20th Annual Barnegat Bay Watershed 

Environmental Educators Roundtable 

Please join us for our 20th Annual Barnegat Bay Watershed Environmental Educators Roundtable. This year's workshops are centered around the theme: "Re-Discovering Barnegat Bay". The cost of this event is $25 per person. Registered participants will be able to attend either one 2-hour workshop OR choose two 1-hour workshops from a variety of topics listed below. After reading through the descriptions, go to the Registration Form (Click 'Register Now!') and make your selection. Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis, so please register now to ensure availability of your favorite programs!

2 Hour Workshops (4:30-6:30pm):

A. Exploring the Maritime Forest  Led by Terry O'Leary.  Engage in a series of field activities that will lead to a deep understanding and appreciation of the maritime forest plant communities. Learn how to collect field data through sample quadrat investigations, identify characteristic tree, shrub, vine and groundcover species, and understand how elevation, soils, hydrology, fire and human disturbances affect the maritime forest. Please dress appropriately for outdoor learning.

 B. Bay Life - Seining Barnegat Bay  Led by Dr. John Wnek and his MATES students. Barnegat Bay estuaries are teeming with living plants and animals. Snails, seaweed and small fish such as minnows and silversides take refuge within the vegetation growing along the shallow shoreline. Seining offers a new discovery with each pull of the net, and is a great way to introduce students to life in the Barnegat Bay. Please dress appropriately for outdoor learning.

1 Hour Workshops Offered During Session One (4:30-5:30pm):

1C. At Home in the Forest  presented by Nikki Vernachio of Cattus Island County Park.  Animals meet their needs using resources available from their specific surrounding habitat. Geared towards younger children, this hands-on lesson demonstrates how one of the most common backyard animals, a Gray Squirrel, finds food, water, shelter and space to live. Students can easily relate how meeting the basic needs of squirrels can be applied to other wildlife. This lesson incorporates indoor and outdoor components using a story, craft, song and math. Please dress appropriately for outdoor learning.

1D. Some Like It Salty  presented by Jennifer Lengares of Jenkinsons Aquarium.  Fish that live in an estuary must be able to adapt to fluctuations in salinity. Osmoregulation is the movement of water out of one area and into another. As water moves, the concentration of dissolved salts equalizes. Learn how fish are affected by changing salinities and their adaptations to tolerate these changes.

1E. Indicating Insects  presented by Danielle Fadeski Americorps NJ Watershed Ambassador.  Water quality researchers often sample insect populations in streams to monitor changes in conditions. Some insects are sensitive to pollutants and some can tolerate a range in water quality. Engage in stream sampling activities to determine the health of a local waterway. Please dress appropriately for outdoor learning.

1 Hour Workshops Offered During Session Two (5:30-6:40):

2F. Climate Change and The Web of Life  presented by Rosemary Higgins and Mindy Voss of NJ Sea Grant Consortium.  Climate Change is a global issue that affects us all. Educating students on this topic can be a daunting task that is made easier by using local "place-based" examples. Using a variation of the classic "Web of Life" activity originally prepared for the "Discovering Barnegat Bay" curriculum, students can start to understand how a changing climate, as well as their own behaviors, are affecting familiar plants and animals that live in and around the Barnegat Bay Estuary. Join Rosemary and Mindy for a "hands-on" experience using teaching methods that meet the guidelines of the Next Generation Science Standards.

2G. Flying WILD  presented by Pat Heaney of ANJEE.  Incorporating birds into your curriculum is a fun and exciting way to teach core content. Flying WILD's focus on migratory birds is designed to inspire students to discover more about the natural world and promote environmental learning and stewardship. Immerse yourself in a few of the lessons and activities offered in this exciting curriculum, including "The Great Migration". Migration is risky business for birds! They encounter numerous hazards on their long-distance journey from wintering grounds to breeding areas, and back again. Hands-on exploration and activities allow these experiences to come to life in the classroom!

2H. What's in a Name?  presented by Andrew Anderson of Double Trouble State Park.  The cold clear waters of Cedar Creek once provided the raw material and power for two Pinelands industries at the hamlet, uniquely named, "Double Trouble". Through PowerPoint and hands-on exploration of colonial era survey maps, historic pictures and the "What's in a Name?" section of the Discovering Barnegat Bay curriculum, we'll see how names of waterways and land in this sub-watershed of the Barnegat Bay offer a perspective to how settlers viewed or utilized the resources of this area.

Keynote: Re-Discovering Barnegat Bay from the Bottom, Up!

Dr. John Wnek and his MATES (Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science) students will share their work on several projects the students are undertaking: Project Terrapin, Turtle Garden Enhancement Project and Derelict Fishing Gear Recovery Project. The MATES team have been focusing their efforts on Diamondback Terrapin conservation through increased reproduction and decreased mortality, including the terrapin hatchling head start program in schools, creation of terrapin habitat in coastal backyards, and reduction and removal of derelict fishing gear which poses a threat to terrapins and other bay life. Be inspired by the amazing efforts of these young conservationists and learn ways you and your students can get involved.

Re-Discovering Barnegat Bay in Your Classroom

In 1997, local environmental groups and agencies formed a collaborative partnership to focus and direct their efforts regarding watershed education issues in Ocean County. They realized that by working together, they could accomplish their collective goals of educating students about the ecological, cultural, and historical aspects of the Barnegat Bay watershed. Partners set a plan in motion to assist teachers and provide the materials and information needed to teach their students about the local environment, resulting in the birth of the Barnegat Bay Watershed Environmental Educators Roundtable.

The development of Discovering Barnegat Bay, began simply as an idea to create an activity guide that highlights the natural features of the local environment. It evolved into a comprehensive, interdisciplinary curriculum full of unique activities that provide insight and understanding of the intricacies of our Barnegat Bay watershed. From the maritime history of the region, to the enormous array of natural features, as well as the cultural and historical aspects that make the Barnegat Bay watersehd a special place, the goal was to capture and share the essence of the region with both teachers and students.

Over the years, educators have embraced the Discovering Barnegat Bay curriculum guide, and through it, have shared with their students the beauty of our watershed, as well as the environmental, ecological, historical and cultural importance of our local natural resources. Teachers have modified DBB lessons to meet their needs and have been inspired to create new ones. As we celebrate 20 years of coming together as educators and learners, we hope you will embrace the Discovering Barnegat Bay currirulum and use it to inspire a new generation of students to become stewards of our diverse and unique watershed!