SAVE THE ESTUARIES'' YOU CAN HELP

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SAVE THE ESTUARIES.. YOU CAN HELP!

• By KUNAL KAMATH
• (Esteem member of the team LEGOCY)

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ESTUARY FACTS

• 1 Its a body of water a mix of salt and
  fresh water
• 2 Its a productive system that produces more
  food per acre than farmland
• 3 There are 102 estuaries in the U.S., 28
  chosen to be of national importance
• 4 Loss of estuaries caused by occupation of
  coastal regions as it is home to 110 million
  people which is going to increase by 17 million
  in 2010

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ESTUARY FACTS

• 5 Has different habitats (shellfish beds,
  beaches, rocky shores, sea grass meadows etc.)
• 6 Provides 75 of commercial fish catch
• 7 Habitat loss is approaching 80-95
• 8 National Estuary Day is the last Saturday in
  September

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ESTUARIES REMINDS US OF.

• A SPONGE As it soaks up water

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ESTUARIES REMINDS US OF.

• A restaurant As birds migrate throughout North
  America, they stop at estuaries for food and rest

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ESTUARIES REMINDS US OF.

• A BLENDER As it mixes up the rich contents of
  fresh and salt water to make brackish

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ESTUARIES REMINDS US OF.

• A SIEVE As it strains all of the soil, branches,
  and even trash so clean water can flow into any
  nearby oceans or bays

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ESTUARIES REMINDS US OF.

• A CLEANER As it destroys, neutralizes, and
  decomposes, waste

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What can you do to protect estuaries?

• START AT HOME! SAVE WATER
• Take quick showers
• Keep baths for special occasions
• Dont leave water running while washing
  hands/brushing teeth, etc
• Load the dishwasher or fill the washer with dirty
  laundry completely before running it
• Water your lawn at night
• Also read the forecast before you plan to water
  the lawn (just in case it rains! )
• Get a rain sensor for the sprinkler systems

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What can you do to protect estuaries?

• CHANGE THE WAY YOU GARDEN
• Limit the use of fertilizers because these
  chemicals can be very harmful to the environment
  and estuaries
• Limit the use of pesticides because they can kill
  larvae of crabs and shrimp
• If you want to fertilizers, use natural ones

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What can you do to protect estuaries?

• IN YOUR GARDEN PLANT NATIVE PLANTS
• In your yard, plant plants that are part of the
  natural habitat
• Native plants adapt to their environment quickly
  because they may be
• drought tolerant (require less watering)
• heat tolerant
• salt tolerant
• require less fertilizers
• Native plants are less likely to be threatening
  or likely to out-compete other plants.

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What can you do to protect estuaries?

• MAINTAIN YOUR SEPTIC SYSTEM
• Check your septic tank on a regular basis. This
  will prevent excess nutrients and harmful
  bacteria from entering estuaries

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What can you do to protect estuaries?

• TAKING CARE OF PETS
• Dont release aquarium fish into the wild when
  the get too big for the tank that they are in
• Because these fish dont have natural predators
  in our local ecosystems when they are released
  they can reproduce
• This reproduction can out-compete native species

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What can you do to protect estuaries?

• MAINTAIN YOUR SEPTIC SYSTEM
• Snakes and turtles also get released and tend to
  do well in our subtropical environment. At best
  they may be a threat to biodiversity, but they
  can also represent a risk to our pets, kids, or
  even our own health and safety. Monitor lizards
  may be found in SW Fl. These are aggressive
  lizards that can grow in the 6 foot range. Boas
  and pythons have been spotted in the Reserve and
  Everglades National Park. Last year there was a
  documented fight between and alligator and a
  python in ENP.
• Please think about how large the animal/fish is
  going to get before you buy it. Will you be able
  to care for it when it is larger, if the answer
  is no, you shouldnt buy it. Releasing exotic
  animals into the wild could present dangers to
  you or others and is illegal.
• Now that you have enough info why dont you just
  start protecting estuaries right now!!!

