Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network
Educators can join the statewide and international network of local observers and topic experts who share knowledge about unusual animal, environment, and weather events. You can post and share student observations with the network, raise awareness, and find answers about significant environmental events. You can also assist students in reviewing observations that have been posted…
Read MoreCoastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST)
Rigorous citizen science project that trains coastal residents in their communities to conduct monthly beach surveys to collect data on beachcast birds, marine debris, and evidence of human use of the beach environment. The data is used by scientists to understand seabird population dyamics and large die-off events. Recommended at the high school level in…
Read MoreKBNERR Plankton Coloring Book
Coloring book from Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve featuring the plankton of Kachemak Bay.
Read MorePlankton Chronicles: Plankton
2 minute video explaining what plankton are and their role in the ecosystem. Mesmerizing photos and video clips.
Read MorePlankton Chronicles: Protists
3 minute video that shows the diversity of planktonic life that are protists and introduces key types of protists and their natural history.
Read MorePlankton Races (CACS CoastWatch Curriculum)
Lesson plan for a hands-on (and somewhat messy) activity in which students engineer models of plankton to explore the concept of neutral buoyancy and the adaptations plankton have to achieve this.
Read MorePlankton Studies (CACS CoastWatch Curriculum)
Lesson plan for a lab and field trip activity where students collect plankton and observe under the microscope. If you cannot collect plankton, CACS can ship you some.
Read MoreMarine Phytoplankton of Kachemak Bay (Student ID Guide)
Identification guide to common phytoplankton of Kachemak Bay, including information on harmful algal species.
Read MoreOutlaw Algae in Alaska Waters
Interactive website with “offiial gang descriptions” involving “rap sheets” and “mug shots” of six species of harmful algae to learn their identifying characteristics and then take an online quiz organized as “the line up” with “witness statements.”
Read MoreEncountering Environmental Hazards on Alaska’s Coast
Portal website for reporting a variety of environmentall hazards people encounter along Alaska’s coast with Alaska-specific factsheets and other resources to teach about invasive species, earthquakes and tsunamis, flooding and erosion, harmful algal blooms and PSP, marine mammal strandings, oil and hazardous spills, and impacts of sea ice and risingocean temperatures.
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