Goals:
Collaborate with marine conservation groups.
Grow as a leader in marine conservation biology.
Create awareness on marine conservation issues.
Engage communities in marine conservation activities.

Courses/Projects:
Biology in the Age of Technology
Issues in Biodiversity
San Dieguito River Park Project

In the Fall of 2013, I found myself researching existing curriculum for wetlands field ecology for the non-profit San Dieguito River Park. The project's goals was to build local high school lessons for a field program which was to be piloted and implemented by 2016. The importance of wetlands is immense. They provide ecosystems services in the form of water pollution filtering, protection from coastal erosion, nursery grounds and critical habitat for wildlife, and stopovers for migratory birds, as well as aesthetic appeal for human recreation (Miller, 2004).

Unfortunately wetlands are vanishing all over the United States. Even 20 years ago, it was reported that San Diego county coastal areas had lost 90% of their wetlands due to human impacts (Allen & Feddema, 1996). Habitat destruction is suggested to be one to the greatest threats to biodiversity (Primack, 2010). This includes the threat of pollution in the form of urban runoff. As I was working on this year long project, my Spring 2014 class, Biology in the Age of Technology, became invaluable. It allowed me to network with a citizen science group which ended up supplementing the wetlands curriculum.

I spent six months participating as a water quality volunteer with San Diego Coastkeepers. I attended training in January 2014 which consisted of a three- hour presentation on watersheds and practice in taking field samples. A strict protocol, which Coastkeepers have dubbed “clean hands, dirty hands,” was taught so volunteers learned not to contaminate samples. Field sampling consisted of collecting raw and filtered water, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and air and water temperature readings. Also, other observations about the watersheds, such as visible pollution or weather was included in the data sheets. Following training that day, I had my first field experience with a more experience team in San Diego watershed. We collected data and samples for three sites, which ranged from a state park, a residential area and a culvert near a downtown shopping mall. After my initial training, I was involved in monthly field sampling and laboratory processing and testing. Lab work consisted of two days in which water samples collected from all nine watersheds were labeled, recorded and processed for nutrient levels and bacteria counts.

In my Biology in the Age of Technology several of the readings mentioned the hurdles that some citizen science groups must overcome by decision makers in regards to credible data (Conrad & Hilchey, 2011). Coastkeepers devised training sessions with this in mind. They have standard operating procedures for the field and lab and use a chain of custody form when samples return from the field. This has allowed governmental agencies to use their data. This shows how valuable citizen science contribution and collaboration is to water quality management. I did face some challenges in this process, primarily, the amount of complexity of information involved in water quality monitoring. Although I was not responsible for becoming an expert, I did want to feel confident about my background knowledge and lab skills. I knew this would take time and it drove me to participate even more in the program. I was not the only volunteer signing up for field work every month. Volunteer retention was high, which meant many volunteers were long-standing and proficient, which in term validated a higher accuracy in data collection (Cooper, Dickson, Philips & Bonney, 2007).

Goals:
Create awareness on marine conservation issues.
Engage communities in marine conservation activities.

Courses/Projects:
Conservation Science & Community

During the CSC course I was becoming active in the local boating community. I was simultaneously taking the America's Boating Course offered by the San Luis Rey Sail and Power Squadron (SLRSPS), a squadron of the United States Power Squadron (USPS). USPS has a large national membership of over 35,000 members. Their main mission is to educate boaters on safety and skills, while providing a fun, social network. This 100 year-old non-profit is highly respected, and is similar to the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. I thought this community would make appropriate study subjects. In my literature review I had stumbled upon the idea that those who had a personal interest in a place sometimes felt a sense of belonging which promoted an environmental awareness (Darner, 2009; Miller, 2005).

