It’s a Fact This group of dynamic students has delivered wetland education to over 4,000 New Brunswick students each year. They get young visitors to the Tantramar Wetlands Centre excited about getting down and dirty in the marsh.

Sackville, New Brunswick is located in the heart of the world famous Tantramar Marshes, an area that has been recognized as a Provincially Significant Wetland due to its ecological and cultural values. As a volunteer group of over 100 students from the Tantramar Regional High School, the “Wetheads” have been instrumental in developing the Tantramar Marshes Centre, a non-profit, community-abased organization dedicated to promoting wetland conservation through experiential education programs. With the support of the “Wetheads”, the Tantramar Marshes Centre has become a nationally recognized model of environmental education.

The work undertaken by the “Wetheads” has resulted in numerous benefits to the community. They have assisted with the restoration of a 15 hectare marsh and enhanced the site for wetland wildlife. With such activities as the installation of tree swallow boxes, the “Wetheads” strive to protect the local ecosystems as well as the wildlife that depend on those ecosystems.

The most important “Wetheads” initiative is the annual delivery of wetland education to over 4,000 grade four to grade 12 students and their teachers in and around the Sackville region. Without the “Wetheads”, the Tantramar Marshes Centre could not achieve its goal of wetland education. The group gets young visitors excited about getting “down and dirty” in the marsh and encourage both a hands-on and theoretical experience in support of the environment. They have spent countless hours learning wetland ecology so they can be effective teachers. The “Wetheads” do not receive any type of academic merit for their participation in this project, making their commitment to wetland education and action even more extraordinary.

Wetland degradation still occurs on a community and global level. The Tantramar Marshes Centre “Wetheads” are changing the way people think about wetlands and local ecosystems through a unique mentoring approach. In fact, the “Wetheads” are doing more to develop positive attitudes towards wetlands than any other youth group in the Maritimes, if not Canada.

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