When you’re a student, a field trip can turn into a mini vacation, and that’s exactly what students from Queen’s College in Nassau experienced during the Bahamas National Trust’s (BNT) ‘Student Day Away’. Student Day Away is a partnership between the BNT and Bahamas Ferries through which 118 second grade students and their parents were treated to a trip to the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve (LLNPP) in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera.

“It made my day to see second graders get excited about planting natives,” said Falon Cartwright, Preserve Manager. “Each student took home a native plant seed they planted at the Preserve and I know that they also took with them a greater appreciation for Bahamian plants.” During their trip to the Preserve, the group toured the bush medicine and edible history gardens, sampled bush teas and got a chance to plant and take home a native seed to grow in their own garden. The students also enjoyed lunch at The Preserve while taking in the beautiful native scenery.

LLNPP is the first and currently only national park in Eleuthera. The preserve, which is located in Governor’s Harbour is an environmental education centre as well as a facility for the propagation of native plants and trees. There are various trails and features at the preserve including a mangrove boardwalk, medicinal trail, freshwater wetland, and much more.

The park also boasts a beautiful observation tower that takes visitors above the forest canopy for spectacular views of the surrounding hilly landscape and nearby coast.

“Our education department loves when students can visit some of the national parks on our Family Islands for example the Preserve,” said Portia Sweeting, BNT Education Director. “This is an annual trip where QC students learn things that compliment what they’re learning in the classroom. In addition to the learning opportunity, the students had a great deal of fun and even got to take selfies with Bahamian boas at the Preserve.”

This trip was a part of the BNT’s Parks Pal programme, which aims gets students to national parks on various islands. Parks Pal trips visit Abaco, Andros and Eleuthera and range from a one day trip to three day trips. If you’d like to experience a similar trip with your students, contact Bahamas Ferries at 349-9700. You can also learn more about the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve on their website at http://www.levypreserve.org/.

The Bahamas National Trust was created by an Act of Parliament in 1959 to build and manage the national park system of the Bahamas. Possibly the only non-governmental organization in the world charged with such a responsibility the TRUST, as it is commonly known works daily to conserve and protect the natural resources of The Bahamas, through stewardship and education for present and future generations. There are currently 27 National Parks managed by the TRUST with more than 1 million acres of marine and terrestrial areas protected. Website: http://www.bnt.bs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bahamas-National-Trust/25034035861?ref=hl