*ISSN 1045-4772

e Earth Scientist

Volume XXXIX • Issue 2 • Summer 2022 $10.00*

Letter from the President .......................... 2

Letter from the Guest Editor ........................ 3

Science for Sustainability – Earth Science Week 2022 .... 5

It’s Elementary – Increasing Biodiversity By 

Replacing Lawn With Prairie Plants ................... 8

Watershed Studies and Restoration .................. 12

Carbon Sequestration Through 

Ponderosa Pine Reforestation ...................... 17

Gardening for Carbon Sequestration ................. 23

Water and Climate Stewards of San Diego Bay ......... 29

Environmental Stewardship on St. Paul Island, Alaska .... 35

25 Years Ago in TES ............................. 40

Advertising in TES............................... 42

NESTA Membership Dues Structure ................. 42

Manuscript Guidelines ........................... 43 

A young girl is tidepooling in a marine reserve 

off the University of California, Santa Barbara 

campus, during an exceptionally low king tide. 

Photo credit: Claire Fackler, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Issue Sponsored by NOAA’s Planet Stewards Program
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 2 The Earth Scientist

Summer day memories fly through my mind while reading this issue of The Earth Scientist. It’s exciting to read many San Diego schools are getting out of classrooms for community 

research, taking me back in time. I grew up in San Diego, surfing at age 12; member of Scripps 

Institute of Oceanography young scientists; the beach was my second home. San Diego has 

a different approach; no private or city-controlled beaches, instead they belong to every San 

Diegan. Feeling like one long beach with no boundaries stirs deeper emotion than a public 

beach; personal ownership and care placed on each of us. The beach is not to visit, rather something you are a part. NOAA Planet Stewards projects like these, help instill these emotions 

into the next generation, something we should pass to all students: Curating the beauty that 

surrounds us, rather than prescriptive labs verifying topics in a textbook.

This past summer was special: My first invitation to a former student defending a doctoral 

thesis. How could I possibly say no? So, my wife and I made a road trip from SoCal to Stanford, 

a good 9-hour drive by freeway. Of course, stopping to watch otters in Moro Bay, searched for 

Moonstones at Moonstone Beach, and visiting a few other places. Being able to witness Jose 

achieve his dream brought me to proud tears. He showed promise to his parents at a very early 

age living in Costa Rica. Though his parents did not share his early interest in science and 

fearing limitation in the Costa Rican education system, they sent him to the US. During the 

aer-party, I talked with his mother, her tears for missing much of his life struck home. The 

sacrifice they made for this day was heartbreaking and warming at the same time. As he moves 

on as lead chemical engineer for a carbon sequestration company creating new plastics, I hope 

that there was something I implanted. The many Earth Science-based chemistry labs; discussions of climate issues in physics; science fair project on climate remediation that won him 

medals; somewhere had impact. As a teacher it is easy to lose the forest for the trees. Students 

seem to arrive into class less prepared than previous years; discipline on the same trajectory; 

labs/projects become harder to complete. Alas, do not go easy into that good night. It is the labs 

and projects that make the science class. Oen, we never know the impact of our labs/projects; 

teaching critical thinking and problem-solving skills, while strengthening scientific literacy. 

Spend too long in the classroom, those terms become education jargon unlinked from reality. 

However, my closing remark at the aer-party, “I may have assisted in Jose’s accomplishment 

in some small way, but I think I was rewarded the most, as it is he that rekindles the flame of 

hope within my heart for teaching, watching him achieve his dreams” It need not be a doctoral 

achievement, it is in the achievements of all our students. May you soon have similar relighting 

of passion, a reminder that labs/projects have impact.

So as you flip through this issue of The Earth Scientist, I implore you to imagine how impactful 

these projects are to the students. Find one to inspire you. If you have completed a great 

project, please contact our Editor to inform our membership. For 

it is teachers like you that NESTA exists, let us celebrate you and 

your successes to share with a community of passionate Earth 

Science educators. Let’s help rekindle others fires as well.

One Earth. Our Future.

John-Henry Cottrell

NESTA

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President

John-Henry Cottrell

Past-President

Dr. Rick Jones

President-Elect

Natalie Macke

Secretary

Dr. Missy Holzer

Treasurer

Parker Pennington IV

Board of Directors 

Representatives

Kimberley Norris-Jones

Tom Ervin

Executive Director and 

Association Contact

VACANT

NESTA Webmaster

Elaine Bohls-Graham

NESTA’S MISSION

Champion Excellence in 

Earth & Space Science 

Education for ALL through a 

community of support. 

One Earth. Our Future.

