The Estuary Guide. Level 3: High School. Draft. INSTITUTION Washington State Dept

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AUTHOR Alexander, Glen; And Others TITLE The Estuary Guide. Level 3: High School. Draft. INSTITUTION Washington State Dept. of Ecology, Olympia. SPONS AGENCY National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC), Rockville, Md. REPORT NO 92-74 PUB DATE 92 NOTE 180p. AVAILABLE FROMPadilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, 1043 Bayview-Edison Road, Mt. Vernon, WA 98273. PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Teaching Guides (For Teacher) (052)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC08 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Content Area Writing; Decision Making; *Ecology; Environmental Education; *Estuaries; Field Trips; High Schools; *Learning Activities; *Marine Biology; Marine Education; Oceanography; Resource Materials; Secondary Sch661 Science; Teaching Guides; Water Quality; *Water Resources; Writing Across the Curriculum IDENTIFIERS Environmental Problems; Environmental Protection; *Padilla Bay

ABSTRACT Estuaries are marine systems that serve as nurseries for animals, links in the migratory pathways, and habitat for a complex community of organisms. This curriculum guide intended for use at the high school level seeks to teach what estuaries are; provide opportunities to practice decision-making that affects estuaries; and encourage students to examine their behaviors that affect their estuary. Equally divided into three sections, the first section presents five chapters concerning the geology, local history, ecology, literature and arts, and human use of estuaries that serve as background information for the teacher and students. The second section presents seven activities coordinated with the assignments at the end of the chapters. The activities include taking a field trip to an estuary, conducting a plankton study, monitoring estuary water quality, keeping a marine aquarium, writing activities involving estuaries, thinking globally about estuaries, and exploring what students can do for estuary protection. The third section identifies resource materials for the class. Resources include lists of estuary ecology, protection, and literature resources; a field guide to Padilla Bay organisms; reproducible masters for use during the activities and lessons; answers to chapter questions; a glossary of 59 terms; and a bibliography of 39 references. An evaluation sl.4et for teachers using the guide is provided. (MDH)

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fle 1.:` t Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Breazeale Interpretive Center

THE ESTUARY GUIDE

LEVEL 3

DRAFT

written by Glen Alexander, Education Coordinator David Henry, Education Assistant Harry McCarty, Consultant Susan Wood, Education Assistant

editing and layout by Sharon Riggs, Program Coordinator

illustrated by Rebecca Hyland Amy Han

with special thanks to Gay Barker, Consultant Margaret Green, Samish Tribe

1043 Bayview-Edison Road Mount Vernon, WA 98273 (206)428-1558 Publication No. 92-74 1992® _.

WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY

The Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is managed by the Wash- ington State Department of Ecology, Shore lands and Coastal Zone Management Pro- gram, in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The preparation of this document was financially aided througha grant to the Washington State Department of Ecology with funds obtained from NOAA/Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, and appropriated for Sections 306 and 315 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended. Table of Contents

Introduction i Chapters

Chapter 1 - Estuary Formed- Geology 1 Chapter 2 - Estuary Settled Local History 7 Chapter 3 - Estuary Alive - Ecology 17 Chapter 4 - Estuary Inspired- Literature & Arts 39 Chapter 5 - Estuary Developed- Human Use 53 Activities

Activity 1 - Taking Your Own Estuary Field Trip 65 Activity 2 - Plankton Study 69 Activity 3 - Water Quality Monitoring 73 Temperature 76 Dissolved Oxygen 77 Coliform Bacteria 79 Nitrates & Phosphates 81 Salinity 83 Turbidity 88 pH 90 Activity 4 Keeping a Marine Aquarium 93 Activity 5 - Writing With Estuaries 97 Estuary by Journal 98 Estuary by Object Poem 99 Estuary by "I-Search" Paper 100 Creative Exercises 101 Activity 6 - Thinking Globally about Estuaries 103 Activity 7 - What We Can Do For Estuaries 105 Surveying Your Behavior 106 Working Together 114 Know The Issues 116 Write, Write, Write 119 Speaking Your Mind 120

Resources

Estuary Ecology Resources Field Guides 123 Water Monitoring Equipment 123 Marine Aquarium Guides 124

Estuary Protection Resources Environmental Action 125 Government Agencies 125 Organizations 126 Places 127 Curricula 128 Publications 130

Estuary Arts and Literature Resources Books 131 Short Stories/Excerpts 132 Poems 132 Paintings 133 Music 134 Writing 134

Field Guide to Padilla Bay Organisms 135

Reproducible Masters 149

Answers to Questions 175

Glossary 181

Bibliography 185

Evaluation 189

1 Introduction

Estuaries -- where fresh water meets * Encouraging students to examine the salt water of the sea. They are one ofour their daily behaviors that affect most valuable marine systems, serving as their estuary. nurseries for many animal species, vital links in migratory pathways, and rich habitat fora complex community of organisms. They filter How to Use This Curriculum impurities, absorb flood water, and recycle nutrients. And they are disappearing atan Our educational system tends to alarming rate. compartmentalize learning, isolating individual subjects and ignoring the important We need an "educated" public in crder conner;tions that make learning relevant and to change the current trend of filling, dredging useful. The component parts of this curricu- and polluting these important places. lum can be taught independently and infused into the traditional disciplines of geology, Our belief is that people cannot make history, humanities, or biology. Ideally, responsible, informed decisions regarding however, the Padilla Bay estuary willserve as resources such as estuaries unless they know a theme for learning, illustrating how the what they are dealing with. In thepast, various subjects interact as a coherent whole. estuaries were considered worthlessareas, A team of teachers from different disciplines easy to use and improve. Today we know that might coordinate to presenta tangible theme, they are, in fact, critical ecosystemson which bringing the real world into the classroom. many animals -- including humans-- depend. The various relationships humans have The goal of this curriculum is to with estuaries are numerous and complex. promote responsible decision-making by: These include economic, legal, emotional, intellectual, and other relationships. The * Teaching what estuaries are, what problems that estuaries face today are equally lives there, how they function, and complex. This curriculum is basedon the how we depend on them; concept that decisions and solutions which address a larger number of perspectives will *Providing opportunities to practice result in more effective and successful actions. making decisions affecting estuaries; and Lq Please take some time to complete and The Breazeale Interpretive Center return the evaluation at the end of this curricu- provides educational and research facilities lum. We plan to make revisions to this first which include interpretive exhibits, aquaria, edition and need your input. curriculum library, and research laboratory. An upland trail, shore access, and shore trail The first five sections of this guide are provide public access to the estuary. intended to be used as background information for the teacher or as student reading For researchers, Padilla Bay Reserve material. The activities that follow should offers one of the largest concentrations of serve as the curriculum's core, building on the eelgrass on the west coast, along with a background information and providing rele- distinct collection of invertebrates, fish, birds, vant, hands-on experience. Key words are and marine mammals. Research topics in italicized and listed in the glossary. Padilla Bay have ranged from primary productivity, seagrass distribution, and Dunge- Padilla Bay National Estuarine ness crab habitat to toxic sediments, pesticide Research Reserve run-off and suspended sediments. The information gained from such research is important Padilla Bay is part of the National to decision makers who must pre;;erve and Estuarine Research Reserve System. This manage valuable habitats. Educational pro- program was established in 1972 under the grams include school programs, adult educa- Federal Coastal Zone Management Act. The tion, teacher workshops, youth programs, purpose of this program is to set aside estu- films, guided walks, and family programs. aries in different biogeographical regions of the United States for research and education. Today, 21 sites throughout the coastal United States and Puerto Rico protect over 300,000 acres of estuarine habitats. 1- Estuary Formed - Geology

The vacationing insurance salesman Estuaries are regions where riversmeet from Indiana unfolds his chair and relaxeson the sea. They occur allover the world and a bluff overlooking Padilla Bay, Washington. come in many shapes and sizes. The most He gazes across an expanse of ripplingwater, commonly used definition ofan estuary was watching sea birds in the distance. He feelsa written by Cameron and Pritchard (1963); sense of permanence with 'Ms surroundings;a sense that this bay looks like it always has and "An estuary is a semi-enclosed as it always will be in the future. His own coastal body of water which hasa experience tells him that the earth is reliable free connection with the opensea and and unchanging and he sinks intoa peaceful within which sea water is measurably sleep. But he awakens in anew world. What diluted with f.esh water derived from was once an expanse of rippling water isnow land drainage." a field of hissing, fragrant mud. The hoosier rubs his eyes in disbelief. The passing time This definition is useful for describing and ebbing tide have introduced this visitor to the physical conditions present inan estuary, a place rich with life and marked by dramatic but it does not convey theessence of the changes -- the estuary. estuary -- the productive grasses, the sanctuary Peen Bq for juvenile fish, the lush bird habitat, the classified them according to their geologic inspiration for a poet, the natural harbor. formation. Coastal plains estuaries (like Estuaries are these, too. Chesapeake Bay) are river valleys which were flooded with sea water when the sea level rose From the time humans made their after the last ice age. Fjords (like Hood appearance, estuaries have been important Canal) are estuaries whose deep sides were centers of commerce. They providedwild carved out by glaciers. Tectonic estuaries food, fertile agricultural land, sheltered har- (like parts of San Francisco Bay) were formed bors, and navigational access to the inland by movements of the earth, such as slipping areas. Estuaries continue to be placesof along a fault line. Bar-built estuaries are human activity. Today, most of the world's formed at the mouths of large rivers where largest cities are on estuaries, and many have river sediment is deposited as a sand or mud been transformed beyond recognition. bar across the mouth. But these are not hard and fast distinctions. For instance, the Colum- Types of Estuaries bia River has a protective bar across the mouth, but it is also a flooded river valley. So many different physical factors interact in estuaries that they exhibit incred- Other characteristics which are some- ible variety. This vam-ty makes estuaries times considered in classifying an estuary difficult to classify. Some scientists have include the shape of its basin. (Is it a long, narrow tidal river, a coast thatis protected by a barrier island or re.;f, or anembayment with a narrow, restricted outlet tothe sea?) How much fresh water enters the estuary? How is it affected by tides? How does the water circulate in the estuary? (Is it stratified with distinct layers of salt and fresh water or non- stratified?) What is the chemical make-up of the estuary water? All these things are considered when examining estuaries. Often, one estuary represents several ecosystem types or physical characteristics.

The Indiana salesman didn't realize that he was looking at a shallow bay characterized by mud flats and seagrass meadows, located in the Columbian/Puget Sound biogeo- graphic region of the United States. He knew nothing of the fresh water input or geologic formation. What he did understand, however, Chesapeake Bay is an example of a coastal plains was that time had erasedhis view of rippling estuary, a "drowned" river valley.

2 water. An estuary is a place marked by causing the land mass to split andmove apart. change. The newly formed Atlantic Ocean filledin the gaps created as these giant jigsaw puzzle Changes can occ,ur in short periods of pieces separated. When birds and mammals time (short, relative to human experience, that first appeared on the scene and dinosaursstill is), as the Indiana tourist discovered. Mount dominated the earth, the American continents St. Helens provides a familiar example of "quick change." The 1980 eruption createda gaping crater in only a few minutes. Earth- quakes can also be agents of quick changeas California residents can testify. Phenomena such as storms, waves and currentsare convincing evidence of the unceasing change that characterizes our planet and our universe; convincing, because they all occur withinour time frame.

Long-term change -- change over thousands or millions of years-- is harder to understand. Scientists estimate that the earth completed its formation about 4.6 billionyears ago and its permanent crust began to form about 4.1 billion years ago. We humans have been around for only a brief instant of the earth's history; short-timers, so to speak. Working toward a perspective of "long-term The continents are drifting quickly by geologicstan- change" will aid in understanding Padilla Bay dards, but slower than a slug, and the entire earth on which we live. were moving away from Europe and Africa at the rate of about 2 to 3 inchesper year -- a Like the man from Indiana, we must slow pace when compared to human standards remember that time makes all the difference! but in geologic time, quite fast. At thatrate a continent will cover 32 miles ina million Assembling the Pieces years and in 200 million years, 6400 miles! These processes continue today. Aswe About 200 million years ago, theory continue to move westward, the Pacific Ocean holds, North America, South America, Europe shrinks while the Atlantic Ocean expands. and Africa were all connected, forminga huge supercontinent called Pangaea. But a rising When North America began its west- column of hot rock from the earth's interior ward voyage 200 millionyears ago, the began to put pressure on the continentalcrust, Pacific Ocean was dotted with small, island micro-continents. Borneo, New Zealand, New

3 Guinea and Japan are among those remaining. remains of plants that may have grown in Any that happened to be in the path of the estuaries 45 to 55 million years ago. "fast moving" North America collided and were welded on. Several of these "add-ons" As the North American Continent now make up areas of Washington, British continued west, riding up over the Pacific Columbia, and Alaska. Ocean floor and colliding with other micro- continents, massive rocks have been twisted and contorted, forced deep under the earth's surface, crushed and heated, then spewed out in periods of extensive volcanism.

So when the Indiana salesman looked out at the calm bay encircled by peaceful mountains, he was actually riding a great heaving plate of moving earth. At any moment, the next magnitude eight earthquake could rock his chair as North America jumps forward and the mountains push up a little more.

Carving Out the Details

The finishing touches to the Puget Sound area occurred a mere ten to twenty The westward moving North American continont added thousand years ago when the world climate on small Pacific islands. was colder than it is today. A massivesheet of ice carved and deposited the details of the One collision, about 60 million years landscape. ago, created a large mountain range in whatis now northeasteni Washington. As these The upper third of Washington state mountains eroded, rivers washed huge was covered with ice at least twice and per- amounts of sand and silt into the adjoining haps seven times during the Pleistocene ocean. Epoch. The tongue of ice that pushed south into the Puget Lowland all the way to Olym- These sediments, up to 20,000 feet pia is known as the Puget Lobe. It completely thick, were compressed into Chuckanut covered the area between the Olympic and sandstone. The large palm leaf fossils found Cascade Mountains. Padilla Bay, for ex- in Chucknut sandstone indicate that the world ample, was buried under ice more than a mile climate was warmer then. These fossils are thick! At the top of Mount Erie, just west of Padilla Bay, scratches made by the glacier can still be seen in the solid bedrock.

4 bringing with it mountains of sedimentand depositing it in an advancing delta. Now, some ten thousand years later. the Skagit River sediments have filled one-hundred thousand acres of what was once part of Puget Sound. Sediments have reached the moundof glacial debris we call Bayview Ridge,once an island far from the shore. One result of this process is Padilla Bay, a shallow bay supplied with fresh water from the Skagit River.

The approximate limits of the Puget Lobe. WillapaBay was created from the melted glacier water flowing to the southwest.

As the climate changed, the Puget Lobe began to melt, creating a lake in the depression it had occupied. The lake would have drained naturally out to the Pacific Ocean had it not been for a remnant of ice blocking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Thescene must have appeared quite different than it does today. Huge piles of rock, sand, and gravel (glacial till) that had been scrapedup in the glacier's path became islands, while the lowlands were covered with water. Eventu- 10,000 years of advancing river sediments have made ally the dam gave way to thepressure of the Padilla Bay a flat and shallow estuary. confined lake waters, releasingtorrents into The Indiana tourist has long since the Pacific. The leftover piles of glacial debris departed in his RV. The tide still are still around, visible today as eroding bluffs comes in and goes out without him. Indeed, around the shores of Puget Sound. to the casual observer, everythingseems tranquil. But the Indiana tourist was struck from his Meanwhile, the Skagit River was carefree, vacation bliss with a bolt of time. flowing hard and fast out of the Cascades,

5 Certainly Padilla Bay is not as it always has 3. List three geologic processes involved in been. This estuary is in its fragile infancy, forming the shorelines in the Puget Sound only recently born to the earth. region.

4. From what you've read about geologic Related Activity: processes in this chapter, make a list of evidence you have seen that the Puget "Creative Exercises" in Activity 6. Sound region is still changing today? (Don't include changes from human activities.) Questions 5. Describe some geologic processes that 1. List five factors that might be considered might change the Pug f:t Sound in the next in classifying an estuary. 10,000 years.

2. Match the estuary with its geologic category.

Hood Canal tectonic Chesapeake Bay bar-built Columbia River coastal plains San Fransico Bay fjord

6 pitifogR" 'taWliir\. lagillit

'11114' AI MI6.

2- Estuary Settled- Local History

History is usually studied asa series of The First Inhabitants events. We know when famous peoplewere born and died. We know when wars were In the early 1820s, a fur tradernamed fought and treaties were signed. What makes John Work describedsome people he visited history significant is not only thesequence of near Padilla Bay as "fine looking Indians." events, but also how attitudes and behaviors change over time. Unfortunately, attitudes are "I passed 12 houses belongingto more difficult to record and understand. We these people on the east side ofour can see what people did, but do not always road, not far separated, in theoppo- know what they thought or what motivated site side of the bay I countedat least them. If we could live the events, readthe 12 houses in a village, besides which letters, and see the art, we would have a at a great distance, the smoke oftwo clearer picture of their attitudes. other villages appeared." This section is a chronicle of events, What John Work sawwas part of a but as you read of the people and events that flourishing culture that, by Work'stime, had have shaped Padilla Bay'spast, try to imagine been subjected to a series of devastating the rest. Look beyond the names and dates to epidemics. It is to the credit of theIndian a story of changing attitudes. people of the region that both theyand their culture continued and adaptedto the tide of human events.

7 An 1855 map indicates that the Samish present with the past and the future. The and Swinomish lived in the area around chain was almost broken in recent history due Padilla Bay. Modern anthropologists still do to pressures brought on by cultures from not agree where these people came from but another part of the world. The first to strike their own oral history says that they originated were the European diseases which decimated right here in the Pacific Northwest. The name the population. Next came the Europeans that the Samish have for themselves (prc themselves with their concept of ownership of nounced SEE opsh) is translated "The First resources. By the end of the nineteenth People." In any case, they lived for ten thou- century, it was made illegal to possess arti- sand years on the calm bays of the Skagit facts such as drums, masks, and artwork Valley, with abundant food and a temperate which were used in the practice of the native climate. Indeed, the spring-fed, forested area way of life. At that time, the oral tradition around Padilla Bay must have been a tempting went underground and many teachings were place to settle as it provided everything they passed on in secret. needed for a comfortable life and safe access to an efficient marine highway. The Treaty of Point Elliott, signed in 1855, created the reservation system we see All the aspects of modern culture today. In exchange for ceding their land to the which are represented by our modern institu- white settlers, the Samish and others were tions of church, school, medicine, industry, promised a reservation with adequate land, and politics were integrated into the daily lives education, money payments, and medical of these native people. In the summer they help. They had to wait many years for some lived in portable dwellings made of cattail of the promised compensations. Others have mats as they moved from place to place never been fulfilled. Many people believe that gathering the gifts of the land and water, though the Point Elliott Treaty ceded land to storing berries, fanning and processing bulbs the United States, the accompanying resources and roots, and collecting seaweed and other were reserved from the treaty and never sea foods for the cold wet seasons ahead. negotiated away. Today, many Native Ameri- Before the arrival of European settlers, the cans are asking for access to resources they lands around Padilla Bay were an immense feel were set aside for them. and productive wetland. They were like a vast public market where various groups came Our society is beginning to realize that together by consent to harvest the plentiful there is value in a way of life that does not resources. In the winter native people lived in disrupt natural systems. The Native way of permanent wooden houses where thi.:,y shared life recognizes a closeness with the plants and and gave thanks for their abundance with animals, air, water, and earth. This philoso- friends and relatives. phy recognizes an equal right to a healthful living, and that it is up to humans to be sure it This way of living was passed down is maintained. According to the oral tradition from generation to generation via the oral of the Samish Tribe, this was the agreement tradition: a chain of knowledge connecting the between the First People and the Creator.

8 Exploration and Expansionism

When Spanish explorer Jose Narvaez sailed through Guemes Channel in thesum- mer of 1791, he described the shallow bay that lay before him as "a great sand flat withone- half fathom of water on it... and an extended piece of flat land beyond the horizon. In the sandflat could be seen many Indians after shellfish." Narvaez was sailing under the orders of the governor of Spanish North America, Viceroy Juan Vicente de Guemes Pancheco de Padilla Horcasitasy Aguayo, conde de Revillagigedo. Narvaez namedthe bay "Seno de Padilla" or "embrace of Padilla."

He was not here sightseeing,nor was he here to learn more about the nativeway of life. The Spanish were exploring the Both the Spanish and British explored PugetSound in area as an effort to claim new territory. part of a national policy to acquire territory, expand trade, and spread Catholicism. This Meanwhile, another hungry giant, highly competitive struggleamong world equall) intent on expansionism,was rising in leaders of the eighteenth and nineteenth the ex,t and claiming land ina westerly centuries is referred to as expansionism. direction. In 1792, Robert Gray, in thearmed Narvaez sailed here hoping to beat the British ship, Columbia, claimed the Oregoncountry and secure these lands as the Imperial posses- for the United States, and in 1804-1805the sions of Spain. Shortly after the Spanish visit, Lewis and Clark Expedition provideddetailed English sea captain George Vancouver reports of the Pacific Northwest. Finally, the mapped the Sound completely and then named expansionist administration of President the southern reaches after his lieutenant,Peter James K. Polk proposed that Americanclaims Puget. He assigned new placenames to should extend up to the southern boundaryof various mountains, rivers, islands and other Russian Alaska. The British rejected theidea bays; names which quickly replacedmost (but at first but agreed to compromise after hearing obviously not all) awarded by the Spanish. reports of trapped-out fur and over five thou- Vancouver's reports were quickly publishedin sand Americans already living in Oregon.On Europe while those of Spanish expeditions June 15, 1846, the Oregon Treatywas signed were kept secret, since Spain did not want to by the United States and Great Britainestab- advertise this area of the new world. Ulti- lishing the boundary between Canadaand the mately, Spanish power was broken bothon the U.S. along the 49th parallel andout through seas and at home. By 1795, Spain had relin- the middle of the Straits of Juan de Fuca. quished its claims on the Northwestto the Bri!'sh.

9 " Settlement Ridge.) Calhoun climbed a tree and was Trappers were probably the first finally able to get a view of his surroundings European inhabitants of the region. Between 1800 and 1835, almost every well-dressed man in the East and in Europe wore a beaver hat. The trappers were apparently too preoccupied with the accumulation of beaver pelts (almost to the point of the beaver's extinction) to leave written records of their visits. They did, however, leave trade agreements, transportation routes, and tools. Much like the natives, these trappers viewed the land as a common resource rather than as a commodity to be owned.

European settlement began in earnest after the signing of the Oregon Treaty. Immi- grants came overland by covered wagon to the Columbia River, then north to the southern part of Puget Sound, finishing the trip by water. Many came by sea around Cape Horn or across the Isthmus of Panama. Still others The wetlands surrounding Padilla Bay around 1860. took the train to Sacramento (completed in 1867) and completed the journey by sailing where deep forests gave way to marshes and north out of San Francisco. In all cases the sloughs. It was the marshy ground that caught last leg of the journey was by sea. Conse- his attention. Calhoun knew of diking tech- quently, islands such as Whidbey, Camano, niques that yielded farm land from salt marsh. Fidalgo, Guemes and Samish were the ftrst He decided to return to the area and carve out areas to be settled. a farm from the marsh.

About 1863, Samuel Calhoun, who So the face of the land began to change worked in a lumber mill on Camano Island, much more quickly than it had during the hired an Indian to take him to the mainland by thousands of years of glaciation and sedimen- canoe. They went up a branch of Sullivan tation. Early dikes were built by men with Slough and landed at Pleasant Ridge, east of shovels, wheelbarrows and visions of owner- present day La Conner. He climbed the ridge ship and profit. The early dikes were about for a better perspective but could see nothing eight feet wide at the base, two feet at the top because of the dense forest of virgin cedar. and about four feet high. They had to extend (Similar stands of huge cedars, some in excess along the entire salt water margin of the claim of 48 feet in circumference, covered most of and far enough up the major sloughs to be the higher ground, including Bay View beyond the reach of high tides. Many early

10 diking efforts failed but when Calhoun and his The dikes did not end the problems for partner, Michael Sullivan, finally raised a crop the early "salt farmers". The farms, while of barley on 40 acres of diked land and sold it relatively safe from intrusion by thesea, were on the spot for $1,600, the smell of success now subject to periodic attacks from the rear gave new energy to others. when the Skagit River flooded. Becausethe dikes kept the fresh water from filteringout Eventually, dike building machines into the sound, the entire valley would flood. were invented and implemented. Large With each flood, the profitable farmland sloughs were diked and made navigableto became further damaged. Cattlewere farm houses and granaries. Small sloughs drowned and farm houses floatedaway. were simply filled. Additional protection in Cutting the dike to release the waterwas an more exposed areas was provided by piles obvious necessity; however, the dikeswere driven just outside the dikes to stop the wash- privately owned, and each farmer felt that ing of waves. (The remnants of these pilesare someone else's dike should be sacrificed. still visible in Padilla Bay.) Much of the salt Some farmers tried to dike just theareas of the marsh around Padilla Bay that formerly river that overflowed onto theirproperty. provided habitat for fish, waterfowl, muskrats, Because these efforts were so fragmented, mink and otters was now producing agricul- they had limited value. The diking of theriver tural crops. required a higher degree of organization in order to succeed. It wasn't until the 1890sthat the settlers began to realize thata cooperative effort would benefit all.

Another resource that drew attentionto the Padilla Bay area was the virgin timberthat had grown on Bay View Ridge for 10,000 years. Logging began on the ridge around 1876. Initial efforts proved fairlyeasy. The timber near the water could be felled directly into the bay and easily transportedto +he mill. e size of the trees being harvesti.. about the only problem. Some exceeoedeight feet in diameter at the base. Thesaws were not long enough to cut such widths,so loggers chopped wedges into the trunk, inserted "springboards" on which to stand, and sawed through the trunk eight to ten feet above the Building and maintaining a dike was noeasy task. base. Since the logs seemed limitless,no one worried about waste. By 1882, therewere 11 logging camps in the area producing 38 million board feet of timber annually.

11 Early loggers came from the Great company mill in Ballard. In a short time the Lakes where forests had been decimated by Ballard Company was harvesting 65,000 to the 1880s. Others came from Maine and New 75,000 board feet of first-growth cedar, fir and Hampshire where forests were also depleted. spruce daily. Still others came from eastern Canada, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, rushing Fires soon followed. As the old to stay ahead of a resource that couldn't growth timber was removed, the normally wet possibly keep up with even primitive harvest- under story dried from exposure to the sun and ing methods. fires raged through the areas, unchecked until the rains came. The worst tire on record was In 1902, de splendid old growth of the 1909 "Ridge fire." The town of Bay View Bay View Ridge caught the attention of the had to build and rebuild often as a result of Ballard Lumber Company. They purchased fires in the early 1900s. 1,700 acres, and the town of Bay View became home to one of the largest logging By 1910, the Ballard Lumber Com- concerns in the state. The "modern" company pany had logged off all of its land, orabout replaced skidroads and oxen with a 4-mile- two-thirds of the timber on Bay View Ridge. long railroad from the eastern top of the ridge Stumps, abandoned skidroads and fire scars down to the water near Bay View. Logs were awaited the next wave of settlers. transported from the cutting sites (often with just a single log fitting on a flatcar!), dumped As the saying goes, beauty is in the into the bay and floated or boomed to the eyes of the beholder. As the large trees were removed, the area attracted those intent on farming. To a farmer, the forest of stumps seemed much less intimidating than a forest of dense trees. The Great Northern Railroad offered reduced rates to entice farmers to come to Washington State, advertisingfertile land that logging companies were eager to sell.

Clearing a stump farm was a huge undertaking. The most efficient method of removal was dynamite but most early pioneers couldn't afford such luxury. Some planted crops between the stumps, some burnedthem, some cut them up for firewood or soldthem to a shingle mill. Still others had"logging bees" to clear the land. These were work/social occasions where human labor was rewarded with good food and stiff drink. A "skid road" and logging camp.

12 2 6 By the early part of the 20th century, for failure. The oystercompany claimed the personality of the Padilla Bay region had pollution as the culprit and sued the ScottPulp changed. The raucous, get-rich-quick logginb Company for destroying the oyster habitat. operations gave way to a more stable element: The judge ruled against thecompany on the settlers looking for a permanent situation in basis that the oysters' failurewas due to a lack which to raise a family and makea living from of nutrients. a new land that they could call their own.

How To "Use" Padilla Bay

As the land became occupied, interest turned to the economic potential of the bay itself. Several enterprising ideaswere proposed beginning in the 1920s.

In 1925, commissioners of the newly formed County Diking District accepted bids for the diking and reclamation of 10,000acres of tideland in Padilla Bay. The proposed dike was to span the outer margin of the tidal lands from Samish spit to Hat Island and from Hat Island to the south end of the bay. Work began in 1929, starting at the mouth of Indian Slough. After only 1.5 miles of dikewas completed, the contractor went broke and the A 1961 proposal for a deep water port and industrial park. projr...ct died. In 1961, investors had another idea. In 1930, 943 one-acre tractswere Padilla Bay was to be the site of the largest platted in southern Padilla Bay, creating the industrial park in the state. The plansincluded "Associated Oyster Tracts." Each parcelwas dredging a three-mile-long, 60-foot deep a long , narrow triangle -- only six feet wide waterway to accommodate ship traffic. The and over two miles in length! Amanagement dredged material would then be used for company oversaw the overall project, with the filling 9,400 acres. Some local people, inter- goal of planting and harvesting Japanese ested in preserving Padilla Bay, beganto oysters. protest. However, the County Commissioners claimed to be powerless to intervene, sincethe Initially, the oyster farming seemed land was owned and controlled by thepromot- promising but after a few years, production ers of the project. By 1963, after plans failed and quality began to decline. Pollution,the to secure a 1.4-million dollar Federal indus- lack of fresh water and the reproductive trial loan, the tracts were soldat auction to the success of predators were speculated ascauses Seattle-based Orion Corporation.

13 Beginning in the mid-1970s, the The Orion Corporation thought the bay Washington State Department of Ecology would be perfect for the development of a began evaluating potential sites for participa- "Venice-like" housing project with meander- tion in a federal program called the National ing channels, beaches and boat launches, and a Estuarine Research Reserve System. Admin- marina to complete the scene; home to 30,000 istered by the National Oceanic and Atmo- people. The project won unanimous support spheric Administration (NOAA), this program from the Skagit County Development Asso- protects a variety of estuary resources around ciation. Again, the locals protested. the U.S. in order to conduct long-term research and educational progiums. After Then, in 1965, the Area Development extensive review along with many committee Administration funded a feasibility study to meetings and public hearings, the Padilla Bay determine the potential of using 600 acres of National Estuarine Research Reserve was Padilla Bay for industry. The results indicated designated in 1980. The purchase of tidelands that the eventual profits would far outweigh within the proposed 13,535 acre boundary the costs, and it was thumbs up for another began immediately, with the state purchasing industrial venture. only from willing sellers based on appraised values. In the meantime, area residents who favored preserving the bay had organized the The policies and regulations found in Citizens Committee for the Preservation of the county's Shoreline Master Program and the Padilla Bay. Their efforts were successful in state Shoreline Management Act have made stalling both the housing and industrial some types of development in Padilla Bay projects until 1971 when help arrived in the impossible. Residential and agricultural uses form of the state Shoreline Management Act. are currently prohibited, while other uses such Shortly after the Act's passage, the Washing- as crab or salmon fisheries and others may be ton State Department of Ecology began enhanced by habitat protection and wise preparing policies and guidelines to assist management practices. local governments in their development of rules to protect coastal resources. In 1976 the The Orion Corporation, still owning a state-approved Skagit County Shoreline large portion of the bay, filed suit against the Management Program was adopted, creating a State of Washington and Skagit County. They regulatory framework for public input and claimed that the development rights for their protection of the county's shorelands. This tidelands had been removed by state and program, reflecting the opinion of the state county governments without a fair offer of legislature, designated Padilla Bay as a compensation. The state argued that fair "Shoreline of Statewide Significance" to be market value had been offered for the prop- "managed with the interest of all the people in erty. The suit will significantly test the legal mind, and whose natural character should be strength of state and federal laws to protect the preserved." environment. The fundamental issue of private ownership versus environmental

14 protection will be influenced by thecourt's The land between Burlington decision. and Bay View Ridge was an extensive wetlandcalled Olym- pia Marsh. Edna Breazealedescribed the boggy area as a place whereone could jump up and down and cause twentyacres of land to quake in all directions. Afterhigh school, she attended the University ofWashington, where she graduated with honors in1917. She taught school for the next 40years, inspiring students and fellow teachers alike.

