“Survive
the Sound,” an online game that involves tracking salmon
migrations in Puget Sound, has thrown open its doors for everyone,
whether you donate money or not.
The idea of buying a salmon character to participate in the game
has been abandoned after two years, and now the fish are free for
the choosing. Long Live the Kings, which sponsors the game, still
welcomes donations, of course, but money is not a prerequisite.
“We wanted to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to
learn more about salmon and steelhead and support the movement to
recover them,” Lucas Hall, project manager for LLTK, told me in an
email. “So, we’ve simplified the sign-up process and eliminated any
fees associated with participation.”
Last week, a new animation was posted online describing the
matriarchal social structure of our beloved killer whales, in which
elder females serve as guides for generations of their living
descendants. (See first video.)
The new video, part of the TED Ed collection of animations,
focuses on the 74 Southern Resident orcas and how they stay with
their mothers for life. The video’s creator, animal behaviorist
Darren Croft, credits the Center for Whale Research with
studies that have successfully identified every filial relationship
among the Puget Sound orcas for more than 40 years.
The
TED Ed collection includes hundreds of animations created by
TED
Conferences LLC, the media organization responsible for nearly
3,000 online TED Talks. TED
combines the concepts Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED)
and operates under the slogan “ideas worth spreading.” An annual
conference is held in Vancouver, B.C., with smaller events held
throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
The Ted Ed series was started six years ago to inspire students
to discuss creative ideas, develop innovative concepts and become
young leaders. TED Ed has developed a flexible curriculum that can
be used by teachers or students themselves. Each video has a
“create a lesson” button
for teachers or students to adapt the video to their own situation
and branch out into other ideas.
Students can organize themselves as a club in an after-school
setting, work with a teacher in a classroom, become part of a
larger ongoing program. or develop an idea alone or with a partner.
The program is designed to teach students from ages 8 to 18 and
welcomes participants over age 13. See “Get involved” or review the
“frequently asked questions.”
The TED Ed videos cover a multitude of topics, including
science, technology, health, history, art, literature, health and
even riddles. Some are better than others, but the best ones
provide tidbits of information that can actually cause one to
change his or her way of thinking. YouTube has a large collection
of TED
Ed videos.
The new video about orca matrilines offers possible explanations
for why female whales have been known to live well beyond their
reproductive lifespan. Males and females tend to stay with their
mothers for life, although males will interact with other pods for
mating. As older females die off, their daughters become the new
leaders of the matrilines, which together make up larger pods.
The video, called “The Amazing Grandmothers of the Killer Whale
Pod,” has more than 142,000 views so far and more than 300
comments.
Other TED Ed videos I found worth watching include the second
video on this page, “When will the next ice age happen?” and the
third, “Jellyfish predate dinosaurs. How have they survived so
long?” Also check out the following or search for subjects from the
full list:
“Survive the Sound,” an online game that features cute little
fish swimming for their lives, is back for a second year with some
new additions, including free participation for students and
teachers in the classroom.
The basics of the game remain as I described them last year. You
pick out a wacky cartoon steelhead and then receive daily reports
as the fish makes its way through a perilous Puget Sound over a
12-day period. The journey starts May 7, and signups are now open.
See
Water Ways, April 29, 2017.
As in real life, many fish will not make it to the ocean because
of the effects of disease and pollution along with the constant
risk of predation. But a few lucky steelhead will survive, and the
winners will be recognized.
Individuals join the game with a $25 donation to Long Live the
Kings, which will use the money to further research, ecosystem
restoration and education. This year, anyone can start a team and
encourage others to participate, sharing the joy or heartbreak of
the salmon migration. Prizes
will be awarded to the winning teams.
This year, teachers can sign up their classrooms for free and
play the game while learning about the Puget Sound ecosystem.
Extensive educational materials have been developed to go along
with the game. Check out “Bring ‘Survive the
Sound’ to your Classroom!”
The game is based on the real-life travels of steelhead, which
have been tracked using implanted acoustic transmitters. Some fish
swim faster than others and some even reverse course. This year,
participants will be able to watch the progress of all of the fish
making the journey, according to Michael Schmidt of Long Live the
Kings.
Last year, more than 1,100 people joined the game, and
organizers hope for even greater participation this year.
If nothing else, you should check out the cartoon fish and the
clever things they have to say by clicking on the individual
steelhead in the “Survive the
Sound” fish list.
Contaminated stormwater has been identified as the greatest
threat to Puget Sound water quality, and state and federal
governments are addressing the stormwater problem in numerous
ways.
