Autumn 2019 California Project WET Gazette
Volume XXlV, Issue IV
There Is No Away!
“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” - Abraham Lincoln
Plastics. Marvelous polymers developed as cheap alternatives for our species demand on wood, metal and other natural resources; yet, as with everything, there are trade-offs and risks that only time, and new research can reveal. While concerns over plastics have been filling the news in recent months, these products have been steadily flowing into our waterways since soon after becoming household items along with all manner of other human-generated material – and most of this debris flows downhill with water into the ocean that defines our planet.
Plastic debris is not a new issue. In 1984, Oregon resident Judie Neilson had enough with the amount of plastic debris she saw littering the Oregon coast and organized the first Coastal Cleanup Day. Her efforts turned out over 2,800 volunteers on the beaches of Oregon. California emulated Judie’s efforts with its first statewide Coastal Cleanup Day the following year. Over its 34-year history, almost 1.6 million volunteers who took part in California Coastal Cleanup Day have removed more than 24 million pounds of debris from our state’s beaches, lakes and waterways.
What is ‘new’ is an increasing understanding through research of how plastic breaks down and interacts with the ocean environment. In addition to all manner of plastics and other marine debris accumulating at the surface in the infamous ocean garbage patches around the world, new studies in Monterey Bay and other areas are finding microplastics in the water column and inside sea organisms at depths of 1,000 meters (3,200 feet). Earlier this year, retired naval officer Victor Vescovo descended to the bottom of the Mariana Trench – the deepest place on Earth. He broke the previous record when he touched down 10,928 meters (35,853 feet or 6.8 miles), only to find plastic and other evidence of human generated debris.
Californians contribute an average of 6.2 pounds of discarded material to the waste stream every day. Two-thirds of this trash flow ends up in landfills, but the rest flows elsewhere – and that elsewhere is often across lands and into the waters we use to grow our food, to recreate and to drink. The bag that gets away from us in the parking lot, trash that blew down the street from the overturned can in the last storm or the ‘stuff’ that blew out of the pick-up bed on the way home from work adds up when multiplied by 39.7 million Californians.
This material is not magically re-absorbed by the environment the moment it leaves our sight but is still out there floating over or laying on the landscape. Unlike issues like the national debt or world peace that may seem out of reach, reigning in and cleaning up the debris we collectively strew across our landscape is something we can do something about.
It begins with awareness of how our personal actions – even far inland from the sea – are connected to and contribute to the problem, then making a conscious personal choice to not release debris into the environment. It also provides an incredible, multifaceted avenue of study and standard connections that can easily motivate students to action at all grade levels.
Elements of the Project WET activity ‘Rainy Day Hike’ (p: 169) are interwoven into the instructional sequences of the California Science Framework for nearly every grade level. Beginning with kindergarten students following the flow of water from their schoolyard to the nearest storm drain to higher grade levels mapping the school grounds to identify runoff pollutants, ranging from sources of erosion and sediments to litter and contaminants built up on impermeable surfaces. Engineering is a key component in the activity; with younger students building small boats to follow the flow of water to older grades developing solutions to reduce or eliminate pollutants flowing from the schoolyard. The California Coastal Commission’s Schoolyard Cleanup materials dovetail perfectly with the Project WET activity!
The Project WET activity ‘Seeing Watersheds’ (p: 187) helps younger students understand the concept of watershed and how water moves from high points in a defined area to a common outlet – and it helps them understand how to define a watershed on a map. The activity introduces higher grade levels to the skills to delineate watersheds on topographic maps. Regardless of grade, students can be challenged to apply knowledge and skills in the activity to delineate their own watershed on a map and the location of their school, then trace the route water takes from the schoolyard to the nearest river and downstream until the water ends in a basin – which in most cases will be the ocean.