Edna Breazeale retired fromteaching in 1957 and returnedto live with her brothers Fred and Marcelluson their farm overlooking the bay. Whenrumors began to circulate of plans to fill the bay, she initiateda campaign to save the area that she had learnedto value as a child. She, and a handful of othercom- mitted area residents, carrieda petition from "the hills above Concrete Edna Breazeale to the taverns of Anacortes," Breazeale recounted.She volun- teered for the tavern duty herself,thinking no A description of theevents surround- one would dare laugh at an old ladywith gray ing Padilla Bay since theturn of the century hair. She was right; two thousandcitizens would be incomplete without mention of Edna signed the petition tosave the bay. So, for ten Breazeale. Miss Breazealecame to Padilla years, a small group of citizens withno finan- Bay as a small child in 1901.Her father had cial backing held off powerfulbusiness inter- taken advantage of the inexpensiveland being ests. In 1971, government finallycaught up offered in the early 1900s andpurchased a with the foresight of Breazealeand others; the parcel one-half mile north of thepresent State Shoreline ManagementAct, spawned by interpretive center, overlooking the bay. Her the voters' initiativeprocess, was passed. childhood was spent collectingagates on the beach, sitting silently in the uplandsobserving Edna Breazeale's contribution coveys of quail, and developing an environ- did not end there. In 1981,on behalf of herself and mental ethic long before itwas fashionable. her two brothers she donated She rode the train from Whitney the farm to the (across from Padilla Bay National Estuarine the present Farmhouse Inn Research Restaurant) to Reserve. It is on this site thatthe Breazeale- Burlington Edison High Schooluntil her Padilla Bay Interpretive Centernow stands. graduation in 1912. The trainwas the only Miss Breazeale and her brothersfelt that practical means of transportationat that time. "something should be kept forpeople who r-- PalaE30 want green, o?en space .. somuch is 'keep Questions off, keep off.' " 1. How had local Native American tribes At a ceremony honoring her involve- already been changed when John Work ment in the creation of the Padilla Bay Na- saw them in 1820? tional Estuarine Research Reserve in 1980, Edna told the audience, "I believe that what 2. "Many people believe that though the we have worked for will be rememberedlOng Point Elliott Treaty ceded land to the after all of us are gone." She died September United States, the accompanying re- 16, 1987, at the age of 92. Indeed, Edna sources were reserved from the treaty and Breazeale and her family will be remembered. never negotiated away." (See p. 8.) What does this mean? What repercussions does Edna Breazeale showed how one this belief have today? person's actions and values can shape history. She was one person, but she was not alone. 3. List four nations that have claimed land Similar values were expressed elsewhere. The in the Puget Sound region. famous Wisconsin Wildlife Manager, Aldo Leopold wrote: 4.Why did early settlers choose to settle near estuaries rather than sites further We abuse the land because we inland? (List as many reasons as you regard it as a commodity belonging can.) to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may 5. List the plans to develop Padilla Bay and begin to use it with love and respect. why they failed.

-from"A Sand County Almanac" 6.How have attitudes towards estuaries changed in the past 200 years?

Related Activity: 7.Why do you think Edna Breazeale fought against development interests? "Creative Exercises" in Activity 6.

16 3- Estuary Alive - Ecology

What you are about to readwas told to As I turned north toward Padilla Bay a high school science teacher by one of her I sank into the routine of driving that familiar less than academic students. For the entire road. Far away thoughts drifted throughmy first semester of biology this student, although head. Maybe I should have studied for pleasant, was not what you' d calla lean, tomorrow's biology exam instead of playing academic machine. Social temptations usu- all weekend on the island. Not far fromhome, ally conquered school responsibilities. So, I glanced out over the bay forone last look at when this student earned a 100% on the final the shimmering waves of lightover Hat Island exam, frankly, it was somewhat suspicious. when, to my amazement, Isaw a glowing The story is retold here as an example of the sphere far out on the mud flat. Themusic mysteries being discovered in estuarine from "Twilight Zone"was twinkling in my ecology. head as I turned off the road andpulled into the parking lot rear the beach. I rubbedmy It was a dark, clear night with bright tired eyes, fully expecting the objectto be stars and a slight shimmering of the Aurora gone when I reopened them, but it was still Borealis as I headed tomy home near Bay there. A bluish, white light pulsed from the View. In spite of all this beauty I just couldn't object and reflected off the shinysurface of keep my mind off of the spectacular sightI the mud flat. had witnessed earlier in the eveningon the ferry ride to Anacortes. It must have been a My first inclinationwas to drive home meteor. Maybe it looked so close because of and call 911. But after thinkinga minute, it the northern lights in the background. But I'd occurred to me that if Iwere the first to make seen meteors and this just wasn't thesame. contact with alien beings (and what else could The movement of the object was too slow and the glowing sphere possibly contain?)I might controlled. And all other meteors seem to get some extra credit points frommy biology disappear harmlessly in the night sky while teacher which might help makeup for the lost this seemed to fall right out of the sky! study day. I opened the trunk, pulledon my hip boots, and started sloshingmy way toward the space craft.

Add 17 'D r I breathed a sigh of relief in the thought that at least something about this experience was predictable and replied, "Greetings yourself. Why did you attack me?"

"Well, it's jast my way; these are my sensory organs. Don't take it personally," said the creature. "I have a lot of questions to ask and very little time because when the tide comes in, we're sunk." The creature laughed uncontrollably at his own pun until I interrupted.

"Who are you, where are you from and why are you here?" I asked.

"Ail fair questions," the creature replied. "I am a Nemartian from the planet As I cautiously approached, a door Stasis.I have been sent here to interview an opened. I expected to see a little green man average earthling and learn of the environment emerge with either one or three eyes (certainly here.I was specifically directed not to talk to not two) that would talk in a squeaky voice a 'leader' as that information would probably and say something mundane like, "Greetings, be unreliable. You're not a leader are you?" earthling," or "take me to your leader." But imagine my surprise when a pale, snake-like, "No," I replied, "but ..." and before I writhing, mucous covered proboscis thrashed could go on, the Nemartian started questioning wildly out of the opening. I fell backward in me. horror and disgust. My hands became stuck in the mud in a reflex move to break my fall. "My planet is one huge mud flat," the The slimy proboscis whipped back in my Nemartian said. "As I circled for my landing, direction and, as I sat there defenseless, I noticed that it is not so here. There seem to wrapped around my neck and across my face. be several strange habitats surrounding this Pulling my right hand free from the mud and familiar mud flat. Can you explain how you then my left, I grabbed the proboscis and organize all this complexity?" peeled !t off like a piece of masking tape.I started to slide back in retreat, deciding that I Suddenly I was faced with the prospect was wrong not to have called 911, when I of having to explain my environment to an heard a squeaky, nasal voice, "Greetings, alien! This Nemartian didn't have a clue and earthling." I, of all people, had become the expert. As I glanced around the bay, things that I had been

18 26 only half listening to in school startedto crawl thought if I explained the water cycleand out from their hiding places in the nooks and watershed, he might get the picture. "Right crannies of my brain and stand out in clear now the seat of my jeans is pretty well satu- detail. I began to think this mighteven be rated, but that water hasn't always been here. fun! It may once have been on that farmer's field over there, or on my high school parking lot, Classification or even in the Pharaoh's wine!"

"You're right," I said to the Nemartian. The Nemartian didn't seem to get it,so "This is a complex place and it is difficultto I elaborated. "Picture a drop ofocean water. keep track of things sometimes. Butwe It evaporates from the surface of theocean, humans have devised systems of classification enters the atmosphere as a gas, condenses with to simplify our perceptions of the earth. What other water molecules to form a cloud, travels you noticed, as you circled, was the Padilla landward with the wind, condenses further Bay estuary. It's an importantecosystem until it falls to earth in heavy droplets, obeys here." I can't explain it, but I somehow sensed the forces of gravity and moves downhill until a blank stare from the proboscis. I concluded it drains into a tiny rivulet and, pickingup that I would have to define my terms. speed, drains into a rushing creek that drains into a torrential stream that drains into the "An ecosystem," I continued, "accord- powerful, surging Skagit River that flowsever ing to my biology book, is a distinct, self- downward toward the sea. Eventually, the supporting unit of interacting organisms and water ends up in the Skagit's estuary. Some of their environment. The ecosystemyou landed that water may end up here in Padilla Bay. in is an estuary, a place where fresh water flows into the sea." "A watershed is all the landarea that drains into a river or body of water. One "I think I understand," said the watershed can include many ecosystems. Nemartian. "This ecosystem I observed is Padilla Bay's watershed is pretty small, in fact, somehow walled off from the others, making you can see most of it from here. All the rain it 'distinct and self-supporting.' What is the that falls on those farms over there and that nature of these walls?" I started to realize this forest over there drains right into Padilla Bay. wasn't going to be as easy as I had originally Other watersheds, like the Skagit's,are enor- thought. I guess it wasn't so much the mous and may include glaciers, timberland, Nemartian's fault, though, as itwas the fault of and cities. The point is, this water has beena our classification. We use terms to try to lot of places and carried a lot of things,some define things for our convenience but,come to good, some not so good, to this estuary." think of it, the environment doesn't really make these distinctions. "Like what?" asked the Nemartian, looking somewhat drained itself at this point. "No," I explained, "you've got the (I use "it" because it was virtually impossibk wrong idea. There are no walls. In fact, all to determine the sex, if any, of this creature. the ecosystems on earth are interconnected." I And.. .it really didn't seem to makeany difference.) 19 L4o. Hit': MIL

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"The river picks up and carries sedi- tems. Whatever happens in one will eventu- ments when moving fast but when it slows ally affect others." down in the flats, the sediments fall out and become trapped in the estuary. This vegeta- And so began a long series of question you see covering the mud here slows the tions about an environment that I knew well. water even more and helps hold the sediments After all, I had lived near Padilla Bay all my here. The river carries dead plants and ani- life.I had observed many things on my own mals in various stages of decay and deposits while exploring the rivers, beaches, mud flats. them here. We call that detritus. Those things Also, I had learned things just sitting in class, are okay but other things come down the river listening to teachers explain the underlying and end up here. Feces from dairy cows, concepts and principles of science, history and human sewage, chemicals from industry, oil the humanities. What was different, though, that is washed off our roads, and fertilizer was that somehow, standing out on the from our lawns all eventually end up here. So, mudflat at night, in the presence of the you see, there are no walls to separate ecosys- Nemartian brought about a synthesis of all this knowledge. I could now see the connections

20 c' 's Ci that linked and intertwined all the observa- pulls the water in theoceans into a bulge on tions, ideas and information that hadever the sides of the earth closest to thesun and entered my brain. moon. Because the moon is so much closer, its tide raising force ismore than twice that of The Abiotic Estuary the sun.

"If there are no walls then what does "While the moon is pullingon one side make this estuary an ecosystem? Why is it of the earth, centrifugal force is pullingon the any different from the hills and mountains and side opposite the moon. If therewere no ocean around it?" moon, the rotation of the earth would exert centrifugal force equally, in all directions, This was a tricky one and I thought much as a dancer's skirt twirls when sheturns. hard. "I guess each system is uniquely shaped by the abiotic elements-- in this estuary it's the water, the mud, and the climate that determines what will live here. Anestuary is not an easy place for an organism to live because the conditions changeso much.The water here is constantly changing due to the flow and ebb of two daily tides (at this point the Nernartian lowered its proboscis toward my watch). Tides, plus the irregular influx of fresh water, results in changes in salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH."

"This is of particular interest to me," replied the Nemartian. "On my planet Stasis, there are no such changes. Everything is always the same. Tell me the details of these changes."

Tides The earth-moon system rotates fike a mother and child dancing.

"Tides are the result of two physical But because the earth andmoon are rotating forces: 1) the gravitational forces of thesun, together, the center of rotation is not at the the moon and the earth and, 2) the centrifugal center of the earth, but is closer to themoon. force caused by the rotating earth andmoon This causes a greater centrifugal forceon the system. These forces cause the water in the side of the earth away from themoon. Picture ocean basins to be pulled into bulges. a mother and child holding hands and spinning in a dance. The mother's skirt will lifthigher Both the sun and moon are exerting on the side away from the child." gravitational force on the earth. This force

21 "What is a dancer and what is a skirt?" "Tides would be pretty simple and asked the confused Nemartian. predictable if that was the whole story, but there's a lot more we don't have time to get "Never mind. It's not thac important. into. The sun is also exerting gravitational What is important is that the gravitational pull force, and because the earth-moon system is of the moon is making the water bulge on one not only rotating, but also revolvingaround side of the earth (causing high tide ) while the sun, there is a second centrifugal force. centrifigal force is making a bulge on the Add to that the fact that these bulges or tidal other side (another high tide). In between the waves keep bumping into land andbouncing bulges there is less water, and therefore, low back, and you have a very complex picture. tide. "You're lucky you came here today. There is a new moon, and that means that the tide is especially low right now. Because the sun and moon are both on the sameside of the earth, they pull together, causing an extra large bulge. In two weeks, the moon will be on the side of the earthopposite the sun, and forces will again be lined up, meaning higher New moon ' Spnng tide (and lower) tides. These extreme tides are called spring tides. On the weeks between, the forces of sun and moon will be pullingin different directions, and will tend to cancel each other out. These are neap tides, and aren't nearly as high or lJw.

"Life between the tides is not easy.

Full moon Spring tide Organisms have lots of adaptations to deal with the changing water level. Some plants can completely dry out at lowtide on a sunny 0hk*n day and survive. Others, like eelgrass can't dry out, and only grow in areas where they stay wet; areas like the very flat mudhere in Padilla Bay.

"Some of the larger animals like fish First quarter Neap tide swim out with the tide. Others have various strategies for staying wet. Clams, barnacles, oysters, and mussels can close theirshells Spring and neap tides are affected by the positions of tightly to keep water in. Snails and limpets the earth, moon, and sun.

22 clamp tightly to rock. Some animals burrow "How could any living thing possibly into the mud and sand. Some hide under survive in such an unpredictable placeas rocks. Then there are those animals just this?" the Nemartian asked. waiting for low tide to munch out. If you'd been here earlier this evening, you would have "Animals have different strategies for seen hundreds of gulls and herons following dealing with changing salinities. Osmosis isa the edge of the water as it receded." fancy word for what happens in many animals when the salt content or concentration inside Salinity their cells is different from the concentration outside (in the water). The water simply "Now, as you might predict, when the passes through the cell membrane until the tide is high, the salt water is driven far up into concentration is equalized. For example, ifa the estuary. This occurs twice in a 24-hour jellyfish or sea cucumber finds itself in water period here in the Northwest. Low tides, by that's saltier than its cell content, waterpasses contrast, allow fresh water to dominate the out of its cells until its cell fluids become as estuary. Other marine environments are not salty as the water. If the surroundings become subject to such exaggerated change. fresher, then water enters its cells until they are fresher, too. Of course, too much change "So salinity in the estuary is the result could be fatal, and most organisms havea of a constant battle between the freshwater range of salinity in which they can survive. from the land trying to dilute the salt water of the sea. High tide gives the advantage to the Sea cucumber in very salty water sea while low tide provides an advantage to the fresh water. But the fresh water recruits help during flood season. With increased fresh water flow, the battle lines (or salinity gradients) are moved downstream. Therefore, at different seasons of the year, different salinities can be expected in different areas of the estuary. Sea cucumber in fresh water

"Salt water is denser than fresh water, you know, so it tends to sink to the bottom. There is often a distinct layer of fresh water floating above the salt water. We call that stratification. Wind, waves, and tides can stir up the layers, so estuary animals and plants need to be prepared for quick changes in salinity." Osmosis at work

23 "An animal like a clam or snail closes "Strong ocean currents can scour the up when the salinity moves beyond its toler- sea floor. When the currents slow down in the ated range. Other animals, like salmon, have sheltered estuary, the reduced motion lets the an active mechanism that maintains a constant mud settle out.I remember reading that the internal fluid medium. When a salmon is in estuary of the River Thames had been dredged freshwater, it experiences a water gain by and the material dumped into the sea. Ocean osmosis. It compensates by not drinking and currents returned the dredged materials to the excreting lots of diluted urine.In salt water, same estuary a short time later! the salmon experiences water loss by osmosis, so it drinks lots of sea water, produces a little "Rivers and streams carry silt in bit of very salty urine, and secretes excess salt suspension. When these suspended particles through cells in its gills. I guess you can see mix with the various charged particles (ions) that life isn't simple where fresh and salt water present in the sea water at the estuary, they mix. flocculate or clump together. They become larger and heavier and thus settle to the bot- "In the sediment, things are different. tom. As you know, the mud we sit on is permeated with water." (I was especially aware of this "It is interesting to see how these since my rear end was soaked!) "The water is sediments are deposited in the estuary.Stron- held in the spaces or interstices between the ger currents can keep larger particles in particles of sediment. This interstitial water suspension. As the current slows, the largest obviously originates from the overlying water, particles begin dropping out. Where there are but it moves slowly due to the density of the strong currents, like along the channels that mud. Therefore, the salinity of interstitial flow through the mud flat or near the upper water is not subject to the changes occurring reaches of fresh water drainage, the sediments in the water above, and remains relatively are coarse (sand or gravel).In areas of the constant. Organisms that live burrowed in the estuary where currents are slower, the sedi- mud are buffered from drastic changes in ments are dominated by fine silt, or mud. salinity." "Many of the particles that settle out in "My kind of people," replied the this way are bits of dead plants and animals. Nemartian with a homesick expression. "Tell A good term for this material is detritus. me more about this mud or sediment, as you Imagine all of the dead organisms, in various called it." stages of decay, that are carried here from both the sea and the river, then add them to all Sedimentation of the dead organisms in the estuary itself. Why this is a virtual detritus grave yard. This "Most estuaries are dominated by material is very important to organisms that muddy sediments such as these. They are live in the estuary since it is such a good deposited from both the sea and land. source of energy."

24 "So they have everything they need I took out my pocket knife, cuta cross right in the mud!" the Nemartian concluded. section from the mud and held it up to the light of the space craft. The Nemartian noted "Well, they have plenty of food but the differervx between the light brown mudat they still need something to breathe." the surface and the black-as-tar stuff down below."There is no oxygen in this black Oxygen layer. The anaerobic bacteria which live here produce hydrogen sulfide as a by-product of "As you may know, oxygen will respiration, accounting for the strong sulfur dissolve in water just like a spoonful of sugar smell." I held the cross section of mud outso in iced tea." The Nemartian looked puzzledat the Nemartian could lower its proboscis and this point but I pretended not to notice and take a whiff. "So the mud, while being rich in food, has no oxygen making it hard fororgan- isms to survive. Burrowing animals have adapted means to beat the system. Many of them excavate tunnels through which the oxygen rich water can flow. This not only benefits the burrower but also the microorganisms living nearby." Just then the Nemartian interrupted.

"My sensors tell me the temperature is falling. Is there someplace we cango to get went on. "So, the regular influx of fresh and out of the cold?" salt water into the estuary, coupled with the shallowness and surface turbulence, usually "Sorry, not around here." provides plenty of oxygen in the water. As the temperature and salinity change, the Temperature ability for water to hold oxygen changes. That means the oxygen is not constant inany "The temperature in the ocean is pretty one place at any one time. But in the sub- constant. Marine organisms that never ven- strate, it is a totally different matter. As I ture into the estuary can count on temperatu. mentioned before, the interchange between in a fairly narrow range. But, estuaries experi- interstitial water and the water above is slow. ence a wide range of temperatures. Although the mud is rich in nutrients (the result of detritus accumulation), the supply of "Fresh water temperatures change with o.cygen (necessary for aerobic organisms) is a the seasons.Rivers in temperate regions, limited resource. The bacteria in the sedi- such as this, are colder in winter andwarmer ments use up a lot of the oxygen in the inter- in summer than the ocean. Asa result, estua- stitial water. Estuarine sedimentsare anoxic rine waters have the same seasonal variations. (without oxygen) below the first few centime- There are also daily variations because of the ters as you can see by the color change."

25 changing tides. Because an estuary is shallow, molecule as H20; two hydrogen atoms at- the water heats and cools easily. It's like a tached to one oxygen atom. This concept of a shallow pond that is warmer to swim in on a permanent structure makes it easy to think hot day than a deep lake. about. But in reality, the molecule comes apart a lot, losing one of the hydrogens. The "Temperature variation poses one result is one hydrogen yanked away from the more survival problem for estuary organisms. oxygen, leaving its electron behind with the A very hard winter, for example, can cause remaining oxygen-hydrogen complex. The catastiophic mortality." free hydrogen now has a positive charge (since it left its negatively charged electron "So why on Stasis would anyone behind) and is called a hydrogen ion. The choose to live in this unreliable place?" the oxygen-hydrogen complex has a negative Nemartian asked in a baffled voice. I started charge (since it acquired the extra electron) to sense some frustration. I think he thought and is called a hydroxide ion." this would be simpler to decipher. The Nemartian could no longer contain "I don't know," I replied. "Most its confusion. "Say what!?!"I drew the species have colonized this habitat from the following picture in the mud to help clear temperature-stable sea. I guess they come for things up: the detritus. Or maybe they're trying to escape some particularly bothersome predators. Whatever the reason, plants and animals seem to love it here."

"I noticed you haven't asked about pH," I said. I had been enjoying this trip through my memory bank so much that I wanted to search all the dark corners. The concept of pH had always been a little confus- ing to me but now that everything seemed so clear, I thought I'd like to give it a whirl. "O.K., tell : ae about pH," the Nemartian said, sounding a little perplexed but not wanting to admit to it.

"Well, pH, as I'm sure you know being That seemed to help, so I went on. a space traveler and all, is the scale used to "Some things, when mixed with water, cause describe the amount of hydrogen ions present lots of hydrogen ions to be floating around in a water solution. We think of the water free in solution. This is because they attach :-

26 easily to the oxygen-hydrogen complex, readily to the free hydrogen ions, leaving a leaving no place for the free hydrogens to basic solution. This is moderated by the attach. Consequently, we say the solution has presence of carbon dioxide which acts as a a high hydrogen ion concentration and is buffer to keep sea water within a fairly narrow acidic. It would be assigned a value of :ess range. It does this by absorbing hydrogen ions than 7 on the pH scale. Other things combine in the water when they are in excess and readily to the free hydrogen ions and actually producing more when they are in short supply. reduce the hydrogen ion concentration. This The resulting ocean water is still on the basic results in a basic solution which would have a side, with a pH range of between 7.5 and 8.4. value greater than 7 on the pH scale. A neutral solution (pH 7 on the scale) has equal "Fresh water entering the estuary amounts of hydrogen ion and hydroxide ion." typically has a lower pH than the open ocean. The effect on pH in the estuary is the same old "The level of pH, like all the abiotic story told for temperature and salinity. The factors we have been discussing, is significant mixing of fresh and salt water produces to organisms living here. Changes in pH can varying levels of pH that organisms have affect the solubility of minerals required by adapted to." the eelgrass, for example. Enzymes, which mediate all biochemical reactions of living "This is all so incomprehensible," things, require specific ranges of pH to oper- uttered the Nemartian, sounding weary. ate efficiently. "Things are so much simpler on Stasis. Is this constant fluctuation typical of your entire "The open ocean contains strong basic planet?" ions such as sodium, potassium and calcium. These are examples of particles that attach "Well, maybe not quite so extreme," I replied. "The ocean, about 100 miles behind ACIDIC NEUTRAL BASIC you, is fairly stable and that's where life got its start. But when things began getting crowded and competition became the mode of 0 2 10 12 14 existence, organisms started looking for Approximate pH's greener pastures. Some of them came to the 1.0 - stomach acid 6.3 - milk estuary. This movement away from a previ- 2.0 - lemon juice 7.0 - distilled water ous niche is called adaptive radiation. 2.5 - vinegar 7.5 human blood "The estuary is an example of an <3.5-all fish die->9.5 11 ammonia 4.0 oranges 12 - bleach ecosystem where an organism can find plenty 5.6 - normal rain 13lye of food if it can meet the tough demands imposed by the constantly changing condi- pH scale tions. And, the harsh conditions may even prove beneficial if they discourage predators. But the estuary, as a habitat, is not for every-

27 UJn body. Relatively few species have been able back where you started and things don't ever to successfully make the transition. While start or stop anywhere." Again the Nemartian there is lots of life here, the diversity of life is looked baffled and I felt sorry for it. All very low. In other words, the number of things considered, this must be a trying time organisms is high but the number of species is for an alien, light years away from home, low. This is due not only to the unusual trying to decipher an ecosystem before the tide conditions but also to the fact that temperate comes in. I took a deep breath and picked a estuaries are relatively new places. They were starting place at random. formed just after the last glaciation, probably less than 10,000 years ago. So you really have to hand it to the plants and animals living here. They have adapted quickly to harsh environmental conditions in a variety of ways and contribute to a very unique and fascinating ecosystem."

I was anxious at this point to move on and talk more about the organisms that inhabit the estuary."I'll tell you what," I suggested, "why don't we liven this discussion up with some talk about the biotic elements of the estuarine ecosystem?" The Nemartian nodded Productivity in agreement. "Let's talk about energy. An ecosystem involves a flow of energy that starts with The Biotic Estuary the sun. All organisms need the energy flowing in the system to grow and reproduce, For the first time I seemed to be at a but they get the energy in different ways. loss for words. I knew what I wanted to tell We've got autotrophs, heterotrophs, the Nemartian but I just couldn't decide where chemotrophs..." to start. "Where do I begin?" I thought out loud. The Nemartian's quizzical expression indicated that there was some confusion as to "Well, ..." the Nemartian suggested, where this discussion was leading. I was "on my planet, we always start at the begin- learning to read its proboscis like a book. ning!" "Autotrophs use the sun's energy,

"Well,.. I countered, "on this heterotrophs use energy from the autotrophs, planet, things are cyclic. One thing leads to while the chemotrophs use energy fr another and then another until you're right inorganic chemicals. The only chemotrophs I

28 1

know are certain bacteria that oxidize simple inorganic compounds like ammonia, nitrite, and sulfide." The Nemartian lookedas if it was beginning to see the point.

"Autotrophs, or 'producers,' harvest energy from the sun to convert inorganic carbon dioxide and water into the organic compound sugar. The process is knownas photosynthesis."

The Nemartian looked amazed. "Do you mean to tell me that some organisms can make molecules with light energy? Areyou pulling my appendage?" A photosynthesizing blade of green algae

"No," I assured him. "Photosynthesis The Nemartian studied the drawing. requires a particular pigment molecule called "Where did the oxygen come from?" he chlorophyll. It has the unique property of asked. capturing photons of sunlight, kind of likea solar collector, and using thatenergy to set in "The oxygen is a by-product of photo- motion a series of biochemical reactions that synthesis. Not only are the producersrespon- result in the production of glucose. The sible for creating sugar, they also contribute all energy stored in the glucose is used by the of the atmospheric oxygen. Without the autotroph or passed on to the heterotrophs if it producers, you and I would haveno oxygen to gets eaten." breathe."

"These producers must be the most "That's incredible!" the Nemartian revered and protected organisms on earth," squealed. commented the Nemartian. "Are these the leaders I was warned about?"

"Yes, with just water, carbon dioxide "Well, not exactly," I answered. and the energy provided from thesun, these photosynthesizers provide the startingmate- "Then introduce me to the producers rial required to sustain life on this mud flat here in Padilla Bay," said the Nemartian. and everywhere else on the planet." Itwas time for another mud drawing:

37 Producers in Padilla Bay the field, orbiomass,has built up over the summer. But then inthe fall, the farmer "Some of them are too small to see,but comes along, cuts it down,hauls it away, and The they're hard workers. Primary production sells it to consumers who live elsewhere. ground looks bare again but in one year one (that's th.-: photosynthetic productionof sugar) lot of corn. here in Pi dilla Bay is really incredible.There acre of that field produced a is twice as much production here asin a farmer's best fields; three times as much asin "Now in a forest you can see produc- that healthy forest up on the hill." tion accumulate. There is not as much produced each year but there is less export."In "Wait a minute", said the Nemartian. my mind's eye I saw aclear cut but decided friend with all that. "You're telling me that this barren mudpatch not to confuse my new leaves wash produces more sugar and more oxygenthan "In a healthy forest bits of dead berries and seeds get those huge plants over there? Thenwhere is away with the rain and keeps all this growth and reproduction you were carried away but the total biomass telling me about?" increasing year after year.

"You can't always see it. Think of a "Here in the eelgrass meadows the productivity is greater than either of those corn field.It starts out in the spring as bare surface dirt. By the end of the summer 'the cornis as other ecosystems. Even the bare mud called high as an elephant's eye!' That's a lotof is covered with microscopic producers growth. The mass of all the living thingsin phytoplankton.Tinydiatomsanddinoflagel- latesphotosynthesize so fast that organic products ooze out into the water. SometimesI see an oily sheen on the waterthat looks like a gasoline spill, but it's actually just organic matter. Consumers like bacteria turnit into a foamy froth that looks like soap sudswashing up on the beach."

My friend still wasn't satisfied. "Where does this incredible amount of production go?"

"The tide washes it away, salmon come in here and gobble upthe little consumers, great blue herons andeagles come and carry away huge amountsof biomass. The export rate is so high that thebiomass never builds up very much."

Diatoms

30 3C.) "I sure couldn't tell it's that productive "Eelgrass, like other flowering plants, just by looking at it," said the Nemartian. must bloom and be fertilizzd." The Nemartian continued its blank stare. "So how doyou "That's why for so many years people think it gets fertilized under the water?" didn't realize estuaries were important. They looked out and saw wastelands, not wetlands. They thought it would be better to turn them into farms, marinas, deep water ports, and industrial parks."

"Aren't there some producers out here that we can see?"

"Sure. Look at the green algae over there. And here are clumps of branching red algae.Look at this eelgrass. Eelgrass isa major producer in this estuary. The indig- enou.s eelgrass that is growing out here where you have landed is the Zostera marina. Closer to shore is the smaller, non-native, Zostera japonica. Zostera japonica was accidentally introduced to the area when Japanese oysters were brought here in the 1800s. Padilla Bay has some of the most extensive beds of eelgrass anywhereon the "Scuba bees!" it said with a big grin. western coast of North America!" I tried not to react so as not toencour- The Nemartian did not look impressed. age more bad jokes. "Unlike land plants, which produce very small, roundish pollen "Eelgrass is a flowering plant!" I said. grains, eelgrass pollen is stringy andmucous- like. When carried from the parent plant by "Is that unusual?" it asked. currents, it will be more likely to wrap around another plant and attach to the stigma. In "Well," I continual, "most flowering addition to sexual reproduction involving plants grow on land or at least hold their flowers, eelgrass also reproduces vegetatively flowers out of the water.Eelgrass is a rare from creeping underground stems called example of a flowering plant thatcan tolerate rhizomes, like many of its terrestrial rela- high levels of salinity along with all the o'her tives." hardships imposed by an estuarine environment. In a way, eelgrass is like a marine The Nemartian still looked boredso I mammal. Both evolved on land and subse- tried harder to convince it of the importance of quently turned to the sea to makea living. eelgrass.

31 "These eelgrass beds you see before you are not only importantbecause of their marine adaptations. The roots they produce act as traps for sediments that stabilizeand buiid the substrate. Further, the long, ribbon- like leaves slow water currents so that additional particles settle. This stabilization is extremely durable; able to withstand storms as severe as hurricanes. In the1930s, an un- known disease swept the North Atlantic coast wiping out much of the Z. marina. The effects included a dramatic erosion of beaches due to the loss of sediment, no longer held by the Zostera, as well as the disappearance of the animals associated with the beds.

