Education and the Environment

An increasing amount of research shows a positive correlation between children’s exposure to nature and their health, including their capacity to learn. Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, wrote, “All children need nature. Not just the ones whose parents appreciate nature. Not only those children of a certain economic class or culture or set of abilities. Every child.” As an environmental educator, I have learned that hands on, experiential learning is the most effective tool for long-term retention of new information and has the added benefit of providing a positive impact on students’ mental well-being. My fondest memories include seeing the joy on my students’ faces, especially those who, despite growing up within one hour of the beach, had never seen the ocean.

More so than ever before, children are growing up indoors and attached to various screens. While there are many advantages to technology, indirect deprival of nature and the outdoors can lead to dire consequences. Brian Edwards (2006) conducted research on links between environmental design on school buildings and educational performance and found that seemingly small details such as enhanced exposure to natural light improved the performance of the students. These are simple improvements that every teacher could alter in their classroom. While certain schools may have a financial or architectural advantage, I have taught in schools where teachers have placed blackout curtains on their windows and I feel an immediate, negative mood change upon entering those classrooms. More research and distribution of this knowledge could increase implementation of small, positive changes in the classroom.

Environmental education can improve students’ learning across all topics. Michele Archie, a consultant with extensive background in environmental education, has looked at schools that have adopted environment-based curriculum and found that reading, science, social studies, and mathematics scores improve and student apathy decreases. I believe this is done through improvement of critical thinking skills by experiential, project-based learning as opposed to textbook memorization. Developing advanced analytical skills through problem solving activities will improve students’ learning skills as a whole.

I also have concerns about the future of our planet, which is in the hands of younger generations. With the current disconnect between children and nature, how will they develop an appreciation for our planet and a desire to treat it with care and respect? Without environmental education there will not be environmental caretaking. Mehmet Erdogan (2015) studied the effect of summer environmental education programs on students’ environmental literacy and cited many studies that showed an increase in environmental knowledge and awareness after participating in environmental education. The finding that “involvement in outdoor activities stimulates environmental attitudes of individuals” most stood out to me because this is something I have believed in and practiced for several years, but had never looked up the research to prove it. Individuals only work to protect something they care about and this care can only be developed over time and through positive interactions.

I developed an interest in the environment through a combination of outings with my family and field trips through school, but the majority of my interaction with nature was because of family interest. What about students whose families lack this interest or do not have the time or funds necessary to enhance environmental curiosity? It is imperative that schools integrate environmental education into their programs in a more consistent manner; one or two field trips a year is not enough to foster environmental awareness. Jane Eller, of the Kentucky Environmental Education Council, notes that lack of environmental education can go beyond encouraging apathy and actually promote environmental harm. She believes, “environmental literacy is a right. Without it, people can do harmful things they would never intend to do.”

It is in the best interest of both students and the planet to incorporate environmental education into our schools.

The Sea by Pablo Neruda

I don't usually read a lot of poetry, but lately some lovely poems have crossed my path. "The Sea" was quoted at the Surfrider conference a couple months ago and I don't want to forget it:

I need the sea because it teaches me,
I don’t know if I learn music or awareness,
if it’s a single wave or its vast existence,
or only its harsh voice or its shining
suggestion of fishes and ships.
The fact is that until I fall asleep,
in some magnetic way I move in
the university of the waves.
It’s not simply the shells crunched
as if some shivering planet
were giving signs of its gradual death;
no, I reconstruct the day out of a fragment,
the stalactite from a sliver of salt,
and the great god out of a spoonful.
What it taught me before, I keep. It’s air
ceaseless wind, water and sand.
It seems a small thing for a young man,
to have come here to live with his own fire;
nevertheless, the pulse that rose
and fell in its abyss,
the cracking of the blue cold,
the gradual wearing away of the star,
the soft unfolding of the wave
squandering snow with its foam,
the quiet power out there, sure
as a stone shrine in the depths,
replaced my world in which were growing
stubborn sorrow, gathering oblivion,
and my life changed suddenly:
as I became part of its pure movement.

