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 Educational programs taught by qualified Huntsman staff are available for any grade level. All grades can be accommodated, and we have schools visit us from Canada and the U.S. We create a custom schedule for each school, and all prices include accommodation and food.
Are you looking for a vacation with a difference? The Huntsman runs exciting marine biology and marine vertebrate courses for students. The 2010 summer programs poster for students and adults is now available for viewing or printing.
For some students, marine biology is an attractive career choice, for others it is simply a fascinating subject. The HMSC has been offering high and elementary school students a unique opportunity to learn first hand about the marine sciences since 1987. Our on-site school program offers courses tailor-made to individual groups specifications.
The following provides general information about our school programs and should answer the basic question about planning a school trip to St. Andrews, New Brunswick.
Who may attend? Most of the school classes, which participate in our on-site and overnight programs, are from Grades 5 to 12. Adult and natural history groups are also welcome. Younger students are questionable!
How many students can I bring? A group of 10 - 40 students fit nicely into our facilities. The average group size would be 30 students.
When can we come? Our field season is basically from April to November.
How long should we stay? Our programs are very flexible and vary in length from one day to two weeks. We believe a 4 to 5 day program will provide your students with a good introduction to the marine environment.
What about program content? An individual schedule is set-up for each group according to grade level, ability and intensity of interest. We try to spend half the day in the field collecting samples of the local marine fauna and flora; and the other half of the day in the lab examining our catch, or on tours learning more about current research projects. Field and lab work are balanced as much as possible, in order for one activity to lead into the next. The time of low tide dictates the final order of activities.
What activities are available to my students? The following outlines the regular field trips and lab activities, as well as special seasonal field trips, that we offer. A combination of these activities can be arranged to make an interesting and exciting schedule for each group.
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Regular Field Trips:
Most field trips concentrate on observing and collecting samples of the invertebrate fauna found on the seashores close to St. Andrews or in the local waters of Passamaquoddy Bay. At least two hours and sometimes half a day are needed to meet our objectives.
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Oceanography
 An introduction to offshore environments. The HMSC vessel Fundy Spray is equipped with an "otter trawl" for catching benthic fish, a "scallop drag" for sampling invertebrate communities and "plankton nets" for collecting animals and plants throughout the water column. A salinometer is also on board for measuring water temperature and salinity.
The vessel meets or exceeds all Coast Guard regulations and is equipped with GPS and Loran; radar and depth sonar; life rafts and life jackets.
Intertidal Zone
The shoreline around St. Andrews and Passamaquoddy Bay is extremely varied. Each of the areas listed below offers a different habitat and shoreline type and is worth a visit.
Indian Point - a long, mixed habitat, gently sloping shore. A good introductory spot.
Pottery Creek - a flat, muddy beach. Ideal for collecting animals that hide in the sediments.
Holey Point - a short, mixed habitat, protected shore. The zonation pattern of animals and plants shows up well here.
Green's Point - an exposed steep, rocky shore. Dominated by brown seaweed. It is a good area for seaweed studies and zonation exercises.
Bar Road - a gravel tombolo, with sandy and gravel habitats.
Salt Marsh
An introduction to transitional environments between marine and terrestrial habitats. Students study animal and plant adaptations; species abundance and diversity; and zonation patterns.
Aquaculture
Tours may be arranged of on-site aquaculture projects.
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Seasonal Field Trips:
The tidal upwellings around the islands at the mouth of Passamaquoddy Bay and Bay of Fundy stir up nutrients that provide food for animals, both large and small. In the late summer and fall, whales and seabirds gather to feast and are a major attraction in the Bay of Fundy. These field trips vary in length from a full day out on the water to overnight.
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Whales and Seabirds
These trips range from near shore to off shore waters and from day trips to overnight excursions. All are weather permitting.
Deer Island/Head Harbour - During this day trip in near shore waters with a local whale-watching company, we would expect to see Harbour Porpoise, Minke Whale, and maybe even a Fin or Humpback Whale.
Grand Manan - The Mecca of whale-watching. This trip can be done in a day where we would ride the ferry back and forth to the island; or can be extended to an overnight excursion with an offshore boat trip to look for the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale.
