Become a scientist with Eco Explorers at the Phinizy Center

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty and your feet in the mud to learn something new.

Eco Explorers is a new Authentic Augusta experience at the Phinizy Center where you can become a scientist.

“For first-timers, it could be a little intimidating. If you’re not used to mucking around in the swamp, it could be very intimidating,” said Kim Dillard, park and volunteer director.

This isn’t Dillard’s first time in the swamp. She checks water quality by scooping up bugs.

“If we were to dip net and we got a whole bunch of bugs, like a big biodiversity, that kind of tells us, ‘Hey, that’s a good thing’,” she said.

The idea is the more bugs, the fewer pollutants in the water.

Phinizy Center scientists come here regularly to take samples, and now they’re inviting you to do it too.

“It is easy, and anybody can do it,” she said.

When you’re done in the swamp, you’ll take your bucket of water back and put your findings under a microscope. Then your goal is to find out what you caught.

“You don’t have to have a special degree to do it. You just have to have the passion and say, ‘Hey, I can identify this bug.’ That’s pretty easy,” said Dillard.

Dillard is excited to start offering this experience to the community.

“I feel like this is a grown-up version of a field trip,” she said.

Dillard says they’ll also show you around the lab. They’ll start offering sessions again in late August.

They’re taking the summer off because of the heat.

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