NOAA 2004-R485
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Theresa Eisenman
9/23/04

Students across the country will gain a better understanding of the hidden treasures of the nation’s estuaries as they take a scientific voyage with The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Environmental Protection Agency’s “EstuaryLive” over the Internet Thursday and Friday. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserves and the EPA’s National Estuary Programs will host thousands of students logging-on the Internet from 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. EDT on Sept. 23 and 11:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EDT on Sept. 24 for live, interactive programming from several estuarine reserve locations around the country. National Estuaries Day is Saturday, Sept. 25. “EstuaryLive” will kickoff the nationwide event to focus the public’s attention on the unique habitat created where fresh water from rivers mix with salt water from the ocean.

“EstuaryLive” will showcase seven of the nation’s most vital ecosystems. Naturalists from NOAA and the EPA will take participants on guided tours through:

The “EstuaryLive” program was created by NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System in 1998 through the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve. Over the past six years, it has become a national program, taking participants on field trips through more than 20 of our nation’s estuaries.

NOAA and EPA sponsor “EstuaryLive” and other public and educational events throughout the year to raise public awareness of the importance of these coastal habitats, which are spawning grounds and nurseries for at least two-thirds of the nation's commercial fish and shellfish. The wetlands associated with estuaries also buffer uplands from flooding and provide many recreational opportunities, such as swimming, boating and bird watching.

Curriculum materials are available to complement your “EstuaryLive” experience. A new, complete “Teacher’s Guide to ‘EstuaryLive’” assists in leading classrooms through their entire “EstuaryLive” excursion - from getting computers prepared to view EstuaryLive to providing suggestions for follow-up activities. This document is now available for download at http://www.estuaries.gov/curricula.html.

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is part of NOAA’s National Ocean Service which is dedicated to exploring, understanding, conserving and restoring the nation’s coasts and oceans. NOAA’s Ocean Service balances environmental protection with economic prosperity in fulfilling its mission of promoting safe navigation, supporting coastal communities, sustaining coastal habitats and mitigating coastal hazards.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA National Ocean Service: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov

National Estuary Day: http://www.estuaries.gov

NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserve System: http://www.nerrs.noaa.gov

U S. EPA's National Estuary Program: http://epa.gov/owow/estuaries