Coastal Services Center

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For the Expert: National Review of Innovative and Successful Coastal Habitat Restoration

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< Dissemination of Information | Discussion >

Community Involvement and Education

Dedicating restoration project resources to activities that involve and educate the community can provide a significant return on investment. A variety of approaches can be used that are beneficial and often critical to the success of individual projects, as well as to long-term public support of coastal habitat restoration. The importance of public involvement is evident in the examples discussed below, which are only a small fraction of the community-based efforts being conducted nationwide.

Public Outreach

Outreach programs provide an effective way to gain public support and recruit volunteers. A few examples are discussed below. The Southern California Regional Kelp Restoration Project regularly offers presentations to dive clubs, community centers, and scientific meetings. Media outreach has resulted in project coverage in newspapers, dive magazines, and local television. Volunteer dive teams are an essential component of kelp restoration efforts as they work with biologists to restore, maintain, and monitor the restoration sites. The project also sponsors an annual Kelp Fest to foster public awareness of the importance of kelp forest ecosystems (Collier 2003). The Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to "preserve, protect and enhance the natural resources of the Galveston Bay estuarine system, and its tributaries, for present users and for posterity," has developed two creative outreach programs. Their Bay Ambassadors program uses trained volunteers to take Bay specimens and visual aids to local classrooms, and Speakers Bureau volunteers speak to community groups about GBF's habitat-related projects (Galveston Bay Foundation 2003).

In urban settings, where conflicting land-use needs often make restoration controversial, involving the public from the start may be essential to the successful outcome of a project. In highly urban Commencement Bay, Washington, the Mowitch Restoration Project organizers encouraged the attendees at a public meeting to draw their own conceptual plan. The public was also involved in the selection process, in planting, and in on-site garbage collection. Additionally, a local Indian tribe was involved in naming the site (Steger 2003).

Volunteers

Hands-on restoration activities such as native plant propagation, transplanting, site mapping, and monitoring that utilize citizen volunteers not only stretches project funding dollars, but enables participants to become environmental stewards. The South Carolina Oyster Restoration and Enhancement (SCORE) program uses volunteers to restore oyster habitat by assisting in oyster shell recycling, building new reefs with recycled shells, and monitoring restoration success. To date, over 5000 volunteer hours have been donated. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation developed a Grasses for the Masses program to help restore Chesapeake Bay's underwater grasses. Volunteers receive the necessary equipment and training to grow native underwater grasses from seed in their homes. Following the 12-week growing period, the volunteers then transplant the grasses at predetermined sites (Bieri 2003). "Marsh Bash 1999" (now an annual event known as Marsh Mania) began with the purpose of involving citizens in the restoration of wetland habitat during a weekend event at multiple locations around Galveston Bay. A total of 1500 volunteers participated in this innovative event and planted 14.5 acres of habitat in 2.5 hours (NMFS Habitat Conservation Division 2003).

Volunteers can also be used effectively for long-term monitoring and maintenance. Through their Sound Stewardship Program, People for Puget Sound trains community stewards to identify native and invasive plant species and track their growth at restored sites to determine how successful restoration sites are functioning as habitat for native species (People for Puget Sound 2003).

The examples discussed above represent but a few of the numerous restoration programs and projects around the nation that use volunteers. Sources are available that can provide information to project managers who wish to use volunteers. For example, The Nature Conservancy has prepared a training module on behalf of the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary System that is intended for project managers who will recruit and coordinate volunteers (Enstrom 2003).

Education

Restoration projects also provide unique opportunities to educate a new generation of responsible environmental stewards. Save The Bay of San Francisco provides many educational opportunities, including classroom visits and field programs for middle and high school classes through a program known as Canoes in Sloughs (Save the Bay 2003b). The Bay Grasses in Classes program sponsored by Tampa BayWatch and other coastal groups use local middle and high schools for a wetland nursery program whereby students learn to plant, maintain, and harvest the wetland plants to be used in restoration projects. By educating and involving the student community, Tampa BayWatch teaches the value of a healthy environment and creates an opportunity for hands-on involvement, and in return, receives the benefit of enthusiastic and energetic volunteers. Currently there are 16 schools involved in the program (Clark 2003; Tampa BayWatch 2004). In Chesapeake Bay, a similar program has gained considerable support since its inception in 1998, with more than 250 schools throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed participating in the program. The program is coordinated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (Maryland DNR 2004).

Community involvement, outreach, and education can increase the success of coastal habitat restoration through public support and volunteer assistance. However, the benefits of involving and informing the community go far beyond individual project success by creating environmental stewards in the community and educating future generations on the importance of habitat and restoration.

More information on this training module can be obtained through Matthew Stout, Director of NMS Education, Outreach, and Volunteer Program, email: matthew.stout@NOAA.gov.