Ecosystems

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Aquatic ecosystems
Ecological monitoring
Effects of pollution
Species
Terrestrial ecosystems
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Aquatic ecosystems

About Estuaries
What is an estuary? Why are estuaries important? Why protect estuaries? Learn the answers to these questions and more on this in-depth, easy to understand website. Includes links to sites on related material.
www.epa.gov/nep/about1.htm

Action Bioscience
Learn about current topics in bioscience through this wide range of articles by scientists, science educators, and science students. Site also provides original lessons and resources to enhance bioscience teaching.

http://www.actionbioscience.org

Adopt Your Watershed
Learn about what groups in your area are doing to protect watersheds, and find out how you can help.
www.epa.gov/adopt

America's Wetlands
This site will give you a better understanding of the rich variety of wetlands, their importance, how they are threatened, and what can be done to conserve them for future generations.
www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/vital/toc.html

Animals and Plants in the Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding watershed provide the ideal habitat for many plant and animal species. Learn about the diverse inhabitants of this ecosystem and examine environmental indicators and data related to the Bay.
www.chesapeakebay.net/baybio.htm

Chesapeake Bay Program
The Chesapeake Bay Program is a regional partnership that directs and conducts the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States.
www.chesapeakebay.net/program.htm

NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources
Learn what this office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is doing to protect marine mammals and endangered species.
ww.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/

Coral Reef Protection
This site explores why coral reefs are important and what is being done to protect them.
www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/coral/

Dive and Discover Expedition to the Seafloor
http://divediscover.whoi.edu
Immerse yourself in the excitement of discovery and exploration of the deep seafloor. Dive and Discover brings you right on board a series of research cruises around the globe, and gives you access to the latest oceanographic and deep submergence research as it happens!

Exploring Estuaries
Estuaries are sometimes called bays, lagoons, harbors, inlets, or sounds. They are special places where rivers and streams meet the sea. Visit this site to find out about estuaries, the plants and animals that live there and the problems estuaries face today.
epa.gov/owow/estuaries/kids

Great Lakes Ecopages
This site provides information on the biodiversity of the Great Lakes and the partnerships and habitat restoration techniques being implemented to conserve Great Lakes biodiversity.
www.epa.gov/glnpo/ecopage

Journey to Planet Earth
A PBS educational program that explores the fragile relationship between people and the world we inhabit. Includes videos, teaching guides and internet resource links.
http://www.pbs.org/journeytoplanetearth/

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System K-12 Educator Resources
Estuaries, where rivers met the sea, are facinating ecosystems. Find out about what makes estuaries special, the threats to estuarine ecosystems and explore estuaries around the U.S.

National Wetlands Research Center
This site from the U.S. Geolocic Survey explores the many factors that affect wetland health, and provides resources for preserving our wetlands.
www.nwrc.usgs.gov

Nature Net
Detailed materials about natural resources that the National Park Service maintains, including biology, geology, air, and water. Includes issues related to wetlands, coral reefs, and other aquatic ecosystems.
www.nature.nps.gov

New England Aquarium
If you're interested in marine life, visit this site to explore educational resources the Aquarium offers. Don't miss the videos on the home page showing aquarium staff working with a variety of animals brought in after rescue.
www.neaq.org

NOAA Education Web Site
Explore this site to find the information you need about weather, climate change, estuaries, and oceans. You'll find activities, background information, and much more!
www.education.noaa.gov

Research Vessel Lake Guardian on the Great Lakes
This site provides information on research that is being done on this vessel to help solve environmental problems not only in the Great Lakes but in fresh waters throughout the world.
www.epa.gov/glnpo/monitoring/guard/ship.html

Respect the Beach
The Surfrider Foundation offers information on preserving and conserving our beaches--sand, water and waves.
www.surfrider.org/whatwedo3a.asp

Southwest Florida Water Management District Interactive Education Resources
Great virtual, interactive field trips that will help you to teach about wetlands and watersheds. Explore Florida's Green Swamp, Hillsborough River and Springs Coast Watershed. Includes lots of other neat resources too such as educational tabloids, teacher's guides, and comprehensive educational kits.
www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/infoed/educators/interactive.htm

Stream Corridor Project
This site provides an explanation of the structure of streams and their role in the environment. It also discusses stream restoration.
www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/acad2000/stream

Surf Your Watershed
A service to help you locate, use, and share environmental information on your watershed or community.
www.epa.gov/surf

TEACH: Environment
Why do water levels change in the Great Lakes? What fish do people catch there, and what's threatening one of the world's largest freshwater fisheries? Learn about the environment of the Great Lakes region and the environmental issues there.
www.great-lakes.net/teach/envt/

Virtual Watershed Tour
Learn about and view photographs of watersheds on this informative virtual tour.
ohiowatersheds.osu.edu/cbwm/virtualwatershed

Visualizing the Great Lakes: Images of a Region
This site offers images representing topical issues surrounding the Great Lakes and the environment.
www.epa.gov/glnpo/image

World Water Monitoring Day
World Water Monitoring Day helps watershed leaders, educators and trained volunteers to educate students and citizens how the actions of individuals in a watershed can impact environmental quality and human health.
www.worldwatermonitoringday.org

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Ecological monitoring

Environmental Inquiry
Developed by Cornell University to help students conduct environmental science research and participate in communities of fellow student scientists.
ei.cornell.edu/student

EPA Environmental Indicators Initiative
Reports on the status of and trends in environmental conditions and their impacts on human health and the nation's natural resources.
/www.epa.gov/indicators

Global Water Sampling Project
A collaborative project that allows participants to compare water quality of local water streams, lakes, etc. with other fresh water sources around the world.
www.ciese.org/curriculum/waterproj

Great Backyard Bird Count
www.birdsource.org/gbbc
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.

