It’s all about the Bay – research, education, and outreach in Buzzards Bay Rachel W. Jakuba, Science Director Meghan Gahm, Outdoor Educator WHSTEP General Meeting, February 4, 2015

Presentation Outline Introduction to the Buzzards Bay Coalition Our Baywatchers monitoring program How do we use our data? Results from recent research using monitoring program data Community Engagement

Buzzards Bay Coalition Dedicated to restoration, protection & sustainable use & enjoyment of the Bay and its watershed. Work to improve the Bay ecosystem’s health through research, education, conservation, and advocacy. Supported by over 8,000 members. Photo: Robert Manz

Presentation Outline Introduction to the Buzzards Bay Coalition Our Baywatchers monitoring program How do we use our data? Results from recent research using monitoring program data Community Engagement

Baywatchers Overview Citizen monitoring program initiated in 1992 Operates at ~200 stations in 30 harbors & coves Two key goals: – Evaluate water quality and long term ecological health – Educate citizens on local water quality and environmental management issues

How Baywatchers works? Coalition staff train ~130 volunteers to measure dissolved oxygen, temp, salinity, and water clarity and to collect nutrient samples Basic water quality testing performed every ~5 days in the summer months (June to Sept) Nutrient and algae samples collected 4 times a summer and analyzed by MBL Largest coastal monitoring effort in MA Methods approved by EPA and DEP

Presentation Outline Introduction to the Buzzards Bay Coalition Our Baywatchers monitoring program How do we use our data? Results from recent research using monitoring program data Community Engagement

How do we use our data? Provide regulators with critical info on WQ Track trends in nutrient pollution impacts Educate the community on Bay health Give students and researchers WQ

Presentation Outline Introduction to the Buzzards Bay Coalition Our Baywatchers monitoring program How do we use our data? Results from recent research using monitoring program data Community Engagement

Results from recent research With funding from the MacArthur Foundation, we are working with WHOI scientists interested in climate change to: – explore trends in the water quality data – determine where and how climate change impacts are influencing these trends – expand nutrient sampling in June and Sept – inform management plans to account for changes in climate as well as pollution loads

Impacts of increasing N Nitrogen is a plant nutrient, so we expect to see more algae (Chl) with more nitrogen That is what we see at some stations

Impacts of increasing N

Aggregating harbors Rheuban et al., in prep.

Trend analysis of TN and Chl over time Red dots are where TN or Chla has been significantly increasing over last 23 yrs Dot size represents magnitude of the slope Total NitrogenChlorophyll a Rheuban et al., in prep.

Trend analysis of TN, Chl, & Temp over time Total NitrogenChlorophyll a Temperature Temperature increasing too Average July Temperature: 1992 – 2002: 22.6 °C or 72.6 °F 2003 – 2013: 23.1 °C or 73.6 °F

Shift in TN and Chl relationship Rheuban et al., in prep.

Summary of how we use our data Baywatchers data captures changes in embayment health over time Graphs of data and more info available at savebuzzardsbay.org/bayhealthdata Always willing to provide our data to students

Presentation Outline Introduction to the Buzzards Bay Coalition Our Baywatchers monitoring program How do we use our data? Results from recent research using monitoring program data Community Engagement

Community Engagement & Education Establish a sense of connection to the Buzzards Bay watershed Inspire an ethic of stewardship for the local area

How do we do it? Provide place based experiential learning programs through: Field programs Schoolyard ecology programs Learning center programs Summer camps Community Programs

What does place based experiential learning look like?

What are the benefits? Provides students & with the opportunity to connect with nature during the school day Supports academic achievement and environmental stewardship Helps develop inquiry-based, hands-on, explorative, learning skills And- its fun!

Does it connect with Learning Standards? YES! Some of our favorites include… LS 1: Classify plants and animals by physical characteristics LS 14: Explain the roles and relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in the process of energy transfer in a food web *Outdoor learning is not limited to science standards

Place based experiences for the everyone Provide community programs and opportunities to connect with the Bay Examples of our Programs: Learn to Quahog Paddling Make your Own Fishing Pole Seal & Seabird Cruises Themed Walks & Expeditions

Questions? Rachel Jakuba: Meghan Gahm: To find out about becoming a Baywatcher, Tony Williams