‘Blue River’ (p: 135) is a wonderful whole-body simulation activity that helps bring watershed systems ‘alive’ for students as they first simulate the annual flow of local streams, then analyze simulation data by developing a hydrograph and interpret the resulting patterns to begin understanding factors that can affect streamflow. Building these interpretive skills is the intent of this Project WET activity, but it has been suggested by several Project WET workshop participants that different colored beads could be added to each head water ‘pool’. Students would find out at the end if these beads are litter or other contaminants and a different color of ‘pollutant bead’ for each tributary can help students understand the concept of ‘cumulative impact’ in a watershed.
A team of participants at a recent training in Orange County with a background in urban storm water education modified the Project WET activity ‘Just Passing Through’ (p: 163) to shift the simulation focus from a steam corridor to water flowing off the surrounding land surface. The rope representing a stream channel became a swale or low spot the water follows to the nearest stream or storm drain, and they added more students as ‘plants’ in round two after the first round of ‘bare ground’ to model the ability of plants to slow the flow of water and how that can be used to slow and filter stormwater flow in drainage areas.
‘There Is No Away’ (p: 453) is a Project WET activity focusing students on measuring what gets thrown away, how discarded trash can end up in our ocean and on our beaches and actions that can be taken on and off campus to do something about it. While developing a public service announcement on litter can be a great tie to language arts as written in the activity, having students learn about and join existing local clean up efforts – or start one of their own – would be a wonderful direct action option to extend the activity into the larger community.
And on that note of the larger community, Coastal Cleanup Day events have spread inland since a large portion of the marine debris found on our beaches and in the ocean originates as urban trash or street litter from sources far inland that flow through our watersheds to the sea. This effort to “stop trash where it starts” has spawned many regional volunteer efforts to clean up the local watersheds in which each of us lives, under the umbrella of Coastal Cleanup Day. The Great Sierra River Cleanup and Delta Waterway Cleanup are two prime examples of inland cleanup efforts from the Central Valley.
“We now take our orange buckets and tongs everywhere we go. We have the grandkids thinking cleaning up is what you do at the beach!” - quote from California Coastal Cleanup Volunteer
The intent of this article is to encourage awareness of our personal role in producing the debris that can end up in our ocean, as this issue is the cumulative result of our combined daily actions and the solution begins with greater personal vigilance. September is a wonderful time to start! Check out the Websites of Interest to learn more about the impacts of the trash we generate and actions we can take to reduce our personal contributions.
Consider attending a Watersheds to the Sea workshop to experience the use of Project WET activities to connect inland actions to coastal and marine impacts, and access new Project WET NGSS activity pools to make it easier for you to sequence Project WET activities into a larger unit and local opportunities to engage students in actions that reduce impacts to our one world ocean.
Of course, a changing climate also has implications for our coastal and marine areas. Join us this Autumn for one of three Project WET workshops focused on climate in Castaic, Fairfield or as guests on Morongo tribal lands near Banning. You’ll also find a pretty big list of potential School, Classroom & Teacher Grants to pursue and a variety of Student Contests – and a plethora of Autumn Events.
Hope you have a wonderful Autumn!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Our volunteer network of workshop Facilitators has been hard at work designing and organizing workshops for the upcoming season, including Project WET workshops focused on interconnections between inland watersheds and the ocean, the role of Colorado River water & conservation efforts in southern California, managing water in a changing climate, water conservation and tracking waterborne health hazards!
The California Caring for Our Watersheds currently open to all 9th-12th grade students who live in the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed counties of Yolo, Solano, Sacramento, Colusa, Yuba, Sutter, Glenn, El Dorado, Placer, and San Joaquin counties. A teacher workshop is being planned for this Fall. Please check our website for updates or contact Beth Del Real at Center for Land-Based Learning for more information.
Come explore connections between inland watershed issues that impact ocean and coastal systems using Project WET activities, with a focus on practices and skills at the heart of NGSS and Common Core standards and opportunities to engage students in field or stewardship learning experiences. You’ll also gain access to new NGSS pools and an agenda mapping standard connections. Join us in northern Marin, Orange or Sonoma Counties this fall!
