Susan Luciano, teacher at Arnall Middle School, recently completed a four-day coastal ecology workshop on Georgia’s Sapelo Island. The Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve (SINERR) offered the training as part of its teacher training series. Participants in the training investigated Georgia’s coastal systems with an emphasis on estuarine and marine ecology, coastal species identification and adaptations, commercial and recreational fisheries and management. Activities and topics included beach, dune, and low tide ecology; mapping and GPS use; tides and sea level rise, and late-night turtle walks. The final activity was a visit to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources office in Brunswick for a discussion of commercial and recreational fisheries management and Conservation and a trip with fisheries biologists on the Research Vessel Anna.

Luciano says she enjoyed every aspect of the workshop and learned much that she plans to bring back to her students. One of her favorite activities of the training was aboard the R/V Anna. After a net was lowered into the water and then raised and emptied onto an observation table on deck, the teachers examined and learned about the various species. Of the experience, Luciano said, “It was huge, absolutely huge.”

“The goal of this workshop is for educators to take away an appreciation for the complexity, organization, and importance of coastal ecological systems,” says workshop coordinator Georgia Graves. “If our teachers pass that appreciation on to their students, the goal of this workshop will be met.”

SINERR offers a series of teacher training workshops throughout the year for groups of 10-25 people.  Programs, which run 2-5 days, are held on Sapelo Island and incorporate educational resources, field based learning activities, and lecture sessions.  Workshop topics include coastal ecology, sea turtle conservation, marine mammals, Georgia shorebirds, and marine science research. Continuing education credits are available for participants.  For information on how you can be involved with our teacher training programs, please contact the SINERR Education Office at (912) 485-2300. More information on the Reserve can be found at www.sapelonerr.org.

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