Letter from the President

By John-Henry Cottrell, NESTA President 2022-2024 | @NESTA_US
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 3

Letter from the Guest Editor

By Bruce Moravchik, Coordinator, NOAA National Ocean Service Education

NESTA Coordinators

Merchandise Coordinator

George Bartuska

Membership Coordinator

Joe Monaco

E-News Editors

Diane Tom-Ogata 

Kimberley Norris-Jones

Professional Development 

Committee Facilitator

Ardis Herold

Marketing Committee Facilitator

VACANT

Healthy Organization Committee 

Facilitator

Natalie Macke

Finance Committee Facilitator

Parker Pennington IV

Elected Directors Facilitator

Matt Haverty

NESTA

REGIONAL DIRECTORS

Region I - Michael Jabot

Region II - James Ebert

Region III - Andrea Mangold

Region IV - Chris Campbell

Region V - Jill Weaver

Region VI - DeEtta Anderson

Region VII - Matthew Haverty

Region VIII - Laura Orr

DIRECTORS AT LARGE

Andrea Starks

Mike Koenig

Kimberley Norris-Jones

Diane Tom-Ogata

APPOINTED DIRECTORS

Dr. George Bartuska

Elaine Bohls-Graham

Tom Ervin

Don Haas 

Ardis Herrold 

Belinda Jacobs

Joe Monaco

Enrique Reyes

Angela Rizzi (NASA liaison)

Randall Sanders

David Thesenga

Anthony Thomas

Elizabeth Torres-Rodriguez

Region I - ME, MA, NH, 

RI, VT

Region II - NY

Region III - DE, MD, NJ, 

PA, VA, DC, WV

Region IV - AL, AR, FL, GA, 

LA, MS, NC, PR, SC, TN

Region V - IN, KY, MI, OH

Region VI - IL, IA, MN, MO, 

NE, ND, SD, WI, KS

Region VII - AZ, CO, ID, 

MT, NV, NM, OK, TX, UT

Region VIII - AK, CA, HI, 

WA, OR

NESTA Regions

As I write this, another heat wave is forecast for the southern United States. Multiple heat waves this past summer have contributed to record drought conditions across the 

globe. Other parts of the world have experienced record breaking rains causing life threatening flooding. Hearing about, or worse, experiencing these types of events along with ever 

present news about melting glaciers, human caused plastic pollution in our oceans, the war 

in Ukraine, Covid-19, monkeypox, the state of the national/world economy, and state of political discourse across the globe make so many of us – particularly young people, feel helpless, 

powerless, and hopeless. But there is hope.

In this issue of The Earth Scientist you’ll read about projects supported by NOAA Planet 

Stewards that have been developed and carried out by educators who have inspired real 

hope and made a difference with their students, schools, and communities. These educators 

have restored native prairie and woodland habitats, abated stormwater runoff, sequestered 

atmospheric carbon, reduced carbon footprints, and cleaned our ocean and coastal habitats 

of marine debris. These educators recognize that developing minds and changing mindsets 

comes through education coupled with action, and have shown young people, their peers, 

families, and communities that they are not powerless, that they can make a difference 

affecting real issues concerning their communities and the world.

This summer I received a long and upliing email from a NOAA Planet Stewards educator 

who has been working on a marine debris removal program at her school. I can’t share the 

whole letter with you – it was pretty long, but I will share a few snippets: 

“I want to say thank you for a wonderful opportunity. Having NOAA Planet Stewards funding has been a 

transformative experience for me, our students, and our school.”

“...our students are excited. They really want to make a difference in the world...They loved learning 

about marine science, STEM careers, and actions they can take to make a difference. I know this 

because they are doing things of their own volition.”

“Teachers recognized the excitement and asked for a Planet Stewards theme for the yearbook.”

“Parents emailed to thank me for encouraging stewardship at our school and at home. They asked me 

questions about where to recycle and shared anecdotes of things their kids were doing to clean up 

their neighborhoods.”

“The trash cans made by students using marine debris art were lightning rods. Parents, teachers, and 

staff were thrilled and our city hall asked to showcase them in April. Two other schools heard about 

what we did and copied us. I think our custodian was genuinely thrilled.”

“So many good things happened as a result of this project and I really want you to know that we are 

transformed and so excited to do more.” 
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 4 The Earth Scientist

I welcome you to be the change you want to see in the world. I hope you read these articles 

and are inspired to learn more and do more; to educate through action. Subscribe to the 

NOAA Planet Stewards Newsletter: The Watch (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/

planet-stewards/the-watch-archive.html) and discover new and exciting opportunities for 

you and your students, as well as free education resources, articles on science, stewardship, 

and education. Join our monthly book club (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/planetstewards/upcoming.html#bookclub1) and discuss timely environmental fiction, nonfiction 

and Young Adult fiction with your peers. When you feel 

ready, consider designing your own stewardship project 

and applying to NOAA Planet Stewards for funding (https://

oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/planet-stewards/psepsupporting.html). I look forward to you joining us.