Grand Manan Island industries
While cars often define many of us, a boat and its gear defines a fisher. A trip down an active fishing wharf is a fascinating experience.
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Regular Lab Activities:
We follow a formal format with our lab activities, with a task set outfor the students to complete. Most of the high school classes hand in their assignments which are marked an the results credited towards a biology or environmental course. The lab activities can be adjusted to different age and interest levels. For younger students the labs generally run from one to two hours. For older students two to three hours may be needed to complete the assignments. Our teaching labs are well equipped with compound and dissecting microscopes, aquariums, glassware, field guides and identification manuals. Each group is assigned its own lab room.
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Plankton labs
A fascinating look at life in a drop of seawater. Using good microscopes students will be able to identify diatoms, dinoflagellates, copepods and other tiny animals that form the base of many ocean food chains.
 Invertebrates
Classification - an introduction to taxonomic classification. Students will observe, identify and classify animals they have collected.
Echinodermata - an in-depth look of a fascinating totally marine phylum.
Behaviour Experiments - by performing a series of experiments related to light, water temperature and salinity, students will learn more about a specific invertebrate's adaptations to its natural environment.
Dissections - we prefer to work with live animals, but occasionally peer inside.
Seaweed (Algae)
A study of the local macro alga species. Specimens press well for school collections.
Fish
First we have to catch them....
Identification - students will be able to key out/identify the fish they caught during the oceanography field trip.
Form and Function - a detailed look at the external and internal features of an individual specimen.
Behaviour - through a series of experiments students will be able to observe a fish's reaction to different environmental and social stimuli.
Fish Prints - a lab for the artists in the crowd.
Oceanography
An introduction to physical and chemical oceanography. Topics include salinity and temperature characteristics in an estuary, seawater vs. freshwater environments, water density characteristics and determination of the photic zone. This lab uses observations and information collected during the oceanography field trip.
Where would we stay? High school groups stay in shared accommodation at Anderson House, a historic mansion that has been converted into a residence. Students sleep in dormitory style rooms (bunkbeds) on the second floor, with up to eight people per room. Each room has its own bathroom with tub, and shower facilities are located in the basement. Teachers and supervisors are accommodated on the third floor where the rooms are smaller and bathroom facilities more private.
What about meals? The dining room for all groups on campus is in Anderson House. Breakfast starts at 7:30, lunch at 12:00 noon and supper at 5:30. We can accommodate most kinds of dietary restrictions if we know in advance, but bring your own Soya milk!
Help! How do we get there? Most schools rent a bus and drive to St. Andrews. This is probably the easiest way as having ones' own transport when here is very useful.
What type of clothes should we bring? The maritime climate is cool and damp, even in the summer. The layered look is fashionable all year round.
 Here’s a handy list:
- warm outdoor clothing
- good quality rain wear (jacket & pants)
- rubber boots
- sleeping bag
- towel
- binoculars
- flashlight
- day pack
- "gravol" or something similiar
- (if you are prone to seasickness)
- "MP3 player" with headphones (no stereos)
- soccer ball, baseball gloves, etc.
- personal items
- notebook, clipboard
- pencil, coloured pencils
- camera
- alarm clock
Where are the nearest medical facilities? St. Andrews has a medical clinic with doctors on duty on weekdays. The closest hospital is at St. Stephen, 30 km away.
Safety - Always a concern and students should be advised in advance that the intertidal areas that we will be visiting are often wet and slippery. They must use caution when walking in these areas and on any of the boat wharves. We require everyone to wear a life jacket (provided by HMSC) when out on our boats. We expect the group leader to be aware of the physical conditions and medical needs of their students and to inform us of any limitations students may have.
How much does a program cost?
Please contact us for details on the various packages available.
A trip to Grand Manan involves extra costs and there may be minor charges for some tours.
If you are interested in bringing a group to the HMSC, we can send you a cost estimate for a basic program if you let us know the numbers of students you would like to bring and the number of nights you would stay.
How do I reserve space? The earlier you can book the better, as many groups reserve next years time slot when they depart.
A $500 (non-refundable) deposit is needed to confirm a booking.
If you have any questions, or for more information, please email us.
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