AFSC Outreach: NOAA Science Camp 2007
Campers from the Orca group discuss the fish kill incident.
Campers learn about radio and satellite transmitters. |
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During the week of 9-13 July 2007, NOAA partnered with Washington Sea Grant (WSG) and the University of Washington Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Oceans (JISAO) to conduct the fifth annual NOAA Science Camp in Seattle.
Throughout the week, 53 middle-school-aged campers worked toward determining the cause and impacts of a hypothetical environmental incident - a fish kill brought on by a release of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from a tanker.
The campers worked in teams with educators and NOAA scientists on a variety of hands-on activities which highlighted techniques used by NOAA scientists in their work.
Activities demonstrated how actions throughout watersheds are important to the coastal environment; how NOAA navigational charts are made; how oceanographic data are collected; how marine mammal movements, identification, and diet are studied; the challenges faced by salmon in their environment and in the management arena; how oil spills affect the environment and move with the wind and currents; and the equipment and techniques used by NOAA divers.
At the end of the week, the campers applied the knowledge they had learned during the activities to investigate the fish-kill incident, and they presented posters on their results to the scientists and to their families and friends.
Sally Mizroch (AFSC) quizzes campers about humpback whale identification. |
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Two campers (left) discuss the development of salmon habitat with Vicky Krikelas and Kaisha Hom (NWFSC) (right).
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A camper identifies beaks from squid and octopus species. |
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Campers look up fish species on a poster of North Pacific fish.
Kim Shelden (AFSC) helps a camper identify squid beaks.
Final poster presentation of the Gillraker group’s hypotheses and data about the fish kill incident. |
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) staff from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC), and Restoration Center led activities on fisheries, marine mammals, and habitat restoration, as well as guiding the campers on their investigations of the fish kill towards the end of the week. The fisheries activity included a salmon survival game and a role-playing stakeholder meeting in which campers took on the roles of stakeholders at a public meeting on the development of an area that included salmon habitat.
In the marine mammal activity, campers learned about radio and satellite telemetry, food habits of marine mammals, and how to identify individuals. During the fish kill investigations, campers dissected fish and drew graphs of the different types of fish killed, identified marine mammals at the fish kill site, learned about toxin bioaccumulation in marine mammals, and identified bones and otoliths found in “scats” that they processed.
The Restoration Center had two groups of students develop restoration plans that helped to restore the injured fish population from the scenario. Campers were given a budget, a grid of a creek that needed attention, and a booklet of possible restoration actions. Restoration Center staff worked with campers to help them make decisions about what fish passage method to use, how to plant native ground cover, and where to use clean-up methods. Campers came away with a better understanding of the complexities of restoration efforts, real life budget constraints, and an appreciation for restoration work.
NOAA Science Camp started in 2003 as a grassroots effort to increase environmental literacy in the Puget Sound area. The camp has helped middle school students gain an understanding of environmental issues in their own community. WSG coordinated logistics for the camp, JISAO provided scientists to lead activities, funding for science camp staff (educators) and camper scholarships, and NOAA provided funding and staff from the following offices to lead the science activities:
- NOAA Fisheries:
Alaska Fisheries Science Center; Northwest Fisheries Science Center; Restoration Center
- NOAA Ocean Service:
Office of Response and Restoration (ORR) Assessment and Restoration Division; ORR Emergency Response Division; Office of Coast Survey Pacific Hydrographic Branch
- NOAA National Weather Service:
Seattle/Tacoma Forecast Office
- NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research:
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
- NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations:
National Dive Center
NOAA Science Camp’s unique One-NOAA approach demonstrates NOAA’s wide diversity of science in one integrated educational camp to show campers and their families how NOAA offices work together to provide information to address environmental issues which affect their daily lives.
Thanks to all NMFS staff who helped make the 2007 NOAA Science Camp a huge success!
For further information contact: Lisa Hiruki-Raring
more camp photos
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