“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder ... he needs the com- panionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.” – Rachel Carson

This activity book was made possible through a grant from the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET), as part of its Living Coasts Program. CICEET works with NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System to develop tools for clean water and healthy coastal environments nationwide.

Financial support for this publication was provided in part by grant number NA10NOS4200125 under the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act, administered by the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD.

Copies are available from the NC Coastal Reserve Headquarters Office 101 Pivers Island Rd. Beaufort, NC 28516 or www.nccoastalreserve.net.

The North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve is a cooperative program between the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Coastal Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

00000 copies of this brochure were printed at a cost of or per copy. Introduction to Estuaries

An estuary is the coastal ecosystem where fresh water flowing from the rivers meets the salty ocean water. In North Carolina we have 2.2 million acres of estaurine habitat. This is a nutrient rich environment that supports a great diversity and abundance of aquatic life. In fact, estuaries are called nursery habitat because many marine animals, such as fish and shrimp, start out their lives as eggs and juveniles in the estuary. Others, like dolphins, sharks and sea turtles use the estuaries as feeding areas or refuges. Much of the seafood that we eat relies upon having clean and healthy estuaries.

The picture below shows how the conditions in an upstream watershed can effect the estuary.

What are some of the factors upstream that can affect the estuary?

Source image courtesy of Environment Waikato, New Zealand How Are You Connected To The Estuary? Twelve North Carolina rivers flow into the Atlantic Ocean. Seven of these empty into estuaries along our state’s coastline. The other five rivers drain into different states. Estuaries come in many different shapes and sizes. They include a wide range of habitats including swamps, marshes, beaches and oyster reefs. In the northern part of the state, large sounds exist because of the barrier islands that formed far away from the mainland.

Phoenix Mtn. Draw a star on the map where you live. 4690' C Mayo John H. Kerr Roanoke Rapids Dismal U r ALLEGHANY Lake R e Reservoir Reservoir Swamp R iv STOKES Lake CA IT R GATES U SURRY Hyco Gaston C NEW D ROCKINGHAM C h M C E a n Lake GRANVILLE NORTHAMPTON o P D K u ASHE r w A r e ROANOKE a n E r R iv i S N t e w R Q u N G i c s v U k W u n ta i n CASWELL CHOWAN e O a M o n r t to wn T a D a u r a Belews WARREN HERTFORD A u WATAUGA S PERSON N Which river basin are you in? g Lake a I VANCE K WATAUGA R e r . R i v HALIFAX Roan Mtn. WILKES in Lake P R d k Townsend PERQUIMANS a Ya Quaker s 6285' Lake Burlington R q o u W. Kerr Scott YADKIN Creek a o Grandfather Mtn. n t Reservoir Reservoir o CHOWAN a ______S s FORSYTH n 5964' n k k a i e o n t FRANKLIN R u MITCHELL u GUILFORD i n o v d M TAR-PAMLICO d e N AVERY ORANGE BERTIE S o u n r o T l e r m a r th y a l be h DURHAM r NASH A T E r u s ALAMANCE F o e B r r e e v n R CALDWELL R i c iv e U ALEXANDER iv h r DAVIE e R C MADISON H Falls Lake r r YANCEY o a PASQUOTANK a L t B Mt. Mitchel w a r IREDELL r o n 6684' WASHINGTON o Mt. Sterling a Lake Hickor y t EDGECOMBE a d B Lake S g o Mt. Hardison 5835' Phelps TYRRELL i a l awb Rhodhiss B. Everett WAKE l u t Lake Hollow n a A 6134' P C R i DARE Looko ut Jordan MARTIN d i R DAVIDSON Ground Oregon g i D e v Lake Clingmans e FRENCH BROAD Shoals v e p e Swamp e o McDOWELL Lake Lake r r R Dome n i Pungo Lake s James BURKE v 6643' a in e New u n t BUNCOMBE S outh ROWAN Uwharrie Harris N r ay M o HAYWOOD High e WILSON Lake rw k y k Waterrock CATAWBA CHATHAM Reservoir u PITT te e a t S m o a r Rock RANDOLPH s a G r l P e W a tio n a Knob Lake N 6292' Cold Mtn. r L it Fontana Mountains M ountains iv e al tle Lake SWAIN 6030' CATAWBA R oast B Mt. Pisgah Tuckertown ntrac a Richland Lake I Lake LITTLE l 5721' Reservoir Badin s Balsam Lake Norman JOHNSTON BEAUFORT Mattamuskeet a LINCOLN Lake e i m R 6540' r GREENE Lure r T i v a NEUSE TENNESSE u P c e h Santeetlah k M RUTHERFORD e HYDE a o r e w LEE P a Lake s u B WAYNE m l GRAHAM T r CLEVELAND U ic o e e n o Mountain d n g t a D R iv n e a HENDERSON e r u Wayah N n d Kings Mountain Island e o e e i S a n POLK Reservoir e s CABARRUS Bald n s Lake CAPE FEAR t 5342' a s GASTON HARNETT e JACKSON h MONTGOMERY a R H e i BROAD MOORE o CHEROKEE l v STANLY c a i iw Nantahala e Gum Swamp l r R i S m a M TRANSYLVANIA v e Lake a Cape Hatteras s s Lake r R i v e r CRAVEN P e o MECKLENBURG Tillery L e Standing u HiwasseHIAe WASSE n MACON Lake

