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Seattle Aquarium Ocean Exploration Workshop Nine students and two chaperones participated in this workshop, sponsored by National Geographic, Sustainable Seas Expeditions and Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. The workshop was led by Bob Steelquist, Education Coordinator, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. The workshop's focus was the use of submersible technology to gather information about marine habitats. Students used current charts, nautical charts and operational specifications of the DeepWorker submarine to plan research dives at two locations in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Weighing factors like the sub's rated speed, currents, and depths, the students plotted the course of a hypothetical dive that would gather data along a transect on the ocean floor. Following this activity, they viewed video footage actually taken at those sites during the 1999 Sustainable Seas Expeditions. The students then became actual pilots, maneuvering a small remotely-operated-vehicle (ROV) in the Seattle Aquarium's underwater viewing dome. The ROV, a VideoRay, was furnished by Roper Resources of Ojai, California. Students navigated the VideoRay among rockfish, wolf eels, and spiny dogfish in the large tank, steering with the aid of the on-board video camera. Marine Protected Areas and Reserves Workshop How do we save our fish populations? This question is so complicated that thousands of people work full time to understand its complexity. In this workshop, sponsored by Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, students debated the pros and cons of setting aside marine protected areas and marine reserves for the sake of helping preserve fish stocks. Students looked at the issue with the eyes of the players involved: as city council members, tribal leaders, fishers, marine sanctuary managers, and the often underrepresented, rockfish. Through these roles, students examined the different perspectives of people involved in the work of saving our fish. Students read an in-depth briefing paper to prepare for the discussion. In character, they then presented their position on establishing marine reserves and protected areas to the group. A discussion of the points raised by the various groups followed. In the discussion students brought up issues of bias, different values, compromise, teamwork, long term vs. short-term goals and questions of scientific validity. In order to warm up for the debate, students were asked to work together as a team to manage the movement of a stuffed orca using only long strings coming off of a central ring. (As a top predator, orcas represent one of the most difficult marine animal to sustain) Each student and teacher had one string. Students carried the orca out of the conference room, down the hallway, down the circular staircase, around the staircase and back to the conference room. A mis-step with the tension on the string caused the orca to fall and the team had to start over. During the debrief from this activity, students identified the importance of teamwork, cooperation, everyone doing their part, long term vs. short term planning and overcoming what seemed like an impossible task. Students brought up these lessons in the following debate on marine protected areas and reserves. Chittenden Locks Field Trip Workshop leaders: Gail Arnold (Seattle Public Utilities) and Jay Wells (ACOE) Nine students and a federal representative from Coastal America toured the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, in Seattle. Jay provided the tour and explained the locks structure and operations. Gail addressed the relationship of the locks to the larger Lake Basin Watershed, with the only fresh and marine water connection being at the locks. The field trip began with a tour of the large and small locks, the spillways, and the fish ladder. In addition to explaining the operation of these structures, Jay talked about a variety of the 60 jobs at the locks and education and/or experience required for these positions. Job examples included the lock master, lock attendants, electrical engineers, machinists, and gardeners for the botanical garden. The fish ladder viewing area was a big hit and even had the last of some returning adult salmon. After the facility tour, the students gathered in the visitor center to learn about the construction of the locks and view a 3-D model demonstrating under-the-water locks features. Before the locks' construction, freshwater flowed to Puget Sound through a different river system. Construction of the locks in 1916 diverted some of the river systems through the locks to Puget Sound, thus creating a new watershed. Jay explained the salmon life-cycle and related it to the locks. Gail emphasized the value of the entire watershed, including the marine estuary, to species such as salmon. Also described were regional government and tribal efforts in Chinook salmon recovery, including studies to understand juvenile salmon use and value of habitats like Lake Washington and the locks estuary. Chinook recovery efforts are taking a multi-species approach and also include human impacts on land, as well as, in water. On the return trip to the Aquarium, students discussed their roles and views in marine and watershed management and in salmon recovery. Field Trip with the Environmental Protection Agency Workshop leaders: Helen Hillman (NOAA); Sally Marquis and Cindy Colgate (EPA) Description of tour: The students discussed the dramatic changes the river has experienced over the past 50 years (land use, channeling, dredging/filling, discharging), the complicated industrial history of the area, and the tremendous expenses involved with cleaning up the river. An EPA employee described to the students the techniques they might use to clean up the river, such as dredging and capping, and the difficulties involved with determining what level of clean is "clean enough" (carcinogens will always present a risk, so what level is acceptable?). The students discussed the importance of cleaning the industrial section of the river, and the importance of the river's habitat for wildlife, commercial fisheries, and subsistence fishing The Student Ocean Conference was being held on Election Day, and the trip coordinators used that opportunity to discuss many related issues that the students were interested in, such as gender issues in the workplace, the environment in general, and the role of the environment in the 2000 presidential election. Protecting and Restoring Wetlands Workshop leaders Patrick Cagney and Tina Tong (US Army Corps of Engineers), Ten students and two teachers were taken on a bus tour of the Green Duwamish river basin. The intent was to look at the issues of protecting and restoring wetlands. The students were given an overview of the basin from a landscape/watershed perspective. Several species of salmon are native to the basin (two of which have a threatened status under the Endangered Species Act) and they provide a good example on how the entire watershed is important to some aspect of their life cycle and where wetlands fit into salmon like histories. Physical processes that affect restoration, such as geology and hydrology, were also discussed. Tina Tong gave an overview of section 404 of the Clean Water Act and how this regulates the placement of fill in wetlands. Students were given a tour of four restoration sites throughout the basin and observed Chinook salmon spawning. Issues such as restoring wetland habitats in urban environments, types of restoration and the level of protection provided by current statutes were raised by the students. Vessel Traffic and Oil Pollution Enforcement The field trip began with a tour of the Coast Guard vessel traffic service at Pier 36. Here the students learned about the computerized system that the Coast Guard uses to monitor all vessels in the Puget Sound and how they assist the vessels when necessary. This is no easy task, considering that thousands of vessels move through the Puget Sound, but the watch-standers keep things running smoothly. Next, the students were taken to see all the boon and absorbent materials that the Coast Guard uses to clean up oil spills. Students learned about the Coast Guard's response tactics to spills, and got to feel the different kinds of absorbents that are used. The tour ended with the students touring and having lunch on the Polar Star, an ice-breaking vessel. They toured the bridge, marine science labs, and ate lunch in the crew's mess hall. The students learned about the Coast Guard's mission of the Polar Star in Arctic and Antarctica regions, and left with a better understanding and appreciation of the active role that the Coast Guard plays in their region and elsewhere.
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