Last Night the Rain Spoke to Me

Oh how we have been needing rain in California! Although I have a hard time with the early darkness and the cold, I am grateful for the rain. At work, I've led some drizzly field trips with 5th graders recently. Exploring the redwood groves during rain has its own magic.

Pre-drizzle: a cloudy day at the Russian River

Mary Oliver's poetry is beautiful, meditative, and really helps to calm my sometimes stressed mind. In honor of the rain we have been receiving, here's a lovely poem by Mary Oliver:

Last night
 the rain
 spoke to me
 slowly, saying,
 what joy
 to come falling
 out of the brisk cloud,
 to be happy again
 in a new way
 on the Earth!

That’s what it said
as it dropped,
smelling of iron,
and vanished
like a dream of the ocean
into the branches
and the grass below.

Then it was over.
The sky cleared.

I was standing
under a tree
with happy leaves,
and I was myself,
and there were stars in the sky
that were also themselves
at the moment
my right hand
was holding my left hand
which was holding the tree
which was filled with stars
and the soft rain–
imagine! imagine!
the long and wondrous journeys
still to be ours.

Blue Sea Slug (Glaucus atlanticus)

I received a surprise this week and nothing is more exciting than getting a present out of the blue. My boyfriend gave me a beautiful nudibranch necklace. What more could an ocean-loving girl ask for?

I am quite familiar with the nudibranchs along the Northern California coast, but am unfamiliar with this Glaucus species (other than the beautiful pictures I've seen posted online). I decided some research was in order...

First, where is this guy found? Many of the beautiful nudibranch species are found in Indonesian or Philippine waters, but not this flamboyant blue sea slug. Its distribution is quite large and they can be found in three oceans, but unfortunately nowhere near me. This slug can be found around Europe, Eastern and Southern South Africa, and along the East Coast of Australia and Mozambique; distributed in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

One of the first things I read while researching this cute little animal is that it spends the majority of its time floating upside down on the surface of the water. What?! That is awesome! This species moves at the whim of the currents, behaving like plankton. According to Encyclopedia of Life, this little critter maintains its surface position by swallowing an air bubble. The majority of species I'm familiar with exhibit very different behavior. They have the ability to swim but tend to hang out in the benthos of more shallow regions, near their prey items of sponges, anemones, and hydroids.

One thing Glaucus atlanticus has in common with other nudibrachs is what it eats. Many nubdibranchs feed on cnidarians (anemones, jellyfish, and hydroids), not only for nutrition but also to steal their defense mechanisms. Cnidarians have stinging cells that help them capture their own food. These stinging cells are partly what cause the pain from certain jellyfish species and why it feels like a sea anemone is sucking your fingers. Normally, these cells are triggered open upon touch and act like miniature harpoons for defense or food capture. Nudibranchs are able to digest these cells untriggered and pass them to their cerata, or gills, that are exposed on their back. ("Nudibranch" literally means naked gills because their gills are exposed on their backs.) A favorite prey item of Glaucus atlanticus is the Portuguese Man-O-War. These jellyfish are highly toxic to humans because they have both stinging cells, or nematocysts, and a poisonous toxin. This makes anything that can eat them a badass! And Glaucus atlanticus is only 3cm long!

I'm getting ahead of myself. I was more interested in where Glaucus atlanticus was located ("atlanticus" was a hint!) than the common name. It turns out there are many common names: Blue Glaucus, Blue Ocean Slug, Blue Sea Slug, Sea Swallow, and at least one person has called it the Blue Dragon Sea Slug. I like name Blue Dragon Sea Slug best but it isn't an official name of the species.

What a beautiful and interesting creature! Here are a couple photos from google images:

A great link: Glaucus Atlanticus on Encyclopedia of Life
And, a link to the necklace if you would like to purchase one: http://ilovesciencestore.com/glaucus-atlanticus-nudibranch-pendant.html

Memorial Day Beach Clean-up

Sonoma Coast Surfrider leads beach clean-ups throughout the year, usually on large holidays, at North Salmon Creek Beach. I participated in the Memorial Day clean-up this past Monday and had a great time!