R i v Indian Mtn. t L

e CLAY R r a Wylie

i i LENOIR 5499' n I Lake v s Chatuge s e k

r YADKIN-PEE DEE H N n

Lake o D Hatteras r r a

SAVANNAH R t e

Blewett Falls h PAMLICO iv i N R B v Lake HOKE SAMPSON e e A a r s JONES s e Ocraco t u RICHMOND S N e CUMBERLAND S o Long u Cat sh t Lake ke UNION h W Lake ANSON DUPLIN Littel h Great it Lake Wolf Swamp e Lake

SCOTLAND C d

O n a u

ONSLOW Lake Ellis Simon T o p a RE Drum

k ARTE S e C R C BLADEN i F r

a v e re p o

Which rivers drain into the Atlantic Ocean? LUMBER e a e L e Bay Tree r C u r WHITE OAK m F b e Lake und t er a White S o r e u Lake B ogu ______Beau O

R Singletary Barden iv e Lake PENDER

ROBESON r Bogu Cape Lookout rt

Bear fo R B l a iv c Holly Brow e k e r Shelter New Swamp R n’ Which rivers drain into NC estuaries? i s v River e r New Inlet ______Lake Waccamaw NEW Topsoil

COLUMBUS Rich

Wa Green Swamp

c c

a Maso

What are the large sounds of NC? m HANOVER a n

w BRUNSWICK

R

i v e

______r Masonbor Carolina B o Lo Cape Shallott each Tubbs ck New Inlet Which sounds are smaller? woods Fear Ri

e

Fo ______ver lly Trace a river you are near down to the estuary. Which sound (if any) does your river drain into? ______How salty is this estuary? ______Inlets provide entry points for ocean waters into the sounds along the coast.

Currently there are 20 inlets in North Carolina.

Can you find all of them?