The animated videos on this page are part of an educational
program established as part of the “Puget Sound Starts Here”
outreach. This past summer, these videos were posted on YouTube as
part of a school curriculum called “Drain Rangers.”
I spotted the videos this past week while working on a blog post
about how well local governments in the Puget Sound region are
embracing stormwater regulations mandated by state and federal
permits. See
“Stormwater Report …,” Water Ways, Dec. 15.
The first video on this page is a general introduction to the
stormwater problem, based on the idea that it takes 15 minutes for
pollution to reach a river. Two videos in the series are similar,
although one includes more solutions. I’ve chosen the longer one,
called “Video Two.” The third video discusses some basic solutions,
while the last goes into more advanced treatments. Others can be
found on the Drain
Rangers Channel on YouTube.
“Polluted stormwater runoff is one of many environmental
problems our students will face,” the paper states. “By equipping
our students at a young age with the problem-solving tools of the
engineer and the verbal and written skills of an effective
communicator, we are preparing these students to solve the
difficult and challenging environmental issues that affect our
present and our future.”
The lessons are designed to meet state requirements for science,
literacy and other educational standards. The curriculum addresses
the problem of pollution as well as solutions.
“This curriculum introduces students to a problem-solving model
where they think like an engineer and explore ways to solve the
problem of polluted stormwater runoff,” according to the
final report (PDF 965 kb) on the project funded by the
Washington Department of Ecology.
According to the report, the grant project produced 15 teacher
trainings, pilot projects in nine schools, four videos, six
illustrations, 13 facts sheets and five posters. At least 34
schools signed up to implement the curriculum during the current
school year, with about 70 schools expected to participate in
2018-19.
A couple years ago, I was intrigued that a number of young women
were making a living as professional mermaids. (See
Water Ways, Jan. 27, 2014). Since then, the idea of becoming a
mermaid for a day, a week or longer has caught on, with mermaid
schools opening throughout the world.
Crimson
Resort and Spa in the Philippines claims to be the first
mermaid school in the world, but others were soon behind.
In New York, World of Swimming, a nonprofit corporation,
inspires young people to become swimmers through lessons, swimming
camps and other activities.
The first short video on this page features young mermaid
swimmers accompanied by music as they swim about by swishing their
tails. In the second video (also below), ABC News reporter Sara
Haines takes the plunge in a first-person report to see what it is
like to become a mermaid. The piece made the airwaves on
Good Morning America.
In Vermont, reporter Sarah Tuff Dunn goes to mermaid school for
the online publication
“Seven Days” and is thoroughly enchanted after putting on her
mermaid tail with its built-in swim fins.
“I felt the tail rise as if magically,” she wrote. “I released
my hands from the wall and began to swim … like a mermaid. A
doggy-paddling mermaid, mind you, and one who momentarily panicked
when she realized she couldn’t scissor-kick her legs.”
Sarah, who soon catches on to swimming like a dolphin, discusses
the risks of drowning with one’s legs tied together, and she
explains why mermaid schools tend to emphasize safety.
What I find interesting about this mermaid trend is that
children are getting excited about swimming. Being a mermaid or
merman expands their confidence as they hold their breath under
water for longer periods of time while building up their muscles
for what could become a lifelong interest in aquatic sports — or at
least some basic survival skills.
A school play about climate change, featuring a worried mother
polar bear and evil villains named “Mr. Carbon” and “Mr. Methane,”
have captured the imaginations of elementary and junior-high-school
students across the country.
The program, called “Cool the Earth,” includes
follow-up activities that encourage the young students to bring
climate-saving ideas home with them.
The first video on this page shows a play performed by teachers
at Spring Valley Science School in San Francisco. I love the
laughter of the children in the background. The second video shows
an NBC News story from 2011.
The “Cool the Earth” program was developed in 2007 by Carleen
and Jeff Cullen, parents in Marin County, Calif., who became
inspired to take action on climate change after viewing Al Gore’s
documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.” Showing the film to others
failed to gain the action they desired, so they expanded their
horizons by developing an easy-to-understand message that could be
shared with kids and their parents.
The program was launched at Bacich Elementary School in
Kentfield, Calif., and has grown to involve more than 200 schools
across the country, though most are in California. See the list at
“Participating
Schools and Troops.”