"The leaves also provide a protective canopy, shielding other organismsfrom the Eekgrass community effects of strong sunlight. At low tide, the leaves cover the bottom substrate, protecting "Let me see if I have this straight," the inhabitants from drying out." said the Nemartian. "Eelgrass provides food, oxygen, sediment stabilization, andvaluable Now the Nemartian was beginning to habitat. So this must be the most revered move its proboscis in the directionof the organism in the estuary." extensive eelgrass bed near-by.I sensed a growing respect for the Zostera marina. This "Well, it should be I suppose. When gave me new energy so I went on. the eelgrass is alive it does all those great things, but that's not all! When it dies, it "See how it's covered with brown fuzz accumulates with all the other dead plants and out near the ends of the blades? That's a animals to become something even greater. whole community of small plants and animals Eelgrass is an important source of detritus in that use the blades of the grass for habitat. the estuary." The organisms growing on a plant are called epiphytes. The blades of eelgrass provide a The Estuarine Food Web and the rare solid substrate in this soft fieldof mud. Role of Detritus Look closely and you'll see all sorts of inhabitants of this neighborhood -- tiny crustaceans, "As in all ecosystems, some energy algae, sponges, bryozoans, worms... Is it any flows from the producers to the consumers wonder so many hungry fish cruise these (organisms that eat other organisms). These depend on parts?" consumers living in the estuary energy stored by producers such aseelgrass,

32 Estuary food web algae, and phytoplankton. The major source anything (detritus included) small enough to of energy, however, is detritus." be sucked in with the water around them. An estuarine food web is very complex and I don't "Excuse me," interrupted the think anyone completely understands it." Nemartian "This detritus, as you call it, is dead, right?" Estuarine Consumers I nodded. "Detritus ;s decaying organic material, but it is enriched withasso- The Nemartian didn't look as confused ciated bacteria that are very much alive. Many as I had looked the first time I heard all this so ecologists believe that the consumers who eat I assumed I could continue. detritus (cletritivores) derive most of their energy by digesting the bacteria and other Bacteria microorganisms that live on the particles of organic material. "One group of consumers whose importance is often underemphasized,even in "But that's not the only way energy is the text books, is the group I have already distributed in an estuary. There are primary mentioned, the bacteria. Sure, I know they're consumers who eat the producers. There are small, but is that any reason to trivialize their secondary consumers who eat the primary impact on an ecosystem?" The Nemartian consumers. Omnivorous filter feeders eat withdrew its proboscis a bit and I realized, in

33 my enthusiasm to defend the underdog, I was "One role that I haven't mentioned is coming on a little strong. I restrained myself very remarkable. Bacteria can decompose just and continued. "Both the water and the mud about anything. While a dead eelgrass leaf of estuaries are extremely rich in bacteria. It's may be considered a tasty morsel to one a bacterium's dream down here due to the bacterium, another might like a particle of raw abundance of organic matter to decompose. sewage or even a potentially harmful toxic, The water that is beginning to lap around us washed down from an agricultural field. As a contains hundreds of times more bacteria than result, water passing through an estuary exits open ocean water, and the upper layers of mud cleaner than it entered. A city in Texas has more than a thousand times more bacteria than constructed a wastewater treatment facility in that! Studies have measured 100-400 million which sewage is piped into sixty-foot-high bacteria per gram of estuary mud. towers and bacteria like those here in the estuary are added. Within six to twelve hours, "And, contrary to what many believe, the organic substances are "eaten" by the bacteria do much more good than harm. bacteria and the purification process is com- Certainly, the estuary as we know it would not plete. In our case, here at Padilla Bay, the exist without bacteria. The cycling of materi- estuary plays an important role in purifying als would be impossible without the decompo- water from the land. Now that so many sition of certain molecules by bacteria. In estuaries have been destroyed, is it any won- other words, bacteria make the organic mate- der that the waters are polluted? rial available for all of the inhabitants of the estuary. Even the self-sufficient producers "However, it would be a tragic mistake require the action of bacteria to obtain essen- to think that anything can be dumped into an tial nutrients from the substrate. estuary and it will be processed and purified. Estuaries, like all ecosystems, have their limits. If those limits are exceeded, then the entire balance is upset."

Estuarine Communities

The Nemartian's proboscis was now moving about across the mud surface, strain- ing to observe some of the bacterial films in the faint light of early dawn. I don't know exactly what sense w as involved, but it seemed very efficient at picking up life forms, even the ones that I need a microscope to observe. "I thought you said this place had a low diversity of species," he remarked. "There are all sorts of organisms here."

Munching bacteria

34 "You're right, there are many species shrimp's excavation skills. Clams,crabs, living in the estuary. But comparedto say, a worms, even some fish share its burrow. The tropical rainforest, the diversity is 'relatively' relationships are complex, andno one knows low. The species that do live hereare beauti- exactly what goes on in the mud community. fully adapted to their environment." It's a fascinating mystery!

The tide was beginning tocover the "And just ten feet away, right behind mud around us, bringing to life a whole world you, is a different community, the eelgrass that had been waiting to resume its activity. bed, full of organisms thatare especially Clam siphons appeared at the openings of adapted to eelgrass. There's a fish calleda holes. Burrowing a7emones spread their pipefish that is skinny and green and swims tentacles hoping for a little planktonor detri- vertically, aligned with the grass. The eel- tus to come by. Mud snails and bubble shells grass isopod is shaped like the grass and is plowed across the mud surface, searching for perfectly camouflaged. Look, here'sa green food. A mud shrimp emerged from its bur- sea slug that even has stripes that imitate the row, dumped its load of excavated mud and eelgrass. Its eggs are clear and laid flat quickly disappeared again. against the blade so thateven the sharpest eyes can't find them. The Nemartian noticed the water lapping up against his landinggear. "I sup- "Each community out here has its pose I'll need to take off soon," he sighed, members: producers, grazers,scavengers and sounding rather drained. carnivores. No two membersoccupy exactly the same niche. It's truly incredibleto see "You can't leave yet! We're just how the whole system fits together. You'll getting to the interesting part." I heldout a just have to come back to get therest of the tiny yellow egg sack, filled with strings of story." snail eggs. "All this talkof tides and salt water, substrate, bacteria, productiviti-- it's The tide was now well on itsway in.I all just setting the stage for this community. was standing in about six inches of water and This unique assemblage of plants and animals remembered that I had that big biologytest in is perfectly adapted to the habitat. Each hasa just a few hours. "Well, thanksa lot, earth- specific role to play, but allare connected and ling," the Nemartian squeaked. "It looksas if interdependent. I'd better be heading back to Stasis." The proboscis began to invert back into thespace "Just look at this mud shrimp, craft when it seemed to notice somethingon Upogebia pugettensis." I couldn't believe I the mud surface nearby. It suddenly whipped remembered its scientific name. "That burrow out to full length and focused on a ribbon is probably a foot or two deep and iscon- worm that was just a meter or so from my left nected to a network of tunnels with turnaround foot, crawling along the surface in that charac- chambers and several openings to the surface. teristic manner. "On second thought, thereis All sorts of animals makeuse of the mud time for you to describe thisone last animal,

IS) 35 r) sometimes armed with a sharp barb that operates in conjunction with a venom gland to capture or quiet prey.

"I once placed a nemertean in a dish of seawater with a much larger and seemingly meaner mussel worm (Nereis), expecting the worst to befall the ribbon worm. To my surprise, the nemertean's probing proboscis stung the mussel worm, inflicting such pain that the victim writhed for several minutes before escaping to the other side of the dish. Later I learned that some nemerteans prey on these large mussel worms, which are formi- Ribbon worm (Paianemertes perogrina) dable predators in their own right, and swal- for it is without a doubt the most beautiful, low them whole after subduing them." graceful, intelligent specimen I have yet to see here. Would you mind?" the Nemartian Again, I can't explain just how I sensed asked. this from the expression of a proboscis, but the Nemartian seemed to glow with pride after "I don't know. I'm feeling pretty hearing this story. tired," I said, "but I'll try. That is Paranemertes peregrina, commonly called the "Nemerteans are tough, too," I contin- ribbon worm. It belongs to the animal phylum ued. "As I said before, they have a trait of Nemertea. Nemerteans are typically creeping breaking apart when disturbed. At least some or burrowing worms with soft bodies covered of these pieces will regenerate into complete with cilia. They are highly contractile and animals. One study showed that pieces one- some of them resemble rubber bands. They hundred-thousandth the volume of the original are not rubbery in texture, however. In fact, if would continue as miniature worms.In other you're not careful, they will easily break when words, a worm 1/8 inch in diameter could be handled. They range in size from a few cut into 1/16 inch slices and all the fragments millimeters to 3 meters! Nearly all nemerte- would regenerate." ans are fierce predators. They eat other worms, molluscs, and crustaceans. Some "That's disgusting! You humans are swallow their prey whole while others suck sick," said the Nemartian. out their juices. "I'm just trying to emphasize how "The reason such fragile animals can durable these animals are," I countered. I be such fierce predators is that they are armed don't know why, but I just couldn't resist with a formidable proboscis. It is often larger pushing the Nemartian's buttons. "They have than the actual body of the worm and is also tried freezing adult worms and have

36 found that they survive. They have starved Questions some species for more than a year and again, the nemerteans survived. Theworm may 1. What watershed do you live in? What shrink in that time but it will not die." river or body of water does it drain into?

"That does it, I'm out of here!" And 2. Name two ecosystems that are associated with that as its parting words, the Nemartian with an estuary ecosystem. In whatways inverted its proboscis into thespace craft, are they associated? slammed the door and, before I couldeven get to my feet, rose up and vanished in the pale 3. Explain why it might be difficult foran dawn sky. organism to live in a place that has tides. Explain how it might be advantageous. My next recollection was awakening in my car, parked at the beach. I rubbed my eyes 4. Why is detritus more nutritious than the and squinted out at the rippling water thatnow dead plants and animals it is madeup of? covered the mudflat. What a wild dream, I thought. I must have been so worried about 5.Which produces the mostoxygen in one this biology exam that I dreamed about it. year: an acre of forest, an acre of hay, an Well it serves me right for not preparing. But acre of eelgrass? Which produces the still, what a wild dream! I returned home least? quickly so that I could change clothes andget to school on time. When I opened the trunk to 6. Why did the Nemaniancross the uni- get my things, there were my hip boots, verse? covered with wet, estuary mud. 7.Why do some organisms living in salt So, what do you make of that? water need a strategy to avoid dehydration? Related Activities: 8. How are Zostera species examples of Taking An Estuary Field Trip, Activity 1. adaptive radiation?

Plankton Study, Activity 2. 9.How did Zostera japonica firstget into Padilla Bay? Water Quality Monitoring, Activity 3. 10. List three values of eelgrass. Keeping a Marine Aquarium, Activity 4. 11. Why are bacteria important inestuaries? See also: 12. Name three ecological communities A Field Guide to Padilla Bay Organisms found in Padilla Bay.

37 4- Estuary Inspired - Literature and the Arts

"There are good things to see in the hole at life, and seeing something. Whatwe tide pools and there are exciting and interest- see, and how we express it is our gift to ing thoughts to be generated from the seeing. humanity. He looked into the tidepoolsand "Every new eye applied to thepeep was inspired to write a book about the worlds hole which looks out at the worldmay fish in he saw within them. What doyou see? What some new beauty and some new pattern, and is your gift? the world of the human mindmust be enriched by such fishing." As people, we have been defined by our landscape. America's human history is the John Steinbeck, from the introduction history of our interaction with the landand the to Between the Pacific Tides water. The oral history of the Native Ameri- Edward Ricketts and Jack Calvin can people tells stories of the land and the water. Our school history books are filled John Steinbeck, a great American with the European settlers crossing theAtlan- writer, wrote this while on a marine biological tic, blazing through the CumberlandGap, expedition in the Sea of Cortez with his busting sod on prairie homesteads, andfight- scientist friend, Ed Ricketts. He says that ing for the natural riches of the PacificNorth- inside each of us are the skills of a scientitst or west, Alaska, and California. The land isour an artist capable of looking through thepeep cultural as well as our physical heritage.

39 Today we spend days, even weeks sensory and mental gratification. The land is indoors. We go from building to car to build- our legacy, and from it our lives are physically ing as we drive to the mall, the theater, school, and spiritually enriched. and the grocery store. Living in a suburb of Seattle is much the same as living in Akron, Estuaries, like other natural places, Ohio, or Sacramento, California. The stores have inspired artists. But more than any other are the same. The television shows are the natural environment, estuaries provide deep, same. We're so busy that we sometimes instinctual images into our psyche. The roots forget to appreciate our home; the land and of both human and ancient cultures are traced water in our own backyards. to estuaries. The fertile valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is referred to as the For many of us, however, the place in cradle of civilization. The Egyptian civiliza- which we live still makes a difference. It tion flourished on the Delta of the Nile. St. allows us to go backpacking or sailing in our Petersburg, Russia's great cultural window on free time. The weather and climate affect our the Baltic, was built on a salt marsh under the moods and thoughts. The smell of the wet cruel leadership of Peter the Great. Rome, earth, the sight of the mountains or bay leave London, and New York are just some of the indelible stamps of places on our minds. other great cultural cities of the world built on estuaries. Artists, such as writers, painters, film makers, and musicians remind us of our Besides their physical sustenance, places. By using nature in their work, they estuaries have given us images of peace and remind us of our connection to the planet, and solitude, of rhythms and cycles of life, of hold up new images for us to see. richness and fertility, and of death and decay.

We can still hear the sounds of the Death is an often used, and most primal Pacific Northwest in the myths and appropriate, subject for the estuary and the stories of the early inhabitants. We can see area around it. The estuary is a mud stage the world of Walden Pond through the words where a continuous stream of murders, vicious of Thoreau, the cliffs of Yosemite through the attacks, and general carnivorous atrocities are camera of Ansel Adams, the Southwest desert enacted. Along with all the carnage comes through the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe. rebirth as the decaying processes recycle the You can't separate the setting from the work, nutrients back into life. nor can we separate ourselves from what sustains us. Dylan Thomas: Estuary inspired It is natural for people to seek inspiration from nature. Not only for those who Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) is one produce art, or even science, but for pure great poet of the twentieth century whose

4 " For instance, death is oftensymbolized by estuary predators like theheron or the hawk, or by detritivores likeworms.

The Estuary Under SirJohn's hill

Basically, the estuary isnot a pretty place to write apoem, so it's no surprise that Dylan Thomas focusedon death as he looked across the mudflat and hills of theestuary and wrote his poem Over Sir John's hill(It rains just as much in Walesas it does in the North- west, so you can imagine howa sunny evening might have inspired himto write a poem.)

Dylan Thomas Poems have many interpretations,the most important being yours. From the work was strongly influenced bynature and estuarine perspective, Over Sir John'shill is a poem the life and death struggles withinan estuary. He was born and spent mourning the birds and fish preyedupon by most of his life in the predators. It opens with gentle countryside of southwestern a hawk hovering over Wales a hill at sunset -- above the innocent little where the Taf and Towy rivers wind their way birds who don't know what is to meet the rugged coast of the about to hit sea. Some of them his later poems were written in until death comes when the"Flash and a boathouse the Plumes crack." Throughout that overlooked an extensive mudflat the poem the of the poet, as well as the heron, watch all Taf estuary in Laugharne, Wales. this; the poet thinks of his own death, and theheron simply kills for its next meal. One central theme in hispoetry is the never ending cycle of life. He often empha- It is a visual poem in its sized the flow from the miracle of birthand imagery, but dependent upon sound in its reading. creation, through the fierce struggleto sur- Even if you don't think you understand all of it, vive, to the inevitablepassage of death, then read it once aloud. The soft, lyrical melody and back again to birth. Hewas enthralled with light rhyme pattern are acontrast to its dark theme the biological and spiritual realitiesof life, and he often used the of death. The poet only leavesus clues, the processes he saw in the rest is up to us; our vision, estuary as images in his poems. our interpretation. Give it a try.

41 Over Sir John's hill

by Dylan Thomas

Over Sir John's hill, The hawk on fire hangs still; In a hoisted cloud, at drop of dusk, he pulls to his claws And gallows, up the rays of his eyes the small birds of the bay And the shrill child's play Wars Of the sparrows and such who swansing, dusk, in wrangling hedges. And blithely they squawk To fiery tyburn over the wrestle of elms until The flash the noosed hawk Crashes, and slowly the fishing holy stalking heron In the river Towy below bows his tilted headstone.

Flash, and the plumes crack, And a black cap cf: jack- Daws Sir John's just hill dons, and again the gulled birds hare To the hawk on fire, the halter height, over Towy's fins, In a whack of wind. There Where the elegiac fisherbird stabs and paddles In the pebbly dab-filled Shallow and sedge, and 'dilly dilly,' calls the loft hawk, 'Come and be killed,' I open the leaves of the water at a passage Of psalms and shadows among the pincered sandcrabs prancing

And read, in a shell Death clear as a bouy's bell: All praise of the hawk on fire in hawk-eyed dusk be sung, When his viperish fuse hangs looped with flames under the brand

swan song: legendary last utterance of a dying swan.halter: a rope used for execution by hanging. blithe: carefree, cheerful. elegiac: A mournful poem, composed to lament one who is dead. -burn: a small stream, in Scottish language. dab: any of a variety of flatfishes. To poke. Towy: a river of southwestern Wales. psalm: sacred song or hymn. jackdaw: Eurasian bird resembling a crow. brand: a mark formerly burned in the flesh of criminals.

4 Wing, and blest shall Young Green Chickens of the bay and bushes cluck, 'dillydilly, Come let us die.' We grieve as the blithe birds, never again, leaveshingle and elm, The heron and I, I young Aesop fabling to thenear night by the dingle Of eels, saint heron hymning in the shell-hung distant

Crystal harbour vale Where the sea cobbles sail, And wharves of water where the walls dance andthe white cranes stilt. It is the heron and I, under judging Sir John's elmed Hill, tell-tale the knelled Guilt Of the led-astray birds whom God, for their breast of whistles, Have Mercy on, God in his whirlwind silence save, who marks thesparrows hail, For their souls' song. Now the heron grieves in the weededverge. Through windows Of dusk and water I see the tilting whispering

Heron, mirrored, go, As the snapt feathers snow, Fishing in the tear of 0-Thwy. Only a hoot owl Hollows, a grassbladeiwn in cupped hands, in the looted elms And no green cocks or hens Shout Now on Sir John's hill. The heron, ankling the scaly Lowlands of the waves, Makes all the music; and I who hear thetune of the slow, Wear-willow river, grave, Before the lunge of the night, the noteson this time-shaken Stone for the sake of the souls of the slain birds sailing.

From: Dykin Th.;:nas: Poems of Dylan Thomas, copyright1952, Dylan Thomas. Reprinted with permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation. dingle: a small, wooded valley. knell: to ring or sound a bell in sorrow, especiallyat funerals.

43 The Short Story the department stores, an olfactory summation of a glittery, titillating way of life that I have Look now at another form of writing grown unused to. that has used the estuary for inspiration; the short story. "The Salt Marsh" illustrates the I rubbed elbows with customers, power an estuary has to tell a story. This story handsome and trig, who seemed to accept is based on the events of an estuary in Maine. video games and personal computers as everybody's norm. From a balcony I gazed up at mobiles floating high above the main level; I bowed my head and meditated on the cleav- age of a girl selling watches and rings. The colors and lights, the inexhaustible merchan- dise and milling people, were exciting. Plaster men and women as young and perfect as I should have been gestured to me, suggesting what I needed. At every turn mirrors showed me what I was. On the sides of the escalators they reflected a dozen pairs of suede casuals, gold-strapped sandals, and high-powered racing sneakers. I got dizzy and left.

The road I took back to my motel passes through a salt marsh -- a fragrant, 3,000-acre blackness that winds toward the vaster blackness of the North Atlantic. A The Salt Marsh marsh smell is nothing you convince anyone about: it is either the stench of putrefying by Floyd C. Stuart garbage or a tangy whiff of pure existence.

"The Salt Marsh "was first published in The Atlantic, I slowed the car and breathed in a October 1987. Copyright 1987 by Floyd C. Stuart. subtly blended essence of spartina grasses; Reprinted by permssion of the author. mud rife with bivalves, annelids, and algae; a hint of iodine; decaying vegetation, fish, and I rolled down the car window as I sped crabs; and, because this is an unpolluted through the dark, sucking in deeply the aroma marsh, only the normal tinge of the rotten-egg of salt marsh, elemental and frank, to drive the smell of hydrogen sulfide. The headlight of odor of perfumes out of my head. Earlier that the car cut the dark in half. For the moment I evening I had strolled through acres of the was alone on the highway that strikes across Maine Mall, in South Portland. Fumes of an inland narrowing of the marsh. The honest exotic soaps and powders and colognes filled smell untensed me, and suddenly a dead man flitted through my mind. A few springsago Not only was the turbid water deep,it was he had been found here, stuffed ina plastic also the color of the overturned vehicle. trash bag. The police had indentified the victim as an older "transient." A bum. They The young woman had been goingto would never know who had killed him,or visit her boyfriend. For asummer and a fall why. the hulls of canoes floated above her likedark clouds: children and fathers, solitary bird A salt marsh is a continent's vacant lot, watchers, lovers preoccupied with each other. almost a non-place, where we dump garbage One morning in October, aftera severe storm from our industries and murders. But leftto that must have ground the Hondaonto a itself, a marsh is a clean space: flushed out shallower bottom, a passing driver spottedthe twice a day, chock-full of bacteria fastidiously upside-down car in the channel. Later, subtle dicing up what has died into a detritus for traces of tire tracks were discovered v.'tere the larger creatures to dine on too. The tidesare a car had crossed a length of marsh before feast, bringing in guests from theocean deeps, plunging into the water. Hood, tires, grille, uncovering delicacies for herons, egrets, and head lamps--all were encrusted with bar- gulls. Biologists have est nated that about nacles. The dripping car that emerged from two thirds of all marine life is dependent on the tidal channel lookedmore like a creature estuaries and marshes. Acre foracre a salt of the marsh than of a mall parking lot. marsh is one of the most productive habitats there is. The faint odor of death isa reality of I kept awake on my drive to the motel. a marsh; that perfume clings to all our lives. The tide reached its height, hesitated, andthen started flowing out, a great, cleansing respira- On my way back from the mall I drove tion that must have mademy deep-sleeper's over a culvert. Below me the swiftest of the breathing in the rented bedseem frenzied and marsh's three rivers ran toward thesea. Near ephemeral. here, a year or two before the murdered bum was found, a twenty-two-year-old woman, I was back on the sunny marsh by driving alone late at night, had gone straight mid-morning, ten-power binoculars slung where the road curved right. Thecar neatly from my neck, a dime-sized, fourteen-power missed the guardrail and rocketed into black- magnifying lens in my pocket, andtwo flower ness. The woman probably had fallen asleep books and a bird book in my hand. Itwas at the wheel. She slumped for a whole sum- well into September, whenan autumn chill mer and part of an autumn in her overturned should have been upon the marsh. Sweat Honda on the bottom of a particularly deep beaded on my forehead. Therewas no breeze, tidal channel. The water ina salt marsh is a and the temperature seemed headed forthe soup of silt, spartina bits, dead crabs, seaweed nineties. fragments, yearling eels, and flecks of mussel shell. You cannot see far in. Search helicop- We do not come to the marshto hay ters hovered above the Honda and missed it. anymore, driving horses fitted with wooden

Perail lir BD 45 bog shoes onto the sopping ground. We do fist of man could easily uproot it. Stray not heap teepees of hay on staddles -- clusters hurricanes, the steady battering of winter of ash pilings pounded into the marsh to make storms, and the grinding rafts of ice loose a platform so the ,:icks won't float away upon the tides do not, in the long run, change on the higher ttdes. One can still find the marsh very much. The mud and the staddles: they are about two feet high, and spartina with its weak spot are too powerful below ground level the wood is as sound now for mere wind and waves. Storm-gored, the as the day it was cut, although many staddles marsh heals itself. And we come, transient, are more than a hundred years old. We do not not well adapted to the harshness of existence, fetch hay off the staddles when the mud has as though here, in the strange, rustling grasses frozen into firm road for teams and wagons. between sea and land, we might learn to heal At dusk the white-tailed deer still drift out to ourselves. graze. We no longer sneak onto the marsh to slaughter by the thousands curlews and golden I looked at birds and at what was plover. Our lives have changed. But we do growing along the causeway, refreshing a return, and launch our canoes into the sinuous memory that is sometimes dulled by inland tidal channels, or watch egrets waft upon the living.I stooped to seaside goldenrod. The marsh like blank pages torn from a notebook. bulbous pods of sea rocket, a common mus- We glide past delicate sprays of sea lavender tard, stopped me in my tracks. I sat down in blooming atop the muddy banks. And during the dust and thumbed my guidebooks, dotting a summer hundreds of us, by ones and twos in the pages with sweat. Something fragrant, our canoes, ghosted above a speechless maybe a kind of sage, distracted me, and then woman crumpled in a Honda. We paddled two more plants that I could not identify; I am toward the North Atlantic and back, and could clumsily self-taught. A firehouse siren not see. cranked up and I heard it, but not with any conscious attention. A cormorant beat by, The last of the tide was going out silent as always, his yellow chin patch flash- when I walked onto the causeway, an aban- ing. We still follow the usage of the early doned railroad bed that crossed the mile-wide English settlers of this coast and call the bird a marsh. The waters of the main channel were shag. He lighted on the top of a utility pole at sucking noisily at the causeway boulders. On the footbridge and stretched his scrawny the high marsh Spartina patens often makes wings to dry. This salt marsh is incomplete cowlicks -- swirls of flattened grass where the without a black shag cross nailed atop that marsh beasts seem to have bedded down for particular post. Shags are swift and lethal the night. This is the way this spartina does, swimmers beneath the sea, and because they bending at a curious weak spot near the base do not secrete waterproofing grease upon their of the stem and leaning on its neighbors. In feathers, as ducks do, water weights them the morning light the cowlicks are brushed- down so that they can dive more readily. But silver medallions among the greener standing now and then the burdened shags must perch stems. The spartina is anchored in mud and on ledge or buoy or piling and hold out their its own decayed past, and neither sea nor the wings to the wind.

46 I sat in the dust and dripped on my stuttered atop the cab. A policeman leapedthe books, snatching glances at the shag through guardrail and disappeared down the farther binoculars, squinting at anthers and filaments bank. A few seconds later he shotup, dashed across the road, and scrabbled down the weedy bank to the culvert as if he expected something to flume through. Carswere pulling off the highway-- thirty within a few seconds, it seemed. Some peoplewere gawkers, but others leaped down the bankas if they had business. They peeredup the culvert and then focused their attentionon the water in front of it. All the while the sirens whooped. The higher-Ochedones belonged to approaching vehicles, but a throatier, incessant honking came from the fire station,a few miles off. Red and blue lights glittered along the highway from both directions.

I watched real life-- whatever it was that was happening-- and yet a restricted life, waving into the magnifying lens like thearms in a neat binocular ring. The tidewas nearly of a giant squid. Sometimes I paused, and laid out, and the green-slimed remains of an old my lenses aside, and saw how circumscribed wharf or a bridge, which earlier thatsummer I the world was. The green line of woodland had canoed over during high tide, juttedout of across the marsh arced to distant highway and the mud and the narrowed channel. Beyond swept behind the culvert into scrub, which the rotten pilings the channel makesa broad bent to the sandy spit in the brilliant haze loop, parallels the highway until it reachesthe where ocean and marsh touched. Twists of culvert, and then swings out of sight behind land concealed the North Atlantic. spartina. At high tide, water had nearly licked the roof of the culvert, which is about eight The wallop of sirens, insistent and feet tall. Now a frothy gusha couple of feet multiple, broke my trance, and I lookedup deep -- still too emphatic for aman to stand up from my flower book. A car towinga camper in pulsated out of the shadow. The police- was parked on the gravel shoulder by the man stood in street shoes on the muddy shore, culvert that I had driven over the night before. peering into the deep pool in front of the A pickup was stopped nose-to-nose withthe culvert. car, but the two vehicles did not appear to have collided. The road along the rim of the A young fellow in blue jeans and marsh was deserted except fora small yellow sneakers, and naked to the waist, waited pickup parked near the guardrailon the other docilely, like a girl lettingsomeone hem her side of the highway. A bar of blue lights dress, while two other men tieda red lifeline

47 at the small of his back. Then he eased into town came a fire engine towing a lifesaving the pool beneath the culvert waterfall, adjusted raft -- a sight not incongruous on our coast. his snorkel mask, and floated on his face just under the surface of the water, like a corpse. I could only guess at what was going His companions held onto his red umbilicus on. I was sitting in the midst of exciting for dear life. From somewhere outside the events and yet was isolated at the edge. A circle of my binoculars men kept spilling silent hammer of heat beat upon my head and down the bank. Suddenly the scene stalled shoulder blades. For protection I put on the silent men lined the shore, the red tip of the drenched T-shirt I had earlier peeled off. snorkel tube was stationary in the pool, Insects leaped from cupped umbels of Queen spartina blades were quiet in the heat -- and Anne's lace and from stalks of grasses, criss- yet one sensed a tremendous urgency. On the crossing my lap, flitting onto my anklebone, bank a man in a T-shirt, slacks, and sneakers or resting a moment in the shelter of my cutoff waited impatiently while others checked the blue jeans. A diver's arm smacked water and I air tank on his back and fastened a lifeline saw the spatter of silver splinters, but I heard around his waist. The snorkeler rose oat of at this distance only the September buzz of the pool, stooped and dripping, and spoke insects: nothing ends, ever ends, ends . briefly with the scuba diver, and then both of them slipped beneath the water. The men were fighting vicious seconds to rescue someone under water, and they were Crooked lines of cars now littered both just tiny figures in the tableau of living and shoulders of the highway for hundreds of feet dying, nothing new under the pelting sun. in either direction from the culvert. It looked like a chain-reaction accident on a freeway, At night the marsh lures us into acci- and yet amid all the apparent confusion dents; it wraps dark arms around our murders. emergency vehicles moved quickly and In the light of day we sometimes discover efficiently. A fire truck roared up, and al- what has been done. At two o'clock one though several men were in uniform, most of morning twelve years ago, a forty-year-old the men clambering on the bank or holding businessman was driving through the marsh lifelines were in civilian clothes. It was on his way home. One car was aheP_d of him. Sunday, and several men standing ir the mud Without warning it swerved off f.he road, wore white shirts and slacks, as if they had crossed twenty or thirty feet of marsh to a rushed out of church. Volunteer firemen, I pool, and tipped upside down into it. The tail guessed, remembering the blatting fire-station lights still glowed as the car sank in ink. The horn. Down the straight reach of highway an businessman skidded to a stop, plunged into ambulance wove between the parked cars, its the chaos of the night marsh, and struggled flashing lights faded in the sun, its siren toward the disappearing car. "I went up to my sounding louder and louder. The white box shoulders," the good man said later. "It was shimmered in the heat, as if the pitch of its like quicksand, half water, half mud." The car own siren were melting it.I swung my bin- was completely submerged when he reached oculars back up the road, and from a seaside it. And yet somehow he saw an arm dangling

48 out the driver's window, and long hair flowing For a long time, it seemed, nothing in the water. He seized them and tugged with happened. The divers disappearedat inter- all his might, yanking a nineteen-year-old girl vals, the scuba diver for longer periods. No into new life on the marsh that night. one yelled or moved abruptly. The half-dozen men stood on the raft, watching red lifelines The rescued girl's mother said that her slackening and pulling taut upon the pool. daughter had fallen asleep at the wheel. "She Policemen and firemen had raced hereto save was thinking of how good bed would feel... a life, and now they could not even dredge up She woke up in the marsh. She took a gulp of a corpse. I let the binoculars dangle against it and didn't know where the car window my chest, bored by a hiatus that would have was." The businessman staggered out of the been edited out of telelvision news. Across marsh with the girl, her head gushing blood. the channel a line of gray utility poles stood Several motorists had stopped and watched beside the causeway. On each of the first ten him fight to save the victim, but they did not a herring gull was perched like a flagstaff help. The businessman shouted for someone ornament. Waiting, for gulls, is the grand to call an ambulance. No one would. He event. Nothing happened at the culvert for a slogged onto the highway and civilization long, long whiletwo or three minutes, at again. His arms were full of crying girl, and least. he asked the bystanders to open his car door. After a while someone did. He drove her toa Thudding heat and droning autumn state-police barracks. Later he apologized to insects correct one's perception of time. Three the girl's grateful parents for having had to thousand years -- the lifetime, so far, of this drag her out by her hair and arm, and said that marsh -- is barely a start. This is a sunken he hoped he had not hurt her. The marsh had coast springing back since the tremendous given the businessman tonsilitis. weight of the last glacier melted off. From Cape Elizabeth north, the State of Maine The firemen were swift. They slid the littoral is abrupt headlands and surfacing raft off the trailer, and half a dozen of them island mountaintops; it is drowned river lugged it down the bank like a coffin, grirping valleys become scraggly inlets and bays. A the yellow rope looped along the black sides. dozen thousand years is nothing: on our The raft had a rigid bottom, about eighteen or upstart coast post-glacial erosion hasn't really twenty feet long and six feet wide, which was had a chance. The heat, new since the last ice rimmed by an inflated rubber tube thatcame age, beat upon me as I sat in that fledgling to a point at the bow. From the open stern the marsh. Above, the sky was blue pigment raft looked like two torpedoes witha great diluted with milk. The haze had bulk; the white outboard motor slung between. The glare pressed like the ice sheet that a short name of the fire department and MARINE 4 while ago had been a mile or two thick. The were painted in bold yellow characters along small sound of traffic muttered at the edge of the side. The men moved almost tenderly, things. Cut off from where human life was launching the raft, guiding it clear of the taking place, I learned a new kind of time. A divers. A puff of blue smoke kickedup from mussel secreted a layer of its shell. Granite the motor, and wafted off. mountains deep in the interior eroded grain by

49 grain and flowed down coastal currents, silting-in a bay, beginning a marsh. In the stasis of droning insects I thought that all of this was happening too fast.

