Estuaries can serve as a powerful vehicle for engaging students, developing science inquiry and problem-solving skills, and helping students learn and apply core concepts in biology, chemistry, physics and Earth science. Further, the growing awareness of the challenges of climate change and planetary stewardship makes it even more imperative that students learn about the connections between the environment and our daily lives. Estuaries serve all of these needs with a rich and accessible context for learning. NERRS educators can assist you in teaching about estuaries or coastal issues, to any grade level or any type of audience.
Read below to find information on the following topics:
A Local Approach to National Priorities
Established by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) is a partnership program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the coastal states. NOAA provides funding, national guidance and technical assistance. Each reserve is managed on daily basis by a lead state agency or university, with input from local partners. The Coastal Zone Management Act created the reserve system to protect estuarine areas, provide educational opportunities, promote and conduct estuarine research and monitoring, and transfer relevant information to coastal managers.
NERRS is comprised of 28 estuarine reserves, each of which consists, most often, of the following staff people: a Manager, Education Coordinator, Coastal Training Program Coordinator, Research Coordinator, Stewardship Coordinator, GIS Specialist, and a SWMP Technician. Education is an important priority for the NERRS. Each Education Coordinator works, together with other education specialists, to provide formal, informal and outreach related activities. Coastal Training Program Coordinators provide training opportunities for a variety of coastal-decision maker audiences. Many reserves have volunteer programs and internships to assist with education activities. To learn more about the background and the work done by the NERRS staff in each reserve site, please visit our Meet an Expert section.
The national office coordinates with other federal agencies, national education, scientific and environmental organizations, and interest groups. Each reserve is an active member of the local and regional education community and a representative of the state and NOAA stewardship community. Through this network of placed based areas around the country, the reserve system takes a local approach in advancing estuarine education and generating meaningful experiences for all kinds of people interested in protecting and restoring estuaries. Working at both the site level and as a national system, reserves have a greater impact than could be achieved through community efforts alone.
The NERRS Education Goal (2005-2010) aims to:
Enhance people’s ability and willingness to make informed decisions and take responsible actions that affect coastal communities and ecosystems.
NERRS Education Programs
The NERRS Education Program targets a culturally diverse audience of educators and students, coastal decision-makers, environmental professionals, resource users and the general public.
Following is a brief description of several of the education programs offered by the NERRS:
- Training for Coastal Decision-Makers: Education and training is provided for professionals who make decisions about coastal resources on a regular basis such as planners, conservation council members, resource managers and community leaders. The Coastal Training Program is offered in almost all 28 reserves and provides up-to-date scientific information and skill-building opportunities to individuals who are responsible for making decisions that affect coastal resources. The common purpose is to ensure that coastal decision-makers have the knowledge and tools they need to address critical resource management issues of concern to local communities.
- K-12 Education Programs: Reserves also provide K-12 education programs, ranging from hands-on field experiences for students to professional teacher development opportunities. These are great opportunities to learn, teach about estuaries, and engage students in activities that will excite them and encourage them to explore the estuarine environment. Reserve staff also work with local schools through teacher training and consulting to implement curriculum on coastal topics.
- Community Education Programs: Community education & outreach is another priority for the NERRS. Community education programs foster behavioral change to promote resource conservation and to support the mission of the Reserve System. These programs work with audiences whose choices directly impact the integrity of our estuaries and their associated watersheds. Community courses are offered on topics ranging from groundwater dynamics to green home practices, climate change and ecological gardening techniques.
- Public Outreach: Twenty three reserves have an Environmental Learning and/or Interpretation Center which, in several cases, include research laboratories, classrooms, an auditorium and a visitor center. These Learning or Interpretation Centers conduct activities to disseminate estuarine sciences information to the public and engage local communities and volunteers. These include regularly scheduled public programs and special events, such as presentations and lectures, seminars and workshops, kayak, bird-watching trips, among many other type of activities. Different environmental education programs are provided to libraries, schools, service clubs and a variety of civic organizations.
- Fellowships Opportunities: The Graduate Research Fellowship provides master’s degree students and Ph.D. candidates with an opportunity to conduct research of local and national significance that focuses on enhancing coastal zone management. Fellows conduct their research within a NERRS and gain hands-on experience by participating in their host reserve's research and monitoring programs. Fellows receive a stipend of $20,000 per year, but funds are available on a competitive basis. Read about other type of fellowship opportunities Fellowship and Careers section.
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