there of course as both interns came prepared with fun activities for the kids to do after the presentation. With Hayley’s help, each child was given the opportunity to make their very own fossilized shark tooth necklace by picking any beads they would like, as well as putting them in fun and unique patterns. Kari assisted the kids in making key-chains by stringing various colored glass-beads in a particular fashion to eventually form the shape of a shark! 

Some of the necklaces the kids made.
The talk didn’t only leave the kids with new information about basking sharks, as NECWA’s goals consist of more than just educating the public. The mission continues further to also let people know, regardless of their age, that there are things they can do to be actively involved in helping our environment, as well as the animals that live in them. Each child eagerly raised their hands when asked if they recycled, so it is a start! The kids and their parents and/or guardians also took various sighting tags for NECWA NEBShark and Southcoast Terrapin, Mass Audubon Sea Turtle sighting network, as well as IFAW’s marine mammal rescue and stranding network, so that each individual had someone to contact in the event of a sighting. 



More awesome shark keychains.


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