In the beginning of my project, I knew I wanted to look at this idea, but I did not know how to approach it. Fortunately, the mapping activity in CSC honed in on what seemed the most logical approach. As I walked around Oceanside harbor to gather preliminary evidence, I noticed that what stood out most to me was the amount of trash, especially cigarette butts. Soon, I was methodically searching for disposal bins for plastics, cigarettes, and chemicals. I was making note of where recycle bins were and where oil, hazardous waste, and sewer pump-outs were located. This information soon became a useful map and the start of an idea that ended up lasting for the remainder of my graduate work (Halpern, Kappel, Selkoe, Micheli, Ebert, Kontgis, Crains, Martones, Shearer, & Teck, 2009).

With the idea of pollution in hand, and knowing the outcomes of certain types of marine debris personally (NOAA Marine Debris Diver 2004-2008), I surveyed my boating class peers on their thoughts of the greatest threats to the marine environment. The boaters ranked the human impacts for the overall oceans and their local waters. Options ranged from overexploitation/overfishing, loss of habitat/coastal development, climate change, invasive species, trash/plastics/fishing nets, and chemical pollution/sewage/oil (Halpern, Selkoe, Micheli, & Kappel, 2007). Both pollution options ranked as the highest threat. The community was also given the chance to voice a solution on this issue, seventy-five percent suggested that education was the most effective approach and that it should be in the form of hands-on workshops. What I had learned from this experience was that those that did frequent Oceanside harbor often did have that sense of environmental awareness. They seemed concerned and believed actively participating in the solution was key to the prevention of marine pollution. Their voice would lead me down the next few twists and turns on my journey's path.

Goals:
Create awareness on marine conservation issues.
Engage communities in marine conservation activities.

Courses/Projects:
EE Baja V
EE Baja Cleanup Project
World Habitats: Island Biogeography & Conservation

Soon the Summer of 2014 approached and I found myself preparing for the Baja V Earth Expedition. As I was brainstorming ideas for a synthesis paper, I kept coming back to my CSC idea of pollution. It had stuck in my mind throughout my Spring courses, yet I had not been able to fully materialize an extension project. Even during my Island Biogeography & Conservation course I had focused on marine debris impacts to Kure Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands chain, where I once worked. The difficulty was to take what I would learn in Baja in the field methods course and transform my Oceanside boating community with my new knowledge. I started to gather papers on how researchers quantified the amount of debris on beach cleanups. It seemed to make sense to use some sort of cleanup as a way to educate and actively engage the community. Since they previously suggested a workshop that was hands-on, my journey went in this direction. I examined field methods such as transects and quadrats which were generally used for assessments of plants and animals and put a novel spin on it (Hill, & Wilkinson, 2004). I would use these methods to collect and analyze marine debris.

My synthesis paper, “Field methods for nearshore benthic marine invertebrates,” became crucial to the building of this idea. The similarities of bottom dwelling,-sometimes motionless marine animals, to bottom dwelling,- sometimes motionless marine debris was comparable, I thought. Time in Baja provided me with more hands-on experience with these methods and the time to process how to implement my novel idea. By the end of the expedition I recruited several of my peers to run a short, pilot debris cleanup at the Vermillion Sea Institute. The coastline in front of the field station was mostly rocky inside the bay, not much different than the inner basin at Oceanside harbor. It became evident early-on that some of the field methods would not work well with complex 3-D structures like rocks and boulders, and that the data collection process took more time than I expected. I left Baja knowing that it was possible, yet the project design would take more fine tuning and much more piloting.

Goals:
Grow as a leader in marine conservation biology.
Collaborate with marine conservation groups.
Create awareness on marine conservation issues.
Engage communities in marine conservation activities.

Courses/Projects:
EE Baja V

The Fall of 2014 was extremely productive for my marine pollution project. After much reflection and an extensive piloting phase with a colleague, refinements were finally done (Velander, & Mocogni, 1999). I had decided that the inquiry would compare the amount of shoreline debris using a random walk against a line-intercept transect (LIT) quadrat, a methodology used for both large and small items (Rosevelt, Los Huertos, Garza, & Nevins, 2013). The random walk was a 6 meter path with a 2 meter swath, while the LIT was a 6 meter path with 5 strategically placed quadrats. The study site selection was in the northern most portion of Oceanside harbor that was frequently used by fisherman and the public, yet owned by the US Marine Corp base. The project design was to collect data along the rocky shoreline, vegetation line, and at a small dirt road that ran parallel. Short training workshops for the Oceanside harbor community and my colleague's local high school students would be given before the actual data collection began. Then the area would be cleaned. It was a challenging endeavor.