An article on the Green Schools
Initiative website quotes Heather Dobbs, a parent coordinator
at Alexander Hamilton School in Morristown, N.J., who says “Cool
the Earth” explains climate change in a meaningful way:
“The kids love the play because the teachers playing the parts
are big hams. It tugs at the kids’ heart strings when they hear
about polar bears in danger. Kids can take in that story more
easily than just hearing about carbon emissions.”
Students then take home coupon books offering 20 ideas for no-
or low-cost actions that they can do on their own or with their
parents to earn points and sometimes prizes, such as earth-friendly
trading cards.
Carleen Cullen explains the program in the video below.
This week, I’d like to share some student artwork from two
contests.
One is a local event in which 10 Kitsap County students are
honored in the Kitsap Recycles Day contest, sponsored by Kitsap
County Public Works. The other contest is for students anywhere in
the country. Called the Keep the Sea Free of Debris contest, it is
sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
Li-Nelshin Co, a fifth
grader at Esquire Hills Elementary School, created one of the
winning posters for Kitsap Recycles Day.
The first poster featured on this page is by Li-Nelshin Co, a
fifth grader at Esquire Hills Elementary School, located in East
Bremerton and part of the Central Kitsap School District.
Li-Neishin wrote this about the poster:
“Recycling is important because we are saving the world for
future generations. My favorite thing to recycle is PAPER because
this way we are not only recycling, we are also saving the trees
that gives us fresh air, shade, preventing soil erosion.”
A couple years ago, the Kitsap Recycles Day poster contest was
moved from November to February and expanded into a broader
educational program. The delayed contest allowed teachers and/or
parents to provide more information than could have been completed
by America Recycles Day, celebrated in November. A new activity
book,
“Close the Loop” (PDF 16.7 mb), is part of Kitsap’s expanded
program.
“It’s incredibly encouraging to see the influx of posters we see
on Kitsap Recycles Day,” said Kitsap County Recycling Coordinator
Christopher Piercy in a news release.
“You can tell each student has a passion for recycling, reducing
waste, and the environment. It is especially fascinating to see the
grasp they all have on the value of ‘closing the loop’ — not just
recycling, but buying recycled content products.”
The other winners are Libby Parker,
kindergartener at Gateway Christian Schools, Poulsbo;
Natalie Oathout, first grader at Emerald Heights
Elementary School; Jeddison Miller, second grader
at Crosspoint Academy; Kelsey Derr, third grader
at Hilder Pearson Elementary School; Saige Herwig,
third grader at South Colby Elementary School; Charlotte
Halbert, fourth grader at Gateway Christian Schools,
Poulsbo; Blake Warner, fifth grader at Crosspoint
Academy; Drew Moar, sixth grader at Manchester
Elementary School; and Gia Acosta, eighth grader
at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic School.
The second poster on this page, a winner in the 2014 Keep the
Sea Free of Debris contest, was drawn by Jessica D., a fourth
grader in New York.
Jessica commented:
“Keep the sea free of debris. Debris is garbage, marine debris
is garbage in the sea. Marine debris is very bad. Marine debris is
mostly plastics, fishing gear and litter. Marine debris is very
harmful and dangerous to undersea creatures. This pollution can
ruin habitats. Marine wildlife can get hurt by marine debris. It
also can cost a lot of money to fix. But you can help fix it by
just cleaning beaches and not littering.”
The contest is sponsored by NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, which
asked contest entrants to create their “vision” of marine debris.
All 13 winners and their comments can be seen on a Gallery
Page on the Marine Debris Blog.
Students at Walton High School in Marietta, Calif., created the
winning mural in the first “Water is Life” Classroom Mural and Art
Challenge, sponsored by the Wyland Foundation.
Students from Walton High
School in Marietta, Calif., created this winning mural in the
“Water is Life” contest. (Click to enlarge.)
Photo courtesy of Wyland
The mural, at right, shows a great deal of creativity and
artistic ability. Earth is featured in a center panel, with other
panels picturing a freshwater stream and sea creatures. Kathleen
Petka is the classroom teacher. The judges noted:
“Prismatic effect provides unique view of water-based
ecosystems, shows how water supports life in so many ways. The
rendering itself was stunning and beautiful. The mural shows
tremendous forethought and pre-planning and a clear objective.”
Winning entry from Northern
Elementary School in Lexington, Ky.
Wyland photo
Other top winners are Northern Elementary School in Lexington,
Ky., in the kindergarten through fourth-grade category (teacher:
Kimberly Vaca), and East Grand Middle School in Grandby, Colo., in
the fifth- through eighth-grade category (teacher: Katrina
Larson).