A perfume-counter smell hit me, ephemeral and as hard as concrete. I suddenly imagined, with the wholeness of a vision, a girl perched on the edge of her bed, intent and serene, resting her chin on her bent knee. She brushed a crucial swath of polish on the nail of her little toe. In the same second, inconsequential in the great grinding-down of the universe, a green wrecker backed as far as it could onto the bank beside the culvert, and stopped. Men unwound a steel cable from the winch and dragged it to the water. Mercedes. The divers treaded water around Our comings and goings upon the the car like curious seals. The rear window marsh -- restorative, quotidian, urgent -- and was gone, and I could see a shallow dent in the marsh itself are motes floating in a shaft of the rear of the roof. Half the car was now geologic time. We can be disposed of in a suspended on a thread from the boom of the trash bag or a little car. We contain light years wrecker. The Mercedes's rear wheels hung of courage and love. We refuse to help. The from extended shocks like slack jaws. A mother of the girl that the businessman saved waterfall tumbled off the roof, and men told a reporter: "I can't explain or say what I shoved into the ring of my binoculars, trying feel down deep.. . Without him, she'd have to peer into the car windows, which were drowned. We wanted people to know." We blurred by saltwater greasiness. The are so vast and small, so much at home in this Mercedes was an oxblood color accented by a place where we are lost. Maybe it is not sexy gold stripe slong the side. I looked for remarkable, then, that we sometimes say what slumped bodies inside, but glimpsed only can't be said. slabs of daylight through the windows and between men's backs as they huddled around Droplets sparked off the cable as it the passenger compartment. The wrecker tautened.I put the circle of my binoculars hauled the car well up onto the bank. Some- upon the empty pool with the length of rusty one opened a door, and water spilled onto his cable sticking in it like a spear. The point hit feet. The men gingerly bent in. When they inside a V of steady ripples. Then the surface stood back, I could see: nothing. A fireman of :he pool was disturbed; the V of ripples scraped a handful of ooze off the plush seat wobbled and broke. A silver bumper bulged and slopped it into the channel. The into the air, water gushing off. The wrecker Mercedes, elegant and slightly dented, leaked slowly drew from the channel the trunk of a and leaked. I wondered where the rear win-

5 7 dow was. Compression might have popped it and that they were the first human beingsastir out at impact; or maybe the scuba diver had in it. used equipment I had not seen topry it free. He did not retrieve the window from the pool. Was it murder, suicide, death by The men looked forlorn, at loose erds. They accident, or simply a stolen car? The search- were used to saving lives and seeing death. ers standing on the lifesaving rafts explored They were not sure what to do with this. The the loops of the tidal channel. Once, theirrow empty Mercedes spread its doors like wings of severed heads glided alonga horizon of and squatted on the bank. The shagon the spartina like targets in a shooting gallery. utility pole at the causeway footbridge tilted Then they were lost for good. I wondered idly his beak in the snooty way shags do, and if in a hundred years the cementstumps of the gazed elsewhere. The crowd melted from the mall would be as well preservedas the guardrail. The rows of awkwardly parkedcars staddles in the marsh. were suddenly gone. Someone slammed the ambulance doors shut, and the white box Grain by grain the mountainscome turned around and went back. The red lights down: little murders of ourselves and others, stopped flashing. Fire trucks disappeared, misadventures, stolen moments. Out toward even the one towing the trailer.I put the the ocean the air was golden and kind of blue, glasses on MARINE 4, and the lifesaving raft thick with pollen, it seemed, anda powder of put-putted down the channel towardme, the steel filings.It trembled a bit as if the world six men standing up and watching thewater. out there were on a shaky footing. A pinhead The top of a two-way radio anda telescoped of light glittered on the spit wherecottages antenna stuck out of one man's hip pocket. and a tarred street ended abruptly at the beach. Even when the light was right, you couldsee At first I thought the pinheadwas a glint of only a foot or two into the sediment-laden anythingcar window, waves. But it was red channel. I swept the glasses upstream again: and rhythmic. Out on the last land the dome the wrecker and the Mercedeswere gone, and light of a fire truck flashed-- the pulse of the guardrail was deserted. All signs of lifesavers doing the humanly possible. The human life, it seemed, had been suckedup the firemen waited for their friends on MARINE 4 black hole of the culvert. and what they might have found. Beyond the shimmering point lay nothing but the rumored The men on the lifesaving raft passed Azores. me and disappeared around a bend in the tidal channel, seaching for bodies that might have been carried toward the open sea. Acar pulled up on the shoulder by the culvert, and two young men took a canoe off the roof. They launched it into the channel, innocent of the excitement they had just missed. They dipped their paddles and scanned the banks. They seemed to think that the worldwas new,

51 Related Activities 4. Dylan Thomas gives us many estuarine images in his poem, Over Sir John's hill, Taking an Estuary Field Trip, Activity 1 including images of life, death, and renewal. Pick a phrase, word, or line Writing With Estuaries, Activity 5 from the poem and describe the image it inspires for you. Try to find this image See Also elsewhere in the poem.

Estuary Arts and Literature, Resources 5. Floyd Stuart writes "A marsh smell is Section nothing you convince anyone about: it is either the stench of putrefying garbage or Questions a tangy whiff of pure existence." Which way do you think Mr. Stuart feels? Pro- 1. Why do you think so much human history vide quotes to justify your answer. is related to these obscure places called estuaries? 6. Find two references in The Salt Marsh to images of death and two images of birth, 2. How do artists affect the way we see renewal, or productivity. things?

3. Think of your favorite movie. How does the setting affect the characters? How does it affect you, the viewer?

0tz' 00 5-Estuary Developed - Human Uses

People around the world have been Many large cities have grown up using estuaries since prehistoric times. They around estuaries. Seattle, San Francisco, Los have been attracted to the abundant food Angeles, New York, Boston, Baltimore, resources in estuary waters. They have taken Washington, D.C., and New Orleans are all advantage of access to waterways for travel United States cities on estuaries. In Europe, and moving goods. They have farmed the estuaries are the sites for London, Amsterdam, surrounding fertile land, and have learned to Lisbon, Stockholm, Helsinki, and St. Peters- love the estuary's quiet bays and flourishing burg. In Asia, the cities of Calcutta, Bombay, wildlife. They have also left their mark on Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Bangkok, and estuaries. They have dredged, filled, devel- Manila are some of the hundreds located on oped and poisoned estuaries so that sometimes estuaries. In most of these cases, deep chan- the environment that attracted people in the nels have been dredged for shipping, marshes first place no longer exists. and mudflats have been filled for housing and industry or drained for agricultural land, and waters have been polluted with sewage and industrial wastes.

Many of the world's richest estuaries have completely disappeared and others face continuing pressure from development. Be- cause estuaries are important parts of the larger marine system, this development of estuaries has most likely had a global effect. The decision to alter one salt marsh may seem inconsequential, but the effects will reach beyond its edges. Taken together with losses around the world, the effects can be enormous.

Many different human activities can harm estuaries. The following is a discussion of the activities which have had the most significant effects on the Puget Sound estuary.

The highly altered shoreline of Tokyo Bay.

53 Diking feet high and eight feet thick at the base, extending along the salt water side of the Since European settlement began in claim and as far up the sloughs as the tides the mid-18(X)s, most of the Pacific reached. The earth for the dike was taken Northwest's estuarine wetlands (salt marshes, from the "inside" of the dike, leaving a deep swamps, and eelgrass beds) have been lost. ditch for drainage. A tide gate or "sluice box" About 90% of that loss was a result of diking under the dike allowed water to drain out at for agricultural land between 1880 and 1930. low tide, but prevented salt water from return- The federal Swamplands Acts of 1849, 1859, ing at high tide. The complex network of channels and sloughs within the marsh were either filled or allowed to become drainage ditches.

Although diking is no longer a threat to estuaries in Puget Sound, it did cause the loss of much valuable estuarine habitat. In some areas, such as the Samish delta, over 90% of the estuarine marsh was turned into fertile farmland. All but about 60 acres of the extensive salt marshes bordering Padilla Bay have been converted to agricultural land. It is important to remember that when people talk of habitat loss today the total remaining "pie" we continue to slice up is a mere fraction of the original habitat.

and 1860 offered free land to encourage the diking and draining of wetlands, and early settlers found that it was easier to reclaim the tidelands for farming than it was to remove forests and stumps from the rugged upland. During the logging boom in the late 1800s, the demand for oats, hay, and potatoes was high, so farmers could quickly earn enough money to pay for the dike construction.

Early dikes were built by hand, with Legendary Peter plugged a hole in the dike and saved shovels and wheelbarrows. Most were four his country from flooding by the sea.

54 In other parts of the world, diking has harbors could be dug out wherever needed, been even more prevalent. The Netherlands, making them predictable and safe. for example, began reclaiming tideland in the 1300's. Today, over half of the country's land In the past dredging and filling often area is diked and drained tideland. went hand in hand. Early ports in Puget Sound were often long piers, stretchingout across mudflats and marshes to deep water. These intertidal areas, separating thetown from the dock, began to be filled withun- wanted ballast from ships and sawdust from lumber mills located on the piers. Later, when people began dredging shipping channels, the dredged material was deposited in the inter- Ir.firitttna4.? :"..; ,IIIIMVItyalitlatT447444 tidal area. It didn't take long before the filled area was seen as valuable commercial and r i industrial land and the "city" movedout to the end of the dock.

Dredging and Filling

Before the days of dredges, people were pretty well stuck (literally) with only naturally occurring waterways. Deep water ports were at a premium and navigation of large vessels was restricted to deep channels and large rivers. Rivers such as the Columbia, whose mouth is blocked by a shifting sand bar, were difficult to navigate, and ships spent weeks outside the bar, waiting for the right conditions to sail through. They often ended The Seattle shoreline has changed dramatically in the up grounded or wrecked. past 100 years.

Dredges floating cranes with scoops At Bayview State Park on Padilla Bay or "clam-shell" buckets -- changed water the Washington State Parks and Recreation transportation dramatically. Channels and Commission dredged, not to create deeper

BEd 55 water, but to build up a picnic area and sandy Swinomish Channel have been transported to beach on the edge of the mudflats. In this deep water disposal sites. case, dredging was the "tool" or the means to achieving the end -- an attractive picnic site. Today, both the shipping and pleasure Though the dredging destroyed an area of boating industries in Puget Sound depend on intertidal mudflat habitat, it created a pool dredging to maintain 50 miles of channels, 50 where eelgrass flourishes. miles of port berths and 200 small boat harbors. The channels vary from 12 to 30 feet The Swinomish Channel which flows deep, and all must be periodically dredged. into Padilla Bay is dredged every few years to For some, dredging every 10 or 15 years is maintain a shipping channel. Between 1930 sufficient, while others are dredged each year. and 1950, the material was deposited in the The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains bay on dredge spoil islands. The islands, now most of the major waterways, and accounts for a favorite haul out spot for harbor seals, are about one third of the dredging activity. Puget by-products of the dredging. Since the late Sound ports, as well as small marina owners, 1970s, all dredged materials from the private businesses, the U.S. Navy, and munici- palities, also dredge.

Past effects of dredging and dredge material disposal have been the tilling and loss of intertidal areas such as mudflats and marshes. Dredging can also stir up fine sediments, clouding the water and harming sensitive areas such as eelgrass beds. Now a new problem, contaminated dredge spoils, has emerged.

As disposal sites near the dredging activity have become scarce or are used for other purposes, dredged materials are discharged directly into the Sound. The Wash- 41. ington State Department of Natural Resources regulates eight "unconfined open-water ITALVA-44446 thya disposal sites" where much of the material is discharged. Some dredged material, how- 4'7Viritfti-w ever, cannot be disposed of in these sites.It PADILLA BAY, WASHINGTON contains contaminants that most likely entered the Sound from industrial or municipal discharge and storm runoff. These contaminants The Swinomish Channel is dredged every few years. are discussed in more detail below.

56 When contaminants enter the estuary, and organic compounds. Heavy metals such they often find their way to the sediment as lead, mercury, copper and arsenic may not where they bind with the sediment particles. be harmful to marine organisms in naturally If this contaminated sediment is then dredged occurring low levels, but in large quantities and disposed of in an unconfined open-water and certain chemical forms they can accumu- site, the pollutants are spread to a different late in tissues of plants and animals and cause area of the Sound and may be released into the disease or death. water where they pose a greater threat to marine animals and humans. New state Organic compounds can be either regulations require that all dredged materials naturally occurring or created by humans be tested for toxic contaminants. In contami- (synthetic organics). The naturally occurring nated areas (often near large, urban centers), ones are the "fuel" on which the estuary runs. dredge operators must find their own disposal In the proper amounts, they contribute to a sites, either on land or in a confined site, healthy system. Petroleum hydrocarbons such where the material is capped with a layer of as oil occur naturally, and become a problem clean sediment. only when they appear in large quantities. Synthetic organics can accumulate in animal As land in the Puget Sound area tissues and be toxic. Two well known syn- becomes more developed and more pollutants thetic organics that persist for years are PCB's enter the Sound, it is becoming increasingly (polychlorinated biphenyls) and DDT, a difficult to find appropriate disposal sites for pesticide. These contaminants are still caus- dredged materials. Testing sediments for ing problems in marine systems, even though contaminants is costly, and some dredging their use has been banned in the United States. projects have been stopped because of increased costs or the lack of a safe disposal Some of the contaminants that enter an site. estuary dissolve into the water and are either carried out and diluted with the tide or become Toxic Contamination a part of the water column food web. Most contaminants, however, bind with sediment According to some researchers and particles and settle out as the water slows water quality officials, toxic contamination down and its load is deposited in the estuary. poses the most serious and long-term threat to This natural settling makes the estuary espe- Puget Sound. Contaminants can enter an cially vulnerable to toxic contamination. estuary in many ways. Industrial discharge, sewage treatment plants, storm drains, septic Once in the sediments, the contami- tanks, and runoff from farm fields and parking nants can cause problems for benthic organ- lots are some of the more conspicuous isms. Toxic contaminants not only affect the sources. organisms which live in and consume the sediments, but they also affect predators such The main toxic chemicals that may as bottom fish. Because the contaminants find their way into an estuary are heavy metals often accumulate in animal tissue, they can be

6 .; passed on up the food chain to fish like shellfish beds have been closed because of salmon as well as marine birds, marine mam- fecal contamination. mals, and even humans. Though in the past 20 years, regula- In a healthy estuary, a complex com- tions have come a long way toward reducing munity of detritivores performs the role of the contaminants entering Puget Sound, the decomposing and recycling nutrients. If problem still exists. Much of the contamina- sediments become contaminated, only a few tion comes from "non-permitted" sources such species of organisms, such as worms and as storm runoffsources that are difficult to molluscs, survive. Sensitive animals such as regulate. (Examples of "permitted" sources, amphipods are used by researchers as "indica- those which obtain permits to discharge waste tor" species. Their mortality in sediments into water, include industries and city sewage helps researchers determine whether toxic treatment plants.) contamination is a problem. Other estuaries, such as those on the In Puget Sound, sediment contamina- more densely populated east coast and those in tion is patchy, so clean areas can occur right developing countries, face much larger con- next to contaminated "hot spots." Most taminant problems. Many developing coun- contaminants have been found around urban tries feel they cannot afford to control indus- areas, where industry and development is most trial and municipal wastes. When people are concentrated, but non-urban bays can also be hungry and unemployed, governments are contaminated. A recent study in Padilla Bay hesitant to impose environmental regulations. indicated the presence of toxic sediments near an old county dump site. The study involved placing amphipods in sediment samples collected from various sites around the bay. Those samples in which a significant number of amphipods died most likely contained toxic contaminants.

Contaminants other than toxics also affect estuaries. Excess nutrients (from fertilizers, human sewage, or industries), temperature changes, organic materials that lower the oxygen level in the water, and salinity changes can all upset the natural balances of an estuary. Disease causing organisms can enter from boats, septic systems, sewage treatment plants, pets, and livr stock, causing danger to humans using the estuary. Many of Washington's productive Amphipods are especially sensitive to toxic sediments.

58 The loss of fishing jobs and edible seafood rnately ends up in the estuary where itmay that accompanies polluted waters often goes harm fish and plant life by clogging gills, unrecognized. slowing egg development, and blocking sunlight. One gallon of used motor oil "Outside" Influences dumped into a ditch can send toxic chemicals to an estuary miles away. Though rivers and Estuaries are not isolated systems. streams have the ability to "clean" themselves They are connected to both the river and with time, rivers can be overloaded, and the ocean through the movement of water. What water entering our estuaries is often contami- happens upstream or in nearby ocean water nated. can have a big effect on the estuary. Chesapeake Bay is an example of an Vatershed is a term for the area of estuary whose health is endangered by intense land which drains into one stream, river, or human activities in its watershed. Though bay. A watershed like the Mississippi's can about 8 million people live along the bay's include millions of acres and many states. shores, over 13 million live within its water- The Skagit River watershed reaches into shed. When people began the challenge of British Columbia. The Padilla Bay watershed, cleaning up the bay in the late 1970s and early on the other hand, is only a small area within 1980s, they looked not only at pollution one county. sources located right on the bay (sources like Baltimore's sewage treatment plant or indus- Something that enters the water far trial wastes) but they also targeted farmers upstream can eventually find its way into the upstream in Pennsylvania along the estuary. Poor logging practices in the moun- Susquehanna River, the source of one-third of tains can lead to erosion and too much sedi- the estuary's fresh water. ment entering the water. The sediment ulti- The use of river water for hydroelectric power, agricultural irrigation, and drinking water can create serious problems in the estuary. When people divert fresh water for .11V WU I INIMI/i/di I '1 irrigation, industry and household use, it can lead to less fresh water entering the estuary. This is a problem for many estuaries in the arid southwest. Hydroelectric dams interrupt migrations of salmon and hold back the natural supply of sediment that nourishes the estuary marshes. Flood control levies at the mouth of the Mississippi River have stopped the accumulation of sediments in Louisiana's extensive salt marshes. Without the constant supply of sediment, the marshes are sinking, and valuable wildlife habitat is being lost. Pah 59 6 C An estuary is not only affected by for housing and indusuy. activities within its watershed, but it is alsc vulnerable to pollutants which enter with the In our society, a house on the shore is ocean tides. Puget Sound beaches are some- very desirable and valuable. A smallhouse on times the final destination of marine debris Samish Island, on the north shore of Padilla from as far away as Japan. Oil spills are a Bay is worth more than twice as much as a constant threat to estuaries, not only in areas comparable house a few miles inland. Our like the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and the aesthetic values tell us that the closer we are to Persian Gulf, where oil is a major industry, the water, the better. Homes have often been but anywhere there are ships in the water. built right at the land's edge, perhaps with a spacious deck suspended over the water. Shoreline Development Improper shoreline development poses People are attracted to the coast. The problems for the estuary system. Much of the population of coastal areas is growing much current development in the Puget Sound faster than inland areas, placing intense region is in relatively rural areas without development pressure on our estuaries. The sewage treatment facilities. Privateseptic Puget Sound region is the most heavily popu- systems often fail to function properly, lated area in the Pacific Northwest, home to expecially when located near the shore. This about 3.2 million people. That number is can result in bacterial and organicpollution of expected to increase to 4.4 million in the next estuary waters. 20 years. As more people arrive, waterfront property will become more and more valuable Another problem with shoreline development stems from the temporary and changing nature of the coast. Beaches are moving environments, fed by river sediments and the erosion of bluffs. As soon as people build a home or business on the shore, they want to stop this natural change. The most obvious way to do this is to build a wall between the land and the sea. In highly developed King County, over half of the shoreline is hidden behind some type of bulkhead or erosion control structure.

Many bulkheads and sea walls simply don't work. When they do work, they interrupt the natural movement ofsediment along a shore. A single bulkhead often causes more erosion to the properties on either side. A bulkhead protecting a house on a bluff can

60 result in the loss of a nearby beach that de- causing little more than a slight shift inpopu- pended on the bluffs erosion for its sediment. lation balances. Sometimes, however,non- native species can be devastating. In an estuary like Puget Sound, where the shore is often steep, erosion controlstruc- When an organism is introduced intoa tures can disturb the narrow intertidal area new environment, it often has no natural which is vital habitat for many marine plants predator and can thereforeovercome the and animals. The best answer to the erosion native species in the competition for foodor problem is to build back from the shore. space. Most of our serious agricultural pests are introduced species, and have become a State and local governments regulate problem because there is no natural checkon shoreline development through minimum their population. setback (how far a structure must be from the shore), zoning (what types of structuresare In Padilla Bay, many of the non-native allowed and how dense), and septic codes. species arrived with the oyster industry. The pressures of a growing population and the Though native oysters are edible andwere high value of shoreline propertycause highly regarded by the native people and early homeowners and developers to make maxi- settlers, they are too small to be commercially mum use of their property. In spite of current attractive. Oyster growers preferred the iarge regulations, governments often lack the Atlantic oyster or the Pacific oyster from staffing and resources to adequatelyprotect Japan. To cultivate the larger oysters,growers these sensitive areas. imported "spat," larval oysters readyto settle from their planktonic stage. Along with the Introduced Species microscopic oyster spat whichwas scattered in Puget Sound estuaries, therewere seeds of Padilla Bay today is quite different the Japanese eelgrass, Zostera japonica. from what it was when the first Europeans Many species of snails were also introduced arrived. The shape of the bay and the face of from Japan, including Batillaria the surrounding land have changed dramati- attramentaria, the mud snail which covers cally. More subtle changes have occurred in Padilla Bay's mudflats, and the oyster drill the bay itself with the introduction ofnew (Ocenebra japonica). plant and animal species. A plant which was apparently inten- An estuary, like all ecosystems, is tionally introduced in Padilla Bay is cordgrass characterized by An array of organisms-- or Spartina alterniflora. On the east coast, organisms which have evolved together into Spartina is the dominant salt marsh species, complex, balanced, interacting communities. and provides important habitat formany When a new species is introduced into sucha animals. In the Pacific Northwest, itcan community, it can change the balance and crowd out native species and createa less affect the entire system. Sometimesan intro- diverse community. This means that though duced species will fit into itsnew home some organisms may thrive with the Spartina

Palk 61 there are fewer kinds of organisms. Spartina What You Can Do grew in Willapa Bay in small patches for many years until, one year, it started blooming Though the threat to estuaries on a and producing seeds. It is now a serious global scale may seem dismal and beyond problem and has covered 2,500 acres of the anyone's control, the picture is not entirely bay, trapping sediments, eliminating important hopeless. While you may not be able to single eelgrass habitat, and threatening valuable handedly save the waters of the Persian Gulf, oyster and crab habitat. there is a lot you can do for your estuary.

In our country, the federal and state governments are responsible for regulations protecting sensitive natural areas like estuaries. These regulations may state exactly how much waste a company can dump into your estuary. They may prevent a port from Iredg- ing eelgrass habitat. When making decisions about these regulations, government officials consider public input. They often ask for public comment, though the request may not be extensively publicized. You can find out about public hearings by contacting the relevant government agency or "watchdog" organizations such as local and national environmental groups. (The Audubon Society is one that stays on top of current issues.) Letters from you to the elected officials who determine those regulationsdomake a difference.

The introduced marsh grass, Spartina alternifiora Though state and federal agencies regulate our shorelines and water resources, The Spartina in Padilla Bay is still most development projects are actually ap- limited to several patches, but they are grow- proved or rejected on a local county or city ing larger. Steps to eliminate the Spartina in levela level where you, as a high school Padilla Bay are being considered now, before student and citizen, have the most influence. it has a chance to flower and become a bigger Often regulations alone are not enough to problem. prevent improper development. When development threatens water resources or wetlands near you, you can contact the government agencies that have information about that area.

62 It might involve the city or county planning You, as a high school student, make department, Washington State Department of daily decisions affectingyour estuary. The Ecology, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. water that goes down the drains inyour house Fish and Wildlife Service, or the U.S. Envi- may end up in your estuary. What youpour ronmental Protection Agency. Onceyou down with that water has an effect.When you know more, then you will be able to voice change the oil in your car or cleanout a paint your opinion on the development in writing or brush with thinner, whatyou do with the toxic at a scheduled permit hearing. This requires waste makes a difference in your estuary. accurate knowledge of the issue, good re- Finding safer alternatives to toxic household search skills, and an understanding of all the chemicals is one thing youcan do. different view points. It may help to join together with other people who feel thesame Limiting your water use helps insure way you do. that your septic system orsewage treatment facility works properly to cleanup the water Citizens definitely have influenceover entering streams, rivers, and bays. Cutting development decisions. Edna Breazeale's down on car travel by walking, biking, efforts to prevent major development of carpooling, or using public transit alsocuts Padilla Bay is an example of oneperson down on the toxic runoff from roads,reduces making a difference. But individuals have the need for parking lots and,at the same time, even more influence over their own actions cleans up the air. which affect their estuary. When visiting your estuaryor beach, you make decisions which affect theorgan- isms there. Handling creatures carefully, filling in the holes you dig, replacingrocks, and walking gently in areas where walkingis allowed, all make a difference, especiallyin heavily used areas like parks.

We are all tempted to blame environmental problems on "them;" big, intangible entities like industry, development,or society. In reality, it is individual peopleor groups of people that make the decisions which affect places like estuaries. You,your friends, your neighbors, and your familycan make informed decisions. You can chooseactivities that are compatible with the health ofnatural systems.

63 Related Activities: 3. Name three negative effects of dredging.

Water Quality Monitoring, Activity 3. 4.What watershed do you live in? What body of water does it drain into? Thinking Globally, Activity 6. 5. Name one human activity in your water- What We Can Do for Estuaries, Activity 7. shed that could have adverse effects on an estuary. Questions 6. Look at the illustration on p. 60 of the 1. List three ways humans have changed house built on a bluff overlooking the estuaries and the human use that it was water. Why would this be a desirable changed for. location for a home? Why would it be undesirable? 2. Match the city with the river forming its estuary: 7.What problems might develop from building a structure to control erosion of London Duwamish the bluff illustrated on p. 60? St. Petersburg Thames Seattle Hudson 8. How does the introduction of an east San Fransisco Potomac coast cordgrass threaten west coast bays? New York Neva Washington, D.C. Sacramento & 9. List five actions you could take to help San Joaquin reduce the stresses on an estuary. Of these actions, identify those that you will do and those you will not do. Explain why.

64 Taking An Estuary FieldTrip- Activity 1

By all means, take your classto an 4.Customize a "Scavenger Hunt"to help estuary near you. Your possibilitiesare focus attention. Ecologicalconcepts endless. Here are a few ideas toget you historical perspectives, geologicalforma- started. tions, inspirational objectsor events could be included. (See the "Copies andOver- Things to Do on a Field Trip heads" section for an example.)

1. Focus on changes. Look for signs of 5. Make your own site-specific fieldguide. natural change (eroding bluffs, sedimentation, evidence of wave action). Look 6. Observe and create. Dosome exploring, for signs of human influence. Takealong then try the writing activitieson pp. 97- someone who has seen the changes 101. Instead of writing,you could draw, happen. paint, sculpt, or compose.

2.Focus on estuary life. Observe and 7. Invite an "expert" to joinyou: wildlife identify. Examine the sediment (maybe biologists, fisheries biologists, historians, with a shovel and sieve). Checkan geologists, marine biologists,poets, ecology textbook for field study tech- artists, and naturalists could bea valuable niques that ycJr class could employ.Try resource on a trip. a beach seine. Collect and observe plankton. Compare several sitesor 8. Don't hesitate to contactyour local habitats. Return all organismsto a habitat marine science center for suggestions. in which they can survive. 9.Look through the curricula listed inthe 3. Focus on quantifying. Youcan count a Resources sectiou for other fieldtrip population, study waves, profilea beach, ideas.

monitor water quality....

65 Pre-trip Checklist 3. Communicate responsibilites -- Introduce goals, expectations, bound- 1. Visit the site aries, equipment. When will the tide be high? low? Is it a public beach? Do you need permis- 4. Communicate Mandatory Behavior sion to use the beach? - Tread lightly! Your presence in the Are there bathrooms? estuary will damage the site. Do Are there hoses or faucets for clean up? everything possible to minimize that Is there protection from adverse weather? damage. Is there a phone for emergencies? Observe, don't collect. Is the access steep or dangerous? -- Fill in all holes (a Washington State law). 2. Define trip objectives and activites. Return rocks to exact positions. Do they match the coursework? Return animals to appropritate tide Do they match the site? zone. Will the school support it? -- Collect marine debris.

3. Arrange transportation 5. Equipment needs will vary, but here Are buses available for the whole day? are some suggestions: If not, can car pooling be arranged? Do you need to supply a map? for observing Is emergency transportation available? jars (plastic) shovels 4. Class preparation sieves (for benthic organisms--standard Do they know their responsibilites? size is 0.0197 in.) Do they know what equipment to bring? trays Has acceptable behavior been agreed to? for measuring 5. Arrange assistance Field Notebooks, pencils Do any parents want to help? Meter stick, measuring tape, thermom- Are older students available? eter, monitoring equipment

Trip Checklist for identification/recording Field guide to habitat. (We recommend 1. Enthusiasm-Yes, field trips can be Kozloff or Snively- See Resources) enjoyable. Binoculars Microscopes, magnifying glasses 2. Emergency Numbers and First Aid Kit Video cameras, cameras Clipboards and data sheets

66 for clew ,Ing Water source, hose, andsprayer Buckets, brushes Plastic bags for storingwet items

Student Checklist(Absolutely required!)

1. Only old shoes, boots that donot easily pull off, or hip boots. 2. Rain and cold weathergear. 3. Extra socks, shoes, and sweatshirt. 4. Bag for wet clothes. 5. Food and beverage.

67 Possible Field Trip Sites

County County Parks & Rec. Sample of Habitat Phone Number Public Facilities Whatcom (206) 733-2900 Semiahmoo Co. Park Sand Beach Birch Bay State Park Sand Beach Larrabee State Park Rock, Gravel

Skagit (206) 336-9414 Padilla Bay Reserve Mudflat Skagit Habitat Mgt. Area Mudflat, Wetlands Washington Park Rock, Gravel Deception Pass State Park Rock, Gravel

Island (206) 679-7373 City Beach Sand, Mud Fort Ebey State Park Sand, Rock Point Partridge Rec. Area Rock Libbey Beach Co. Park Rock S. Whidbey Co. Park Sand, Rock

Snohomish (206) 339-1208 Kayak Pt. Co. Park Gravel Mission Beach Park Gravel Howarth Park Sand, Gravel Olympic Beach Park Sand, Gravel

King (206) 296-4230 Richmond Beach Park Sand Golden Gardens Park Sand Carkeek Park Sand, Gravel Discovery Park Sand, Gravel Alki Beach Park Sand Lowman Beach Park Gravel Dash Point State Park Gravel Redondo Co. Park Gravel Saltwater State Park Gravel

For More Information Washington Parks Department (206)753-2027 WA Dept. of Ecology (Public Access) (206)459-6781 WA Dept. of Fisheries (206)753-6600 WA Dept. of Natural Resources (206)753-5324 (1992 phone numbers)

68 Plankton Study- Activity 2

Plankton are free-floating organisms including estuaries, support an abundance of which play a vital role in the marine world. plankton and associated marine life. Puget Though they are small, they are the foundation Sound is especially fertile due toan upwelling of the marine food web; the critical "first step" from the ocean floor. Riversare also con- in the flow of energy through the system. stantly contributing nutrients from the land. The number of plankton in coastalwater Biologists considel any organism defies imagination. One study in England which drifts with the currents and tidesa estimated 4.5 billion (4,500,000,000) phyto- plankter. Most are microscopic, thoughsome plankton in one liter of water! Suchtremen- (jellyfish, for example) may be large enough dous production is important for the entire to see. Phytoplankton are photosynthetic, marine system which dependson plankton, single-celled algae. Animal planktonare not only for its energy, but also for most of its called zooplankton. oxygen.

Nearly all marine animals go througha Plankton Sampling planktonic stage. These juveniles, "temporary" plankton one mightsay, are called A net for collecting planktoncan be as meroplankton. Those animals which remain simple as a nylon stocking heldopen by a wire plankton their whole lives are called ring or tuna can with the bottom cutout. With holoplankton. a film canister or small jar in the toe and three lengths of string for a leader, yournet is ready Plankton are not evenly distributed to use. Fine mesh cloth such as silkcan be around the world. Open oceansare relatively used instead of the stocking fora more effec- unproductive and lack the nutrients plankton tive net. need to flourish. In contrast, coastalareas,

: Padd 69 Commercially made nets come with 2. Identify the different types of plankton in varying sizes of mesh ranging from 5g to your sample. The accompanying plank- 1000g (g=micrometer, or 1/1000 of a milli- ton guide should be useful. To identify meter). A very fine mesh (8p, or 0.008mm) is something not included in the guide, necessary for catching the smaller phytoplank- check the books listed in the References ton, while a larger mesh (100g or 0.1mm, for section. example) is useful for zooplankton. Nets are available from Research Nets, listed in the 3. Draw what you see. Try to guess what resource section. the various body parts are called. Identify which are phytoplankton and which are Plankton is often collected by dragging zooplankton. the net behind a boat. If the current is strong enough, the net can be held from a bridge or A. Estimate the size of different plankton. pier. Attach your net to a stick and you can Compare relative sizes of phytoplankton wade at your nearest beach, moving the net and zooplankton. back and forth in front of you as you walk. Transfer the plankton to a container with a 5. For a more detailed look at your plank- water tight lid for transport. Keeping your ton, use a compound microscope and plankton cool (in a refrigerator or on ice) and glass slide. allowing air exchange will prolong their life, but remember the population will change as Questions they consume each other. 1. Which plankton forms are common in Observation your sample? Which are rare? What do you think might be the reason for this? A dissecting scope is excellent for observing live plankton. Place a small amount 2.Why are there more plankton in Puget of your sample in a glass petri dish. You may Sound than in the middle of the Pacific want to dilute the sample with estuary water if Ocean? your sample is too crowded. 3. One study in England found 4.5 billion 1. Watch for different types of movement. phytoplankton in a liter of water. Does Some animals dart through the water with your sample have that many? What a jerky motion. Others glide or spin. For might affect the number of plankton some, cilia may be the only body part that caught in a single sample? moves.