Join us this fall for an exploration of San Joaquin Valley ecosystems during the annual migration along the Pacific Flyway! Your experience will include hands-on experience with NGSS aligned curriculum with a focus on natural and human systems involved in managing the Central Valley floodplain management. Meet leading water researchers, enjoy a field study by charter bus of the San Joaquin floodplain to the Delta; and receive Project WET and other valuable classroom resources!
These specialized Project WET workshops provide an opportunity for educators to interact with California Department of Water Resources Climate Change team for a day of learning about the basics of weather and climate science, how climate science is being applied to safeguard California water resources – and how Project WET activities can help integrate climate science concepts and skills back in the classroom – Join us in northern Los Angeles, Solano or Riverside counties!
The Classroom Aquarium and Education Program (CAEP) is an excellent way for you to engage K-12 students by raising native fish in your classroom. CAEP fosters stewardship of natural resources by relating the effects of human activities on native fish in your local watershed. A training workshop is mandatory for all new teachers and teachers who haven’t participated in the program for the past 3 years or more. Click on this link to find your region then information on 2019 – 2020 training workshops..
The EEI Curriculum is 85 K-12 grade units that teaches standards through an environmental lens, including understanding resources, conservation, where our food, energy, and water come from, and complicated decision-making processes related to climate change, green chemistry and use of our public lands. California examples make learning relevant and stimulate student involvement with the world around them. Click here to see a list of correlating Project WET activities to use with individual EEI units!
The California Environmental Education Interagency Network (CEEIN) is now offering an environmental education calendar. Educators can find content specific resources, valuable ways to increase their own knowledge and a variety of workshop experiences and participatory stewardship opportunities offered by California agencies and their partnership network.
WEBSITES OF INTEREST
Marine debris is essentially any trash or litter that ends up in a marine (saltwater) environment. It originates from a wide variety of locations and often travels great distances before ending up in the ocean. Marine debris is everywhere—it is found around every major body of water on the planet and along every shoreline in the world, no matter how remote.
Our waterways are littered with stuff that doesn’t belong in them. Plastic bags, cigarette butts, fishing nets, sunken vessels, glass bottles, abandoned crab traps…the list is endless. While we know that marine debris is bad for the environment, harms wildlife, and threatens human health and navigation, there is much we don’t know.
Plastics revolutionized medicine with life-saving devices, made space travel possible, lightened cars and jets—saving fuel and pollution—and saved lives with helmets, incubators, and equipment for clean drinking water. The conveniences plastics offer, however, led to a throw-away culture that reveals the material’s dark side: today, single-use plastics account for 40 percent of the plastic produced every year.
It’s estimated that 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year. The ocean’s plastic problem goes deeper than you might have realized. Scientists using underwater robots in the waters off California’s central coast found that plastic debris has infiltrated the deep ocean, with evidence of microscopic plastic particles extending from the surface all the way to the seafloor.
Scientists estimate that more than 8 million metric tons of plastic is entering our ocean every year. If we don’t act now, there could be a pound of plastic for every 3 pounds of fish in the ocean within the next decade. Ocean Conservancy has been at the forefront of the trash free seas challenge for more than 30 years. Trash in the ocean has serious consequences for all of us, but there is hope. With your help, we can solve the ocean plastic crisis together.
Join a global movement to keep beaches, waterways and the ocean trash free. Head out to your favorite beach and use the app to easily record each item of trash you collect. With Clean Swell, the data you collect will instantaneously upload to Ocean Conservancy’s global ocean trash database. These data deliver a global snapshot of ocean trash, providing researchers and policy-makers insight to inform solutions.
Plastic Oceans International is a nonprofit organization raising awareness about plastic pollution to inspire behavioral change. More than 300 million tons of plastic are produced annually, yet more than 90% of all plastic is not recycled. At least eight million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean each year—equal to a garbage truck per minute. Plastic Oceans promotes a global movement to rethink plastic.
