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Ocean Acidification Program News

Ocean Acidification: Garden of the Salish Sea Curriculum

SOARCE Webinar

Presenters: Julie Hirsch & Eleanor Hines, Garden of the Salish Sea
Primary Audience: Formal and Informal Educators
Date/Time: Wednesday November 19th, 6pm EST (3pm PST)
Project website: http://www.restorationfund.org/salishseacurriculum
Our webinar will introduce teachers and educators to our program. We'll give you our recipe for inspiring curiosity and connecting students to intertidal ecosystems through shellfish studies. From sample lessons to our OA lab series and field inquiry we hope you'll see how students are motivated to become stewards. We'll tour our website to show how you can use these resources to create meaningful context for ocean acidification concepts for elementary students.
Garden of the Salish Sea Curriculum is an environmental education and  community outreach program  inspired by interdisciplinary shellfish studies.
Our Mission:  Empower  stewardship in support of a healthy Salish Sea that can nourish us, by implementing a multi-faceted education and outreach program inspired by the wonders of shellfish, science and community.
Our program: GSSC is a supplemental K-8 curriculum that provides meaningful context to OA literacy curricula. Web-based lessons supported by classroom presentations, hands-on laboratories, local intertidal field experiences and  scientific learning activities culminate in students' commitment to practicing watershed healthy habits using a Salish SeaWatershed's Challenge.
About the Speakers:
Julie Hirsch is an environmental scientist with more than 20 years water quality experience in northwest Washington. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Biology at Western Washington University and a Master's degree in Microbiology at Northern Arizona University. Julie managed water quality and education programs for the City of Bellingham before starting Hirsch Consulting Services, LLC. Since 1999, her efforts have focused on shellfish growing area recovery. Julie has partnered with the Puget Sound Restoration Fund 2001. In 2012, she began Garden of the Salish Sea Curriculum with grant funding from the Whatcom Community Foundation and the Alcoa Foundation. Julie sees shellfish studies as a means for empowering students to become leaders as stewards of their environment and as a vehicle for inspiring studies in science. Julie lives in Whatcom County Washington with her family.
Eleanor Hines has undergraduate and master degrees in environmental science from Western Washington University. She has been involved with several environmental non-profits, including serving as the volunteer chair of the Northwest Straits Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation for 8 years, monitoring coordinator at the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, risk assessment modeling consultant for the Institute of Natural Resources in South Africa, assistant to the North Sound Baykeeper Team at RE Sources for 
Sustainable Communities, and currently with Garden of the Salish Sea Curriculum. As an outdoor recreation enthusiast, her passion is to protect our special places outside for future enjoyment through both science and education.
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ADAPTING TO OCEAN ACIDIFICATION

The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) works to prepare society to adapt to the consequences of ocean acidification and conserve marine ecosystems as acidification occurs. Learn more about the human connections and adaptation strategies from these efforts.

Adaptation approaches fostered by the OAP include:

FORECASTING

Using models and research to understand the sensitivity of organisms and ecosystems to ocean acidification to make predictions about the future, allowing communities and industries to prepare

MANAGEMENT

Using these models and predictions as tools to facilitate management strategies that will protect marine resources and communities from future changes

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Drive fuel-efficient vehicles or choose public transportation. Choose your bike or walk! Don't sit idle for more than 30 seconds. Keep your tires properly inflated.

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By Reducing Coastal Acidification

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TAKE ACTION WITH YOUR COMMUNITY

You've taken the first step to learn more about ocean acidification - why not spread this knowledge to your community?

Every community has their unique culture, economy and ecology and what’s at stake from ocean acidification may be different depending on where you live.  As a community member, you can take a larger role in educating the public about ocean acidification. Creating awareness is the first step to taking action.  As communities gain traction, neighboring regions that share marine resources can build larger coalitions to address ocean acidification.  Here are some ideas to get started:

  1. Work with informal educators, such as aquarium outreach programs and local non-profits, to teach the public about ocean acidification. Visit our Education & Outreach page to find the newest tools!
  2. Participate in habitat restoration efforts to restore habitats that help mitigate the effects of coastal acidification
  3. Facilitate conversations with local businesses that might be affected by ocean acidification, building a plan for the future.
  4. Partner with local community efforts to mitigate the driver behind ocean acidification  – excess CO2 – such as community supported agriculture, bike & car shares and other public transportation options.
  5. Contact your regional Coastal Acidification Network (CAN) to learn how OA is affecting your region and more ideas about how you can get involved in your community
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