Expanding Knowledge of Land-to-Sea Connections for Local Youth
By Katherine Lacaze
It was a calm winter day in December as students from Fire Mountain School spread across the property and adjacent forest to make ecological observations in a bioblitz, led by NCLC Marine Program Manager Angela Whitlock.
The activity marks an ongoing effort to engage the school’s elementary-aged students in community science and stewardship. In the spring of 2024, Angela conducted a tidepool outing at the nearby Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, and the intention is to create a series of regular activities that happen on a seasonal basis, “so the kids can see the different things that are happening outside at different times of the year,” she says.
During the bioblitz, students accompanied Angela, along with their teachers, to find and record plant and wildlife-related observations, which are submitted to iNaturalist, an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature.
The Marine Program, housed under NCLC’s Community Engagement Program, is mostly focused on outreach and education. However, it was important for Angela to help the children understand the relevance of a terrestrial bioblitz in regards to the organization’s marine conservation efforts.
Marine Program Manager Angela Whitlock leads Fire Mountain students on a bioblitz.
She explains, “I asked them, ‘Because my job is to help the ocean [marine reserve], why would I care about what’s happening in the trees and forest?’ And they were right on. They knew it was because it’s connected. The land and the sea have a relationship with each other, so we care about that relationship.”
Additionally, an activity like the bioblitz introduces young people to the concept of community science. The data that’s collected is reviewed by the larger iNaturalist community and used for different projects with various agencies.
“It is about educating the kids, getting them involved,” Angela says. “My goal is to help inspire future stewards, and so knowing the kids’ work that day was actually being used by scientists is really exciting.”
To encourage them to think like scientists, she spoke with them before they started, asking what they could expect to see outside at this particular place during the winter, as well as what not to expect, and if they didn’t see creatures, what clues to look for, such as tracks, fur, scat, and bones.
My goal is to help inspire future stewards, and so knowing the kids’ work that day was actually being used by scientists is really exciting.
Angela Whitlock, NCLC Marine Program Manager
After the bioblitz, the group selected a single ecological observation—a sword fern—to draw and write about.
“It was an exercise in data collection, reporting what they noticed about this plant they were observing,” Angela says. “It helps them make a deep connection to their natural surroundings, which we’re all a part of.”
Fire Mountain School, located near Arch Cape, is uniquely situated for hosting projects and activities related to the marine reserve, because of proximity. However, NCLC’s intention is to continue connecting with other schools in the area to expand this type of education-based outreach and potentially do collaborative projects between schools, cultivating a new generation of conservationists and stewards.
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