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WHATS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

• Not-so Ideal neighborhood

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TOP 10 THINGS WE CAN DO

• 10
• Use mulch in our garden
• 9
• Recycle clippings from the lawn as fertilizer
• 8
• Hang birdfeeders in the backyard to encourage the
  nesting of birds
• 7
• Plant low-water using plants

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TOP 10 THINGS WE CAN DO

• 6 Wash our parents car on the lawn
• 5Collect water in a container (to rinse the
  dishes with) when waiting for hot water
• 4 Talk about conserving water when we witness a
  waste of water (tell our younger siblings to stop
  wasting water)
• 3Turn the faucet on LOW flow when brushing
  teeth or washing hands

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TOP 10 THINGS WE CAN DO

• 2 Renew membership of a local environmental
  organization
• 1 Participate in local hazardous waste
  collection day by going to the neighbors and
  collecting wasteful material

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CURRENT PROGRAMS

• Tampa BayWatch's Bay Grasses in Classes
• Wetland Nursery Program opportunity to plant,
  maintain, and harvest plants to be used in
  restoration projects
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Student
• BaySavers For students in middle and high
  school to invove them in habitat restoration
  projects and field tripsSave San Francisco Bay
  Association's
• Canoes in Sloughs explore the estuary ecosystem
  up close in canoes
• North Carolina Coastal Federation's Student
• Shorekeeper's Program help to improve water
  quality and habitat for wildlifePeople for Puget
  Sound's
• Kids for Puget Sound Website To become a Kid
  for Puget Sound and read Kids Sound.
• Save the Bay's Explore the Bay Website
• BayCamp is a unique week-long day-camp to
  explore the fascinating world of marine science.

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OUR BIGGEST CONCERNLack of Understanding and
Apathy

• Many people don't understand
• that there is a problem or
• that they can do something about it
• Our leaders have neglected their home estuary out
  of
• a lack of understanding of its importance to the
  local and regional economy and community
  traditions

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OUR BIGGEST CONCERNLack of Understanding and
Apathy

• Protecting and nurturing the nation's estuaries
  can only be accomplished
• when individuals, neigh hoods and communities
  understand the importance of estuaries and
• many threats that put the survival of these
  estuaries at risk
• When this will happen, general indifference will
  give way to the political and personal
  accountability.

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Sources
http//www.epa.gov/owow/nps/kids/whatwrng.htm http
//www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries/kids/ http//nerrs.n
oaa.gov/Education/pdf/PPTScript.pdf http//www.law
rencehallofscience.org/mare/kids/ http//www.lawre
ncehallofscience.org/mare/related/seastar.html htt
p//www.estuaries.gov/ Tampa BayWatch's Bay
Grasses in Classes Wetland Nursery Program This
coastal wetland nursery program was initiated in
1994 and gives students the opportunity to plant,
maintain, and harvest plants to be used in
restoration projects.Chesapeake Bay
Foundation's Student BaySavers This program
targets students in middle and high school around
the Chesapeake Bay watershed, involving them in
habitat restoration projects and field
trips.Save San Francisco Bay Association's
Canoes in Sloughs Save the Bay's primary
education program for young people Canoes in
Sloughs. Through this innovative program,
students from 6th through 12th grade have the
opportunity to explore the estuary ecosystem up
close in canoes.North Carolina Coastal
Federation's Student Shorekeeper's Program NCCF
offers this program as a way for students to
learn about North Carolina's coast and get
involved in protecting the coast. Student
Shorekeepers are involved in projects that help
to improve water quality and habitat for
wildlife.People for Puget Sound's Kids for
Puget Sound Website PPS offers young people the
opportunity to be a Kid for Puget Sound and
pledge their help to protecting and restoring the
Sound. Kids can also learn about the latest news
through their newsletter Kids Sound.Save the
Bay's Explore the Bay Website The website offers
many opportunities for involvement including
Field Programs, a Seagrasses in Classes program
and BayCamp, to name a few. BayCamp is a unique
week-long day-camp where boys and girls entering
grades 4-9 can enjoy the beauty of the Bay in the
summertime and explore the fascinating world of
marine science.