Miss Peetsy B Bayou Tour
The GCRL Marine Education Center offers bayou tours aboard the motor vessel Miss Peetsy B as a field trip for school and community groups. The program consists of two 90-minute periods of instruction, one on the water and the other in the classroom. Download a flyer- Program content is tailored for for 4th-12th grade students or adult groups
- Trips available on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning March 5, 2013. Trips depart at 9 a.m. and the program concludes at approximately noon.
- Cost - $20/student
- Minimum group size - 30
- Max Group size - 60
- School groups must include one adult teacher per ten students.
Program Agenda
The program includes an on-the-water session and a classroom session.
90 minutes aboard the Miss Peetsy B:
- Tour of marsh habitat
- Measurement of water quality
- Observation of resident marsh organisms
- Collection of marsh organisms by trawling and dip net
- Collection and observation of plankton species
- Discussion of impacts of development on coastal environment
90 minutes in our waterfront classroom will include hands on activities
such as:
- Chemical determination of water quality parameters
- Graphing of data
- Use of microscopes to observe collected plankton
- Classification of marsh organisms
Pre- and post-trip lesson plans, as well as information regarding alignment with state and national science standards are available upon request.
- For questions regarding itineraries and lesson plans please contact Beth Jones at Elizabeth.r.jones@usm.edu or 228.818.8886.
- To book a trip, please contact Shamika Harris-Richardson at shamika.harrisrichardson@usm.edu or 228.818.8833.
About Miss Peetsy B
Miss Peetsy B was donated to USM’s Marine Education Center by Jimmy Buffet and his sisters, Lucy Buffett and Laurie Buffett-McGuane, in honor of their mother who was passionate about education. The vessel's name comes from Mrs. Buffet's nickname - Peetsy B. The Buffet family, originally from Pascagoula, donated the vessel to help educate students about their coastal environment, and ultimately create a more informed citizenry to protect and maintain our local marine habitats.
Photo gallery of the christening of Miss Peetsy B
Specifications
- Length: 33.8 feet
- Beam: 10.9 feet
- Draft: 6 feet
- Tonnage: 14 tons gross, 11 tons net
- U.S. Coast Guard inspected - Passenger Service, Coastwise Unrestricted, Documentation Number 1137299
- Built 1973 and operated by the United States Navy as the liberty launch Suribachi