Today, we learned lots about marine life at the NC Estuarium in Washington, NC. Our activity made us consider our impact on ecosystems and wildlife, specifically the life found near the estuary and their protection efforts. From this experience, we now know more about human interactions with the natural world. Our next steps will be continuing our research in the triangle area and western NC, applying what we learned about salinity and water pollutants to other environments.
After going through the estuary’s exhibits and learning about which animals live in certain salinities of water, we decided to walk along the boardwalk at the marina to observe the estuary surrounding us. Here, we observed many small jumping fish, turtles, and a few fish that were 8 inches to a foot long! The brush making up the wetlands were filled with nutrients for the wildlife and was a great buffer zone for the estuary. Along with some unfortunate bottles and pieces of trash, however, there was also a film on the water alluding to signs of an early stage of nutrient overload as shown in an exhibit of the estuary.
We made it to the Estuarium in Washington, NC! We began by talking to the experts about the water cycle and watching the introduction video about the overview of the estuary. An estuary is where salt and freshwater meet, and there is an abundance of wildlife and a unique ecosystem. The guide walked us through the exhibits and we learned about the impact of hurricanes, the food chain, and saw alligators up close!