Journey North
www.learner.org/jnorth/
A global study of wildlife migration. Students in North America track the journeys of a dozen migratory species and share their own field observations with classrooms across the Hemisphere.

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Effects of pollution

Acid Rain Educational Resources
epa.gov/acidrain/education
Experiments and activities, basic acid rain concepts, and things you can do about acid rain.

Cleanup for Kids
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) designed this site to teach you about oil spills and other hazardous chemical accidents. You will find information about how oil spills can occur and how NOAA works to help clean them up. You'll also find experiments you can do to demonstrate the hazards of oil spills.
response.restoration.noaa.gov/kids/kids.html

Effects of Acid Rain
Fact sheets that define acid rain, its causes and effects on our planet.
www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/

Global Warming Facts and Our Future
Explore the latest scientific information on global warming. Discover how a warmer climate might affect your life and what could be done to minimize the potentially harmful effects of climate change.
www.koshlandscience.org/exhibitgcc/

Climate Change
All about climate change-- what it is, what it can do, and what's being done about it.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/

Science of the Earth-Sun System
Learn about the questions NASA is researching on earth science, including how the global ecosystems are changing.
www.earth.nasa.gov/science

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Species

Coral Reef Protection
This site explores why coral reefs are important and what is being done to protect them.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/coral/index.html

Endangered Species Program
Link to the Endangered Species Act (which is administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service) as well as information and educational materials on endangered and threatened species.
endangered.fws.gov

Frogwatch
This website explains the role of amphibians in our ecosystem and how they are affected by our changing world. It provides information about volunteering and educational opportunities.
www.nwf.org/frogwatchUSA

Tour of the Biomes
Do you know how rainy a rain forest is? Or how dry is a desert? This is your chance to find out, and also to learn what kinds of plants and animals make their homes in these, and other, places.
www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/biomes.html

Wildlife Fact Sheets
From the Fish and Wildlife Service, basic information about species of regular public interest.
species.fws.gov

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Terrestrial ecosystems

Adopt Your Watershed
Learn about what groups in your area are doing to protect watersheds, and find out how you can help.
www.epa.gov/adopt/

American Forests
From the U.S. Forest Service comes this Primer on Forest Ecosystem Health, focusing on seven general concerns including loss of biodiversity and pollution.
www.fs.fed.us/dxnf/lrmp3.htm

Nature Net
Detailed materials about natural resources that the National Park Service maintains, including biology, geology, air, and water. Water topics include issues related to wetlands, water quality, water rights, and water resources planning/conservation.
www.nature.nps.gov/

Prairie Information from Fermilab
Web sites about prairies, sources of seeds and restoration tips, general agricultural information and virtual weather.
www-ed.fnal.gov/ntep/f98/projects/fnal/student/bkgrd.shtml

Surf Your Watershed
A service to help you locate, use, and share environmental information on your watershed or community.
www.epa.gov/surf/

Virtual Watershed Tour
Learn about watersheds on this informative virtual tour.
ohiowatersheds.osu.edu/cbwm/virtualwatershed

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Resources

The Alaska Native Knowledge Network: Traditional Ecological Knowledge
The Alaska Native Knowledge Network is designed to serve as a resource for compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing. This site provides documentation related to the ways in which Native people acquire and utilize knowledge related to the ecological system in which they are situated.
www.ankn.uaf.edu/tek.html

Ecological Footprint Quiz
This Ecological Footprint Quiz estimates how much productive land and water you need to support what you use and what you discard.

FT Exploring Science and Technology
www.ftexploring.com
Learn what energy is, how it's created, and how it's used. Explore how energy, as food, moves through Earth's ecosystems. Find out how energy makes life possible and how we can use energy better.

Surf Your Watershed
A service to help you locate, use, and share environmental information on your watershed or community.
www.epa.gov/surf

Virtual Watershed Tour
Learn about and view photographs of watersheds on this informative tour.
ohiowatersheds.osu.edu/cbwm/virtualwatershed

Visualizing the Great Lakes: Images of a Region
This site offers images representing topical issues surrounding the Great Lakes and the environment.
www.epa.gov/glnpo/image

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Ecosystems

EPA Resources

Get Involved

Aquatic ecosystems

Ecological monitoring

Effects of pollution

Species

Terrestrial ecosystems

Resources

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