Let`s Go OUTSIDE and Discover Shired Island It was soon to be 94 degrees outside, but that didn`t stop the kids of Dixie County from discovering the story of Shired Island`s beginnings. Parents and grandparents joined in the fun, too. These kids didn`t stop learning just because school`s out. They joined Ranger Pam and Volunteer Miranda Haire for a lesson about the first Indians of the area, and how and why they built the midden of shells. On the trail, the group observed some of the wildlife and marine life that made the coast so attractive to those first people who made tools, jewelry, and meals from shells. The young explorers walked around the midden as long as a football field, discovering discarded points and pot shards scattered on the ground. They used magnifying glasses to look closely at shells and artifacts of the midden learning that everything they found must be returned to the exact spot from which it was taken. "I think next time, we`ll bring cameras for the kids to take photos of their finds, as well as ospreys and herons in flight", said Ranger Pam Darty. The Lower Suwannee NWR has ten digital cameras and a portable printer in order to connect kids to nature through the lens of a camera. Kids gathered around the Ranger to learn the ancient coil-method of creating pottery from river clay donated by Amy and Henry Gernhardt and Cedar Key Pottery. They were encouraged to create effigy pots with likenesses of wildlife seen in the Lower Suwannee NWR. After their day of discovery, the kids went home with their pottery, and goodies from the Refuge: posters, wildlife coloring books, and stickers. If you are interested in signing-up your group, club, or scouts for this activity, call Ranger Pam at 352/493-0238, ext. 223. 
Volunteer Miranda Haire, a Cedar Key sophomore, helps Chance Mayo with his pottery.
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Kids made coil pots with clay donated by Amy & Henry Gernhardt of Cedar Key Pottery.
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