IT(1 1.,- i Plankton Guide

Copepod (calanoid) .5-2mm Copepod (harpacticoid) .5-2mm

Copepod (nauplius) .2-.5mm Barnacle nauplius .5-1mm Cumacea 1-2mm

Caprelfid amphipod 4mm Amphipod (gamarid) 1.5-10mm lsopod (Idotea) 1-20mm

Crab Zoea 2mm Hermit crab Zoea 2-4mm Shrimp Zoea 4mm

71 Plankton Guide

Foram .6mm Dinoflagellates .05-.5mm Diatoms .025-.3mm

Nemertean larva .5-4mm Hydroid medusa 2-10mm Ctenophore (comb jelly) 4mm \\*

Polychaete larva .5-4mm Snail veliger .5mm Juvenile nudibranch 2-4mm

Tanaid 1.5mm Ostracod .5mm Leptostracan 3-4mm

72 Water Quality Monitoring- Activity 3

Introduction Researchers also use baseline studies to determine which topics they should investi- Water monitoring is a systematic gate further. If a baseline study shows an measurement of parameters that indicate water unexpected high level of coliform bacteria, quality. This section describes eight tests then the researcher may want to design a study which give information about the health of a to determine why. body of water: temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphates, pH, These activities are valuable as "one turbidity, and coliform bacteria. shot" field studies or classroom labs. Takinga set of measurements once from one site gives After following these activities. you a small picture of conditions in the estuary. If should understand the purpose of these tests, possible, monitor several sites. This will give know how to run accurate water quality tests, a larger picture and demonstrate the great become familiar with sources of water pollu- variability within the system. The salinity at tion, and see how these parameters relate to the mouth of a stream will not be the same as human and non-human uses of estuaries. For the salinity upstream or further out in the bay. example, you may find that your estuary water Understanding what is happening in an estu- may not be safe for swimming or shellfish ary at a given moment, however, is not neces- harvest. sarily a complete picture. It is much more accurate (and interesting) to follow an estuary Monitoring is a fundamental tool of over timeto take a "moving picture." research. When studying a particular system, researchers begin by canying out a baseline Estuaries undergo daily, seasonal and study, a broad assessment of many different long-term changes that can only be assessed variables. They do this for several reasons. with periodic monitoring. Salinity might The results are important for the comparison change drastically over the course of a single of future data. To assess the damage done by tide. Nutrients such as nitrogen vary season- an accident such as a toxic spill, it is important ally as varying amounts are added to the water to have an idea of what was in the water and used by organisms. Human activities before the spill.

73 such as dredging or dumping may perma- The following monitoring activities nently alter the characteristics of an estuary. include a short description of the parameter, how that factor is important in an estuarine Though your class may not be able to system, and a description ofmonitoring carry on an extendedmonitoring program, it is procedures. For more detailed information, possible to share your results with other see the Resources section.Puget Sound schools. Your study area might be an estuary Project: The Changing Sound, from the lear your school, or itcould be Padilla Bay. Poulsbo Marine Science Center, offers a Your results could be compared to thoseof complete set of s _dent work sheets and other researchers through an organizationsuch monitoring directions that you may wish to as GREEN (Global RiversEnvironmental use. Education Network -- in the Resources section). You may be able to join with other Warning: Many water quaiity tests involve classes who are a part of a coordinated moni- toxic chemicals that must be handled and toring program in Puget Sound. Check -With disposed of properly. Be sure to use proper All your local marine science center orthe lab safety equipment and procedures. Breazeale Interpretive Center at Padilla Bay hazardous wastes should be collected and for information about such programs. disposed of properly. (Call 1-800-RECYCLE for haTardous material information.) If you intend to compare or coordinate your results, it is essentialthat your monitor- Questions ing be standardized, that is, follow the exact same procedures as otherresearchers. Differ- 1. List four reasons researchers monitor ent monitoring techniques mayyield slightly water quality. different results. Be sure to check with the other schools or organizations to be sure your 2.As a group, create a list of local, state, techniques match theirs as closely as possible. and federal agencies that might currently be monitoring water quality in a bodyof Keep in mind the limitations of water water near your home orschool. (Soil monitoring. The individual activities give a Conservation Service, County Health small piece of information about the estuary Department, Department of Fisheries, 1) if they water. They do not prove very muchby etc.) Call each agency and ask: themselves. Taken together with the other are monitoring, 2) whatthey are measur- small pieces, they tell a little more. The ing, 3) why, and 4) what methods they are estuary is a complex placewith hundreds of using. interacting chemical and biological processes. It is difficult to draw definite conclusions about cause and effect from the results of one test.

74 WATER MONITORING DATA SHEET

SCHOOL: DATE: RESEARCHERS:

TIME:

TIDE:

AIR TEMP:

WEATHER:

WATER COLOR:

WIND:

OTHER:

SITE NUMBER I 2 3 DEPTH

DISSOLVED OXYGEN (mg/1) & (% sat.)

FECAL C 3LIFORM (colonies/ 1.00m1) pH units

TEMPERATURE (°C)

SALINITY (ppt)

TOTAL PHOSPHATES (mg/1)

NITRATES (mg/1)

B.O.D. (mg/1)

TURBIDITY (m)

75 miammumomm. MUMint sunimunum UM aim op 1:1111111/11W1151111111111C 1111111101111M111111

1111101111111111111111M111111101111111 Water Quality Monitoring UM 1111111111111111MIIM

while swimming in a lake or in Puget Sound. Because of the thermocline, it is important to take temperature readings from severaldepths at any location.

Temperature Procedure

Though temperature is simple to 1. Obtain a water sample. Commercially measure, it is important.Many other charac- produced sampling devices are readily teristics of water depend on temperature. available from biological supply compa- Cold water holds more oxygen than warm nies (see References) or you can con- water. The rates of metabolismand photosyn- struct your own. thesis increase as water temperature rises. Organisms are limited to certain temperature 2. Because the sample tempetature may ranges and may be moresusceptible to disease change quickly, immediately insert an or poisoning from toxinswhen the tempera- alcohol-filled Centigrade thermometer ture rises. into the sample.

Human activities can upset the tem- 3. After about 2 minutes (long enough for perature balance in an estuary.Many indus- the thermometer to stabilize), read the tries use water for cooling purposesand temperature. release large amounts of warmed water. Though they may not add chemicalpollutants 4. Record your location, depth, and tem- their thermal pollution may be just asharmful perature reading. to organisms. Questions You'll find that many of the other monitoring procedures in this section include 1. Why is water temperature important to measuring temperature. Because cold wateris the organisms living in it? denser than warm water, many bodies of water have distinct layers of water of different 2. Did the water temperature at your site temperatures, with the warmer water on top vary with the depth?Why? and the colder water on the bottom. The area between the warm and cold water is calledthe 3. When might you expect the temperature thermocline and you may have noticed it at your site to be different?Why?

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Organic matter can come frommany sources: decaying estuary organisms, urban and agricultural runoff,sewage treatment plants, and industrial wastes (dairies, lumber mills, paper plants, food processing plants, etc.).

Once in the estuary, organicmatter is decomposed by organisms suchas bacteria Dissolved Oxygen and fungi which use upa lot of oxygen. Normally, the decomposers deal with organic For estuary organisms, oxygen (02 )is matter at a reasonablerate and the system can one of the most important chemicals dissolved replenish the oxygen supply. When excessive in water. It is necessary for respiration and its amounts of organic matter are added, how- abundance (or scarcity) often determines ever, oxygen levels can be depleted and other which organisms can live in anarea. It can organisms can be affected. Fish killsare often enter the water directly from the air by diffu- the result of the sudden discharge oftoo much sion, or is supplied by the photosynthesis of organic matter for the systemto handle. A plants. low oxygen level may limit the number of different organisms living inan area and very Many things affect the amount of 02 low levels may eliminate nearly all theorgan- dissolved in water: isms there.

1. Temperature Cold water holds more Procedure 02 than warm water, 2. Aeration-- Water stirred by currents There are many ways tomeasure and winds picks up extra 02, dissolved oxygen (DO). The methodyou 3. Photosynthesis, choose may depend on your budget, time 4. Plankton growth-- Plankton blooms allowance, or how much you wantto empha- caused by excess nutrients deplete the size chemical principles. 02 when the microorganisms die and decay, Dissolved oxygen metersare available, 5. Organic matterIt takes 02 to =com- but are expensive. Many companies offeran pose organic matter. inexpensive dissolved oxygen test kit. You can follow the same method (known as the

/Pkdf4aL 77 Winkler technique) without purchasing a kit if make the DO levels change if you don't you have access to lab equipment and some take these precautions? readily available chemicals. Whichever method you choose, be sure to carefully 3. What changes to the watershed could be follow the manufacturer's instructions. Here made to increase the DO at your site? are a few tips to insure that your results are as accurate as possible. Follow-up 1. It is best to sample several depths at each site, for example: 0.5 meters below the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) surface, mid-column, and 0.5 meters is a measure of how much oxyg,;n is con- above the bottom. sumed by microorganisms, and ,s :in indicator of dissolved organic matter. This Ida 7d test 2. When collecting the samples, try to is used at sewage treatment plants and some prevent extra oxygen from entering the industries to make sure they aren't "polluting" sample through bubbles. Siphon the the water with too much organic matter. If water from one container to another rather during your monitoring you discover a site than pouring, and allow the bottle to with unusually low DO, you may wish to test overflow to eliminate any atmospheric the nearest water source for organic matter. oxygen. Place the stopper or lid on The source may be a stream, river, or drain carefully so that no air bubbles remain in pipe which is contributing organic matter to the bottle. the estuary.

3. Remember to record the water tempera- You can perform a BOD test by filling ture when you collect the sample. Other 2 bottles with sampled water. Determine the useful information might be: date and DO for one bottle. Completely wrap the time, location, weather, tide, depth of second bottle with black tape and incubate it collection. in a dark place for 5 days (68°F). After 5 days, determine the DO for the "black" bottle. Questions BOD = DO' DO2 I. Design experiments to test how DO is affected by: a) temperature, b) salinity, DOI = DO of first sample and c) organic matter. DO2 = DO of incubated sample

2. When measuring DO, you were required to either complete the measurement This measure is the amount of oxygen immediately or fix the oxygen Wore which was consumed over a five-day period. storage or transportation. What might

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WARNING manure). Treatment plants whichprocess C NTAMI 6 -(GLLF SI4 both household sewage and runofffrom storm sewers are often overloaded during periods of heavy rain. Raw sewage and runoffare then combined and released untreatedinto the water supply.

Coliform Bacteria The presence of coliform bacteriais not a problem in itself. In fact, coliform bacteria generally do not reproduceoutside of A healthy, balanced estuary is teeming the digestive tract. They with bacteria, minute organisms that may indicate prob- enter into lems, however, since they indicate the many biological processes from digestion the possible presence of harmful bacteria to nutrient cycling. Bacteria are essential and the contamination of water by members of a functioning sewage. That ecosystem. Too contamination is often accompanied by many of the wrong kinds of bacteria, however, a can mean trouble. concentration of toxic, heavy metals andan overload of organic matter. A sudden input of large numbers of State and Federal agencies haveset bacteria can deplete theoxygen supply affect- standards for safe levels of fecal coliform ing sensitive animals suchas fish. Certain bacteria. Though they pathogenic (disease causing) bacteria vary depending on can location, the following guidelinesi. accumulate in invertebrates such wbe as shellfish useful when comparing and cause human illnesses. your own results.

MaXimum Coliform bacteria normallygrow in the No. of Fecal Coliforrn intestinal tracts of mammals, humansin- cluded. They are present in large numbers in Drinking Water human sewage and have thus become 1/100 ml an Water Above indicator of contaminated 70/100 ml water. They can Shellfish Beds enter water systems in several ways: directly Primary Contact from boats, from septic tanks which 1000/100 ml are not Recreation (such as working properly, from sewage treatment swimming) plants, and from pets and livestock (cows in a General Recreation stream or inadequate storage and spreading of 2000/100 ml Surface Water

PedaBei 79 Procedure results to the number of coliform bacteria present in 100 ml. Then you can compare The presence of coliform bacteria can your sample to the guidelines above. be determined by using a Millipore Sterile Filtration Apparatus. (See Resources section.) Questions This technique involves filtering a 0.5 ml water sample using a vacuum pump system 1. Are coliform bacteria harmful to humans? and a sterile filter and then incubating the filter in a special bacterial growth medium. 2. Why do researchers measure coliform The medium contains a dye which turns green bacteria levels? when coliform bacteria break down the sugar, lactose, into a compound called aldehyde. 3. Is your house on a septic system or Each bacterium cell in the sample grows into a municipal sewage system? How might green colony which is easy to recognize and this sewage get into the surface water count. (ditch, stream, lake, wetland, river)?

Follow the manufacturer's instructions 4.What should you do if your test results carefully, being especially aware of using indicate a high level of coliform bacteria sterile techniques when handling bacteria. in the water at your site? Though highly unlikely, there may be pathogenic bacteria present in your sample. Be sure to WASH YOUR HANDS after this activity. Follow-Up

When you have counted the coliform See the activity, Drawing Your Own Water in bacteria in your 0.5 ml sample, convert your Activity 7, "What You Can Do for Estuaries."

80 om mum= 911111m/IIIIIIMI MNfliMMINVEMMill msjppomptrimmramitr pimmummumpluiimmipmommummor ummuiummumummmmummeWater Quality Monitoring

such as fertilizing lawns, washing clothes,and raising livestock often causean excess of nitrates and phosphates entering thewater- shed.

Procedure

Nitrates and Phosphates Many companies offer test kits for measuring nitrates and phosphorus inwater. Nitrates and phosphates are two of the The following descriptions refer to the Total many nutrients that 7,ilants need for growth. Phosphate Test Kit and Low-range Nitrate They are present in varying amounts through- Test Kit from the HACHcompany. The out the year in Puget Sound and their avail- method you choose may be slightly different. ability is one factor that determines therate of plant production. Sunlight andtemperature Measuring Total Phosphorus also affect plant growth. Any of these factors can limit growth if in short supply. For 1. Be sure to carefully follow the instruc- example, phytoplankton growth is slow in tions which accompanyyour test kit.It is November and December due to short days important that the glassware for thistest and cloudy weather even if the.plants have be soaked in diluted HCI (hydrochloric plenty of available nutrients from winter rain acid) and rinsed thoroughly with distilled runoff. In spring, longer days coupled with water. This removes any phosphate availability of nutrients that accumulated detergent film which could disrupt the during the winter cause a huge increase in test. production. In mid-summer, sunlight is adequate but there is often a shortage of 2. After carefully obtainingyour water nutrients after the rapid growth of spring. sample, add potassium sulphate and sulfuric acid and boil fer 30 minutes. Though nutrients sucn as nitrates and Add demineralized water to keep it from phosphates are necessary fora productive boiling dry. This procedure makes all the system, too much of these can be a problem. phosphorus in your sample availableto Over-fertilization can cause too much growth the reagent in the next step. of certain plants. This bloom clouds the 3. water, and depletes the nutrients needed fora When the sample has cooled, add sodium healthy, balanced system. Human activities hydroxide and the "PhosVer III"reagent, a Ailaicq 81 mixing thoroughly. through the scale window. To convert this reading to mg/L Nitrate (NO3-) 4.Compare your sample with an untreated multiply the reading on the scale by 4.4. water sample using the "comparator box." Rotate the color disk until a combined Questions color and density match is obtained. Read mg/L phosphate as total phosphate. 1. In the Puget Sound region, in what season would you expect to find the highest level Measuring Wrate of nutrients in the water? the lowest? Why? 1. You must use demineralized water during the nitrate test because any other water, 2. How can high levels of nutrients be including distilled, contains ammonia harmful to aquatic systems? (NH3) ions that will disrupt this test. Carefully follow the instructions accom- 3. How can "fertilizing lawns, washing panying your test kit. clothes, and raising livestock often cause an excess of nitrates and phosphates 2. Fill the color-viewing tube with your entering the watershed'?" (see p. 81) collected sample water and add "NitraVer 6" reagent. Stopper and shake for 3 4. Are there any numan activities in the minutes. watershed above your sampling site that ma 7.tlevate your readings? 3. After 30 seconds you will see particles of cadmium metal settling to the bottom. 5. Are there any chemicals or reagents used Pour the sample into the sk.;:ond color- in these tests that could be hazardous? viewing tube, leaving the cadmium How can they be disposed of properly? particles behind. (Discard the cadmium in a toxic waste container).

4. Add "NitraVer 3" reagent to the sample and shake. Wait 10 minutes for the reaction to be completed. (During the wait, rinse the first tube and fill it with your original water sample).

5. After 10 minutes, place both tubes in the comparator, hold it up to a light source and rotate the disk to obtain a combined color and density match. Read the mg/L MN IMIIMIIIMEN MIsemArmarourr idtaaisriatinedvaat sIll INIMMMMONII111IMEN NIMMIIIM11111111111111Water Quality Monitoring

People get required salts through the food they eat. Organisms living in saltwater get these elements directly from thewater. In the ocean, most organisms have thesame concentration of salts inside their cellsas in the outside water. Osmosis (molecules moving through a membrane froman area of higher concentration toan area of lower concentration) regulates this balance. In fresh Salinity water, organisms rely on physiological adaptations to keep the salt levels inside theircells higher than the fresh water outside.Though Saltiness is the most obvious charac- most organisms can adjust to small changes in teristic of sea water. An estuary is less salty salinity, a drastic change can be lethal. than the ocean, but how diluted is it? And what difference does that maketo the plants Estuary organisms face aconstant and animals there? fluctuation in salinity as tides and freshwater flow interact. Salt water is denser thanfresh Sodium chloride is the table salt that water, so the organisms often have to deal we are all familiar with and it is an important with "layers" of different salinities.Because element of sea water. It is not the only salt, of this stratification, it is importantto take however. In fact, nearly all the known ele- samples from varying depths when testingfor ments are dissolved in sea water. Animals and salinity. plants need these salts for growth andrepro- duction. Salinity is usually measured inparts per thousand. That means that sea water, with ...4000111ft.,potessium 1.1%

ssAri. about 35 parts per thousand salt has 35 *Wilk* 7.7% grams of salt for every 1000grams of water. The chlorine 55.0% symbol Voo means partsper thousand. (You know the symbol % whichmeans parts per hundred, or percent.)

Humans can affect the salinity of bodies of water as they develop and oftwi 0.7% utilize

The most common elements insea water

n 6 U shoreline areas. Farmers dikes keep salty water at 15°C, you need to determine what the tides from coming up into sloughs that were water density would be at this temperature. once saltmarshes. Pumping large amounts of fresh water from underground aquifers may 1. Obtain water samples from various result in sea water intrusion as salt water depths. moves in to take up the empty space. This has threatened many fresh drinking water sup- 2. Pour about 450 ml of your sample into a plies. Irrigation upriver reduces the fresh container such as a 500 ml graduated water flow into an estuary, making it saltier. cylinder.

Procedure 3. Measure and record temperature (centigrade). Most researchers use a salinity meter to measure salinity most accurately. Since salt 4. Measure density with the hydrometer. water conducts electricity better than fresh (Look at the point where the water line water, a salinity meter can determine the crosses the scale.) conductivity of a solution, and then convert conductivity to salinity. These meters can be 5. Correct the density using Chart 1, the expensive but are reliable and easy to use. If Density-Water Terr_perature Chart. (For you don't have access to a salinity meter, you example: Your sample was 5°C with a can also calculate salinity using a hydrometer, density of 1.0100. Find the 5° column. available at aquarium stores. Go down that column to the 1.0100 line. The chart reads -9. Subtract .0009 from About The Hydrometer 1.0100 to get your corrected density of 1.0091). A hydrometer is a hollow glass tube with a scale printed on the top. It works on 6. Use this new, corrected density to deter- the principle that increased salinity results in mine salinity on Chart 2, Salinity/Cor- increased density. Things are more buoyant rected Density Chart. (they float higher) in saltier water. The hydrometer will float higher in saltier water Questions and the water surface will be lower on the printed scale. Unfortunately, cold water is I.Why does fresh water float on salt water? also denser than warm water, so the temperature affects the buoyancy at the same time. 2. Why do some organisms living in salt water need a strategy to avoid dehydra- To determine the salinity of your tion? sample you will need to take the measurement on the hydrometer and correct it for tempera- 3. Convert 35 parts per thousand (0/00) to ture. Since the hydrometer chart is based on percent (0/0).

84 4. What human activities can alter the salinity of coastal waters?

5. A salinity meter and a hydrometer can both be used to determine salinity, though they measure different properties of salt water. What are these properties?

Follow up

Check salinity at different places in the estuary you are monitoring. Check right after a heavy rain and after a long dry spell. Check a site at low tide and again at high tide.

When would you expect the salinity to be higher or lower?

PeddaBeg DENSITY - WATER TEMPERATURE CHART DensityObserved 0 1 2 3 4 -5 6 TEMPERATURE OF WATER8 9 11) 12 13 14 T5 16 1T 18 Observed Density 1.0000 -3Diff. -4Dd. -5D'Of. -5INf. Dfff.-6 -6DET. -6Dill. DE-5I -6Diff. -5DR -5MI -4Mi.fl -3DR. iNt. -2 D11i.-1 0DN. Diff.1 3Diff. 4Drtf. 1.0000 1.00201.00301.0010 -5-4 -6-5 -6 -7-6 -7-6 -7-6 -7-6 -6 -6-6 -6-5 -5 -4-4 -3 -2-2 -1-1 0 1 33 54 1.00301.00201.0010 1.00501.0040 -6-5 -7-6 -7-7 -7 -8-7 -7 -7 -7 -76 -6-6 -5 -5-4 -4-3 -2 -1 0 1 3 5 1.00501.0040 1.00801.00701 0060 -7-6 -8-7 -8 -8 -9-8 -8 -8 -8-7 -7 -7'-6 -6-6 -5 -4 -3 -1 0 2 3 5 1.00801.00701.0060 1.01101.01001.0090 -9-8 -9 -10-9 -10-9 -10-9 -9-9 -9-8 -8 -8-7-8 -77 -6 -5-5 -4 -3 -1 0 22 33 5 1.01101.01001.0090 1.01501.01401.01301.0120 -9-11-10 -11-10 -11-10-11 -11-10 -10-11-10 -10 -9-10-9 -9 -8 -7-8-7 -7-6 -6-5 -4-4 -3-3 -2-1 00 2 3 55 1.01201.01501.01401.0130 1.01801.01701.0160 -12-11 -12-11 -12 -12-11 -12-11 -11 -11-10 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5-4 -3 -2 0 2 4 6 1.01801.01701.0160 1.02101.02001.0190 -14-13 -13-14 -14-13 -13 -13-12 -12 -12-11 -11-10 -10-9-10 -9-8 -7-8 -6-6 -5 -3 -2-2 0 22 4 6 1.02101.02001.0190 1.02501.02401.02301.0220 -15-14-16-15 -15-14 -15-14-15 -14-15-14 -14-13-14 -13 -13-12 -12-11 -11-10 -9-9 -8 -7-6 -5-5 -3-4-3 -2 0 2 44 66 1.02301.02201.02501.0240 1.02801.02701.0260 -17-16 -16-17-16 -16 -16-15 -15 -14-14 -13 -12-12 -11-11 -10 -9-8 -7-7 -5 -4 -2 0 22 4 6 1.02801.02701.0260 1.03101.03001.0290 -19-18 -18-17 -18-17 -17-16 -16-16 -15 -14-14 -13 -12 -10 -9 -7 -6-5 -4 -2 0 2 44 76 1.02901.03101.0300 SALINITY - CORRECTED DENSITY CHART _ (Density at 15°C.Salinity in parts per 1,0001 Density Salinity Density Salinity Density Salinity Density Salinity Density Salinity Density Salinity 0.9991 0.0 1.0048 7.1 1.0101 14.2 1.0158 21.4 1.0211 28.6 .9992 .0 1.0047 7.2 1.0102 1.0266 35.8 14.4 1.0157 21.6 1.0212 28.8 1.0267 35.9 .9993 .1 1.0048 7.3 1.0103 14.5 1.0158 .9994 .3 21.7 1.0213 28.9 1.0268 36.0 1.0049 7.5 1.0104 14.6 1.0159 21.8 1.0214 .0995 .4 1.0050 7.6 1.0105 29.0 1.0269 36.2 14.8 1.0160 22.0 1.0215 29.1 1.0270 36.3 .9996 .5 1.0051 7.7 1.0106 14.9 1.0161 22.1 1.0216 .9997 .7 1.0052 7.9 29.3 1.0271 36.4 1.0107 15.0 1.0162 22.2 1.0217 29.4 1.0272 .9998 .8 1.0053 8.0 1.0108 15.2 1.0163 36.6 .9999 22.4 1.0218 29.5 1.0273 36.7 .9 1.0054 8.1 1.0109 15.3 1.0164 22.5 1.0219 1.0000 1.1 1.0055 8.2 1.0110 29.7 1.0274 36.8 15.4 1.0165 22.6 1.0220 29.8 1.0275 37.0 1.0001 1.2 1.0056 8.4 1.0111 15.6 1.0166 22.7 1.0221 29.9 1.0002 1.3 1.0057 8.5 1.0112 1.0276 37.1 15.7 1.0167 22.f 1.0222 30.0 1.0277 37.2 1.0003 1.4 1.0058 8.6 1.0113 15.8 1.0168 23.0 1.0004 1.6 1.0223 30.2 1.0278 37.3 1.0059 8.8 1.0114 16.0 1.0169 23.1 1.0224 30.3 1.0005 1.7 1.0060 8.9 1.0115 1.0279 37.5 16.1 1.0170 23.3 1.0225 30.4 1.0280 37.6 1.0006 1.8 1.0061 9.0 1.0116 16.2 1.0171 23.4 1.0226 30.6 1.0007 2.0 1.0062 9.2 1.0117 1.0281 37.7 16.3 1.0172 i 23.5 1.0227 30,7 1.0282 37.9 1.0008 2.1 1.0063 9.3 1.0118 16.5 1.0173 1.0009 2.2 23.7 1.0228 30.8 1.0283 38.0 1.0064 9.4 1.0119 16.6 1.0174 23.8 1.0229 1.0010 2.4 1.0065 9.6 1.0120 31.0 1.0284 38.1 16.7 1.0175 23.9 1.0230 31.1 1.0285 38.2 1.0011 2.5 1.0066 9.7 1.0121 16.9 1.0176 24.0 1.0012 2.6 1.0067 9.8 1.0231 31.2 1.0286 38.4 1.0122 17.0 1.0177 24.2 1.0232 31.4 1.0287 1.0013 2.8 1 0068 9.9 1.0123 17.1 1.0178 38.5 1.0014 2.9 1.0069 24.3 1.0233 31.5 1.0288 38.6 10.1 1.0124 17.3 1.0179 24.4 1.0234 1.0015 3.0 1.0070 10.2 1.0125 31.6 1.0289 38.8 17.4 1.0180 24.6 1.0235 31.8 1.0290 38.9 1.0016 3.2 1.0071 10.3 1.0126 17.5 1.0181 24.7 1.0236 1.0017 3.3 1.0072 10.5 1.0127 31.9 1.0291 39.0 17.6 1.0182 24.8 1.0237 32.0 1.0292 39.2 1.0018 3.4 1.0073 10.6 1.0128 17.8 1.0183 1.0019 3.5 25.0 1.0238 32.1 1.0293 39.3 1.0074 10.7 1.0129 17.9 1.0184 25.1 1.0239 1.0020 3.7 1.0075 10.8 1.0130 32.3 1.0294 39.4 18.0 1.0185 25.2 1.0240 32.4 1.0295 39.6 1.0021 3.8 1.0076 11.0 1.0131 18.2 1.0186 25.4 1.0241 32.5 1.0022 3.9 1.0077 11.1 1.0132 1.0296 39.7 1F- 3 1.0187 25.5 1.0245' 32.7 1.0297 39.8 1.0023 4.1 1.0078 11.2 1.0133 18.4 1.0188 25.6 1.0024 4.2 1.0079 1.0243 32.8 1.0298 39.9 11.4 1.0134 18.6 1.0189 25.8 1.0244 32.9 1.0025 4.3 1.0080 11.5 1.0135 1.0299 40.1 18.7 1.0190 25.9 1.0245 33.0 1,0300 40.2 1.0026 4.5 1.0081 11.6 1.0136 18.8 1.0191 26.0 1.0246 33.2 1.0027 4.6 1.0082 11.8 1.0137 1.0301 40.3 19.0 1.0192 26.1 1.0247 33.3 1.0302 40.4 1.0028 4.7 1.0083 11.9 1.0138 19.1 1.0193 26.3 1.0029 4.8 1.0084 1.0248 33.4 1.0303 40.6 12.0 1.0139 19.2 1.0194 26.4 1.0249 33.6 1.0030 5.0 1.0085 12.2 1.0140 1.0304 40.7 19.4 1.0195 26.5 1.0250 33.7 1.0305 40.8 1.0031 5.1 1.0086 12.3 1.0141 19.5 1.0196 26.7 1.0251 33.8 1.0306 1.0032 5.2 1.0087 12.4 1.0142 19.6 41.0 1.0197 26.8 1.0252 34.0 1.0307 41.1 1.0033 5.4 1.0088 12.6 1.0143 19.7 1.0198 26.9 1.0034 5.5 1.0089 1.0253 34.1 1.0308 41.2 12.7 1.0144 19.9 1.0199 27.1 1.0254 1.0035 5.6 1.0090 12.8 1.0145 34.2 1.0309 41.4 20.0 1.0200 27.2 1.0255 34.4 1.0310 41.5 1.0036 5.8 1.0091 12.9 1.0146 20.1 1.0201 27.3 1.0256 34.5 1.0037 5.9 1.0092 13.1 1.0147 1.0311 41.6 20.3 1.0202 27.4 1.0257 34.6 1.0312 41.8 1.0038 6.0 1.0093 13.2 1.0148 20.4 1.0203 27.6 1.0039 6.2 1.0094 1.0258 34.7 1.0313 41.9 13.3 1.0149 20.5 1.0204 27.7 1.0259 34.9 1.0040 6.3 1.0095 13.5 1.0150 1.0314 42.0 20.6 1.0205 27.8 1.0260 35.0 1.0315 42.1 1.0041 6.4 1.0096 13.6 1.0151 20.8 1.0206 28.0 1.0261 35.1 1.0042 6.6 1.0097 13.7 1.0152 1.0316 42.3 20.9 1.0207 28.1 1.0262 35.3 1.0317 42.4 1.0043 6.7 1.0098 13.9 1.0153 30.0 1.0208 28.2 1.0044 6.8 1.0099 1.0263 35.4 1.0318 42.5 14.0 1.0154 30.2 1.0209 28.4 1.0264 35.5 1.0045 7.0 1.0100 14.1 1.0155 1.0319 42.7 30.3 1.0210 28.5 1.0265 35.6 1.0320 42.8

&ft/ii idElli Water Quality Monitoring

dredging, farming, and construction result in more particles entering the water. Large numbers of phytoplankton can cause turbidity -- which may be asign of a healthy, productive environment, or a sign of over fertilization.

Turbidity is often measured with a device called a Secchi disc. It consists of a weighted disc that is lowered into the water until it disappears. This "vanishing point" is Turbidity the point at which there are so many suspended particles diffusing the light between Turbidity refers to the number of the disc and the viewer that the disc can no particles suspended in water, or how cloudy longer be seen. The vanishing point will be the water is. Clear water has low turbidity. deeper in water with fewer particles and Cloudy water has higher turbidity. shallower in more turbid water.

