Snowbird Docents – The Fergusons

We consider our Estuarium docents the backbone of our aquarium.  Without their generous donation of time and knowledge, we could not operate as well as we do.  Their enthusiasm for our coastal habitats make them wonderful teachers for our visitors and students.
                      
We are pleased to present this interview with a rare pair of docents from Danville, Kentucky. Charles and Anne Ferguson have been coming to the Estuarium since 2006 and have given much of their time to working with other visitors to our area.

Q: WHY DO YOU VOLUNTEER AS DOCENTS AT THE ESTUARIUM?

A: When we first arrived on Dauphin Island, we wanted to understand the environment of the estuary.  Anne started working in the butterfly garden with Blanche Emerson and soon we both took the docent training.  We are snowbirds with time and energy and we live close by in the campground.

It is good to give back to your community and Dauphin Island is our community several months out of the year.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF VOLUNTEERING?

A: Every time we work at the Estuarium we meet people from all over the country.  The groups of school children are really interesting and we can see that the Estuarium provides entertainment and learning for all ages. Working in the Estuarium increases our knowledge at the same time that we are helping visitors to learn about the estuary.  We learn more every week.  And observing   our favorite specimens (seahorses, octopus, horseshoe crab, snakes) is always fun!

Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY OUTSTANDING MEMORIES/STORIES OF YOUR TIME HERE?

My favorite is to hear the grade-schoolers squeal with delight when they see the underside of the horseshoe crab.  Also the little kids love to play with the hermit crabs and put their hands in the water.

One year some kids in the campground found a large horseshoe crab on the beach.  It was in poor shape.  They were going to take it apart to see how it ticked.  We talked them in to bringing it to the Estuarium where the staff tried to nurse it back to health.  The kids could come and check on it and they liked that very much.

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