Phoenix Mtn. 4690' C Mayo John H. Kerr Roanoke Rapids Dismal U r ALLEGHANY Lake R e Reservoir Reservoir Swamp R iv STOKES Lake CA IT R GATES U SURRY Hyco Gaston C NEW D ROCKINGHAM C h M C E a n Lake GRANVILLE NORTHAMPTON o P D K u ASHE r w A r e ROANOKE a n E r R iv i S N t e w R Q u N G i c s v U k W u n ta i n CASWELL CHOWAN e O a M o n r t to wn T a D a u r a Belews WARREN HERTFORD A u WATAUGA S PERSON N g Lake a I VANCE K WATAUGA R e r . R i v HALIFAX Roan Mtn. WILKES in Lake P R d k Townsend PERQUIMANS a Ya Quaker s 6285' Lake Burlington R q o u W. Kerr Scott YADKIN Creek a o Grandfather Mtn. n t Reservoir Reservoir o CHOWAN a 5964' s FORSYTH n S n k k a i e o n t FRANKLIN R u MITCHELL u GUILFORD i n o v d M TAR-PAMLICO d e N AVERY ORANGE BERTIE S o u n r o T l e r m a r th y a l be h DURHAM r NASH A T E r u s ALAMANCE F o e B r r e e v n R CALDWELL R i c iv e U ALEXANDER iv h r DAVIE e R C MADISON H Falls Lake r r YANCEY o a PASQUOTANK a L t B Mt. Mitchel w a r IREDELL r o n 6684' WASHINGTON o Mt. Sterling a Lake Hickor y t EDGECOMBE a d B Lake S g o Mt. Hardison 5835' Phelps TYRRELL i a l awb Rhodhiss B. Everett WAKE l u t Lake Hollow n a A 6134' P C R i DARE Looko ut Jordan MARTIN d i R DAVIDSON Ground Oregon g i D e v Lake Clingmans e FRENCH BROAD Shoals v e p e Swamp e o McDOWELL Lake Lake r r R Dome n i Pungo Lake s James BURKE v 6643' a in e New u n t BUNCOMBE S outh ROWAN Uwharrie Harris N r ay M o HAYWOOD High e WILSON Lake rw k y k Waterrock CATAWBA CHATHAM Reservoir u PITT te e a t S m o a r Rock RANDOLPH s a G r l P e W a tio n a Knob Lake N 6292' Cold Mtn. r L it Fontana Mountains M ountains iv e al tle Lake SWAIN 6030' CATAWBA R oast B Mt. Pisgah Tuckertown ntrac a Richland Lake I Lake LITTLE l 5721' Reservoir Badin s Balsam Lake Norman JOHNSTON BEAUFORT Mattamuskeet a LINCOLN Lake e i m R 6540' r GREENE Lure r T i v a NEUSE TENNESSE u P c e h Santeetlah k M RUTHERFORD e HYDE a o r e w LEE P a Lake s u B WAYNE m l GRAHAM T r CLEVELAND U ic o e e n o Mountain d n g t a D R iv n e a HENDERSON e r u Wayah N n d Kings Mountain Island e o e e i S a n POLK Reservoir e s CABARRUS Bald n s Lake CAPE FEAR t 5342' a s GASTON HARNETT e JACKSON h MONTGOMERY a R H e i BROAD MOORE o CHEROKEE l v STANLY c a i iw Nantahala e Gum Swamp l r R i S m a M TRANSYLVANIA v e Lake a Cape Hatteras s s Lake r R i v e r CRAVEN P e o MECKLENBURG Tillery L e Standing u HiwasseHIAe WASSE n MACON Lake

R i v Indian Mtn. t L

e CLAY R r a Wylie

i i LENOIR 5499' n I Lake v s Chatuge s e k r YADKIN-PEE DEE H N n

Lake o D Hatteras r r a

SAVANNAH R t e

Blewett Falls h PAMLICO iv i N R B v Lake HOKE SAMPSON e e A a r s JONES s e Ocraco t u RICHMOND S N e CUMBERLAND S o Long u Cat sh t Lake ke UNION h W Lake ANSON DUPLIN Littel h Great it Lake Wolf Swamp e Lake

SCOTLAND C d

O n a u

ONSLOW Lake Ellis Simon T o p a RE Drum

k ARTE S e C R C BLADEN i F r

a v e re

p o LUMBER e a e L e Bay Tree r C u r WHITE OAK m F b e Lake und t er a White S o r e u Lake B ogu

Beau O

R Singletary Barden iv e Lake PENDER

ROBESON r Bogu Cape Lookout rt

Bear fo R B l a iv c Holly Brow e k e r Shelter New Swamp R n’ iv River Inlet s e r

Lake New Waccamaw NEW Topsoil

COLUMBUS Rich

Wa Green Swamp

c c

a Maso

m HANOVER

a n Which inlets open into large sounds?

w BRUNSWICK

R

i v

e r Masonbor ______Carolina B o Lo Cape Shallott each ______Tubbs ck New Inlet woods Fear Ri

e Which inlets open into small sounds?

Fo ver lly ______Can you see an inlet with no sound? ______Do you think inlets are stable geological formations? ______Why or why not? ______Estuaries are Habitat

SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION

Also known as SAV, this habitat is an underwater garden for juvenile fish and small invertebrates and a barometer of water quality. Sea grasses and other un- derwater plants grow in the shallows of coastal sounds and estuaries. These plants cannot survive without clean, clear water. Sunlight can’t penetrate water that is clouded by sedimentation and nutrients.

