Merryspring is adjacent to a large wetland that's part of the Goose River watershed in Rockport. This allows us to take school groups through all of the different zones--the adjacent upland forest, forested bottomland, open floodplain, and right up to (and sometimes into) the river itself. A sunny, raised grassy mound (the former railroad grade used in Rockport's lime quarrying days) makes a perfect stream side classroom for instruction, collecting, and the all-important lunch break.

Fiddleheads, frog's eggs, and an impressive diversity of bird life are just some of the natural attractions that can be seen and studied here; and from this vantage point all of the different components of a watershed, even the surrounding mountains that feed it, are easily seen and understood. This unit also works well with classroom studies in the water cycle.