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The 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an extreme example of how human mistakes can and have negatively affected the ocean, estuaries, wetlands, and other waterways. It is also a good example of how citizens, including students, have acted as stewards, uniting to try and repair some of the environmental damage. Every citizen has a responsibility to help protect and maintain the health of estuaries, especially if damage to those estuaries has been caused by human activities. Read more
There are many examples of how students in all parts of the United States have volunteered their services to help clean-up, restore, and protect estuaries, wetlands, and waterways in their area. Even before the oil spill, student volunteers were involved with maintaining and improving estuaries by growing and planting salt marsh grasses in restoration projects along the northern Gulf coast. Other students have helped estuaries by reducing non-point source water pollution entering estuaries from the drainage basin upstream.
The three exercises in this activity focus on how we are all responsible for making decisions to protect and maintain the health of estuaries. Too often, it seems that forces negatively affecting the ocean and estuaries are pulling ahead in the game. The "other team" is simply scoring more points. Instead of shrugging your shoulders and saying, "What can you do?" you should ask yourself what you actually can do. What can you and students like you do to "score one" for the estuaries?
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Invasive plants and animals can damage the estuary. Students learn about invasive plants and get hands-on experience getting rid of them, plus they get tips on other ways to restore and protect our important estuaries.
Time: 5:45
NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve System
We all can take actions to reduce climate change and its impacts. One way humans are able to mitigate climate change or lesson its severity is by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a combination of short-term to long-term strategies are needed. The most immediate strategy is the being conservation of oil, gas, and coal which we rely to fuel or things like transportation, agriculture, and electricity. Building new infrastructure to switch to the use of alternative, renewable energy sources represent short to mid-term strategies. Long-term strategies will require innovate research and a deep fundamental change in the way we use energy.
As a system, the NERRS are particularly concerned with atmospheric gases that contribute to climate change and endeavor to reduce their impacts. The NERRS strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all program aspects including: how facilities are developed, renovated, and operated; the selection and use of boats and vehicles; and how we conduct programs and meetings. The NERRS strongly believe that practices and polices followed at the Reserves as well as homes, schools, businesses and governments can affect climate. Additionally, actions taken by students and other individuals, schools, communities, states and countries all influence climate. We need to start taking actions today to make sure that we have healthy estuaries and coastal communities of the future.
To learn more about the estuary and climate change connection, check out Climate Extensions main page.
Downloads Used with this Activity
National Estuarine Research Reserves: Taking Steps to Reduce our Carbon Footprint
Additional Web Resources
Are you and your students ready to reduce your carbon footprint? Take the Climate Stewards pledge on the Washington State Department of Ecology’s website.
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