Cara Muscio, Gef Flimlin, and Rick Bushnell International Conference for Shellfish Restoration

1. Making the Water Quality Connection:Successes and Challenges of the outreach component to the Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration Program Cara Muscio, Gef Flimlin, and Rick Bushnell International Conference for Shellfish Restoration November 18, 2006

2. Who We Are A partnership between Rutgers University and NJ Counties Operating through The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Our Mission Integrating teaching, research, and outreach to anticipate and respond to issues and challenges in agriculture, food systems, environment and natural resources, and human and community health and development, in order to empower people to improve their lives, the lives of others, and the environments on which they depend.

3. Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration Program

4. Goals of the BBSRP To educate citizens about the Barnegat Bay, shellfish, water quality, and people – We’re all in this together! • To grow up lots of shellfish to help improve water quality and clamming opportunities • To have lots of fun in the process!

5. Education Program Goals • To establish meaningful connections between shellfish, water quality, ecology, local culture, and human needs and actions • To showcase a working model of environmental stewardship and the benefits to the environment and society

6. Education and Outreach Activities • Materials development, visual aides, fact sheets, fun information • Clam Camp! • Fairs & Festivals • Workshops and field trips • Speakers Bureau – lectures • “What the Bay Hinges on” Minigrant Project

7. Successful Training • 2005 class reported an increase in knowledge of 2 scale points (1-4; 4 high) • 86% of participants said information was valuable • 2006 pre and post tests (n=8) indicate a 25% increase in score, from 7.69 to 10.31 (of 15 points) • 33% more students attempted answering essay questions on post tests • 50% more students correctly answered: What is a watershed? What watershed do you live in?

8. Challenge • Retaining volunteers/participants…. • 79 people signed up in 2005, 70 in 2006 • Less than 50% complete course • Less than that are actively participating • Many educators are failing to return…. • Need better communication – volunteers need to feel more involved in planning

9. Gaining Practical Experience • Volunteers have worked over 2308 hours in two years • Volunteers have constructed structures, measured, analyzed, cleaned, and cared for shellfish • Volunteers have raised 1,200,000 clam seed and 600,000 oyster seed

10. Challenge • Small percentage of volunteers participating in education activities • Retired engineers and business people • Lack of confidence in outreach abilities • Perceived lack of adequate expertise • They may be skeptical of an idea • Lack of established program/direction: • chicken and egg situation

11. Materials Development • An article written by members • Poster Display at Upwellers • Bumper Stickers • Model Upweller

12. Challenge • Need more materials to give out in outreach applications • Water quality education is the GOAL… • Volunteers focus on clams • “this takes up a lot of room… can we take it out?”

13. Clam Camp • Pilot at St. Francis Center on Long Beach Island • Six one-hour sessions during summer camp • Over 50 kids educated by seven BBSRP’ers • 5-8 year olds (n=20) learned “a lot” (2.6 on 1-3 scale;3 high) • 96% of 5-8 year olds and 56% of 9-13 year olds indicated they wanted to learn more

14. Challenge • TIME INTENSIVE! • Little help in development • Volunteer availability changes • Difficulty getting volunteers to review or prepare for lessons • Working with 40 kids and two people

15. Fairs and Festivals • Dozens of annual festivals focusing on seafood and the environment • Repeated attempts to gather crews to exhibit at fairs • Less than 5 people signed up for events, several never returned • Last minute heavy recruitment allowed two displays: • Chowderfest 2006 • Duck and Decoy Show 2006 • Where 4 or 5 volunteers did entire weekends worth of shifts

16. Other Educational Programs • No formalized “field trip experience” or site yet developed • However, some Marine Academy (HS) students are beginning upweller research • Speakers Bureau not yet developed • Lack of development or lack of interest?

17. What the Bay HINGES on… • Printed booklet and CD of lessons, activities, and visual materials • Target grades 4-8, adaptable to all educational settings, including volunteer use in outreach • Covers: Shellfish biology, ecology and food webs, water quality and classifications, local maritime history, economics and food production, seafood advisories and nutrition, and environmental stewardship

18. Goals of the guide • Students should be able to describe how shellfish fit in to the tree of all organisms • Students should be able to identify the parts of a mollusk, and explain how a clam and snail are different. • Students should be able to understand what place shellfish have in the food chain, and how they grow, feed and reproduce •  Students should be able to label all parts of the water cycle, and understand the way in which water moves over the earth. • Students should be able to define a watershed, and identify what watershed they live in. • Students should be able to understand the role of shellfish in water, what kind of water shellfish live in, and their ecological role. • Students should be able to define point and non point pollution and identify sources. • Students should be able to identify actions that impact their watersheds. • Students should understand how shellfish aquaculture works and why it is necessary.

19. Visual Aides/Activities Bioaccumulation F

20. The Big Ass Clam • Public Art AND education • Tourism map listing all clam locations • An educational fact on each clam • How about a Scavenger Hunt!!! • Log on and take the quiz, sign the guestbook, tell us what you learned! • Many volunteers were skeptical of this idea and whether it was good use for our funds…but they are coming around

21. How do we improve? • Do we require education/outreach participation of each volunteer? • One 2 hour shift at a festival or fair • Clam Camp/Speakers Bureau/Materials development • Should we seek out more teachers? • Volunteers VOLUNTEER to do what they enjoy! • How can we make other volunteers value the outreach component of the program?

22. Although there are challenges: • We have the growing pains of any new organization: • Volunteer retention and investment level • Volunteers respond best when its “their” idea • Chicken and Egg situation of development vs. interest • Need to cultivate interest in education/outreach aspect of program

23. The Balance shows… • The BBSRP is a success!!! • Core group of dedicated volunteers • Great Press • Funding Support • Raising Awareness • People are Learning new ideas and skills

24. Acknowledgements Funding provided by:

25. In the end - we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught. - Baba Dioum, Senegelese Conservationist