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Adopt a Wetland

Planning—Adopt a Wetland

Summary: Students adopt a wetland and collect data to help determine the amount of carbon sequestered by the wetland, and engage in water quality monitoring to promote the efficiency of carbon sequestration.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Human actions can affect the health of marine wetland ecosystems
  2. Healthy marine wetland ecosystems sequester carbon and help to offset the effects of increased carbon in the atmosphere

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • HS-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Identify a field site that could benefit from habitat assessment and/or restoration
  2. Engage in data collection and/or restoration efforts
  3. Design a solution for a problem at the field site that is associated with climate change

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • How much carbon is stored in your study site? How did you arrive at this estimate?
  • How does the amount of carbon stored in your wetland compare to the amount of carbon stored in a non-wetland area?
  • What is the estimated value of the carbon stored in your study site? How did you come to this estimate, what are the limits on the number, and what information do you need to make a more accurate valuation?
  • What does the water quality tell you about human impacts on the study site?
  • What other benefits and services does your adopted wetland provide?