It was very windy, but it's always nice to get out to the coast. Who can resist this view? 

There was quite a crowd of families enjoying the beach...

...but it was much more desolate looking the other direction. Even on a holiday weekend you can find your own stretch of private beach along the Sonoma Coast.

I love people watching and these kids chasing the seagulls were especially cute. I remember doing the same thing as a kid and watching them was another reminder to look up from the litter and have a little fun. 

I had to chuckle when I found this hat because my New England friends would consider littering a Redsocks item a form of sacrilege! It's always kind of fun to find unusual items. The other unique piece from the day was a large Sailor Moon sticker. I mostly picked up beer bottle caps, plastic utensils, food wrappers, and plastic bottle caps. Plus one full diaper-ew!

Only 30 minutes into the clean-up and my 5 gallon bucket was already halfway full. I've participated in non-holiday clean-ups at this same beach and I rarely fill an entire bucket, even if sharing it with friends after combing the beach for a couple hours.

 

My bucket is usually so difficult to fill because I focus on picking up small pieces of plastic like these. The Sonoma Coast is a rugged and remote beach so it's not that large pieces of garbage don't exist, but they are usually transported into the ocean more quickly than southern beaches via stronger wind and waves. It is rewarding to fill the bucket with large pieces, but also a little sad to find such an abundance of single use items when large crowds are present. I'm just happy I was there to capture these pieces before the ocean could. Every little piece counts and on quieter days I encourage people to focus on the wrack line (the "line" of debris left parallel to the waves by previous higher tides) where you can find hundreds of tiny pieces of plastic stuck in the seaweed.

I thought I had cleared all the trash around me and decided to sit and enjoy the view for a few minutes. The second I sat down I saw a new piece of litter. Can you spot it?

How about now? It's interesting how just a small change in perspective can uncover things previously hidden that now seem so obvious. It goes back to what I was saying above about focusing on the wrack line. I've sat for 30 minutes in one spot and picked up small items just within arms length.

No trash in this wrack! There is a cute mole crab molt though!

 Full bucket. The end.

Reusables 101-Bags, Bottles, and Mugs

My first sustainability tip will cover the basics. My first tip is to buy reusable shopping bags, a reusable water bottle, and a reusable coffee mug (if you haven't already). These 3 items are key and just eliminating these items would make a huge positive impact if everyone did it! I already covered some of the issues with plastic pollution in my paper about the Laysan Albatross, but here are a few more facts for you:

• At least 1 million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed each year from marine plastic.
• About 80% of marine debris is land based-meaning it comes from us terrestrial humans, not from fishing vessels, cargo ships, or cruise ships (they contribute the other 20%).
• Plastic production continues to grow astronomically but recycling rates have barely increased. We have produced more plastic in the past decade than all the previous years combined. (Plastic production really got going in the 1950s.)
• Recycling rate estimates for plastic bags in the U.S. range from 5-12%.
• The triangular arrows on the bottom of your plastic container does not mean the item is necessarily recyclable. That symbol, combined with a number inside of it, is a way to code out the different plastic resin types. #1 and #2 are the most commonly and easily recycled plastics in the U.S.-most other numbers are sent overseas or to the landfill.

Plastic Bags: The average American uses 500 plastic bags each year. If one person does not receive a single bag for 70 years, they would eliminate 35,000 bags!

Water Bottles: Bottled water is a personal pet peeve of mine. The U.S. has some of the cleanest tap water in the world and the bottled water companies have done such a phenomenal marketing job that they make consumers believe we need fancy spring water contained in sterile plastic. We are being duped! Most bottled water does not come from the beautiful mountain scene displayed on the label but is simply filtered tap water. Furthermore, tap water has stricter regulations because it is regulated by the EPA while bottled water is regulated by the FDA. Some people cringe at the cost of metal water bottles (I'll write later about the health problems associated with BPA and BPA-free plastics) but it would save you money over the long run. My favorite Klean Kanteen is $29.95 but you'd never have to buy a $1+ bottle of water again! This is my favorite because it has a stainless steel lid rather than the ubiquitous plastic lid: http://www.kleankanteen.com/products/special/reflect.php
Unfortunately I can't say it's completely plastic free as there is a little rubber ring to maintain the lid seal with the bottle.

