Gold Award: Estuary Awareness

Estuaries

Estuaries are the unsung heroes in the fight against climate change- and they're disappearing fast. An estuary is a coastal area where fresh water from rivers meets and mixes with salt water from the ocean. The surrounding area supports a large and diverse group of species. Estuaries are important for numerous reasons: estuaries filter pollutants, lessen storm surge, store more atmospheric carbon than a tropical rainforest, and are the gateway to the ocean's plastic pollution.

How to Earn the Estuary Patch?

Complete 3 out of the 10 options to earn your estuary patch.

Estuary Cleanup

Research

Pick up trash from an estuary, beach, or your community. Remember 90% of plastic pollution in the ocean passed through an estuary first. Let's protect the ocean by picking up trash from the source.

Learn about estuaries by reading articles about the importance of estuaries. Here are some suggestions:

https://estuaries.org/why-are-estuaries-important/

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_estuaries/est03_ecosystem.html

Food Web

Create a food chain or food web to show the dynamics of an estuary. Research what different animals live in an estuary, and what the animals eat. Write it out on a piece of paper, using arrows to show the transfer of energy.

Discuss

Talk about estuaries with your family, friends, and troop. Share all you've learned! Make sure to mention what an estuary is and how estuaries are important (remember estuaries filter pollutants, buffer storms, and capture carbon).

Visit a N.E.R.R. Estuary

The National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) System is a network of 28 coastal sites designated to protect and study estuaries. If you live near a protected NERR estuary- visit it! Here is a list of NERRs:

• Padilla Bay (Washington)

• South Slough (Oregon)

• San Francisco (California)

• Elkhorn Slough (California)

• Tijuana River (California)

• Kachemak Bay (Alaska)

• He'eia (Hawaii)

• Mission Aransas (Texas)

• Grand Bay (Mississippi)

• Weeks Bay (Alabama)

• Apalachicola (Florida)

• Rookery Bay (Florida)

• Guana Tolomato Matanzas (Florida)

• Jobos Bay (Puerto Rico)

• Sapelo Island (Georgia)

• ACE Basin (South Carolina)

• North Inlet-Winyah Bay (South Carolina)

• North Carolina (North Carolina)

• Chesapeake Bay (Virginia)

• Chesapeake Bay (Maryland)

• Delaware (Delaware)

• Jacques Cousteau (New Jersey)

• Hudson River (New York)

• Connecticut (Connecticut)

• Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island)

• Waqouit Bay (Massachusetts)

• Great Bay (New Hampshire)

• Wells (Maine)

Watch this video to learn more about estuaries and NERRS.

https://youtu.be/qrYQFdukGMg?si=m8ATrNgMhvxguYPs

Video

Art

Sketch or paint an image of your local estuary. If you don't live near an estuary, draw your own interpretation of an estuary based off of an existing photo, or sketch an animal that lives in an estuary.

Poster

Make a poster to show everything you've learned about estuaries.

Take a Hike

Take a hike through an estuary. Play scavenger hunt and keep your eyes open for any of these species:

• oysters

• crabs

• fish

• birds

• stingrays

• otters

Be the Change

Make small changes in your everyday life to help protect estuaries. Here are some ideas:

• always pick up your dog's poop

• don't use fertilizer in the garden

• plant native plants in your garden

Take a Hike

About Me & My Project

Hi! My name is Emma Huntsman. I was inspired to center my Gold Award project on raising awareness about estuaries after visiting my local National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), the Guana Preserve, during a school field trip. This experience opened my eyes to the significant role estuaries play in our ecosystem. I was astounded by my own lack of knowledge, particularly as someone deeply committed to combating climate change. This led me to further research information on estuaries. My jaw dropped as I learned incredible facts about estuaries. What do you mean an estuary can store 10x the amount of carbon as a mature tropical rainforest? I want everyone to be aware of just how valuable estuaries are to the health of our environment. Healthy estuaries are deeply intertwined the health of other ecosystems; therefore, I created a project to make people aware of the valuable role estuaries play, and to teach others about how they can advocate for estuaries themselves.

My research uncovered, that 90% of pollution in our oceans passes through an estuary first. A light bulb lit up in my mind. I knew in that instant that I would build litter stations to protect our estuaries' health and prevent future trash from reaching the ocean. With Guana Tolomato Matanzas's approval, I got permission to build three litter stations at their beach parking lots. These lots were perfect, since they were between the estuary and the ocean, allowing more people to use them and maintaining the integrity of my original idea.

I constructed the three litter stations in my garage, and installed them the following weekend. I also 3-D printed QR codes to connect those who use the stations to Guana Preserve's website for additional information on estuaries. My Gold Award extends beyond my three litter stations, my project also has a strong educational focus. In collaboration with Guana Tolomato Matanzas, I hosted a booth at "Estuary Fest," where I invited local Girl Scouts to learn more about estuaries and my efforts. I am very grateful to my fellow scouts who joined in support.

To further engage attendees, I designed patches for local scouts participating in "Estuary Fest." I owe a special thanks to my Girl Scout mentor, Ed, whose encouragement inspired me to create a website dedicated to educating scouts everywhere about the importance of estuaries. I hope this project empowers you to visit an estuary and inspires you to make mindful choices to protect these invaluable ecosystems.

Thank you,

Emma Huntsman

Purchasing Your Patch

Contact me through email, we'll arrange payment through Zelle or Venmo. My email is gspatch@estuaryawareness.org

It's $3.50 per patch.

Thank you for your support! I'll mail your patches shortly.