The world is waking up to a crisis of ocean plastic—and we’re tracking the developments and solutions as they happen. National Geographic magazine devoted a special cover package to plastic in June 2018. Here, we continue to track some of the developments around this important issue. We will update this article periodically as news develops.
Plastic Pollution Coalition is a growing global alliance of more than 750 organizations, businesses, and thought leaders in 60 countries working toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impact on humans, animals, waterways, the ocean, and the environment. Join the coalition as an individual or as an organization. We can STOP plastic pollution. Let’s create a world free of single-use plastic.
The Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge asks problem solvers from around the globe to develop novel solutions to tackle the world’s plastic waste crisis. From an impressive pool of 291 teams that submitted solutions for the challenge, a total of twenty-four Finalists from around the world are moving forward in the Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge, a global search for innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s single-use plastic problem.
California Coastal Commission: Schoolyard Cleanups
Environmentally responsible behavior can begin at school with a project that includes real world data collection, problem-solving experience and supports teaching of Next Generation Science Standards. Register your school as a Schoolyard Cleanup Site to receive assistance and recognition and to be a part of an international effort to protect our coast and ocean, no matter where your school is!
California Coastal Commission: Adopt-A-Beach
The Adopt-A-Beach® program fosters feelings of pride and ownership as volunteers care for “their” beach and help tackle the urgent problem of marine debris head-on. When a school group “adopts” a beach, they can fulfill their obligation with a single cleanup. Contact your local beach manager directly or visit the Adopt-A-Beach® website for more information.
Soak Up the Rain is a storm water public outreach campaign to raise awareness about the problem of polluted storm water runoff and to encourage citizens, municipalities and others to take action to help reduce runoff and its costly impacts. We can all be part of the solution. Check out the website for outreach tools, how-to guides, and many other resources to learn more and get started – and this is a great website to tie in with the Project WET ‘Storm Water’ (p: 395) activity!
September 1 – 30, 2019: National Preparedness Month
National Preparedness Month provides an opportunity to remind us to prepare ourselves and our families. Take time to learn lifesaving skills such as CPR and first aid, check insurance policies and coverage for the hazards you may face and make sure to consider the costs associated with disasters and save for an emergency. Also, know how to take practical safety steps like shutting off water and gas!
September 21, 2019: California Coastal Cleanup Day
California Coastal Cleanup Day welcomes more than 60,000 volunteers who will pick up thousands of pounds of recyclables and trash from beaches, lakes, and waterways each year. The day brings awareness to the marine litter problem and is a great opportunity for direct community involvement. Plan to spend a day outside joining the fight to remove trash from our environment and celebrate California!
September 21, 2019: Delta Waterway Cleanup
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! The trash that finds its way to the Delta is a serious water pollution problem for both humans and wildlife. Each piece of debris that gets picked up will reduce the problem in the Delta and is debris that WON’T get swept out to sea where to harm oceans and wildlife. The next Delta Waterway Cleanup is in partnership with the Delta Protection Commission and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy.
September 21, 2019: Great Sierra River Cleanup
The Great Sierra River Cleanup is about much more than picking up trash. It’s a day for Sierra communities – and those from all over California – to demonstrate their desire for clean water and healthy rivers. It’s an opportunity to learn about California’s water source and it’s a time to come together with your families, your neighbors, your community, and your friends to accomplish something vital and worthy on behalf of our great Sierra rivers. PLEASE JOIN US ON A RIVER NEAR YOU!
September 28, 2019: Oroville Salmon Festival
Come see thousands of returning Chinook salmon! This family-friendly event celebrates the return of the salmon to the Feather River. Join the celebration by viewing the salmon run at the fish hatchery, running in the 3k Salmon Dash, wandering through the street fair, and tasting salmon dishes prepared in various styles.