Reusable Coffee Mug: I am a daily coffee drinker so I save 365 cups per year. Oftentimes being plastic free costs a little more, but I save money by making my coffee at home (in my plastic free french press of course) and take my to-go container to work. My stainless steel mug does have a #7 plastic lid and #7 almost always contains BPA. My research thus far has not uncovered a completely plastic-free, to-go, coffee mug but I will dedicate an entire post to that research soon. I have a very active job and need my mug to have a lid, but I'd recommend using a regular mug if you have the option.

Laysan Albatross

I recently took an online course entitled "Marine Megafauna" and had an assignment for which I wrote about the Laysan Albatross:

I first learned about albatrosses when reading "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" in 9th grade English. I was taught that the phrase "albatross around one's neck" has become an idiom to mean someone has a burden of guilt that stands in his or her way. It wasn't until years later, at a marine debris course, that I thought about albatrosses again. The Laysan Albatross is a large, beautiful seabird. Although they are dwarfed by the larger Great Albatrosses, the average wingspan of a Laysan Albatross is still more than 6 feet. I enjoy demonstrating this to people by showing them that my own six foot wingspan is smaller than that of a Laysan Albatross! Another thing that stands out and makes this bird appear so beautiful are the black feathers surrounding the eye that look like eyeliner. The benefit to this is similar to that of a football player who applies black ink below his eyes to minimize glare.

The Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) is a seabird in the order Procellariiformes, also known as the tubenoses. Characteristics of the Procellariiformes include presence of a tubular nasal passage and specialized techniques to minimize exertion while flying. Although the tubenoses have different migration patterns, most of them spend lengthy amounts of time flying and utilize dynamic soaring and slope soaring to assist in energy saving. Other Precellariiforme species include petrels, shearwaters, fulmars, and the other 20 species of albatrosses.  The Black-footed Albatross, Short-tailed Albatross, and Waved Albatross are the most closely related species to the Laysan Albatross and are all included in the genus Phoebastria.

As mentioned above, the Laysan Albatross is one of the smaller albatrosses with an average wingspan of 195-203cm. However, their average height of 80cm is not nearly as impressive. Males weigh 2.2-4.3kg and are slightly larger than females, which weigh 1.9-3.6kg. Many people think these birds look similar to seagulls, with a mostly white plumage and some blackish-grey coloring on the wing, back, and tail. A closer look would show that they differ in size, presence of tubular nostrils, and black coloration around the eyes. The Laysan Albatross has a large range in the northern Pacific Ocean. They spend much of their life foraging at sea and will fly long distances, sometimes averaging nearly 350 miles per day. There are 16 known nesting sites but the majority of breeding pairs are found on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, specifically on Midway Atoll and Laysan Island. They are pelagic during their time at sea and prefer to nest on sandy or grassy island habitats. Laysan Albatrosses have a history of population threats due to human impact ranging from being hunted for their feathers to predation due to introduced predators. Their numbers have rebounded to an estimated 591,000 breeding pairs, but current threats include longline fishing bycatch, plastic ingestion, and a loss of nesting habitat due to rising sea levels.

The lifespan of Laysan Albatrosses has not yet been ascertained, but they are considered long-lived and there is one individual that has been banded for 58 years. This particular bird, Wisdom, was estimated to be 5 years old when banded in 1956 and is the oldest banded bird in the wild. She has since raised between 30 and 35 chicks with her partner. Laysan Albatrosses mate for life and participate in elaborate mating dances when choosing their mate and each season before breeding. Like humans, it may take just a season or several years to find a mate so the age of the bird at their first breeding season can vary from 6 to 12 years old. There can sometimes be separations or infidelity and new research has shown that there are same-sex female pairs. The females lay one egg at a time, sometimes each year but often skipping years. It takes about 64 days from fertilization for the egg to hatch and the parents then give extensive care to the chicks before they fledge six months later.