The survey proved to be time-consuming, taking four long days over the month and the community participation was low. Announcements for the hands-on workshops and scientific survey had gone out through social media, the SLRSPS newsletter, the Mariner's Needle, and posted as flyers around the harbor and the Oceanside Yacht Club's classroom. For whatever reason, the promotion and marketing of the event had failed. However, not all was lost. The data that was collected with our small number of participants revealed that there was a significantly higher amount of debris in the random walk surveys. And, that more overall debris items were found near the shoreline and that these items were made up of mostly cigarettes and plastics (Ryan, Moore, van Franeker & Moloney, 2009). Even though I was disheartened by my community's lack of participation, I realized how complex the issue is of environmental stewardship. Environmental awareness did not always mean environmental attitude much less, environmental behavior. Thus, my journey continued along its path to find more answers.

BLOWING BUBBLES BLOG (See My Website 5/4/14 “Human Impacts” post)

Goals:
Collaborate with marine conservation groups.
Grow as a leader in marine conservation biology.
Create awareness on marine conservation issues.
Engage communities in marine conservation activities.

Courses/Projects:
Regional Ecology: Biodiversity of Southern California

Still, that Fall of 2014, I was wondering how to actively engage my community on marine pollution issues. By this time I was enrolled in a Biodiversity of Southern California ecology course. Again, I knew I wanted to expand on my CSC course from 2013 and use educational tools to influence ecofriendly uses of the marine environment. Soon the path became clear. During the last year, I had joined the ranks of SLRSPS and became their representative of a “Dockwalker.” The Dockwalker program a volunteer organization sponsored by California State Boating and Waterways in conjunction with the California Coastal Commission (California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways, 2014).Volunteers are trained to approach boaters and speak to them on how to use green practices in regards to the disposal of sewage, oil, fuels, trash, and plastics.

That spring I had attended training and became a Dockwalker. I worked at various boat shows and events throughout both San Diego and Orange counties. It was here a new idea emerged for an inquiry: which method promoted a higher chance of a boater taking a green pledge? I compared educational booths at local Oceanside harbor boating events, where only a conversation took place, against a hands-on interactive presentation given. A survey on green practices and environmental legislation was given to both sets of participants, along with a request to take a green pledge. The Dockwalker sponsors provided free Boaters Chemical Spill kits to all participants. This time, the hard work paid off, participant numbers were high, with 92% of those receiving the interactive presentation taking the green pledge. Even more surprising was the outcome of the survey answers given by boaters. Many had boated for years, yet were unaware of environmental laws or procedures for ecofriendly behaviors, like what to do or who to call in regards to an oil or fuel spill. So it seemed, that there was a great need for education after all.

BLOWING BUBBLES BLOG (See My Website 10/13/14 “Baja Expedition” post)

Goals:
Collaborate with marine conservation groups.
Grow as a leader in marine conservation biology.
Create awareness on marine conservation issues.
Engage communities in marine conservation activities.

Courses/Projects:
Professional Media Workshop

In the Spring of 2015, the Professional Media Workshop (PMW) course allowed me to stretch my wings a bit. I wanted to write about my experiences over the past year with the Oceanside harbor community and tell their story on marine pollution. I wanted to give them voice, especially their insights on how to approach the issue. It seemed reasonable to find a format that was appealing to them and for them. I choose the Mariner's Needle, a monthly newsletter published by SLRSPS which could reach all district members and the Oceanside Yacht Club members. In all, about 500 members were sent the newsletter through social media and email blasts. That, however, did not include the exposure on the web or at the USPS national level . The piece was a large popular article written mainly about the final phase of the three part project. Published in October 2015, it was the final culminating artifact of my Master's journey.