Bermuda High School for Girls pupils have successfully completed their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey final.

A total of 33 students braved torrential rain to complete their outdoor assigned tasks, which for the first time focused on explorations rather than expeditions.

Fiona Lewis, Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award leader, said: “The move away from a walking expedition was seen as an opportunity to broaden the experience that the girls would gain through the Award Scheme and is something BHS wish to repeat in the future.

“An exploration is a purpose with a journey, as opposed to the expedition which is a journey with a purpose. In an exploration, the primary focus is to observe and collect information relevant to a purpose.”

Mark Outerbridge, an ecologist with the Bermuda Biodiversity Project; JP Skinner, education officer for the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS); and Robyn Larkin, education supervisor at Dolphin Quest, all joined forces with Mrs. Lewis in setting up three projects for the pupils to take part in.

The students helped out at Dolphin Quest by taking part in the 24-hour watch of three dolphins about to give birth.

Three of the six groups of pupils chose this project and monitored dolphins Bailey, Caliban and Cirrus, for signs of impending birth. The girls took part in a two-hour training course, learning about dolphin anatomy, behaviour, baby signs, how to record vital information and the preparation of equipment ready for the birth of a calf.

Another group worked with Mr. Outerbridge, taking part in statistical research for the feral population of red-eared sliders.

The red-eared slider is an ornamental fresh water turtle that was originally imported as a pet to Bermuda, but is now seen as an invasive species which threatens native biodiversity.

Last year the Bermuda Biodiversity Project initiated a study on the distribution and potential environmental impact these pond turtles are having in Bermuda.

The pupils recorded size frequency, sex ratios and other statistics, to calculate the population of red-eared sliders in Paget Marsh and Somerset Long Bay pond.

The girls gained hands-on experience of handling and measuring the creatures before releasing them back into the wild. A further two groups of students took part in a project at Coopers Island and Ferry Reach, where JP Skinner of BIOS has been working towards reintroducing bio-diversity to the parks of Bermuda.

The girls worked hard in clearing the land of invasive plant species such as casuarinas, in preparation for planting Bermuda cedar trees.

All trees planted by the pupils were plotted using a GPS system to document the project’s progress.