Laysan Albatrosses are pelagic foragers and skim the surface of the water for food. Their most common prey items are squid, shrimp, and fish eggs but they will also eat a variety of other invertebrates and small fish. They will fly thousands of miles for days at a time while foraging for food. They are able to achieve this by locking their wings open and flying in conjunction with the wind which is an extremely energy efficient process called dynamic soaring. If it is during a breeding season, the albatross will return to the nest and regurgitate their stomach contents to the chick. Unfortunately foraging albatrosses often mistake plastic items for food and while they have the ability to regurgitate inedible items, the chicks do not. Scientists estimate that 40% of Laysan Albatross chicks die each year from plastic ingestion, making these animals the poster child for plastic pollution.

One of the major nesting sites for Laysan Albatrosses is Midway Atoll. Midway Atoll is located near the equator and is a part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Midway Atoll was made a national wildlife refuge in 1988, but there is a very precarious history for the albatrosses on Midway Atoll. The US military had an active air facility on Midway Atoll until 1993 and it was most famously used during World War II. Men stationed here nicknamed the albatrosses "gooney birds" because of their goofy, unbalanced walking style. Many birds were killed to prevent the dangerous possibility of them colliding with the planes. Even though the station has long been closed, it is still a funny site to see photos of the albatrosses laying nests on the old runways or perching on the abandoned artillery batteries.

Laysan Albatrosses are currently classified as near threatened by the IUCN. They have recovered from past threats of egg and feather gathering so there is faith that they can recover from the current problems of plastic pollution, longline fishing bycatch, invasive predators, and lead poisoning from deteriorating military buildings on the nesting islands. Invasive predators and lead particles can be removed from the island, but the first two problems are more difficult to address because they are worldwide problems. There are commercial fishing regulations, but in many instances they are not strict enough or difficult to enforce. Some regulation changes have included changing the style of hooks used in longline fisheries to allow bycaught animals to free themselves easier. Consumers can help by making conscientious seafood choices and lessening their use of plastic. Even though these birds are foraging out at sea, it is estimated that at least 80% of marine plastic is land based. We can start by refusing single use disposable plastic bags, water bottles, and coffee cups. We can demand extended producer responsibility by writing to our government representatives. We can educate our friends and family. We need to remember that there is no "away" in what has become a throwaway society. If we work hard to change our actions of convenience we can save the Laysan Albatross and other species affected by plastic pollution.

Lindsay Young is a wildlife biologist who works for Pacific Rim Conservation. She received her MS from University of Hawaii where her dissertation research focused on the Laysan Albatross. She has published many scientific papers, some of which I included links to below. Lindsay is also involved in several seabird organizations including Pacific Seabird Group, North Pacific Albatross Working Group, and Agreement of the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels.

For more information on Albatrosses:

Carl Safina, 2002, Eye of the Albatross (This is a book by a great author who has written many marine themed books and I would highly recommend everyone checking out his books if they haven't already.)

Young, et al, 2009, Bringing Home the Trash: Do Colony-Based Differences in Foraging Distribution Lead to Increased Plastic Ingestion in Laysan Albatrosses:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0007623

Brothers, et al, 2010, Seabird Bycatch in Pelagic Longlinge Fisheries is Grossly Underestimated When Using Only Haul Data:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0012491

Suryan, et al, 2008, Wind, Waves, and Wing Loading: Morphological Specialization May Limit Range Expansion of Endangered Albatross:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0004016

Young & VanderWerf, 2013, Adaptive Value of Same-sex Pairing in Laysan Albatross:

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/281/1775/20132473.abstract

This is not a reading, but a very interesting live camera that I also wanted to include:

http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/41/Laysan_Albatross/