Over 150 fish and invertebrate species are known to use SAV as adults or juveniles, of which about 30 are important commercial fishery species. Hard clams, red drum, shrimp, blue crabs, gag grouper and weak- fish are all dependent on SAV. Specific threats to SAV include boat prop damage, boat wakes, fishing gear and polluted stormwater runoff.

SOFT BOTTOM

This habitat includes mud flats, beaches, shoals and sand bars. Soft bottom acts as a storage area for nutrients, sediment, and chemicals, cycling them between the bottom and the water column, thus keeping the ecosystem in balance. Intertidal flats and sand bars buffer wave energy, reducing shoreline erosion.

Bottom-dwelling algae and zooplankton provide a vast food supply for both young and adult fish. Soft bottom provides a hiding place for burrowing marine animals. Shallow soft bot- tom, especially adjacent to wetlands, is a primary nursery area for numerous fish and invertebrates. WATER COLUMN

The water column is essential to aquatic life. What happens to our waters greatly influences the overall health of the fish and shellfish inhabiting them. Specific pollution threats to the water column include excessive sedimentation and turbidity, excess nutrients, bacteria, toxins, invasive species and alteration of the natural flow of water. Fish that are dependent on the water column for foraging include menhaden, bay anchovy, bluefish and river herring.

Most of the water column habitat in North Carolina estuaries is very shallow, only a few feet, and is dramatically affected by daily tidal fluctuations.

WETLAND

Wetlands include swamps, lowlands, marshes, bottomlands and sloughs. They also play a vital role in recycling organic waste from both the water and the land. Riparian wetlands border vital nursery areas and SHELL BOTTOM filter pollutants from overland runoff, while protecting shorelines and producing detritus for export to other Oyster beds and reefs are the dominant shell habitats. bottom habitat, but clam, scallop and mussel shells can also be found. Living shellfish on shell Tidal marshes provide nursery areas, refuge and bottom filter algae and bacteria from the water foraging habitat for countless species including column. Water filtration by oysters, clams, and crustaceans, fish, birds, reptiles and mammals. other shellfish clears the water column enhancing the growth of submerged aquatic vegetation. Shell Riparian wetlands comprise about 7% of North bottom protects shorelines from erosion. Carolina’s coastal watersheds. Since precolonial times, North Carolina has lost nearly half of its wetlands. Oysters and other shellfish attach to the hard surfaces of dead shells and at least 12 economically important fishery species use shell bottom as a nursery. Larger benthic fish forage on and around shell bottom habitat. Small resident species find For more information about these habitats, visit refuge and spawning sites among the shells. http://www.ncfisheries.net/habitat/index.html. Estuaries are Habitat There are five types of habitat that can be found in North Carolina estuaries. Read about each habitat and then see if you can match these plants and animals to the habitat where they are found. Some organisms may be found in more than one of the habitats, so draw as many connecting lines as you think are needed.

Shellfish Invertebrates oysters, clams, tubeworms, copepods, brittlestar, bay scallop, sea urchin, whelk, moon snail, shrimp blue crab, fiddler crab, zooplankton

Plants smooth cordgrass, phytoplankton, eelgrass, black needle rush, Mammals bald cypress dolphin, humans, raccoon, mice

Fish menhaden, red drum, flounder, pinfish, dogfish, bluefish, speckled trout, summer flounder, croaker, sharks

Jane Thomas IAN Image Library Shorebirds American oystercatcher, pelican, osprey, great egret, white ibis Reptiles sea turtles, snakes WATER COLUMN

