Tag Archives: estuaries

Celebrate World Water Monitoring Day: Become a Certified Stream Quality Specialist

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World Water Monitoring Day was established to create awareness about the importance of protecting water resources around the world by engaging people to monitor their local water bodies. Water monitoring kits can be ordered any time for purchase.

Do you like the outdoors and getting your feet wet in streams?

Would you like to learn first-hand about the water quality where you live?

Are you interested in citizen science?

If you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, join the citizens of South Carolina who have been certified to monitor stream quality though the South Carolina Adopt-a-Stream program. Established in 2017, SC Adopt-a-Stream is an EPA-approved freshwater monitoring program that teaches volunteers how to collect bacteria, biological parameters, and chemical and physical data (including temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity).

SC Adopt-a-Stream has awarded 1,400 certifications to contribute to the program. Over 200 sites statewide have been identified within the program’s database. Volunteers can become certified to collect data by attending one of the free workshops offered around the state.

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Upcoming workshops:

Date Time Location
September 28, 2019 9:30AM USC Upstate Campus
October 5, 2019 9:30AM USC Upstate Campus
October 11, 2019 9:00AM 506 South Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, SC
October 16, 2019 NOON Center for Watershed Excellence

 

For more details about upcoming workshops and registration, visit: https://www.clemson.edu/public/water/watershed/scaas/aas-events.html. Follow SC Adopt-a-Stream on Facebook. This program is led in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and Clemson University’s Center for Watershed Excellence.

Celebrate National Estuaries Week

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Founded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1988, National Estuaries Week is recognized every third week of September as an opportunity to learn more about the benefits of our estuaries and coasts.

Estuaries are important to our environment, because they house many species of fish, reptiles, mammals and other aquatic life. They provide nesting and feeding habitats for plants and animals. Estuaries also act as a pollutant shield by filtering sediments from rivers and streams before they flow into the oceans.  According to the National Safety Council’s Environmental Center, estuaries provide habitat for more than 75 percent of the U.S. commercial fish catch, and even greater percentage of recreational fish catch. The total fish catch in estuaries contributes $4.3 billion a year to the U.S. economy.

DHEC manages development, alterations, and shoreline stabilization activities in coastal and estuarine “tidelands” (land at or below high tide including coastal wetlands, mudflats and similar areas adjacent to coastal waters and integral to estuarine systems).

Group Of Volunteers Tidying Up Rubbish On Beach

Here are some ways to celebrate National Estuaries Week:

  • Organize a community restoration event at a local bay, riverfront, ocean, or waterway.
  • Find a reserve that offers tours of estuaries to learn more.
  • Participate in canoe trip around an estuary.

Learn more ways to be involved with National Estuaries Week at https://estuaries.org/get-involved/new/.

National Estuaries Week 2016

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By Liz Hartje, Coastal Projects Manager, Coastal Services Division

September 17 – 24 is National Estuaries Week. Since 1988, National Estuaries Week has celebrated the many ways we benefit, from healthy, thriving coastal ecosystems.  National Estuaries Week is a terrific opportunity to learn more about estuaries and the perfect excuse to spend time on your favorite creek or river!

Estuarine Systems

Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands are bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries are home to unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to brackish water – a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater. Estuaries are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. Many animals rely on estuaries for food, places to breed, and migration stopovers (NOAA). Strong currents run through estuaries, bringing nutrients together from upland and the ocean. Incoming ocean currents and tides also bring the larvae and juveniles of many species of recreational and commercial fish and shellfish (SCDNR).

Estuaries are delicate ecosystems. Congress created the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) System to protect estuarine land and water. These estuarine reserves provide essential habitat for wildlife, offer educational opportunities for students, and serve as living laboratories for scientists (NOAA).

national-estuaries-week-nerrs

There are two NERRs located in South Carolina. The North Inlet-Winyah Bay NERR, designated in 1992, protects nearly 20,000 acres and is located in Georgetown County, about 30 miles south of Myrtle Beach and 50 miles north of Charleston. This reserve provides habitat for many threatened and endangered species including sea turtles, sturgeons, least terns and wood storks. The ACE Basin NERR, also designated in 1992, protects nearly 95,000 acres and is located about 45 minutes south of Charleston. This site protects cultural heritages as well as many endangered or threatened species, such as short-nose sturgeon, wood storks, loggerhead sea turtles and bald eagles.

Celebrating Our Estuaries

All throughout the country, local organizations arrange events, like beach clean-ups, hikes, canoe and kayak trips, workshops and more to recognize the special role estuaries play in our everyday lives. You can help celebrate and protect these important ecosystems by volunteering at an event near you or just going out and exploring these dynamic coastal environments.