Eelgrass as Teacher Further Explorations


As students become more familiar with their local eelgrass meadows, teachers might want to facilitate discussions with their students about why eelgrass habitats are so important on the global scale. Students could establish research teams around such issues as the role of seagrasses in global respira- tion (amount of carbon and oxygen released and absorbed into the atmosphere), the impact of eelgrass habitat losses with decreasing world fisheries resources, the role of seagrasses and mangroves in conserving shores during extreme weather events, and the connections between land use activities and nearshore environments and about their own responsibility in caring for eelgrass habitats.. They might conduct their research through interviews with scientists within the community as well as by using the Internet. As their understanding increases from the local to the global, they can take their information to other classes within their school, and demonstrate their find- ings through a multi-media event or by taking another class to the beach at low tide to demonstrate their knowledge. The beach then becomes a laboratory to learn about biology, zool- ogy, ecological patterns and ultimately about the responsibil- ity of humanely living in the global biotic community. We as educators can help our students face environmental challenges by encouraging them to take the time to observe, reflect, ask questions and find answers within their community. Eelgrass meadows offer one way into that window of inquiry.


References


Capra, F. (2005). Speaking nature’s language: principles for sustainability. In Stone, M.K. & Barlow, Z. (Eds.), Ecologi- cal Literacy: Educating our children for a sustainable world (pp.19-29). San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.


Den Hartog, C. (1971). The dynamic aspect in the ecol- ogy of seagrass communities. In Thallassia Jugoslavica, 7 (1), 101-112.


Durance, C. (2002). Methods for mapping and monitoring eelgrass habitat in British Columbia. Vancouver: Environment Canada.


Gough, R.L., & Griffiths, A.K. (1994). Science for Life, Toronto, Harcourt Brace & Company.


Green, E.P. & Short, F. (2003). World atlas of seagrasses. Berkeley: University of California Press.


Harrison, P.G. & Dunn, M. (2004). The Fraser Delta Sea- grass Ecosystems: Importance to Migratory Birds and Changes in Distribution. Chapter 15: (pp. 3-4) In B.J. Groulx, D.C. Mosher, J.L. Lutemauer & D.E. Bilderback (Eds), Fraser River Delta, British Columbia: Issues of an Urban Estuary, Geologi- cal Survey of Canada Bulletin 567.


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Salmon Snorkeling • Coastal Birding • Birds and Botany Bat Ecology • Dragonflies • Edible Mushrooms Youth Camps •


Siskiyou Photography


Krapfel, P. (1999). Deepening children’s participation (continued)


2000) (Green & Short, 2003) because of development, forestry and agricultural practices, dredging and hardening of shore- lines (construction of cement seawalls), to name a few.


through local ecological investigations. In G.A. Smith & D.R. Williams (Eds.), Ecological education in action: On weaving education, culture, and the environment (pp. 51-53). Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.


Phillips, R.C. (1984). Chapter 4: Components of the eel- grass community-structure and function. In The ecology of eelgrass meadows in the Pacific Northwest: A community pro- file (pp. 34-56). Seattle, Washington: Seattle Pacific University.


Phillips, Ronald. C. (1984). The ecology of eelgrass mead- ows in the Pacific Northwest: a community profile. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service FWS/OBS-84/24. 85 pp.


Sanford, D. (2006). Personal communication.


The web site for more information on the educational, conservation and restoration activities of the author’s organi- zation is: www.seachangelife.net


This article was originally written for the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research, Konan University, Kyoto, Japan. It is re- printed here with permission.


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