September 28, 2019: National Public Lands Day
National Public Lands Day is a fee-free day for all federal public lands and many state parks. Bring your family, friends, students or coworkers to spend the day outdoors giving back to your community by pulling invasive species, maintaining trails, picking up trash, and more. Your work will help ensure the places where we live, learn, play, exercise, and relax continue to be beautiful places for all to enjoy!
October 13 – 19, 2019: Earth Science Week 2019
“Geoscience Is for Everyone” is the 2019 theme to emphasize artistic expression as a unique, powerful opportunity for geoscience education and understanding in the 21st century. This year’s theme will engage young people and others in exploring the relationship between the arts and the Earth systems and the inclusive potential and the importance of the geosciences in the lives of all people.
October 17 – 19, 2019: CA Ag. in the Classroom Conference
Join us in beautiful Sonoma County for an invaluable opportunity to collaborate with educators who share your passion for agriculture. Come and learn about the importance of educating our youth about food and fiber through all subject areas. Agriculture is everywhere and in everything we do!
October 18 – 20, 2019: California Science Education Conference
The California Science Teachers Association hosts this conference to focus on what California science educators need to know to hone their craft, stay updated on standards and apply best practices gleaned from experts throughout the state. You are invited to join us for the only conference dedicated to meeting the unique needs of California TK-12 Science teachers.
October 20, 2019: Soquel Water Harvest Festival
Bring your family for a wonderful day learning about water resources, water-wise gardening, groundwater, water conservation, ocean and river ecology, gardening, watersheds, animals, pollution prevention and all things watery. There will also be live performances, food trucks, face painting, a jump house and art. It’s going to be a fun filled day in celebration of water—our most precious resource and beloved person.
This event will be celebrating the life of Vaidehi Campbell Williams, who lost her life aboard the diving boat Conception. This event was one of many fantastic events that Vaidehi planned and chaired, and those who can attend can honor her best by enjoying the day to its fullest as she did so in life. For more information please visit:
November 11, 2019: National Parks Free Entrance Day
Many national parks have direct connections to the American military—there are dozens of battlefields, military parks, and historic sites that commemorate and honor the service of American veterans.They are tactile reminders of the values, the ideals, and the freedoms that our veterans protect. The National Park Service invites all visitors to remember our veterans by visiting any National Park Service site for free on Veterans Day.
December 9 – 10, 2019: California STEAM Symposium
Registration is open now for the 2019 Symposium in Anaheim. Join more than 3,000 STEAM educators from across California! If you are interested in practical strategies and new ideas, classroom resources and curriculum, networking, and inspiration to reinvigorate your practice, the California STEAM Symposium is for you!
SCHOOL, CLASSROOM & TEACHER GRANTS
Target Field Trip Grants – Due: September 30, 2019
Some of the best learning opportunities happen outside the classroom, but it’s become increasingly difficult for schools to fund learning opportunities outside the classroom. Since 2007, Target Field Trip Grants have made it possible for millions of students to go on a field trip. Each grant is valued up to $700
Literacy for Life Grants - Due: October 1, 2019
Literacy for Life grants are designed to help initiate new projects or expand existing ones that promote agricultural literacy. Grants of up to $500 are provided to California K-12 educators to support integration of agriculture into regular classroom instruction. Explore the list of project ideas and read how previous recipients have used this funding to improve agricultural learning opportunities on their campuses.
Toshiba America Foundation (K-5) Grant – Due: October 1, 2019
What do you need to make learning math and science fun for your students? K-5 grade teachers are invited to apply on-line for a $1,000 Toshiba America Foundation grant to help bring an innovative hands-on project into their own classroom. With a Toshiba America Foundation grant, elementary teachers can bring their best new teaching ideas to life.
Toshiba America Foundation (6-12) Grant – Due: November 1, 2019
Wanted: Classroom Innovators! Toshiba America Foundation accepts applications from teachers who are passionate about making science and mathematics more engaging for their students. Grade 6-12 Grant requests for $5,000 or less are accepted on a rolling basis, throughout the calendar year. Grant requests for $5,000 or more are accepted and reviewed.