Life in estuaries depends on phyto- Procedure plankton and plant production for much of its energy. Plants, in turn, depend on sunlight for The Secchi disc has two sidesone photosynthesis. When the water is too turbid, white and one with alternate white and black too much light is diffused, not enough reaches quadrants. The side you choose is a matter of the plants that need it, and production de- personal preference. Try them both and creases. Too many suspended solids reduce decide which is easier for you to see. The the growth of invertebrates such as clams and rope should be marked at 0.25 m intervals and oysters. Egg development is slowed or should not stretch. stopped when water contains too much silt. Eelgrass doesn't grow at the mouth of a large 1. Lower the disc into the water and record river where turbidity is too high. the depth at which the disc disappears. High turbidity can have several causes. 2. Slowly raise the disc and record the depth Rivers naturally carry large amounts of silt, at which it reappears. clay, and detritus from their watersheds. Moving water carries more suspended solids 3. Record both observations and calculate than still water, so waves and tides can cause the average. turbidity. Human activities such as logging,

88 Note: In currents, the disc may hangat an ity in Padilla Bay compares with the angle, resulting in the line actually being turbidity in Skagit Bay, thepresent mouth longer than the depth. Make your readings of the Skagit River? Where wouldyou with the line hanging straight down. expect to find more eelgrass?

Direct sunlight may obscure your view 2.How might an increase in turbidity affect of the disc, so try to lower the disc intoa productivity in an estuary? shaded spot. 3. List two human and two naturalcauses of Questions increased turbidity.

I.Padilla Bay no fonger has a river empty- 4.What are some factors that cancause ing into it. How do you think the turbid- inaccurate secchi disc measurements?

89 Wate, Quality Monitoring

7, and pH 4 is 1000 times more acidic than pH 7.

Most organisms have a specific pH tolerance. Some species have a broad tolerance and can survive large pH changes. For pH others, however, even a slight change of pH can be limiting. Like temperature, oxygen, The pH scale is a measure of the and salinity, pH is one more way to measure amount of hydrogen ions in a solution (please the health of a system. read the discussion of pH on pages 26-28 in the "Ecology" section. The pH of water is an Procedure important chemical factor determining which organisms can survive in an area. Though sea 1. Samples are easily contaminated. Clean water is naturally buffered against drastic equipment and hands are important. changes in pH, an estuary is faced with constantly changing fresh and salt water interac- '7. Approximations of acidity can be easily tions and iq often influenced by human activi- obtained using pH paper. ties. The presence of a water treatment plant a. Tear off about 5 cm of pH paper. or industrial effluent may change the pH b. Place 3-4 drops of your sample onto enough to affect the organisms living nearby. the paper. c. Compare color to the standard chart. The "p" in pH stand for "potential." "H" stands for hydrogen. A pH of 1 stands for 3. A more accurate procedure uses a pH 104 grams of hydrogen ion (H+) per liter. A meter or test kit. One type of kit uses a pH of 7 stands for 10-7 grams H+. The pH pH indicator solution which changes the scale ranges from 1 to 14, with 1 being very color of the sample. The color is then acidic (having the most H+), 7 being neutral compared to the pure sample with a (having equal H+ and OH-), and 14 being the comparator wheel. Be sure to follow the most basic. Since the number of the pH scale directions supplied by the manufacturer refers to an exponent of 10, a change in just of your test kit or meter. one number on the scale indicates a change of 10 times the acidity. So a solution of pH 6 has 4. Important: Measure the pH immediately 10 times the number of H+ as a solution of pH after sampling, since temperature change 7. A pH of 5 indicates 100 times the H+ of pH can affect pH.

90 Questions ACIDIC NEUTRAL BASIC I. On the pH scale, what readings indicate an acid? 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 Approximate pH's 2. A solution with a pH of 9 has howmany 1.0 stomach acid 6.3milk times more 01-1- than a solution witha pi.. 2.0 - lemon juice 7.0 - distilled water of 7? 2.5 - vinegar 7.5 human blood <3.5-all fish die->9.5 11 - ammonia 3. True or false? Organisms cannot live in 4.0 - oranges 12 - bleach areas where the pH changes? Explain 5.6 - normal rain 13 - lye your answer. pH scale

Peddit3E6 Keeping a Marine Aquarium- Activity 4

from:Marine Biology and Oceanography, Regardless of the type of aquarium Marine Science Project: For Sea, chosen, some facts pertain to all: Marine Science Center, Poulsbo I.Aquarium tank: use only tanks made From kindergarten to graduate school, from all glass, plastic, epoxy-coated the marine aquariumarouses interest and wood, or fiberglass. No metal enthusiasm. Traditionally, marine edges. aquaria While a 10-gallon aquarium have been expensive and difficult may be used to operate. in some cases, 20 gallon size is Recent technological improvements the pre- have ferred minimum. reduced the cost and labor involved inmain- taining a marine aquarium. Teachers should 2. Sub-gravel filter: a good sub-gravel give every considerationto the establishment filter of a marine aquarium in the should be employed to help control classroom. biological wastes. Before embarking on a marine 3. Air pump: you can seldom havetoo aquarium project, some basic questimsneed much air. Get a pump witha capacity to be resolved. The expenditure of timeand money will vary greatly depending high enough to effectivelyrun the sub- on your gravel filtration system. objectives. A simple set-upto keep hermit crabs can be had for a few dollars, and an 4. elaborate temperature-controlled Gravel filtrant: use dolomite, crushed aquarium can coral rock, or crushed cost several thousand dollars. oyster shell. Build- ers' gravel has iron and similarmaterials that will harm or kill marineorganisms.

93 5. Thermometer/Hydrometer: tools useful water-line: it should read between 1.021 in determining the salinity and tempera- and 1.023 when the water temperature is ture of the water. 68-77°F (20-25°C). If necessary, adjust by adding tap water to lower reading. 6..seawater: synthetic sea salts may be used to make salt water solutions if you are too 8. Run filter for 14 days. Some aquarists far from natural seawater. recommend placing one or two hardy specimens in the tank for this period. If 7. Food: depends upon the type of organ- available, hermit crabs or the like should ism. Use only high quality foods and be added to help condition the water. remove uneaten food from aquarium. 9. Add speciments to tank. If you order the If you buy a marine aquarium kit, animals from a biological supply house, instructions for set-up will be included. they will come with directions. Other- Otherwise, a few hints are given below: wise, open each plastic bag of specimens in subdued light and float it on top of the 1. Talk to people who have had marine water in the aquarium for 15 to 30 min- aquaria (e.g., other teachers, pet shops). utes. In this period trickle water from the Their assistance can be invaluable. tank into the bags to slowly equalize temperature and salinity. This is the 2. Place the aquarium in desired location, crucial step. Now add animals to tank, away from direct sunlight, but near an one at a time. (If animals act nervous or electrical outlet. contract, stop operation until they have adjusted.) 3. Install sub-gravel filter. 10. The specimens will live several months 4. Wash gravel in tap water. Spread evenly without being fed, but to keep them over the filter. healthy, adopt a simple, regular feeding program. Feed carnivorous invertebrates 5.Fill tank with correct amount of water (sea anemones, crabs, horseshoe crabs, needed to make sea salt solution (follow starfish) once a week: they take small directions of manufacturer), or fill to 1 or minnows, shrimp, earthworms, bits of 2 inches from top with natural sea water if lean beef. Filter-feeders (barnacles, available. hydroids, sea cucumbers, clams) eat Daphnia, brine shrimp, algae, protozoa, 6. Run filtration system for 24 hours to mix or dried fish foods. Herbivorous species solution. (sea hares, sea urchins, turban snails) may be fed lettuce or spinach. Avoid water 7.Shut off filter. Check specific gravity by pollution -- remove all uneaten food. floating hydrometer and reading it at the

94 Not all plants and animals are suitable water contains chlorine that is toxicto marine for marine aquaria. Seaanemones, chitons, organisms. This water must be dechlorinated snails, crabs, shrimp, horseshoe crabs, hermit with a chemical additiveor be allowed to crabs, starfish, and brittle stars make good stand for 24 hours, allowing the chlorineto specimens. Avoid the burrowing forms. evaporate.) Sponges, jellyfish, corals, marineworms, and sand dollars should be avoided, since they Though sea-salts don't disintegrate, may die unseen and foul the water. Cautious specimens will stay healthier with partial observation of fish and plants will determine water changes at regular intervals. Sugges- which species will survive well inyour situation: once a month, adda few gallons of new tion. It is important to watch the organisms in seawater solution after siphoning off thesame your aquarium and remove any deceased amount from the tank. members of the community immediately. Further information about suitable organisms For alga control, scrape tank walls can beri found in the Resources section. every two weeks.

If you will be collectingyour own The above suggestions applyto all specimens you need to be aware ofstate marine aquaria. If you live ina northern regulations. Species such as sport fishes and latitude and want to keep local coldwater shellfish are "classified" with the Washington species, you will need a refrigeration unit of State Department of Fisheries. When collect- some description. Instructions for home-made ing these you must abide by the regulations units can be found in reference bookson summarized in the "Salmon, Shellfish, marine aquaria. Ready-made refrigerated Bottomfish, Sport Fishing Guide". This is aquaria are available and expensive. available at most sporting goods stores. All other marine animals are regulated by the Creating a Mud Tank Washington State Department of Wildlife. To collect or harvest these "non-game species" What do you get whenyou take one you must obtain a Scientific Collection Per- bucket of mud and an aerator andput them in mit. Call the Department of Wildlifeat a 10 gallon aquarium? (206)753-2869 for more information. Answer: your own mudflat. Once the system is operating,care is easy. Each day, a person familiar with the This is an easy and inexpensive aquarium should check filters and specimens. method to bring the estuary world intoyour Dead animals must be removedat once. Add classroom. You won't seea flashy tidepool or fresh water as often as necessary to keep the famous aquarium characters likecrabs and water at level marked. Do not add saltwater, fish, but you will have acut-a-way look inside since this will increase the salinity. (Sometap the subtle world of worms, snails, andclams.

Adda U 1. Start with 3-6 inches of estuary mud in poke around in the mud. Examining the the bottom of a 10 gallon tank. mud surface or film on the aquarium sides with a microscope will give you a glimse 2. Top with estuary water and install an of these tiny mud creatures. aerator. If, after reading the above, you are 3. Add plankton as often as you can and discouraged, take heart. Hundreds of teachers change the water every few weeks. are operating successful in-class marine aquaria. The technical problems can be 4.After you see what's hiding in your mud overcome. If you feel that it is unquestionably you can add more. Lugworms, scale out of your league and you cannot obtain help worms, snails, burrowing anemones, mud from another source, do not completely shrimp, and bubble shells (though slimy) forsake the idea. A simple aquarium for are all well behaved visitors. We've had hermit crabs can be set up for a very few problems with clams (they may need dollars. Solicit donations from students. Go more plankton food than we could pro- to a pet shop and buy a hermit crab or two and vide) and nudibra.nchs (either they were get instructions on how to keep them alive. It very picky eaters or they ate everyone can be fun! At the very least, set up a fresh- else in the tank). You may want to try water aquarium with goldfish or tropical fish these as short-term visitors, releasing so that you can use a living example when you them after a week or two. talk about aquatic organisms. Here is a real opportunity to use all that creativity that got 5. Once your tank is established, you'll you into teaching in the first place. Good notice the landscape changes daily as luck! burrowers and microscopic detritivores

96 Writing With Estuaries- Activity 5

Before You Write

The following writing activitieswere Expressing yourself through introspec- chosen as a way for you to begin to individu- tion and observation is the foundationfor the ally explore and express thoughts about following activities: yourself and about the estuary. Youcan just as easily use the exercises to paint, sculpt, The first step of inmospectioncan be compose, or otherwise create your expression. tried in the journaling activity. These activities grew out of the following definition: The second step of observation isthe aim of the object poem activity. "Self-expression is the source of all abasement (humility), just as ... These two steps are combined intoa it is the basis for all true elevation. richer expression through the 1-search The first step is introspection- exercise. exclusive contemplation of the self. The second step must be genuine Warning: These activitiesmay lead to observation outward- spontaneous, personal satisfaction. Please performonly sober observation of the external with teacher supervision. world."

- Heinrich Novalis (1772-1801) German artist and writer

104 Writing with Estuaries

Estuary by Journal

"I come to this island every month 3. Write freely without worrying about of the year. I walk around it, stop- punctuation or spelling on these two ping and staring, I straddle the questions: sycamore log over the creek, curling my legs out of the water ir: winter, How does the place or written piece trying to read. Today I sit on the dry make you feel?Start with a feeling, grass at the end of the island by the then expand on it. Maybe you feel slower side of the creek. I'm drawn relaxed from sitting in the sun by the to this spot. I come to it as an oracle; water. At the sight of a fishing boat I return to it as a man years later will you may feel sorry for the fish or seek out the battlefield where he lost worried about the estuary's future. a leg or an arm." Maybe you feel disgusted by the images of death and decay.Different - Annie Dillard people will have different reactions to Pilgrim at Tinker Creek the same experience. Find your experience and write about it. Writing in a journal is an example of introspection. To write in a journal means to Why does it make you feel that way? write in a purely personal dialogue. This is You can't always justify feelings, but where many writers do more than record daily you can explore them. If a boat makes activities. They let their feelings as well as you feel restless, maybe it's because their thoughts interact on the paper without you want to be on it, traveling to a restricting their flow. Hopefully, you already different part of the world.If a small have tried, or still keep a journal. Here is our fish getting eaten by a heron makes simple suggestion for a journal exercise that you sad, maybe you can trace it to a focuses on the estuary. pet that died. Usually it relates back to something going on in your life. 1. Visit an estuary or read a poem or story relating to an estuary. (See Resources) 4.Keep writing until the writing takes over; it will come alive if given the time. 2. Find a place to write. A spot outside and away from other people is best, though a 5. After you've searched your feelings, read school desk can work just as well. back and find similarities between them and the images around you. (How is my feeling of optimism or pain like the

waves?...)

98 Writing with Estuaries

Estuary by Object Poem

"When a man becomes proud to be not "The boat rolledupon its tether, shifts just the site where ideas and feelingsare its body from one footto the other, restless produced, but also the crossroad where and stubborn as a colt..." they divide and mingle, he will be ready to be saved. Hope therefore lies ina - from "The Boat" by Francis Ponge poetry through which the world so invades the spirit of man that he be- An object poem shouldnot become comes almost speechless, and later overwhelmed by your thoughts andfeelings. reinvents a language. .. . True poetry is When you write a true objectpoem, you no what does not pretend to be poetry. It is longer exist and cannot write fromyour in the dogged drafts ofa few maniacs human perspective. seeking the new encounter." A Mount Vernon High Schoolstudent - Frances Ponge, French poet sitting by Padilla Bay wrote this objectpoem about some footprints: The .econd step of self-expression is observation. The object poem,or as poetically Footprints nestled in the mud; labeled, the "thing" poem, isa great way to softened by the tides. practice your observation skillsat the estuary. Each one its own pool after being tucked in bya wave. I. Pick an object (ideally an estuary The new footprint starts witha sole object). that's pushed down any soul before it. 2. Observe it closely. After the currents have carried itaway 3. Write a poem about the object. new creatures give it a newer, natural print. The millions of footprints havemulched up This appears easy enough, but the the soft folds of life. catch is to observe the object withsuch inten- sity that you actually see through theeyes of - Andrea Holloman that object. If you observea rock, "become" that rock. What does the rock do, think, feel? She wrote this in a 30 minute exercise, What is it like to be a millionyears old? How and already it's published. We do you like being rolled by the observe things waves? everyday, but we haveso many stimuli pound- ing us that our senses becomenumb. Try reopening them. oda 99 ! Writing With Estuaries

Estuary by "I-Search" Paper

"The road I took back to my motel passes 2.Write about your topic using all of what through a salt marsha fragrant, 3,000 acre you've discovered and experienced. blackness that winds towards the vaster blackness of the North Atlantic. A marsh 3. Tie the information together using your smell is nothing you convince anyone about: own thoughts, feelings, and memories. it is either the stench of putrifying garbage or a tangy whiff of pure existence." The Sound Of My Life by Carol Goncalves is an example of an estuary "I- - Floyd C. Stuart search" paper about growing up on Long "The Salt Marsh" Island Sound. /t begins:

In an "1-Search" paper, the writer uses not " I remember as a child spending many only the traditional information sources such summer days swimming in the salt water at as libraries and schools, but also includes Fairfield Beach. At night, as I lay in bed, I personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings to could hear the sounds of foghorns even though explore a theme. we lived three miles away...I sensedthere was something special about the seacoast. 1. Think of a way that you've experienced the estuary: eating oysters, visiting the "I wondered what it was like to live on beach, going fishing. a New England beach year round. What was it like in the crisp air of autumn and the 2. Research the estuary through the angle of bleakness of winter, after the summer people your choice. Study the techniques of headed for home? What were the pleasures as catching salmon, the proper preparation well as the dangers of living near the sea. of an oyster, or the music of estuarine inhabitants. Photograph birds of the "I borrowed a few books from the Pacific flyway. Collect the names of Fairfield Public Library which I thought estuaries or types of boats. Talk to would provide me some answers . .." commercial fishermen, marsh artists -- whatever -- as long as it relates to the You can read more in Ken Macrorie's place where rivers meet the ocean. book, The I-Search Paper, listed in the Re- sources section.

100

1y flirt. Writing with Estuaries

Creative Exercises

Choose one of the followinz situations: once a marsh. (Some possibilities: a stormy winter day with an unusually high 1. You are a Native American living near the tide, a hot summer day at low tide,a Cascade Mountains 10,000 yearsago. description of the weather, the view,or The great glacier has beengone for many the animals you observe) generations, but oral tradition still tells of the colder times. Small glaciers still 4.You are an animal in Padilla Bay, andthe cover parts of the Cascades and send tide just went out. Write aboutyour torrents of water down the many rivers. community and your role there. (See A remnant of the great glaciercan still be Chapter 3,'Estuary Alive,or the Field seen blocking what is now the Strait of Guide to Padilla Bay Organisms, Re- Juan de Fuca. You live on the shore of sources section.) the huge, fresh water lake that the glacier created. Retell a story about the old 5.You are a 79-year-oldwoman living next times. (See Chapter 1, Estuary Formed.) to the bay in the farmhouse thatyou grew up in. The land is now worth hundreds of 2.It is 1860. You are Samuel Calhoun,a thousands of dollars as it could be subdi- lumber mill worker from Camano Island. vided and developed. Write down whatis One Sunday, you borrow acanoe and going through your mindas you both decide to go exploring in the vast Olym- reminisce and look to the future. pia Marsh. (Camano Island, Bay View Ridge, Fidalgo Island, Samish Island, and 6.Look through any of the textyou have the hills arothicl La Conner are all forested read in this curriculum and chooseyour "islands" in the wild swamp created by own situation to write about. Choose the Skagit River's delta.) Yousoon something that is especially interestingto realize that you should have hireda guide. you. It could be from the past, present, or Record your adventure inyour diary. even future. You may want to discuss a (See Chapter 2, Estua y Settled.) problem from a particular point of view (human or non-human). You might look 3. Describe a walk along the dike between at a topic from many points of view. You Padilla Bay and fertile farmland thatwas might describe a personal experience.

101

t-N Thinking Globally AboutEstuaries Activity 6

Using an atlas or worldmap:

1. You live in a watershed that drains into Grande, Hudson, Danube, Rhine,Volga, an estuary. Locate and identify that Euphrates, Tigris, Ganges, Yellow, estuary. Is there a city there? Yangtze. Which have citieson their estuaries? 2. Make a list of Washington rivers that have cities on their estuaries. 7.List some "upriver" activitiesthat might affect water quality inan estuary. 3. List several large rivers in North America. Find their estuaries. Which 8.Of the rivers listed in question6, which have a city at their mouth? have watersheds inmore than one country? Describe some difficultiesthis might 4. Find 10 large cities in the UnitedStates. pose for rei,ulation and management. Which are located on estuaries? 9.Many of Padilla Bay's waterfowlmigrate. 5. Find the world's largest cities. How Research the migration route ofone of the many are on estuaries? following: black brant,western sand- piper, peregrine falcon, bald eagle. Does 6. Find these famous rivers: Nile,Amazon, that bird migrate to another estuary?If Congo, Mississippi, Columbia, Rio so, is it as "protected" as Padilla Bay?

103 lEresirylsiCr. flr,),

What We Can Do for EstuariesActivity 7

We are constantly making decisions which affect estuaries. Some of the decisions Know the Issues are big, like whether to allow destruction of Become the expert on estuary issues. critical habitat or deciding how much pollution from an industry is acceptable. Other decisions are smaller-- like whether to bike or drive somewhere or what to do with your old Working Together motor oil. These activities will 1) help you Take a look at how other high examine your personal actions that affect school students have accomplished estuaries and 2) demonstrate ways thatyou great things. can take part in the larger decisions being made around you.

In this section, you will find the fol- Write, Write, Write! lowing activities: Letters from students make a big difference! Surveying Your Behavior Step 1: Drawing Your Own Water Step 2: Water Quantity Monitoring Speaking Your Mind Step 3: Perusing Thmugh Poisons All about public hearings. Step 4: Cars and the Estuary

105 Surveying Your Behavior

Step 1: Drawing Your Own Water

You remember the water cycle. Water 1) What goes down the drain with the water evaporates from the ocean. Clouds form. at your house? Rain falls But did you ever think of yourself as a part of that cycle? 2)Are there things in your wastewater that the sewage treatment plant can't clean up? Think about the water that goes through your house. Draw a picture of your 3)What difference would it make if you water cycle (this will require some research). used less water? Use as many labels from this list as you can: 4)Is there a safe place to dump toxic prod- condensation septic tank ucts in your house or yard? evaporation drain field stream (name?) ground water river (name?) well estuary lake ocean (name?) sewer pipe water tower your home drain pipe wetland tree cloud evapotranspiration water treatment plant sewage treatment plant wastewater outfall

106 *2::1 Surveying Your Behavior

Step 2: Water Quantity Monitoring

Individually: 1)Estimate the amount of wateryour household uses in a week. Then dividethat amount by the number of people in the household.

-Start by listing all the differentuses you can think of (don't forget outdoor uses). -For infrequent uses (like hosing down "Mix one part excreta withone the driveway once a month), you'llneed hundred parts clean water. Send the to "prorate." For example,you change mixture through pipes to a central your 4-gallon fish bowl every monch. station where billions are spent in Write down 1 gallon/week. futile attempts to separate thetwo. Then dump the effluent,now poi- As a class: soned with chemicals, but still rich in 1) Find out how much wateryour school nutrients into the nearest body of uses in a week. Divide by the number of water. . .." people at your school. from The Toilet Papers 2)What is the biggest water "user" inmost by Sim Van Der Ryn homes? List ways you couldconserve water in your home. List waysyour In a world where so many people haveto sch..ol could conserve water. walk miles for water, we arevery lucky to 3)Does water conservation affect theway a have seemingly abundantwater resources. So septic tank works? Does it makea differ- abundant that we can let gallons of clean, ence in the sewage treatment process? drinkable water trickle down thestorm sewer (Call your sewage treatment plantto find while we polish the chromeon our car. Are out.) Would it make a differenceto water we using this resource wisely? What effect quality in your estuary? does our extravagant water consumptionhave 4)Why do you think some ofus don't try to on the water system we are part of? In this conserve water? (Think about "values" activity, you will examine theamount of water and what is important to people.)Why you, personally, use in a week and thencon- would someone voluntarilyconserve sider whether you can (orwant to) use less. water to help the environment? Would you (Be truthful)? Why or why not? A at1 $Bq I i 4.'-' Surveying Your Behavior

Step 3: Perusing the Poisons

Many useful products around our find out which of these products you have. homes are hazardous to people, animals and Ask your parents to assist you with this activ- the environment. If we pour these products ity. down the drain, in a ditch, or in the backyard, there is no doubt they will contact living Caution: Please be very careful handling organisms. Eventually they will drain into a these products. While not all household wetland, the groundwater, or an estuary where products are hazardous, many could be harm- they can wreak havoc. ful. Wash your hands carefully after you handle these containers. This activity is an inventory. Hunt around your house, basement, and garage to

Do you have? How much?Where is it stored? Warnings Safer Alternative .. PAINTS _Enamel or oil based paints _Latex or water based paints

Rust paint

Thinners and turpentine

Furniture stripper

Stain or finish

108 Household products inventory

Do you have? How much?Where is it stored? Warnings Safer Alternative HOUSE , Oven cleaner

Drain cleaner

_Toilet cleaner

Disinfectants

Upholstery or rug cleaners

____Furniture or floor cleaners

Cleaners with bleach

_Photographic chemicals

_____Silver polish

___Pool chemicals

____Cleaners with ammonia

_Spot removers

Abrasive cleaners

Adapted from Away With Waste, WashingtonState Department of Ecology Publication #90-12,1990.

109 Household products inventory

Do you have? How much?Where is it stored? Warnings Safer Alternative

AUTO Antifreeze

_Used oil

Brake flaid

Transmission fluid

Batteries

Gasoline

PESTICIDES Herbicides

____Mouse and rat killer

Roach and ant killer _Flea collars and sprays

Insecticides

Fungicides

_Slug bait

Mothballs .

OTHER .

I Potentially Hazardous Household Products- Some Safer Subs

For this product Try this safer substitute

Air freshener Cinnamon & cloves (simmered) Bathtub and tile cleaner Baking soda & vinegar & water Burn mark remover Grated onion Coffee cup stain cleaner Salt (moist) Decal remover Vinegar (soak in white vinegar) Drain cleaner Plunger; baking soda or vinegar & hot water Furniture polish Olive oil; lemon juice & mineral oil General household cleaner Baking soda Hand cleaner for paint/grease Baby oil Ink spot remover Cream of tartar & lemon juice & cold water Insects on plants Soap & water Moth repellent Proper storage & laundering of clothing Oil based paint Water based paint Oil stain remover White chalk (rubbed in before laundering) Paint brush softener Vinegar (hot) Refrigerator deoderizer Baking soda Roach repellent Roach trap or "hotel" Rug cleaner Club soda Rust remover Lemon juice & salt & sunlight Shoe polish Banana peel Slug repellent Diatomaceous earth Spot remover Club soda; lemon juice; salt Water mark remover Toothpaste Window cleaner Vinegar (in warm water) Wine stain remover Salt

Adapted from Away with Waste, Washington State Department of Ecology Publication #90-12, 1990.

Adda/331 111 Surveying Your Behavior

Step 4: Cars and the Estuary

Cars! What could be more important too). Driving less may seem impossible -- to us? They represent our status and freedom. especially to high school studentsbut if we They fuel the economy, give us independence, want water that's clean, air that we can and take us to wild and exotic places (or to breathe, and some land that's not paved over, school and work). But at what cost? this society is going to have to change its ways. You may have heard that automobiles are the largest source of air pollution in Wash- Here are four short surveys which look ington, but have you ever thought of cars as at how we use cars. You may want to divide water polluters, too? We won't even consider into four small groups and do one survey each. the environmental costs of manufacturing a car. Let's just consider using one. 1. The Student Parking Lot

What goes up usually comes down, so Count the number of cars in the stu- all that smog you've seen hovering around dent parking lot. What percentage of Puget Sound doesn't stay in the air, and it students drive a car to school? doesn't disappear. Invisibly, air pollution clings to water in the clouds and comes down After school, stake out a spot near the as polluted rain. Nasty stuff if you are a plant, exit and record the number of cars and a lake, a granite statue, or (ironically) a car! occupants per vehicle. Calculate the average occupants per vehicle. Even more damaging to our waters are the things cars leave behind on the roads. A -- Total the number of SOVs. (That's car's tires wear on the road and leave cadmium short for Single Occupancy Vehicle.) and zinc to be picked up by the next rain. A parked car drips oil and grease. Chromium Interview 10 student drivers. Find out and zinc wear off the body. Copper and lead why they don't take the bus. Ask if come from the engine. Once on the driveway they car pool. Find the average or road, this ends up in ditches, storm sewers, occupants per vehicle. Compare this and eventually the estuary. to your observations above. Ask how many miles per day they drive to and As much as we might hate to admit it, from school. What is their gas mile- driving less is good for an estuary (and good age? How much gas is used on one for lots of other parts of our environment,

112 trip to school? Calculate the amount pollutants on the pavement or in the of gas used per day per student driving water. Where does the water go from to school. there? If you need to ask your local public works department, designate 2. The Faculty Parking Lot one person to call.

Repeat the above survey for teachers. Sharing your results with the rest of the class, work together to answer these In your interview, find out if public questions. transportation is available. If available, why don't the teachers take the 1. Why do some teachers and students bus? Ask if they ever car pool and choose not to use the bus? What differ- why. Find out how many miles they ence would it make if they did? commute daily. What is their gas mileage? How much gas is used per 2. How much space in your community is teacher per day driving to school? set aside for the care and use of cars? (Consider driveways, garages, streets,gas 3. The Buses stations, freeways, malls. Look in the yellow pages in the automobile section Interview five bus drivers. Ask them for more ideas.) How does thiscompare the number of miles they drive each to the amount of space set aside for day for the high school run. Find out people to live, play?.. . their gas mileage and the average number of students per trip. 3. Does the runoff from your school parking lot go directly to a body of water,or is it -- Calculate the amount of gas used per treated first? If it goes to a sewage person per day. treatment plant, are toxins removed from the water there? 4. The Pavement 4. List 10 advantages and 10 disadvantages -- Estimate the percentage of your school for driving a car. Rank them. When do property that is paved for vehicles. you choose not to use a car?

-- Go outside and find a storm drain or 5. How do you think the use of cars differs ditch that catches runoff from the for male and female high school students? parking lot. (This is easy if it's rain- For high school students and other adults? ing.) Make a note of any visible

oidd 113 Working Together

So you've got your own house in order. Students at Madison High in Portland You conserve water, electricity, gasoline, and started their own environmental club. These paper products. You recycle, pick uplitter, are the steps they followed. You may want to and buy only non-toxic products. You always do the same in your school. fill in your holes after clam digging. Now what about those big decisions that are being 1. Care made by our society? What can high school After learning about local environmental students do to take part in those big decisions? problems, nine students decided to get Try group action! involved.

It is not often that students are advised 2. Contact other groups to take action instead of waiting to be told to They quickly joined community clean- do something. But when they do take action, ups, nature trips, Audubon bird rehabilita- high school students have accomplished things tions, EPA streamwalks, ta.ee plantings, that no one else could. drama projects, and YMCA Earth Service Corps. Other environmental groups In Lynden, Washington, Lynden generously donated time and materials. Christian High School students started a (See References section.) salmon enhancement project that raises and releases over 150,000 salmon each 3. And more Information year. They've also worked with the They read newspapers and magazines Department of Fisheries to restore streams. from the library and checked with a local nature center to find out more about The biology students at Seaside High issues and events. They basically became in Seaside Oregon worked for a year to get experts. the city to designate part of the Necanicum estuary as a park. They then raised 4. Get training $7,000, designed the park with the help of They paid their own way, or sought an architect, made interpretive signs and funding for a variety of conferences, brochures, then, to top it all off, con- camps, and leadership workshops. structed the park facilites. 5. Broaden membership These students took action instead of They continually brought people aboard feeling powerless. They became involved. and within six months, expanded to 55 members.

114 6 Start a project This group has been effective, in part, They sponsored a local town Earth Sum- because of some fundamental operating rules mit meeting, began a cafeteria recycling that maximize the power of their group: project, and adopted their own wetland. Be for something. Being against some- 7. Record Involvement thing is not allowable; only positive They made slides, pictures, journals, and viewpoints are accepted. Extreme or portfolios of their activities that they used radical views are also not acceptable. in presentions for more funding. They also filmed and produced their own video. Know the issue. You can become the most knowledgeable person in your community on any topic, but remember to Tips from "The Monday Group" look at all the sides

"The Monday Group," an environmental Be persistent. Environmental problems education class seminar in Florida is another are slow and painful to solve. Don't expect example of a group of students working a complete victory; small victories are together to solve environmental problems in what count. their community. This class meets for a full day, every other Monday. Each year the O Know your allies and enemies. Use group selects a project to focus their efforts positive energy from those who support on. In past years they have facilitated the you, and try to neutralize the energy of purchase and protection of a cypress swamp, those who don't. helped solve a conflict between the EPA and the local power company over the effects of O Treat people as individuals. Stereotyping their canal discharge system on the local prevents solutions. manatee population, and assisted the county in drawing up new development regulations If you fail, recycle. Re-use all the knowl- protecting the southern bald eagle population. edge you gained, pinpoint why it didn't work, then re-do it (without blaming or scapegoating something else).

