USING CHINCOTEAGUE BAY AS A MODEL FOR PLACE-BASED EDUCATION: TEACHING THE IMPACTS OF GROUNDWATER FLOWS ON ESTUARINE ECOSYSTEMS AND THEIR FISHERIES

Coastal ecosystems are dynamic and complex to the point that scientific advances in understanding water quality and ecosystem health in these areas can be limited. When considered from an environmental policy perspective the lack of scientific consensus can result in little to no collaboration between constituents interested in: 1) enhancing fisheries productivity, 2) enhancing agricultural productivity, 3) commercial/recreational productivity, and 4) environmental health. In large coastal estuaries (i.e. Chesapeake Bay), where nutrient loading and water quality are inherited from the major tributary rivers, it is less difficult to engage constituents in discourse regarding environmental protection because contamination is often sourced external to the region.

In smaller coastal estuaries without large runoff flows, the source of freshwater and contaminants is dominated by groundwater flow (i.e. Chincoteague Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula). This region has historically provided a lucrative economy as watermen developed and sustained large harvests of oysters, blue crabs, clams, etc. For the last several decades, these fisheries have sustained declines owing to habitat loss coincident with a period of increased agricultural production where large corporate farms have replaced smaller farms. This transition has resulted in larger nutrient loads and animal wastes in runoff and groundwater alike. Unlike large tributary-fed estuaries, the linkage between agricultural runoff and water quality in smaller estuaries is not as clearly defined because surface flow is minimal. Due to the nature of surface aquifers and tidal mixing in the region, identification of the source of nutrient and pollution loads is obscured although traceable. As such, the linkage between fisheries and agricultural productivity is masked so that local constituents are not adequately informed of pollution sources and impacts.

This presentation outlines a model for place-based education that emphasizes hands-on mapping of land-use in the Chincoteague Bay region and field techniques for monitoring environmental processes, biologic communities, and water quality. These data are used by undergraduates to determine linkages and impacts between physical environments and the cultural-economic constituents in the region.