Here’s what the judges said about the mural by the younger
students from Lexington:
“Great message. Not only is the water issue important locally,
but what we do locally affects us nationally … and worldwide. Love
the variety of sea life, especially the blow fish who is looking
straight at the viewer, almost imploring us to ‘get’ the message
and take it to heart.”
And for the middle school students from Granby, the judges had
these comments:
“Excellent brush technique for the grass. Excellent blending of
colors to show the current in the river. Beautiful trout rendition;
mammals and birds are great — moose, deer, mallard, fox. Great
perspective … foreground, middle ground, background.”
Winning entry from East
Grand Middle School in Grandby, Colo.
Wyland photo
More than 9,000 students from 46 states reportedly participated
in the contest exploring the human connections to water and
emphasizing how water shapes the world. For individual winners and
runners up, go to “2013 Classroom Mural Results” on Wyland Foundation’s
website.
“Many of the artworks were heavily nature-based,” state’s the
description on the website. “Others made personal statements about
mankind’s connection to these resources, while still others were
more figurative.”
The mural contest is being planned again, with entries to be
submitted toward the end of this year, possibly a little earlier
than last year.
The Wyland Foundation, started by environmental artist Robert
Wyland, is dedicated to helping people understand the importance of
healthy oceans and waterways. The nonprofit foundation has worked
with more than 1 million children since its inception in 1993.
Efforts include public art programs, classroom science education
and other events, including the National Mayor’s Challenge for
Water Conservation. Bremerton was the 2013 winner of the water
challenge in the category for cities with populations from 30,000
to 100,000.
See Water Ways, May 3, 2013.
If you’re wondering why this entry is a day late, it
is because I had the day off yesterday with some technical issues
in getting the information together.
When 60 students from Central Kitsap High School took off in
double kayaks to look for jumping salmon, they had no idea how the
changing weather would make the trip more exciting.
Bill Wilson, who teaches environmental science, organized
Tuesday’s trip on Dyes Inlet near Silverdale. Lead guide Spring
Courtright of Olympic Outdoor Center shares the story in her
words.
Reminder: Free stream tours from land are scheduled for
Saturday. See the story I wrote for
Tuesday’s Kitsap Sun.
Wind pushes the kayaks
along, as 60 Central Kitsap High School students return to
Silverdale Tuesday after watching jumping salmon. /
Photos by Spring Courtright
By Spring Courtright Program Director, Olympic Outdoor Center
At 9 a.m. on election day, anyone peering through the fog at
Silverdale Waterfront Park would have seen 35 bright kayaks lined
up on the beach and 60 high school students preparing to
paddle.
Central Kitsap High School environmental science students study
salmon in class, then are given the option to paddle with jumping
salmon on an annual Salmon Kayak Tour with the Olympic Outdoor
Center (OOC). For the last two years, 60 students have jumped on
the opportunity.
This trip started about 10 years ago with about half that number
of students. I have been one of the lead guides for nearly all of
these tours. It’s always an adventure, but this year was one of the
more memorable trips because of the beautiful clouds and quick
change in weather. Continue reading →
Central Kitsap’s Salmon in the Classroom program been going on
longer than the one sponsored by the Washington Department of Fish
and Wildlife. So when I heard that the state’s Salmon in the
Classroom program was being eliminated for budget reasons, I had a
hunch that it might not affect Central Kitsap schools.
“The program was too important to us to have it rely on the
vagaries of state funding,” Tex Lewis told me for a story in
today’s Kitsap Sun.
In March 2009,
sixth-graders at Woodlands Elementary School observed a two-headed
salmon hatched in an aquarium as part of the Salmon in the
Classroom program.
Kitsap Sun photo
Lewis is a leader with the Clear Creek Task Force, which took
over the program when the Central Kitsap Kiwanis Club disbanded.
(See Brynn Grimley’s
July 7 story in the Kitsap Sun.)
Reporter Susan Gilmore’s article in the
Seattle Times described how the state was eliminating its
Salmon in the Classroom program to save more than $200,000 a year
for Fish and Wildlife. The program involves environmental education
for an estimated 40,000 students each year, she reported.
Paul Dorn, salmon recovery coordinator for the Suquamish Tribe,
told me that the state’s program has supported a few aquariums in
Kitsap County, and he hopes the tribe can pick up the cost for
continuing and possibly expanding the program outside of Central
Kitsap. Check out my story in the
Kitsap Sun for details. Continue reading →