115

1 2 G Know the Issues

Estuaries are affected by many human Before you tackle an issue or let activities. Many of those activities are a result decision makers know how you feel, you need of ordinary people (not "bad guys")-- people to be well informed. Find out all you can trying to operate an industry, maintain high- about your issue first. Become an expert. The ways, grow food, make a living. Below is a following steps will help you in your research. list of issues facing estuaries. Some are "hot" items. Some may only be "warm." All of 1) Find out why estuaries are important to them are showing up in newspapers around people and wildlife. Start by reading this Puget Sound. Look over the list and discuss it book if you haven't already done so. in class. What does your class know about these issues as they relate to estuaries? Are 2)Go to the library and look through news- any of the issues of concern in your commu- papers and magazines. Try to find the nity? Is there a problem in your estuary? history of the issue. What is the prob- Choose a topic that interests you. The issues lem? Does it involve a conflict between can serve as topics for small group or indi- different interests? vidual research projects, or the whole class may investigate one topic together. 3)Find out what the existing regulations are concerning your issue (not an easy task!). Salmon There is no single law that governs Water Rights estuaries, nor any single agency that Water Conservation regulates all estuary matters. Rather, Property Rights there are a number of laws which pertain, Oil Transportation at least in part, to estuary issues. These Forest Practices laws are administered by several different Commercial Fishing agencies, each with specific responsibili- Non-native Species ties and jurisdiction. To make things Growth Management even more complicated, these agencies Wetland Mitigation represent all three levels of government -- Native American Rights federal, state, and local. The following Shellfish Contamination overview of major regulations pertaining Household Hazardous Waste to wetlands may send you in the right Shoreline Development direction (see page 118). Remember, Non-point Pollution wetlands regulations are changing fre- Agricultural Runoff quently these days.

116 4) What government agencies are involved? the "other side" of the issue, beopen to Call an agency and ask.(See the "Re- their point of view. sources" section or the blue pages ofyour phone book for a listing of agencies.) 6)Call environmental organizations suchas When you call or write, be specific about the National Audubon Societyor People the information you need. "I'm a high for Puget Sound who might be following school student researching .Is your issue. They are usually up-to-date your agency involved in ? Can on current legislation affecting estuaries. you direct me to any regulations concern- (See Resources section.) ing ? Who else might have information?" 7)Organize your information and givea class presentation. Remember topresent 5) Utilities, industries, and private interests all the different views. You'venow done like developers may have important your homework and are ready to make information. Even if they seem to beon some changes.

117 Regulation Description Agency

Federal Clean Requires a permit for placement of all dredge and U.S. Army Corps Water Act fill materials, and covers all the waters of the of Engineers/EPA Section 404 United States, including most wetlands.

Federal Clean Requires certification from the state that any Department of Water Act materials discharged into a wetland under a Ecology Section 401 federal permit mzet state water quality standards.

Federal River Requires a permit for all construction activities U.S. Army Corps and Harbor Act in navigable waters, including wetlands within of Engineers Section 10 those waters.

State Shoreline Requires a permit to ensure that proposed activity Local jurisdiction/ Management Act complies with local shoreline master plan; includes Department of all land within 200 feet of ordinary high water mark Ecology of a state shoreline, and may be extended to include an entire associated watershed.

State Hydraulic Requires a permit for all work that occurs below State Depts. of Code the ordinary high water mark of state waters, of Fisheries including portions of wetlands. and Wildlife

State Requires full disclosure of the potential adverse environ- Usually a local Environmental mental effects of any proposed actions; applies to all agency Policy Act (SEPA) federal, state, and local actions and all wetlands.

National Requires full disclosure of the potential effects of Usually federal Environmental proposed federal action; applies to all wetlands agency issuing permit Policy Act (NEPA)

Federal Requires a notice of consistency with the state coastal Department of Coastal Zone zone management plan as a condition of federal support Ecology Management Act of local activities; covers Washington's 15 coastal counties and the wetlands within them.

Floodplain Regulates construction and other activities that Local jurisdiction s Management might increase flood flow; covers wetlands and Department of Program incidentally. Ecology

Local May require permits for various activities. May Local jurisdiction Regulations identify specific wetlands or performance standards.

118 Write, Write, Write!

Now that you've researchedyour issue, 4. Explain the problem andyour feelings you can begin making things happen. People about it, but keep the letter short who make changes happen need (one to hear from page). Be specific. For example: YOU! Your parents, teachers, "I am or a librarian concerned that the shopping mall can help you to identify your representative in planned in my community will destroy Congress or the state legislature. valuable Depending wetlands nearby." Or, "Iam writing to on your issue, you may also want to write to show my support for billno. someone on your county council, themayor of which states..." and then say why your city or town, your state's you governor or support it. other government officials. Keepup with the news about legislation. If a bill has been 5. If you have a reasonable solution proposed that deals with in mind, your issue, write and state it. Ask what the person feels let your legislator know about it cart be before the bill done about the problem, and ask comes up for a vote. for a response. Be sure that your address appears on the letter, in case the envelope No matter what the issue or whoyou is lost. write to, you'll be more successfulif you follow these simple rules: 6. Ask someone to checkyour grammar and spelling. Type or write the final 1. Do your homework. Be certain that letter on you clean paper withouterrors. understand the issue andcan discuss it clearly. 7.If you do not get aresponse in a few weeks, write a second letter, 2.Make a list of what briefly re- you want to say stating what your first letter said. before you start to write. If this doesn't work, don't give up! Tryanother representative. 3. Use language that shows thatyou are courteous and respectful of the person to Adapted with permission from WOW! whom you are writing. Thank him : or her The Wonders of Wetlands, Britt for taking the time to read your letter. Eckhardt Slattery, Environmental Concern, Inc., 1991.

119

17x Speaking Your Mind

If you have carefully researched a solicit public input (your input)? Not all problem and feel that something should be meetings include a time for you to share done about it, there are many ways to make your views. If this is the case, the meet- sure your voice is heard. You can bring up an ing may still be a good place for you to issue before a government body such as your gather information and see other people's city council, county board, or even state perspectives. Who and how many are legislature. Another very effective place to expected to attend? "speak your mind" is a public hearing. 2. Know exactly what the topic is and be A public hearing is a meeting sched- sure to address that topic. uled by an agency or organization in order to gather information from the public as well as 3. Research the issue. (See p. 116-118.) to provide information to the public. Meet- ings have different formats, but the most 4. Prepare your presentation. Outline the common structure is to schedule part of the points you want to make before you meeting for public input. At that time, speak- speak. A section on "Power Speeches" in ers will be asked to come forward and present The Kid's Guide to Social Action by their views. This could be you! Decision Barbara A. Lewis has some great tips for makers are often required to consider public preparing an effective presentation. You input when dealing with an issue. One good don't need to limit yourself to "talk." presentation (especially from a young person) Handouts, visual aids like slides or post- can have a great deal of influence. In fact, one ers, and petitions can make your presenta- well prepared and informed high school tion more effective. student will attract attention that the decision makers can't ignore. 5. Know your time limit: Lots of people come with too much to say, and run out of Before you go to a meeting time before they get to the main point. Remember the Gettysburg Address? That 1. Know why the meeting was called. Is it a three-minute speech changed the course regularly scheduled meeting dealing with of American history. Short can be better. more than one topic? Was it called to Make clear, succinct points and back give information and answer questions? them up with stories or instances. You Is it a panel presentation with time for may also want to allow time for ques- questions and answers? Is it being held to tions.

120 6. If you think it would help yourcause to have media coverage, you can inform and address on any handouts.) Speakup. local newspapers, radio and TV stations Your views are important and shouldbe that you will be presenting. heard.

At the Meeting 4.Stay until the end of the meeting. This will demonstrate your desire to listenas 1. Arrive on time and get yourname on the well as to be heard. list of speakers. 5.Keep your cool. Thingsmay get hot 2.Be polite. Pay close attention to what when emotions misconstrue issues into others say, especially if their views differ polarized sides. The resulting outbursts from yours. You may want to takenotes. are usually counter-productive. If you Use this time to gather more information. look at the issue as a problem to be solved together rather than a fight to bewon, you 3. When it is your turn to speak, identify will make a greater contributionto the yourself clearly so that you can be decision making process. reached in the future. (Includeyour name

(

121

126 Resources

Field Guides Yates, Steve. marinc_wildilksgzugaLizmd, the San Juans. and the Strait of Georgia. Angell, Tony and Kenneth C. Balcomb Connecticut: The Globe Pequot Press, Marine Birds and Mammals of Puget 1988. Sound. Seattle: Puget Sound Books, 1982. Water Monitoring Equipment

Coulombe, Deborah. The Seaside Naturalist. Monitoring Manuals New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1984. Fisher, Nina, ed. The Monitor's Hanalook. Flora, Charles and Eugene Fairbanks, M.D. Chesterfield, Maryland: LaMotte Com- Tht_saund_anitalga. Bellingham, pany, 1992. Wahsington: Western Washington Press, 1982. Stapp, William B. and Mark K. Mitchell. ld Manual for Water Qua lkv Monitor- Kozloff, Eugene. Seashore Life of the North- ing.Dexter, Michigan: Thompson- ern Pacific Coast, Seattle, Washington: Shore Printers, 1991. University of Washington Press, 1983. HACH Company Newell, G.E. and R.C. Newell. Marine PO Box 608 Plankton: A Practical Guide. London: Loveland, Colorado 80539 Hutchinson and Company, Ltd., 1979. 1-800 227-4224

Smith, Deboyd. A Guide to Marine Coastal D.O. Test Kit -- Model OX-2P Plankton and Marine Invertebrate Larvae. Cat. No. 1469-00 Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1977. Total Phosphate Test Kit-- Model P0- 24, Cat. No. 2250-01 Snively, Gloria. auks:lag the Seashore of British Columbia. Washington ansl Low-range Nitrate Test Kit-- Model Oregon. Vancouver, B.C.: Gordon NI-14, Cat. No. 14161-00 Sou les Book Publishers Ltd., 1978.

Pais 113ei r ) 1 VWR Scientific Marine Aquarium Guides PO Box 3551 Seattle, WA 98124 James, Daniel E. Carolina_Marine Aquaria. 1-800 333-6336 Carolina Biological Supply Co., 2700 York Road, Burlington, North Carolina Salinity Meter - Model 33 S-C-T 27215, 1974. 24 pp.

D.O. Meter -- Model 57 King, John M. and Stephen Spotte. Marine Aquariums in the Researci) Laboratory. La Motte Chemical Products Co. Aquarium Systems, Inc., 33208 Lakeland P.O. Box 329 Blvd., Eastlake, Ohio 44094, 1974. 39 Chestertown, MD 21620 PP. 1-800 344-3100 Straughan, Robert P.L. The Salt-Water Seechi Disk -- Cat. No. 0171 Aquarium in the Home, 2nd edition. New York: A.S. Barnes and Company, 1970. Turbidity Test Kit -- Cat. No. 7519 TTM

Water Sampler -- Model JT-1 Cat. No. 1077

pH Pocket Tester -- Cat. No. 1755

Millipore (phone orders only) (415) 952-1740

Fecal Coliform Test Equipment

Research Nets Inc. 14207 100th NE Bothell, WA 98011 (206) 821-7345

Plankton Nets Baasuirsealsalavirkamentai Yates, Steve. Adoptinga Wetland:.A.liorth.: Action west Guide. Everett: Adopt a Stream, 1989. (206)388-3313. Adler, Allan Robert. A Step-by-Step Guideto lisingliie Freedom of Information Act, Washington State Department of Ecology. Washington, D.C.: American Civil Wetland Regulations Guidebook, Publi- Liberties Union, 1992. (202) 544-1681 cation #88-5. Washington State Depart- rnent of Ecology, 1988. (206)438-7472. Hansen, Nancy, et. al. Conirsglinglism-Toim source Water Ouality Pollution: A Citizen's Handbook. Washington, D.C.: Qovernment Agencies World Wildlife Fund, 1988.* U.S. Environmental Protection Agency King, Jonathan. Nalbmea_cagrathQsALA Region 10 Regional Guide to Protecting and Pre- 1200 - 6th Ave. OEA, A0-143 serving ouCnvironment. Seattle: Seattle, WA 98101 Sasquatch Books, 1991. (206) 441-6202. (206) 553-1107 or (800) 424-4EPA.

Lewis, Barbara A. _The Kid's Guide tcdocial U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Action: How to Solve the Social Prob- 3704 Griffin Lane SE, Suite 102, kralioLchoot z_z_aathiunIcrratiit Olympia, WA 98501 Thinking into Positive Action. Minne- (206) 753-9440 apolis: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc., 1991.* Washington State Department of Ecology Northwest Regional Office Paulson, Gerald A. Wetlands and Water 3190 - 160th Ave, SE Quality: A Citizen's Handbook for Pro- Bellevue, WA 98008 tecting Wetlands. Washington, D.C.: (206) 649-7000 EPA. 1-800-832-7828. Washington State Department of Natural Training Student Organizers (TSO) Resources Council on the Environment, Inc. 919 North Township St. 51 Chambers St. Room 225 Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 New York, NY 10007. (206) 956-0083

Washington State Department of Wildlife Yates, Steve. Adopting a Stream: A North- 16018 Mill Creek Blvd. west Handbook. Everett: Adopt a Mill Creek, WA 98012 Stream, 1988. (206)388-3313. (206) 774-8812

* available at your bookstore.

Podia 125

1_ rj Washington State Office of Environmental The GREEN Project Education Global Rivers Environmental Education 17011 Meridian Avenue North, Room 16 Network Seattle, WA 98133-5531 University of Michigan (206) 542-7671 School of Natural Resources 430 E. University Ave. Dana Building Puget Sound Water Quality Authority Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1115 MS PV-15 International clearing-house, including tele- Olympia, WA 98504-0900 communications, on water quality issues. (206) 493-9156 or (800) 54-SOUND Nisqually River Education Project Chris Maun Organizations Ye 1m School District PO Box 476 Audubon Society Ye 1m, WA 98597 See phone book for your local chapter. (206) 458-6137 An inter-district watershed education effort YMCA Earth Service Corps including water quality monitoring, natural 909 Fourth Ave. and cultural history, and economics. Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 382-5013 Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators Organizes and supports environmental action for information, contact: clubs in schools. Padilla Bay NERR 1043 BayView-Edison Rd. Environmental Education Association of Mt. Vernon, WA 98273 Washington (206) 428-1558 EEAW Educators and enthusiasts interested in marine PO Box 4122 and aquatic education. NAME is the regional Bellingham, WA 98227 chapter of the National Marine Education A network of individuals and organizations Association (NMEA). committed to environmental education. Mem- bers include: teachers, Educational Service People for Puget Sound Districts, students, public agency employees, 1326 Fifth Ave. # 450 tribal representatives. Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 382-7007 Citizen's group that protects the health of the Sound through education and advocacy.

126 Puget Sound Alliance , Marine Education Foundation 130 Nickerson St. Suite 107 P.O. Box 3110 Seattle, WA 98109 Blaine, WA 98230 (206) 286-1309 (206) 332-8833 Public membership organization concerned New interpretive center. Completion sched- with the health of Puget Sound. Workshops, uled for Spring 1993. speakers, special programs. Nisqually Reach Nature Center Pure Sound Society 4949 D'Milluhr Road NW P.O. Box 526 Olympia, WA 98506 Vashon Island, WA 98070 (206) 459-0387 (206) 463-5607 New building under construction. Completion Curriculum, posters, field trips, teacher train- scheduled for Summer 1993. ing, newsletter, story-telling presentations. Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium Washington Environmental Council 5400 North Pearl Street 5200 University Way NE Tacoma, WA 98407 Seattle, WA 98105 (206) 591-5335 (206) 527-1599 An exemplary zoo with aquarium. Education A non-profit group working on statewide programs available. issues through legislation and education. Pacific Science Center 200 Second Ave. PIacQs Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 443-2001 Bellingham Maritime Heritage Center V.Ast exhibits, educational programs, and 1600 "C" Street curriculum available, plus a bookstore. Bellingham, WA 98225 (206) 676-6806 Port Townsend Marine Science Center Salmon hatchery; education programs avail- Fort Worden State Park able. Port Townsend, WA 98368 (206) 385-5582 Discovery Park Touch tanks and education programs avail- 3801 West Government Way able. S-attle, Wa 98199 (206) 386-4236 Extensive urban park with a variety of shoreline habitats.

Peigg 230§ 1 ,)1." Poulsbo Marine Science Center Clean Water, Streams, and Fish 17771 Fjord Drive NE Washington State Office of Poulsbo, WA 98370 Environmental Education (206) 779-5549 17011 Meridian Ave N. Room 16 Marine center with comprehensive school Seattle, WA 98133-5531 programs. (206) 542-7671 An interdisciplinary secondary curriculum The Seattle Aquarium with units on salmonids, watersheds, and the Pier 59, Waterfront Park many social issues relating to these subjects. Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 386-4300 Coastal Zone Studies Extensive aquariums and exhibits; school Washington State Office of programs. Environmental Education 17011 Meridian Ave N. Room 16 The Whale Museum Seattle, WA 98133-5531 PO Box 945 (206) 542-7671 Friday Harbor, WA 98250 An in-depth janior and senior high school (206) 378-4710 curriculum for coastal areas, including estuar- Museum and research dedicated to whales; ies. curriculum for elementary grades. The Estuary, Book and others Washington State Office of Environmental Western Education Development Group Education University of British Columbia 17011 Meridian Avenue North, Room 16 Vancouver, B.C. CANADA V6T 1W5 Seattle, WA 98133-5531 This is one of a series of booklets on various (206) 542-7671 water habitats, with information and activities A resource center for environmental educa- geared for older students. tors; offers curriculum materials, films, videos and teacher workshops. The Estuary Study Program South Slough National Estuarine Re- Curricula search Reserve PO Box 5417 Aquatic Project Wild Charleston, OR 97402 Project Wild Coordinator (503)888-5558 Washington State Dept. of Wildlife An imaginative on-site program for upper 600 Capitol Way N. elementary and junior high school plus class- Olympia, WA 98501-1091 room activities for senior high school. (206) 753-5707 A compilation of diverse, interdisiplinary activities for all ages. Available through teacher workshops only.

128

.11_4) 4 Hanging on to Wetlands Sleuth: Educational Activitieson the Dis- Irwin Slesnick posal of Household HazardousWaste. Science Education Department METRO Western Washington University Exchange Bldg/ MS 81 Bellingham, WA 98225 821 2nd Ave. (206) 676-3647 Seattle, WA 98104 Interdisciplinary classroom and field activities (206) 684-1233 for studying wetlands. An activity guide for identifying,modifying, and disposing of household poisons. ORCA: Ocean Related Curriculum Activities Discover More Store The Stream Scene: Watersheds,Wildlife and Pacific Science Center People 200 Second Avenue North Oregon Department of Fish andWildlife Seattle, WA 98109 PO Box 59 (206) 443-2870 Portland, OR 97207 Five different books are available for high (503) 229-5400 ext. 432 school level. They are "American Poetry and A seven unit set of watershedcourse lessons, the Sea," "Marine Biology Activities," "Ma- teacher backgrounds, data sheets, issues,and rine Biology Field Trip Sites," "Marshes, stream investigation resources. Estuaries and Wetlands," and "Squallson Nisqually: A Simulation Game." Watershed Education Project Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Puget Sound Project: The Changing Sound PO Box 59 Marine Science Center Portland, OR 97207 17771 Fjord Drive N.E. (503) 229-5400 Poulsbc, WA 98370 An aquatic educationprogram publication. (206) 779-5549 Very thorough program examining Puget WOW!: The Wonders of Wetlands Sound water quality and water quality moni- Environmental Concern Inc. toring; content includes background informa- Education Department tion and student worksheets. P.O. Box P St. Michaels, MD 21663 The Seattle Aquarium Curriculum (410) 745-9620 The Seattle Aquarium A wetlands guide for teachers, K-12. Pier 59, Waterfront Park Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 386-4300 Curriculum for all grades, pre-K-12,to supplement visits to the Aquarium; teacher information, pre- and post-visit activities included.

Asa 129 Publications Estuary Arts and Literature Re- sources Magazines Books "Clearing: Nature and Learning in the P.'cific Northwest" Bartram, John. Travels through North and Environmental Education Project South Carolina Georgia ...Philadel- PO Box 751 phia: James & Johnson, 1791. Portland, OR 97207 Adventures from an early naturalist's (503) 656-0155 explorations of the Southeast lowlands. A valuable network of people and places, information on happenings, ideas, activities, Beston, Henry. The Outermost House. New and resources for teaching about the environ- York: Henry Holt, 1956. ment. Chronicles the thoughts from a solitary year spent on a Cape Cod beach. "Current: the Journal of Marine Educa- tion" Carson, Rachel. The Edge of the Sea. Bos- National Marine Educators Association ton: Houghton Mifflin, 1956. PO Box 51215 The celebrated marine biologist's view of Pacific Grove, CA 93950 the dynamic sea coast zone. (408)648-4841 Quarterly magazine of National Marine Conroy, Patrick. The Prince of Tides. Bos- Educators Association. Each issue focuses ton: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. on a marine topic. See Vol. 10, No. 1,1990, A passionate story of a family's life in the for issue on National Estuarine Research saltwater tidelands of South Carolina. Reserve System. Couffer, Jack and Mike. salt Marsh Summer. "Coastal Currents" New York: Putnam, 1978. Washington State Dept. of Ecology Collected stories from the residents of the Shorelands & CZM Program Black Bay salt marsh area. PO Box 47600 Olympia, WA 98504-7600 Dean, Jana. Wetland Tales. Olympia: (206) 459-6766 Washington State Department of Ecol- An excellent reference for information on ogy, 1992. water quality related events, organizations A compiliation of wetland stories. and issues. Gates, David Allan. Seasons of the Salt Maul Greenwich: Chatham, 1975. Explores the dynamics of the estuary.

130 Hedgpeth, Joel. The Outer Shores. Eureka: Warner, William. beautiful Swimmera. Mad River, 1978. Boston: Little, Brown, 1976 Journal entries and stories from the Pulitzer Prize winning look at the animals Ricketts /Steinbeck voyages of the and people of Chesapeake Bay. Pacific coast. Short Stories/Excerpts Lindbergh, Anne Morrow. gift From the Sea. New York: Pantheon, 1955. Cousteau, Jacques. "A Sea of Le.gends." In Personal meditations from the seashore. Jacques Co_usteau: The Ocean World. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1979. Manning, Harvey Williams. Walking the beach to Bellingham. Seattle: Madrona, Davis, Norah Deakin. "The Birdfoot Deita." 1986. In The Father of Waters- A Mississippi Adventures of a renowned walker. Chronicle. San Fransisco: Sierra Club, 1982. Michener, James. Climpgake. New York: Random House, 1978. Eiseley, Loren C. "The Star Thrower." In Four centuries of stories about the people, The Star Thrower. New York: Time oysters, crabs, and ducks of the bay. Books, 1978.

Reiger, George. Wanderer onmy Native Frost, Robert. "Sand Dunes." In West Run- Siam. New York: Simon and Schuster, ning Brook. New York: Henry Holt, 1983. 1928. A naturalist's personal guide and tribute to the ecology of the U.S. Atlantic coast. Frost, Robert. "West Running Brook."In West Running Brook. New York: Henry Steinbeck, John. The Log fro:like...Scala Holt, 1928. Cortu. New York: Viking, 1951. A writer's view of the famous scientific Hay, John. "The Common Night." InIh.Q expedition through the Gulf of Califor- gun.New York: Norton, 1979. nia. Hay, John. "In Front of the Sea." In In Dr,: Teal, John and Mildred. Life and Death of rose of Nature. Boston: Little, Brown, the Salt Marsh. Boston: Little, Brown, 1969. 1971. A look into the living cycles and history Leighton, Clare. "The Magic of the Flats." In of an Atlantic coast marsh. "Where the Land Meets Sea." In Sisters of the Earth, New York: Vintage, 1991.

131 Matthiessen, Peter. "The Restlessness of Stafford William. "At the Salt Marsh" and Shorebirds." In The Wind Birds, New "Sauvies Island." In Stories That Could, York: Viking, 1973. 13e True. New York: Harper and Row, 1977. Simon, Ann. "Wetlands." In Ilx_TjajnEAlg&, New York: Harper and Row, 1978. Snyder, Gary. "What Happened Here Before" and "Night Herons." In Turtle Island. Stuart, Floyd. "The Salt Marsh." The Atlantic, New York: New Directions, 1974. October, 1987. Whitman, Walt. "Seashore Fancies." ln Specimen Dkvs and Collect. Philadel- Poems phia: R Welsh, 1882.

Bogart_ Louise. "Night." In Ihz_111m.Q_Eataarz Thomas, Dylan. "Author's Prologue", "Poem jes. City: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1968. Th.Q_CalirsimaIn October" and "Over Sir John's hill." In Daley, Michael. "Evening" and "Unquiet: A 1934-1956. New York: New Directions, Notebook for the Submarine." In The 1957. Straits. Port Townsend: Empty Bowl, 1983. Wagoner, David. "An Offering from Dunge- ness Bay," "Return to the Swamp" and Hugo, Richard. "Duwamish Head," "At the "Driftwood." In In Broken Country. St Ili's Mouth," and "La Push." In acluded Boston: Little, Brown, 1979. Poems. New York: Norton, 1979. Whitman, Walt. "On the Beach at Night Lanier, Sidney. "The Marshes of Glynn." In Alone" and "As I Ebb'd with The Ocean agana. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 1945. of Life." In Leaves of Grass. Boston: Thayer & Eldridge, 1860. Martin, Connie. "Mud Bay." In The Shelter of the Roar. Cambridge: Yellow Moon Williamson, W.M. The Eternal Sea: An Press, 1979. Anthology of Sea Poetry. City: Books For Libraries, 1946. Mc Closkey, David. Mountains. Rivers. Sea ans.i.54;_liatura_EQ=Lfigmfaudislia. Seattle: Cascadia Institute (Unpublished Paintings as of 8/92). Bartlett, William Henry. "View of the Bay and Roethke, Theodore. "The Meditation at Oyster Harbor...." In Ilicliutagjigjiaa_alsji River," "The Rose," and "The Long jts Painters. By John K. Howatt. New Waters." In The Far Field, New York: York: Viking, 1972. Doubleday, 1964.

132 Cropsey, Jasper Francis. "Shad Fishing on the Pellew, John C. "A Salt Marsh," "Ipswich Hudson." In Jasper F. Crospey 1823- Marsh," and "Saugatuck Marsh." In 19QQ. By William S. Talbot. Washington, Painting Maritime Landscapes. New D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, York: Watson-Guptill, 1973. 1970. White, John. "Indians Fishing." In A Sense of Gifford, Sanford Robinson. "Sunset Over awe: The Artist and the American Land. New York Bay." In The Hudson River By A. Gussow. San Francisco: Friends of And its Painters. By John K. Howatt. the Earth, 1972. New York: Viking, 1972.

Gussow, Alan. "Rock Weed at Neap Tide." In Music A Sense of Place: The Artist and The American Land. San Francisco: Friends Debussy, Claude (1862-1918). "La mer." of the Earth, 1970. EMI, 1989.

Heade, Martin Johnson. "The Coming Storm." Smetana, Bedrich (1824-1884). "The In Heade. Martin Johnson 1819-1904., Moldau." Mercury, 1961. New York: Pantheon, 1948.

Homer, Winslow. "Watching the Harbor," Writing "Fishergirls on the Beach," and "Hudson River Logging." In Winslow Homer Macrorie, Ken. The I-Search Paper. Revised Watercolors. New Haven: Yale, 1986. Edition of Searching Writing.Ports- mouth: Boynton/Cook, 1988. Hunt, William Morris. "Sand Bank with Willows; Magnolia." In Art Life of William Morris Hunt. Boston: Little, Brown, 1900.

Jamison, Phillip. "Anthony's Fish House: Maine Marshland" and "Low Tide." In Capturing, Nature in Water Color. New York: Watson-Guptill, 1980.

Kensett, John Frederick. "Twilight on the Sound, Darien, Connecticut." In John Frederick Kensett Exhibition. New York: Eastern, 1968.

POI g 133 1:17 A Field Guide to Padilla Bay Organisms

Following is a description of organisms that are commonly found at Padilla Bay. The organisms have been arranged according to habitat rather than taxonomic classification. Remember that many animals move between several habitats, so someone listed with the eelgrass community may also be found on bare mud flats. Mud Snail-Batillaria attramentaria - This snail covers Padilla Bay's mudflats, though it can be rare in other areas of Washington. Its Mudflat Habitat thin, spiral shell is about 2.5 cm long and is decorated with bands of dark brown spots. It plows along the mud surface scraping up diatoms and detritus. Batillaria was accidentally introduced from Japan when the oyster industry began cultivating Japanese oysters.

DiatomsThough the mud may look barren, it is actually covered with microscopic, single- celled algae called diatoms. They are beauti- fully decorated, symmetrical cells enclosed in a silicon "shell". They contribute enormous amounts of organic material and oxygen to the NassariusNassarius fraterculusThis estuarine system. Diatoms can photosynthe- snail is smaller than Batillaria, with more size so quickly that they produce organic pronounced ridges running lengthwise across compounds faster than they can assimilate the spirals. Its shell has an obvious notch on them. The compounds are exuded into the the aperture (opening) through which it ex- water where they become available to other tends its "inhalent siphon." microscopic organisms such as bacteria. Look for an oil-like sheen on the mud suface or a brownish foam along the shore and you'll know that diatoms have been busy. g /3 0 Bent-nosed Clam -Macoma nasuta - The Mud ClamMya arenaria - Also called the bent valves of this clam make it easy to "soft-shelled clam", this clam reaches about identify. It is about 5 cm long and is white 10 cm in length and burrows down in the mud with a brown covering. The periostracum is to about 20 cm. IL shell is white or gray, with the covering over the shell which gives it its brown or black shades around the edges. The color. This is often rubbed off, so older clams mud clam in a "gaper", unable to completely tend to be whiter than younger ones. close its shell at the neck. Macomas have separate orange siphons (inhalent and exhalent).

Littleneck-ClamProtothaca staminea - This is the common "steamer" found in Pacific or Japanese Oyster-Crassostrea restaurants and grocery stores. Its heavy, gigasThis is a large oyster, imported from round shell is marked by ridges which run Japan in the early 1900s. It rarely spawns both radially and concentrically. Its siphon is here in the Pacific Northwest (the water is too very short (hence the name littleneck) so it is cold), so oyster growers must continually limited to life just under the mud surface. bring in spat (microscopic larval stage) from Japan to replenish their beds. Along with this oyster spat came many other organismsthe oyster drill snail, Ocenebra japonica, the mud snail, Batillaria auramentaria, and Japanese eelgrass, Zostera japonica. Native Oyster -Ostrea luridaReaching AmphipodThere are about 35 different only about 5 cm, the native oyster is espe- species of amphipods in Padilla Bay. They cially sensitive to pollution. It is good to eat, are tiny crustaceans resembling a shrimp. The though its small size limits its commercial common "sand flea" found in beach wrack is value. Its shell is rough and gray and often one kind of amphipod. Others are associated found under rocks. It doesn't have the "fluted" with certain algae and are bright green in edge found on the Pacific oyster. Oysters, like color. The small, brown amphipod found in clams and mussels, filter plankton and detritus tidal pools in the mud eats the detritus that from the estuary water. accumulates there. Amphipods range in size from microscopic to 3 cm.

Burrowing Anemone-Anthopleura arte- misia This mudflat inhabitant buries its column in the mud and attaches to pebbles or Mud ShrimpUpogebia pugettensis- The shells. Only the tentacles can be seen at the "excavator" of the mudflats, this mud shrimp surface. The burrowing anemone can reach 5 digs extensive burrows in the mud whichare cm in diameter though much smaller speci- then used by many other organisms. The mens can be found in Padilla Bay. The color shrimp is about 6-8 cm long with a soft, bluish varies from white to olive. shell.It uses its feathery pinchers to trap detritus loosened by leaf-like "spinnerettes" under its abdomen. The similar ghost shrimp (Callianassa californiensis) is pink in color with one pincher much longer than the other.

137 It tends to live in sandier mud, though both shrimp can be found together. Clams, worms, crabs, copepods and isopods associate with the mud shrimp.

Mud Nemertean or Ribbon Worm- Tongue or acorn worms -Saccoglossus Paranemertes peregrina - This dark brown- sp. - These worms leave fine, almost hair-like purple worm slides along the mud surface on fecal castings on the mud surface. The worm its track of slime. It is carnivorous, feeding on itself is 10 to 20 cm long with three distinct smaller polychaete worms which it subdues body regions. The anterior section is yellow- with venom before swallowing them whole. orange and resembles a tongue. The last section is brownish, long and very fragile. Between the two is a narrow band or collar where the mouth is located. Tongue worms eat mud (and its associated organic matter) with the help of the mucus-covered "tongue".

Polychaete Worms -This group of worms is well represented on the mudflats. Polychaetes are made of many segments, each with "parapodia", leg-like structures on each side. Many are microscopic or seldom seen. Others, like those listed below, are conspicuous members of the mudflat community.

138

.1 OphiodromusOphiodromus pugeuensis- This small, reddish-brown polychaete can be found swimming, serpentine-style, in the mud "puddles" left behind by the tide. It is omnivorous, eating diatoms, small crustaceans and detritus. Ophiodromus is often found living commensally on certain sea stars. An adult is about 20 mm long.