WHALE TAIL® Grants - Due: November 4, 2019
The WHALE TAIL® grants support programs that teach California’s children and the general public to value and take action to improve the health of the state’s marine and coastal resources. This grants program focuses on reaching communities that are currently poorly served in terms of marine and coastal education.
Walmart Community Grant Program - Due: December 31, 2019
Our local community grants are awarded through an open application process and provide funding directly from Walmart and Sam’s Club facilities to local organizations in the U.S, including K-12 public or nonprofit private schools, charter schools, community/junior colleges, state/private colleges; or a church or other faith-based organization with a proposed project that benefits the community at large. Don’t know how to determine your local facility? Don’t worry, the application will assist you!
Campus Rain Works Challenge – Register By: October 15, 2019
Student teams from institutions of higher education across the United States compete in the Campus RainWorks Challenge to design an innovative green infrastructure project for their campus that effectively manages storm water pollution and provides additional benefits to the campus community and environment. Complete entries must be received by December 17, 2019.
Earth Science Week Photography Contest – Due: October 18, 2019
Photographs should focus on the topic “Exploring Earth Science.” With your camera, capture an image of someone in your community exploring Earth science. Geoscience is, after all, for everyone! The photography contest is open to interested persons of any age.
Earth Science Week Visual Arts Contest - Due: October 18, 2019
Artwork should focus on the topic “Earth Science and Me.” No matter who you are or where you live, you play a part in the exploration, discovery, and understanding of the natural world. Use your creativity and artistic expression to produce an original work of art that illustrates how you take part in Earth science. The visual arts contest is open to any interested person in grades K-5.
Earth Science Week Essay Contest - Due: October 18, 2019
Your essay should focus on the topic “Why Earth Science Is for Everyone.” Not everyone has always felt welcome in the geosciences. Some have faced barriers to full participation. Why is this a problem? Write a brief essay discussing why it is important for Earth science to be accessible, inclusive, diverse, and equitable. The essay contest is open to any interested person in grades 6-9.
Earth Science Week Video Contest - Due: October 18, 2019
These brief, 30-90 second, original videos should focus on the theme “Many Paths to Earth Science” and show how people of various backgrounds participate in geoscience. Your video entry might take almost any form. A public service announcement? An animated cartoon? Some other format? You decide. Be creative! The contest is open to individuals or teams of any age in any part of the world
Imagine This…Story Writing Contest - Due: November 1, 2019
California students in grades 3-8 creatively explore where their food comes from by writing narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events based on accurate information about California agriculture. The winning stories from each grade are illustrated by high school art students and published in our annual story book, Imagine this… Stories Inspired by Agriculture!
River of Words Contest - Due: December 1, 2019
River of Words is free and open to enrolled K-12 grade students, ages 5-19. Students may enter on their own, through a school or youth organization. We accept poems in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. All art or poetry must be original work and students can enter as many times as they like. For more information please contact Maureen Esty, River of Words Coordinator at or 925-631-4289.
Caring for Our Watersheds Contest - Due: January 31, 2020
The Caring for Our Watersheds writing contest challenges students to research their local watershed, identify an environmental concern and come up with a realistic solution. The California contest is open to all 9th-12th grade students who live in Yolo, Solano, Sacramento, Colusa, Yuba, Sutter, Glenn, El Dorado, Placer, and San Joaquin counties. Contact Beth Del Real at (530) 795-1544.
California Project WET Gazette is published by the Water Education Foundation, which serves as the state coordinator and host institution for Project WET USA, a program of the Project WET Foundation.
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Geological Survey under Grant/Cooperative Agreement No. G18AC00208. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Geological Survey. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Editor: Brian Brown, California Project WET Coordinator
Water Education Foundation
1401 21st Street, Suite 200
Sacramento, CA 95811