A Little Goes a Long Way

Last week, a family friend who teaches at a local middle school invited me to her classroom. She wanted someone to teach her sixth graders about sediments, nutrients, and the Bay. I agreed, and took Krystal, one of my co-workers, along. We had an amazing day. All in all, I think we talked to about 300 incredibly smart 6th graders! They knew that sediment clouds the water and covers any organisms on the bottom, that the watershed is made up of six states (naming them was more challenging), and that oysters used to be able to filter the entire volume of the Bay in three days. (It now takes almost a year!) The kids had a great background of information, so we added to it a little bit.

We’ve all heard that nutrients in the Bay are harmful and cause algal blooms and dead zones. The best question of the day, however, came from a student who asked, “If plants need nutrients to grow, why aren’t the bay grasses growing a lot and providing oxygen for the animals at the bottom?” I had been waiting for someone to ask that! He was right, the plants have all the nutrients that they could ever want; the problem is that the plants don’t get enough light. Algae float near the surface, soak up sunlight and nutrients, and form a layer over the water’s surface. That layer, (plus the murkiness due to sediment), blocks sunlight. Not enough reaches the bottom to let the grasses grow. As the plants and older generations of algae die, they sink to the bottom and decompose. Decomposers use oxygen. Without plants to provide oxygen, whatever was left in the water is sucked out by decomposers, leaving an anoxic or “dead” zone every summer.

Krystal and I had a wrap-up discussion with the students, where we all listed things we could do to help the Bay. They knew the basics, like recycling and car-pooling, and that every little bit helps. They were excited to hear other opportunities, though. Some students live on waterfront property, and were eager to go home and ask their parents if they could grow oyster spat for a year. Some have yards that are fertilized twice a year, and were concerned when it was suggested that they skip the spring treatments and wait until fall. Several students even asked if there was someplace they could volunteer.

Krystal and I left that day feeling like we’d made a small impact, but apparently we did more than we thought. The next day, I was handed a hundred or so thank-you letters from the students. Most were the typical “thanks for coming,” but several got me really excited! One said that they went home and told their dad not to fertilize this year. Another said that she’ll make sure her parents clean up after the family dog. A third got permission from her parents to raise oysters and wanted more information. All of this reaction came out of a 30-minute talk! The kids were so eager to help, once they saw the real problem. It didn’t take much; an explanation of what’s happening, a picture of the Bay from last summer, and some easy tips to help out. All they needed was to know what they can do.

I sincerely hope they continue their enthusiasm through adulthood, and I hope it’s as contagious for everyone else as it was for Krystal and me!