On Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2025, Mr. Soule’s 4th period class went to Mill Pond in West Newbury. We all had jobs to do while at the pond. The jobs were: Photographer, catching the dragonfly, facilitator, and identifier. The person who wanted to catch the dragonfly had waders and boots on and was in the water collecting the nymphs. The facilitator is at the edge of the water collecting the nymphs from the people in the water and bringing them to the identifiers, and they measure and identify the type of dragonfly it is. Lastly, the photographer took pictures of everyone having fun and the dragonflies that were caught. Everyone had a blast being in the water and seeing some turtles, praying mantises, lots of frogs, and many dragonfly nymphs. 

What it is: the DMP engages in hands-on, minds-on science, it increases the public understanding of the threats from mercury pollution. The project started in national parks, and the mercury threatens wildlife and ecosystems that the NPS is charged with protecting. The dragonflies will be tested for mercury levels as part of a Merrimack River watershed study.  

Dragonflies are a big part of the environment, and they have a positive impact. We learned that there is a lot of mercury in the water and air, it is a big factor on plants and the animals living in the water. We can send the dragonfly nymphs to a lab, and after a while, we will get the results back and know what the levels are of mercury in Mill Pond.