SHELL BOTTOM

SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION

WETLAND

SOFT BOTTOM Food Chains Plants and animals must have energy to survive, grow and reproduce. The energy in sunlight can be directly used by plants, while animals get their energy from food. Food chains are a simple way to visualize how energy flows in an ecosystem. Here is an example of a simple estuary food chain: phytoplankton - shrimp - flounder Use the following list of plants and animals to make food chains that you might find in an estuary. On the facing page write each organism in the correct circle and draw a line to connect them. Feel free to add other plants or animals that aren’t on this list. copepods pelican striped mullet phytoplankton American oystercatcher cownose ray bluefish dinoflagellates leatherback sea turtle amphipod common sea star herring gull cannonball jellyfish red drum hard clam spotted seatrout moon snail detritus bay anchovy sand dollar Atlantic bottlenose dolphin pinfish bay scallop skate grass shrimp Atlantic brief squid blue crab people eastern oyster sunray venus clam zooplankton algae scalloped hammerhead shark In reality, food chains are connected to each other to create food webs. To see how complex food webs can be, draw lines between the members of your food chains. Each circle represents a different trophic level - a trophic level is a particular position occu- pied by a group of organisms in a food chain. In general, only about 10% of the food energy in a trophic level is passed up the food chain. This means there are many more organisms in the lower trophic levels and fewer animals at the top. If so little energy is transfered to the next trophic level, what do you think happens to the other 90% of the energy?

Primary producers convert sunlight into energy that can be used by other organisms.

Primary consumers are plant eaters. They may also feed on other primary consumers.

Secondary consumers eat primary consumers and may also feed on plants.

Tertiary consumers are top predators that eat secondary consumers. These consumers are at the top of the food chain.

Can you think of some ways that environmental impacts at one level in the food chain may affect the levels above and below? Erosion in the Estuary

As water flows along the shoreline, it can wash away, or erode, the natural shoreline. Erosion may be caused by daily tidal flow, storm surges and boat wakes. Even though some erosion results from natural processes, it can be a threat to shoreline property. Many property owners wish to protect their land and take action to decrease or prevent erosion. Let’s compare two kinds of shoreline stabilization methods - living shorelines and bulkheads. Living shorelines are a creative approach to protecting estuarine shorelines from erosion by using engineered structures to maintain, restore or enhance the shoreline’s natural habitats. In some cases, a short wall, or sill, built of rock or oyster shell can be added just offshore to help decrease wave energy. Sediment may be added during the construction of living shorelines.

Bulkheads (also called seawalls) are hard vertical structures that block waves from the land. They may be built of plastic, metal or concrete. Because the wave energy is reflected back into the water column, sediment at the base of the seawall and along adjacent shorelines may be washed away.

Below are two eroding shorelines. In the left box draw in the components of a living shoreline. In the other box draw the components of a seawall. What are some of the plants and animals that you would expect to find along an estuary shoreline in North Carolina? Include these in your drawings if you think they would be found there.

What are the pros and cons of these two shoreline stabilization methods? Which do you think does a better job of protecting shoreline habitat for estuarine plants and animals? Why would people choose seawalls instead of living shorelines? What are some other things that people could do to decrease erosion and protect estuarine shorelines? Word Find

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If you get stumped, the answers to these puzzles are on the back cover. Crossword Puzzle

Across Down

2. Reef building bivalve 1. It eats other animals 5. Diving bird of prey 3. A mollusk with an opening on 7. a.k.a. smooth cordgrass the right or left 9. An opening to the sea 4. One kind of microscopic sea life 11. Fierce ocean hunter 6. 5-armed ocean resident 12. NC’s state saltwater fish 8. A threat to estuary shorelines 15. Favorite ocean mammal 10. Pinching crustacean 13. Important estuary habitat 14. Freshwater source in estuaries

How to Make an Origami Sea Turtle

1. Begin by making a square 10. Fold the point upward to piece of paper. Fold one create a head. corner of a piece of paper over to the adjacent side. 11. Lift the bottom edge to 2. Like this. Finish making the 6. Bring the folded edges to meet the vertical center square by cutting o the meet the valley fold (the line. small rectangle. river). Crease flat.

3. Fold side to side and unfold. 7. Unfold the top side points. 12. Like this. Press flat and This is the “valley fold” or fold outward as shown. “river.”

4. Turn over and fold right and 8. Like this. 13. Repeat steps 11 and 12 left points down to form a with the other foot. “roof.”

5. Like this. Then turn over. 9. Fold the top point down as 14. Turn over. You’ve made a shown. turtle! Origami illustrations courtesy Matt McIntosh, NOAA

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Orgami Sea Turtle

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