Lug Worm -Abarenicola pacficum- I ig worms are the size and same general shape as earthworms, and perform much the same function in the mud. They are detritivores, digesting organic matter found among particles of sand and mud. Their burrows bring oxygen rich water into the often anaerobic mud. They leave spaghetti-like fecal castings on the mud surface which are easily recognized. Two rows of bright red gills give the lug worm a "decorated" appearance. Starry FlounderPlatichthys stellatus This flat fish skims along the mudflat eating crustaceans, worms and small fish. The starry flounder is one of the few flat fish which can have both eyes on either the right side or left side.It is born with an eye on each side. After about 2 weeks, one eye begins to "migrate" to the opposite side and the fish lies down on the eyeless side.

139

A (") r(-2 (

Eelgrass Habitat

EelgrassZostera marina and Zostera japonica - Native eelgrass (Z. marina) is a Epiphytic algaeMany different species of bright green grass, about 5-10 mm wide and algae use eelgrass as a substrate.Microscopic up to 2 m long. It plays avital role in the diatoms cover the surface of the blade.The Padilla Bay ecosystem, stabilizing sediments, red algae, Smithora naiadum, grows onthe producing oxygen and organic materials, and edges of the blades in small, thin sheetsthat providing valuable habitat to many species of sometimes prevent sunlight from reachingthe invertebrates, fish and birds. It is a true eelgrass. Ulva, or sea lettuce, often attaches to flowering plant, producing small yellow the base of the eelgrass, forming an"under- flowers between its blades. Zostera japonica, story". These algae attract a host of animals, imported accidentally from Japan with the creating a microcosm within the estuary and tends to oyster industry, is much smaller system. grow higher in the intertidal zone.Together, they cover over 7,000 acres of Padilla Bay's mudflat.

140 tentacles. Several species of nudibranchs are also consumers of hydroids.

Bryozoans- These colonial animals often grow on eelgrass blades in round, white patches. They build tiny, regularly-shaped boxes called zooids in which individual animals live. Their tentacles catch plankton and detritus passing by, and they can with- draw into their "houses" for protection. They are food for certain species of nudibranchs or Brooding Anemone -Epiactus prolifera - "sea slugs". This small anemone is common on eelgrass blades where it feeds on plankton, small crustaceans, and detritus. It is marked by white stripes on its column and "oral disk" and ranges in color from red to brown to green. Its eggs are fertilized in its digestive cavity. The larvae pass through the mouth and down the column where they attach and grow. Hence the name, brooding anemone.

Hydroids- Like bryozoans these, too, are colonial animals though individual hydroids are much more specialized. The hydroid colony looks much like a clump of branching algae but examination with a hand lens or microscope will reveal tentacles for feeding and budding reproductive structures at the tips of the "branches". One comt.-ton hydroid on eelgrass blades, Obelia dichotoma, is usually accompanied by caprellid amphipods (skeleton shrimp) which seem to feed on the :,

141 Bubbleshell -Haminoea vesicula This Opalescent Nudibranch -Phidiana snail relative looks something like a cross crassicornis - This nudibranch is common in between a snail and a sea slug. It has a thin eelgrass beds as well as in other habitats. It is shell which is nearly covered by the mantle, covered with orange-tipped plumes called making its appearance much more "sluggish". cerrata which may act like gills. Phidiana eats It forages along eelgrass blades and the mud a variety of foods including hydroids,other surface scraping up food with its tongue-like molluscs, eggs, and bits of detritus. It can radula. It lays ribbon-shaped masses of incorporate the stinging cells from the hy- yellow eggs attached to eelgrass blades. droids it eats into its cerrata, most likely as a defense. Its ruffled, pink egg masses are often found among the eelgrass blades.

Taylor's Sea Slug -Phyllaplysia taylori - Hooded Nudibranch -Melibe leonina This attractive, green sea slug is perfectly This strange looking, colorless nudibranch camouflaged to hide on eelgrass. It lies flat moves slowly around the eelgrass bedscatch- between the blades when the tide is low, and ing small crustaceans with its fringed "oral can be difficult to find in spite of prolific hood". It can grow up to 10 cm long and is numbers. Its clear eggs are laid in rectangular able to swim (somewhat) using thrashing patches on the eelgrass, making them even movements. It can also fill its hood with air harder to spot than Phyllaplysia. and float to a new location.

142

1 4 Lacuna variegataA tiny snail often found Skeleton Shrimp-This odd-looking crusta- on eelgrass blades, this herbivore scrapes cean is actually a type of amphipod called a diatoms and bacteria from the plant surface caprellid amphipod. It hooks its hind legs with its radula. It can also consume eelgrass onto eelgrass and with a "bowing" motion, tissue, though its small size limits the damage picks up bits of detritus, diatoms, and hydroids can do. Lacuna's yellow eggs are laid in with its front claws. Club-like gills protrude donut-shaped rings and are often seen on from the thoracic segments, and females also eelgrass washed up on the shore. have a "thoracic pouch" which is conspicuous when full of eggs. Skeleton shrimp are an important food source for juvenile fish.

Eelgrass Isopod-Idotea resecata - This crustacean is perfectly adapted to life in the eelgrass. Its shape and color blend in perfectly and its diet consists of eelgrass and algae. It swims gracefully from plant to plant, Helmet Crab-Telmessus cheiragonus- This avoiding fish predators. Females carry the hairy, bristly crab rambles around the eelgrass eggs and then the young until they are large and kelp beds feeding on algae. It can be enough to survive alone. identified by its yellowish-greenish color when young and by six widely spaced points on each side of its carapace. Adults show a more orange or red color.

PelaY 143 s 14G Dungeness Crab -Cancer magister - This Decorator CrabOregonia gracilisThis is the target of crab pots, found in fish markets spider crab has a rough, triangular carapace on and restaurants throughout Puget Sound. which such colonists as algae, hydroids and Though the adults can be found in deep water, bryozoans easily grow. Its long, thin legs give juveniles tend to congregate in eelgrass beds. it a "spidery" look, and its delicate pinchers How they get there is still a mystery to re- can skillfully add to the "decorations". searchers, but it seems that the eelgrass habitat is critical to the abundance of this commercial species. This crab feeds on small clams, crustaceans, worms, and even fish. Its carapace is gayish brown, sometimeswith a purple tinge.

Snail Worm- Spirorbis sp.This tiny polychaete builds a coiled, calcareous tube on the surface of rocks, eelgrass, and algae. Its red tentacles catch plankton and detritus, and are quickly withdrawn when disturbed.

144 5

Threespine stickleback-Gasterosteus aculeatus - This adaptable fish is found in both fresh and salt water and i:- a common M4.7.11,14Ms "ArtIV,von V.AWNW.A.13ow inhabitant of eelgrass meadows. Under 4" long, this small, sturdy-looking fish eats a wide range of foods from smaller fish to tiny crustaceans and planktonic larvae of crabs and GunnelSeveral different species of gun- barnacles. They, in turn, are food for seals, nels are found in Padilla Bay eelgrass habitat. larger fishes, and birds. Notice the prominent The long, compressed body resembles that of dorsal "spines". an eel. Some gunnels reach 18", though 6"- 10" is more common. They eat small crustaceans and molluscs.

40-

Bay PipefishSyngnathus griseolineatus- A relative of the sea horse, the pipefish has a - Sculpin -Many members of the sculpin stiff, narrow body with an elongated "snout". family live in Padilla Bay, including the It can change ks color from green to brown to staghorn, silver-spotted, and grunt sculpin. match its eelgrass surroundings, and swims Sculpins are recognized by their "fat", blunt vertically, mimicking the swaying motion of heads and large pectoral fins. They tend to be the grass. The male incubates the eggs and slow and lethargic, "sitting" on the muddy broods the young in his brood pouch. Pipefish bottom and waiting for food rather than eat small crustaceans by sucking them into pursuing it. their mouths like a vacuum.

145 14S Salmon Oncharhyncus sp.The bay is used Perch - Two part-time residents of Padilla by migrating juvenile chinook, coho, pink, and Bay are the striped and shiner perch -- oval chum salmon from the Skagit and Samish and silvery fish -- that eat skeleton shrimp Rivers and nearby creeks. They feed mostly and other small crustaceans living on the on copepods and arnphipods living on or near eelgrass. They vary in size from 6" to 15" and the bottom. Adult salmon frequent the bay in often move out to deeper water in the winter. late summer, waiting for fall rains to improve access to the rivers.

Pacific Herring - Clupea harengusPadilla Bay is a major holding area for herring. Adults span in late winter, laying great masses of sticky eggs on eelgrass, kelp, and rocks in the bay. The young feed on copepods, various larvae and young fish, all abundant in Padilla Bay. (Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Supply and Services Canada, 1992. See credits at the end of this section.)

146 Rocky Habitat "their rock" enabling them to seal water inside their shell during low tides. Limpets return to the same spot after foraging.

Periwinkle -Littorina sp. - Look for this Bay Mussel -Mytilus edulis This edible small, dark snail on rocks high in the intertidal bivalve attaches to rocks and eelgrass with zone. A close examination may reveal a strong, elastic "byssus threads". It feeds on checkered pattern on the shell, indicating the plankton by "inhaling" water through the checkered periwinkle, L. scutulata. The slightly open shells and filtering out the similar but slightly rounder Sitka periwinkle microscopic food with ciliated gills. Its color lacks the checkered markings. Periwinkles ranges from brown to blue-black. can survive long periods out of water. They feed on microscopic algae as well as larger forms such as sea lettuce.

Limpets -Many different species of limpets Shore Crab-Hemigrapsus sp. - This small, graze on the rocks near the Padilla Bay shore. tough-looking crab is found under rocks, high These snail relatives scrape algae from the in the intertidal zone. Two species, one red rock and mud surface with a rough tongue-like and one green, are found in Padilla Bay. Both radula. Their shell fits exactly to one site on have a square carapace and proportionately large pinchers. Shore crabs are scavengers. Taylor's sea slug skeleton shrimp snail worm periwinkle

Amy Han: artist mud snail littleneck clam bent-nosed clam Pacific or Japanese oyster amphipod mud shrimp mud nemertean lug worm starry flounder brooding anemone opalescent nudibranch Hermit CrabPagurus sp.This well- hooded nudibranch known inhabitant of rocky tidepools also Lacuna variegara frequents the eelgrass meadows and estuary eelgrass isopod shores. A hermit crab has a soft, unprotected helmet crab Dungeness crab abdomen which it keeps in an empty snail decorator crab shell. As the crab grows, it must also change gunnel shells to accomodate its larger size. Its two bay pipefish pinchers are different sizes, and are used in threespine stickleback obtaining food and for defense. sculpin perch limpet Credits for Illustrations for this Section bay mussel shore crab Rebecca Hyland: artist hermit crab diatoms Nassarius Salmon credit: mud clam native oyster Thanks to the Washington State DF.vartment of Fisher- burrowing anemone ies. tongue worm polychaete Herring credit: Ophiodromus eelgrass Thanks to Fisheries and Oceans Canada. From the epiphytic algae book, Pacific Fishes of Canada, by J.L. Hart, Ottawa: bryozoans Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 1973. Repro- hydroids duced with the permission of the Minister of Supply bubbleshell and Services Canana, 1992.

148 Reproducible Masters

This section includes illustrations, maps, and other graphics which can be used to make student handouts or overhead transpar- encies.

The following are included:

1. Padilla Bay watershed map 2. Padilla Bay habitat map 3. Padilla Bay land use map 4. Pacific Northwest coast 5. Chesapeake Bay 6. North America colliding with micro- continent. 7. Puget Lobe of glacier 8. Former marshland (before diking) 9. Seattle, before and after 10. Spring tide/neap tide diagram 11. Common Padilla Bay organisms,p. 1 12. Common Padilla Bay organisms,p. 2

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Aoorn or Tongue worm, Satxoplossus sp. (15-20cm, 3 body parts) Lugworm, Abaranicola pacific. Polychsete worms (8-10cm) (many species, sagmanted)

Pod worm, Ophiodromus pugattansis Bubble shalt, Naminoos vasicula (small, 2crn, dark reddish brown) (2-9.5cm, on mud or aelgrass)

Opalescant nudibranch, Phidiana crassicornis (34cm, orange-bppod plumes) Taylor's sea slug, Phyllaplysia taylori 4Cm, groan, on ifolgrass)

Nassanus tratrculus Lacuna variagata (tiny, c7mm, lives on aelgrus) Pacific oystar, Cfassostrall gigas Mud snail or Auger shall, Ban liana attramentaria

Lltdanack. Protothaca staminsa Bant nose, Macorna nausuta Soft-shell or Mud clam, (6cm long) (5cm iong) Bay mussel. Myti lus adult's Mya antnana (up 1010cm long) (6cm)

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1 Uti'-- Common Padilla Bay Organisms

Caramium pacificum Ee 'grass. Rockwood, Fucus distichus (red, branching dumps) Zostera marina and Zostra japonica (dant, olive groan) (native Z. marinagrows to 2m, imponed Z. japonicato 15cm tall and 2mm wide.)

Sea lettuce, Ulva tenestrata (bright green, transparent sheets)

Confetti, Enteromorpha intastinalis (very large, brown sheets) (lumpy, hollow. green tubes)

Brooding anemone, Eptactus prolifera Amphipod (on imtlgrass. carries young on column) (many species, microscopic to 3cm)

Etilgrass isopod, Idotea rmcata (4cm, green)

Hermit crab, Pagurus sp. Dungeness deb. Cancer magismr (to 20cm)

Mud shrimp. Upogabia pugettensis (to 10cm)

Bristlo or Helmut crab. Tirnessus cheiragonus (long legs but smaller cesapace to 6cm) Shore crab. Hemigrapsus sp. (small, to 4cm) Answers to Questions MONIM

Chapter 1 -- Estuary Formed Chapter 2 -- Estuary Settled

1. These factors might be considered: 1. The population was devastated by Euro- geologic formation, physical shape, pean diseases. salinity, tidal action, circulation, chemical make-up of the water 2.Though the land itself was given away, the right to use rocks, trees, berries, 2. Hood Canal - fjord animals, water, fish, etc., was not given Chesapeake Bay coastal plains away. As these resources are now Columbia River - bar built, coastal plains "owned" by others or are damaged or San Francisco - tectonic destroyed, the Natives have limited access (or even no access) to these resources. 3. Answers may include: plate tectonics or

continental plate colliding with micro- 3. Spain, England, U.S., Samish... continents, continental glaciation, sedimentation from erosion in surrounding 4.Settlers were attracted by easy access to mountains, changes in sea level resources such as home sites, food, transportation routes, lumber, etc.. 4.Active volcanoes and earthquakes, erosion of shorelines composed of glacial 5. 1925 -- Dike and reclaim for farmland. debris, sedimentation from rivers and Contractor went broke. other evidence not discussed in this 1930Oyster farming. Declined due to curriculum such as rebound from glacia- poor water quality and increased oyster tion. All are evidence of geologic pro- predation. Lack of nutrients, claimed by cesses seen today. the judge in 1941, is a questionable verdict but a reasonable answer to this 5. Answers will vary but could include question. change in sea level, another period of 1961 -- Industrial park. Faced public glaciation, further sedimentation, volcanic opposition, failed to obtain federal fund- and earthquake activity, erosion. ing. 1960s -- Housing development. New county regulations prevented development of this kind. Ad( 10,5q 1 6 7 1965 -- Second industrial co,nplex. Faced organisms which can't survive the public opposition, and finally county changes. regulations preventing this development. 4. Nutrients may be bound up chemically or 6. Answers will vary but could include: in plant or animal tissue. Few organisms common use of resources (Native Ameri- have access t6 the nutrients locked up in can and trappers), territory can beclaimed plant tissue. Bacteria make the nutrients and resources used by another country and energy available by breaking down (expansionism), a good place to settle plant and animal cells and compounds and own (settlers), a place containing into simpler materials. resources that can be harvested for capital gain, a place that can be changed for 5. mosteelgrass. leasthay another use, a habitat to be protected. 6. To get to the other side, but answers may 7.Edna Breazeale recognized a value in vary. Padilla Bay that would be lost if plans for development were realized. 7. When the salt content inside an organism's cells is lower than in the Chapter 3 -- Estuary Alive surrounding salt water, osmosis causes dehydration. 1. Answers will vary. 8. It evolved on land like other flowering 2. Answers could include: plants, then adapted to the marine sub- River ecosystem influences estuarine tidal zone. water quality and quantity, connected by migratory species. 9. It was introduced with oyster spat from Adjacent wetlands -- connected by water Japan. flow, fauna, affects water quality through filtering, slowing water movement, 10. Eelgrass is a source of food, oxygen, reducing flooding. detritus, habitat, sac substrate, and alagic_acsans&Qugoi receives sediment stabilization. nutrients and sediments, affects circulation, tidal action, climate, connected by 11. Bacteria make nutrients available by movements of water and migratory decomposing organic material in the animals. water and sediment. They also break down toxins. 3. Tides cause extreme ranges of temperature, salinity, oxygen, sunlight, dehydra- 12. Answers may include: eelgrass, mudflat, tion, etc. Severe conditions mean less under the mud, in the water column, salt competition and predation from those marsh, rocky shore, gravel shore.

176 I GE Chapter 4 -- Estuary Inspired rupt natural flow of sediment, disturb intertidal habitats, or simply don't work. These answers will vary. 8. It can replace native plants, destroy Chapter 5 -- Estuary Developed valuable shellfish habitat, and disrupt the existing sediment balance. 1. Estuaries have been diked for agriculture, dredged for navigation, filled for industry, 9. Answers will vary. housing, recreation, polluted by waste disposal, either incidental, accidental, or Activity 2 -- Plankton Activity intentional (pollution includes toxics, pathogens, organic matter, nutrients). 1. Net size affects what kinds of plankton are caught. Also, the plankton population 2. London -- Thames varies with the season and location in St. Petersburg -- Neva Puget Sound. Seattle -- Duwamish San Fransisco -- Sacramento & San 2. Upwelling of ocean currents at the conti- Joaquin nental shelf and input of large volumes of Washington D.C. -- Potomac water from rivers bring nutrients into the New York --- Hudson Puget Sound region that are scarce in open ocean. The higher temperatures in 3. Dredging may cause loss of habitat, shallow ba.) 4 also attribute to growth. increased turbidity, exposure to toxic sediments 3. Most of the phytoplankton are so small they pass through all but the finest mesh 4. Answers will vary. nets. They may also be too small to observe with a dissecting microscope. 5. Answers may include: construction, Time of year and location of sampling logging, urban development, irrigation, also affects numbers of plankton caught. hydroelectric plants, industrial outfall, improper disposal of household hazardous wastes, ... Activity 3 -- Water Quality Monitoring

6. desirable:water view, cool breeze, 1. Monitoring is used to get information beach access, solitude, high market value. about the "health" of a body of water, to undesirable:erosion, expensive, may be compare with future data to assess difficult to maintain a properly function- changes, to assess the damage of an event ing septic system, exposure to storms. like a toxic spill, to identify areas for further study, and to understand how 7. Many erosion control structures cause estuaries work. damage to neighboring properties, inter-

177 2. Answe s will vary, but this information is Fecal Coliform vital to decisions about sere, what, how, and why to establish a monitoring pro- 1. No gram with your class. 2. The presence of coliform bacteria indi- Temperature cates the possibility of the presence of other disease causing organisms. 1. Organisms depend on specific temperatures for their survival. Temperature 3. Septic systems malfunction due to old affects metabolism, photosynthetic rate, age, inadequate maintenence, or improper ability to fight off parasites and diseases, design for the site. All sewage treatment and dissolved oxygen levels. release some sewage into the water. Ideally, the body of water is able to 2. Usually warmer water floats because it is handle the waste without hazard. Prob- less dense, though cool fresh water could lems occur when circulation is disrupted float on warm salt water. or the volume of discharge is increased. This occurs if the system is old or too 3. Water temperature fluctuates with the small for the population and, in some time of day, current, tide, season, and cases, during periods of heavy rainfall. weather conditions. Many toxins are not removed by sewage treatment procedures. Dissolved Oxygen 4.First, repeat the test. Results have wide 1. Experiments must include a DO measure- variability, even at certified laboratories. ment before and after the manipulation of Contact your health department and ask each of the three variables. A control is for a certified test. See Activity 7, What also necessary. We Can Do for Estuaries.

2. DO levels will change due to:a. diffu- Nitrates and Phosphates sion between the sample and the air, b. changes in temperature, c. biological 1. Winter should have the highest nutrient action. level because heavy rainfall increases runoff of nutrients from the land while 3. Answers will vary but could include productivity (which removes nutrients reducing human sources of nutrients and from the water) is limited by low levels of organic matter, reduce water temperature sunlight and cool temperatures. In sum- (shade or change in industrial outflow), mer, nutrient levels are reduced when removal of obstructions such as dams runoff from rain decreases and primary which increase solar exposure and reduce productivity increases with increased currents that aerate the water. sunlight and temperatures.

178

.1"",4 ti 2. Excessive nutrients can cause a bloom of ground water causing salt water intrusion. algal growth. This may increase turbidity Diversion for irrigation or other usescan and increase BOD. reduce fresh water flow.

3. Fertilizer applied too heavily or during 5. A meter measures conductivity whilea heavy rains can run directly into surface hydrometer measures specific gravity or water. Many laundry detergents contain density. phosphates and not all phosphates are removed by current sewage treatment Turbidity methods. Nitrogen-rich manure pollutes surface water when stored improperly or 1. Turbidity is much higher in Skagit Bay if animals have direct access to streams, and more eelgrass is found in Padilla Bay. ponds, wetlands, or rivers. 2. Increased turbidity reduces the amount of 4. I.,00k for urban sewage treatment, septic light reaching plants, causing a decrease tanks, agriculture and some industries. in photosynthesis. It also slows animal development and growth. 5. Each test kit will list the hazardous chemicals it contains. All hazardous 3.Dredging, logging, agricultural, con- wastes should be collected, then disposed struction runoff, large numbers of phyto- of according the procedures of your city plankton, floods, heavy rains, strong or county. Call 1-800-RECYCLE for currents, and wave action all cause in- specific information. creased turbidity.

Salinity 4. Direct sunlight, strong current, obstiver error or inconsistencies. 1. Salt water is more dense than fresh water. pH 2. If the salt content inside the cells is less than that of the surrounding water, then 1. Any reading less than 7 osmosis will cause dehydration. 2. 100 times 3. 3.5% 3. False. Organisms tolerate changes in pH, 4.Diking prevents tidal waters from enter- but have limits to their range of tolerance. ing coastal lowlands. Wells remove fresh

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1 7 I' Glossary abiotic: non-living. coastal plains estuary: a former river valley which was "drowned" by the sea; usually wide adaptive radiation: the evolution of a spe- and shallow. cies into several related species with different specializations for different environments. crustacean: class of arthropods having a segmented body, chitonous exoskeleton, and aerobic: pertaining to oxygen. paired, jointed limbs. Includes lobsters, crabs, shrimps and barnacles. anaerobic: lacking oxygen; able to live in the absence of oxygen. delta: land form at the mouth of a river or inlet made of sediment either brought down- autotroph: an organism capable of manufac- stream with the river or brought in with the turing its own food by synthesis of inorganic tides. materials; a "produt_er." detritivore: an organism that feeds on detri- bar-built estuary: an estuary protected from tus. the ocean and formed by a bar of sediment stretching across a river mouth. detritus: fragments of decomposing plants and animals. biomass: total weight of plants or organisms per unit area. diatom: single-celled alga consisting of two overlapping, symmetrical, silicon plates. biotic: pertaining to life or specific life conditions. dike: an embankment of earth and rock built to enclose lands from the tide, rivers, or carapace: a chitonous or bony shield cover- floods. ing the backs of some animals such as crabs. diking: the process of building a dike. chemotroph: an organism that obtains energy through chemical reactions involving inor- dinoflagellate: a group of planktonic produc- ganic compounds instead of light. ers having two flagella and an outer envelope made of cellulose.

1.1 I. 1 4, dredge: a type of machine used in deepening mantle: the outer membrane next to the shell harbors and waterways, and in underwater of molluscs. mining; to clean, deepen, or widen with a dredge. meroplankton: organisms that are plankton for only part of their life cycles. dredge spoils: refuse material removed from a dredging excavation. mollusc: phylum of invertebrates, usually unsegmented, with a head, foot, and visceral ebbing tide: an out-going tide. mass covered by a mantle (includes snails, clams, chitons, octopus). ecosystem: a distinct, self-supporting unit of interacting organisms and their environment. neap tide: a tide of lowest range; occurs at first and third quarter moons. embayment: a bay or bay-like shape; the formadon of a bay. niche: the area of a habitat occupied by an organism. epiphyte: an organism that grows on another plant (for mechanical support but not for a omnivorous: eating both animals and plants. source of nutrients). organic: derived from living organisms. expansionism: the practice or policy of territorial or economic expansion, for ex- osmosis: the diffusion of a fluid through a ample, by a nation. semi-permeable membrane until it is of equal concentration on both sides. fjord: a long, narrow, often deep inlet from the sea bordered by cliffs or mountain slopes. oxidize: to combine with oxygen.

heterotroph: an organism that obtains energy phytoplankton: microscopic, floating pro- by ingesting organic substances. ducers.

holoplankton: organisms that remain plank- pile: a heavy beam of timber driven into the ton for their whole lives. earth as a foundation or support for a structure. indigenous: occurring or living naturally in an area; not introduced; native. planktonic: floating; part of the microscopic organisms floating in great numbers in fresh interstice: a narrow or small space between or salt water. parts (such as soil or sediment particles). Pleistocene epoch: recent geologic era characterized by the appearance and recession of the northern glaciers and the appearance of early humans.

1 82 proboscis: a slender, tubular feeding and tectonic: resulting from structural deforma- sucking structure of some insects and worms. tion in the earth's crust. radula: a flexible, tongue-like organ with thoracic: in or near the thorax. rows of horny teeth for scraping food. tideland: coastal land submerged during high sediment: material suspended in, or settled tide. out of, a liquid. toxic: harmful, destructive, or deadly poison- skidroad: a track made of logs used to haul ous. logs to a loading platform or mill. Treaty of Point Elliott: One of several slough: a stagnant swamp, marsh, bog,or treaties signed in Washington State in 1855 pond, especially as part of a bayou, inletor between the United States and various Indian backwater. Nations intended to secure peace and settle issues of land and resource use. spring tide: a tide having the greatest rise and fall, occurring at full and new moons. watershed: the region draining into a river, river system, or body of water. stratification: arrangement in layers. zooplankton: floating, aquatic animals, substrate: a surface on which a plant or usually microscopic. animal grows or is attached.

183 Bibliography

Alt, David D., and Donald W. Hyndman. attle: Fisheries Research Institute, Uni- Roadside Geology of Washington. versity of Washington, 1986. Missoula: Mountain Press, 1984. Downing, John. The Coast of Puget Sound; Brown, Mike. "Cooperative Learning in lia.EarsaaraandDsatIODMOI. Seattle: Seaside Brings Results." Clearing, Nov- Washington Sea Grant Program, 1983. Dec., 1989, pp. 24-25. Dyer, Keith R. Estuaries: A Physical Intro- Campbell, Neil A. Biology. Reading, Massa- duction. New York: John Wiley and chusetts: Addison Wesley/Benjamin Sons, 1973. Cummings and Longman Publishing Co., 1987. Environmental Protection Agency. "Protect- ing Our Estuaries." EPA Journal, Vol. 13 Carson, Rob. "Uncertain Sanctuary on Padilla (6), July/August, 1987. Bay." Pacific Northwest Magazine, June 1983, pp. 24-27. Hammond, B. "The Monday Group: From Awareness to Action." Psctiect Wild: Curtis, Helena, and N. Sue Barnes. Invitation secondary Activity Guide. City: West- to Biology. New York: Worth Publish- ern Regional Environmental Education ers, 1981. Council, 1983.

Darrow, Edward E. The Science Workbook Hedgepeth, Joel. The Outer Shores. Eureka, saltildraulkarduchTrDiUgaialosk: California: Mad River Press Inc., 1978. Agriculture-Natural Resources. Colum- bus: College of Agriculture, Ohio State Kennett, James P. Marine Geology. University and Ohio Academy of Sci- Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Flall, 1982. ence, 1985. Kolb, James. For Sea: Marine Biology and Dillard, Annie. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. (keanography. Grades 9-12. Poulsbo: New York: Harper & Row Publishers Poulsbo Marine Science Center, 1980-81. Inc., 1974. Kolb, James A. Puget Sound Project: The Dinnel, Paul A., et al. Padilla Bay Dungeness Changing Sound. Poulsbo: Poulsbo Crab. Cancer magister, Habitat Study. Marine Science Center, 1990. Report to NOAA/OCRM/MEMD. Se-

Oichak_r3 185 Kozloff, Eugene N. 5eashore Life of the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority. Hand- Northern Pacific Coast. Seattle: Univer- book on Puget Sound Sedimenta. Seattle: sity of Washington Press, 1983. Puget Sound Water Quality Authority, June 9, 1989. Lerman, Mathew. marint_Bickgy. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison Wesley/Ben- Puget Sound Water Quality Authority. Puget jamin Cummings and Longman Publish- sound Update: First Annual Report of ing Co., 1986. dithiget Sound Ambient Monitoring aggram. Seattle: Puget Sound Water Macrorie Ken. The I-Search Paper. Revised Quality Authority, May, 1990. Edition of $earching Writing. Ports- mouth: Boynton/Cook, 1988. Puget Sound Water Quality Authority. 3991 Puget Sound Water Quality Management Mann, Kenneth H. Ecology of Coastal Wa- Plan. Seattle: Puget Sound Water Qual- ters: A Systems Approach. Berkeley: ity Authority, Nov. 21, 1990. University of California Press, 1982. Ricketts, Edward F., and Jack Calvin. jaez McKee, Bates. Cascadia: The Geologic Iween Pacific Tides. Stanford:Stanford Eiplutism&f_tht TagifigEorthw.tat. New University Press, 1967. York: McGraw-Hill Publishers, 1972. Scott, James. Washington Public Shore McLusky, Donald S. IkEitaarint_Ers4u.s.: Guide. Seattle: University of Washing- rem. New York: John Wiley and Sons, ton Press, 1986. 1981. Slattery, Britt Eckhardt. WOW!: The Won- Michaud, Joy P. ALliome with Wetlands: A ders of Wetlands. St. Michaels, Mary- Landowner's Guide. Pub. No. 90-31. land: Environmental Concern Inc., 1991. Olympia: Washington State Department of Ecology, 1990. Smith, Deboyd L. A Guide to Marine Coastal Plankton and Marine Invertebrate Larvae. Newell, G.E. and R.C. Newell. MaLlne Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Plankton: A Practical Guide. London: Company, 1977. Hutchinson & Company Publishers, 1979. Steinbeck, John, The Log From _the Sea of Nybakken, James W. Marine Bioloay. New Cortez. New York: Viking Penguin, York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1982. 1951.

Ponge, Francis. The Voice of Things. Ed. and Stuart, Floyd C. "The Salt Marsh." First Trans. Beth Archer. New York: McGraw- published in The Atlantic, October, 1987, Hill, 1972. pp. 71-77.

1 7 G Sumich, James L. An Introduction to the biology of Marine Life. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Company, 1980.

Terich, Thomas A. "Structural Erosion Portection of Beaches Along Puget Sound: An Assessment of Alternatives and Research Needs." From Engineering Geoloey in Washington. Vol II. Wash- ingtoaDimisisapLatigagy_andlarti Resources, Bulletin 78 (1989), 1131- 1136.

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Western Regional Environmental Education Council. Project Wild: Secondary Activity Guide. Boulder: Western Re- gional Environmental Education Council, 1988.

187 (

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188 Evaluation-The Estuary Guide, Level 3

Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve 1043 Bayview-Edison Road Mt. Vernon WA 98273 (206)428-1558

Teacher High School: Grade/Subject.

1. Check the components of this curriculum that you use. (Circle those sectionsyou photocopy for students. Text Activities Resources _Geology _Field.Trip Field Guides _Histoiy _Plankton Water Monitoring Equipment _Ecology _Water Monitoring Marine Aquarium Gudies _Human Use _Writing Res. for Environ. Action _Literature/Arts _Thinking Globally Gov't. Agencies _What We Can Do _Organizations places _Curricula Publications Estuary Arts & Literature

2. What do you think of the sections that you use?

3. What should be changed, added, or omitted to improve this curriculum?

4. How well does this curriculum match your other course work?

5. Pid any other teachers at your school use the curriculum? What subject?

6. Please rate this curriculum on the scale below. INEFFECTIVE OK BEST EVER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

7. Further comments?

8. Do you use other activities or resources you could share with us?

189 Thank you for taking the time to fill out an evaluation. All comments are appreciated and all will beconsidered.

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PADILLA BAY NATIONAL ESTUARINERESEARCH RESERVE 1043 BAYVIEW-EDISON ROAD MT. VERNON WA 98273

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