Bruce Moravchik

(https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/)
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 5

The Earth Scientist

EDITOR

 Peg Steffen

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Kristina Bartlett Brody

MARKETING COMMITTEE

George Bartuska

Kristina Brody

Elaine Bohls-Graham

John-Henry Cottrell

Peg Steffen

Wendy Demir

Tom Ervin

Julia Genyuk

Parker Pennington IV

Andrea Starks

Kimberley Norris-Jones

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

Stephanie Baldwin

Lauren Brase 

Amy Brown

Geoff Camphire

John Fegyveresi, PhD

John Herrington

Sandra Lebrón

Lindsay Mossa

Veronica Padula 

The Earth Scientist is the journal of 

the National Earth Science Teachers 

Association (NESTA). It is published 

quarterly (January, March, June, 

September) and distributed to NESTA 

members. 

To become a member of NESTA visit 

nestanet.org.

To get more information about NESTA 

or advertising in our publications, 

contact, nestaearthscientist@gmail.com.

©2022 by the National Earth Science 

Teachers Association. All rights thereunder reserved; anything appearing in 

The Earth Scientist may not be reprinted 

either wholly or in part without written 

permission.

DISCLAIMER

The information contained herein is provided as a service to our members with 

the understanding that National Earth 

Science Teachers Association (NESTA) 

makes no warranties, either expressed 

or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the 

information. Nor does NESTA warrant 

that the use of this information is free of 

any claims of copyright infringement. 

In addition, the views expressed in The 

Earth Scientist are those of the authors 

and advertisers and may not reflect 

NESTA policy.

DESIGN/LAYOUT

Patty Schuster, Page Designs

Science for Sustainability

EARTH SCIENCE WEEK 2022

By Geoff Camphire, Lindsay Mossa, and Lauren Brase 

Educators have the capacity to inspire students to work toward making a sustainable world — one where people meet their needs in the present without 

compromising their ability to do so in the future. Earth science education is key to 

help students understand what can be done for a sustainability society. This is why 

the 25th annual Earth Science Week (www.earthsciweek.org) is gearing up to celebrate the theme of “Earth Science for a Sustainable World” on October 9-15, 2022.

This year’s theme emphasizes the essential role of Earth science in helping people 

make decisions that maintain and strengthen the planet’s ability to support 

thriving life. Individuals of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities are being engaged 

in how the entire planet is challenged to provide for human health, safety, and 

prosperity, while preserving environmental integrity.

The weeklong celebration, organized by the American Geosciences Institute 

(AGI) in partnership with dozens of organizations, provides materials, activities, 

resources, and opportunities for audiences in both formal and informal education 

settings to learn about sustainability.

Pursuing Vital Goals

To ground instruction about sustainability in real-world applications, Earth Science 

Week 2022 engages educators and students with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable 

Development Goals (SDGs, https://sdgs.un.org/goals). The SDGs are concrete, 

actionable goals that tackle some of the biggest challenges humans face today, such 

as energy, climate change, hunger, natural hazards, industrial production, and 

economic opportunity for all. A number of the materials in the Earth Science Week 

2022 Toolkit call on students to conduct learning activities that not only foster 

geoscience understanding but also connect directly to the SDGs, as well as the Next 

Generation Science Standards (NGSS, https://www.nextgenscience.org/). Making 

Table 1. Alignment of the SDGs to the Earth-Space Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) from NGSS. The 

content of the DCIs was compared with the Targets and Indicators of each SDG to assess for overlap. 

Lindsay Mossa, Lauren Brase, Brenna Tobler, AGI.
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 6 The Earth Scientist

these connections will help students understand how work being done in the Earth sciences 

helps achieve the goals set by the SDGs, as well as inspire them to be part of a global network 

of people working toward a sustainable future.

Educators can introduce their students to the SDGs in a way that sparks interest and passion 

not just in science but also in using science to take action and make positive changes to many 

aspects of our world. Learning about the SDGs allows students the opportunity to discuss 

global issues and actions that can be taken to improve the standard of living for everyone 

around the world. The SDGs can be easily tied to what you already teach, based on your 

state’s unique standards or the NGSS. Educators may already be teaching components of 

the SDGs. Use the resources that AGI has created and compiled as a guide for connections 

between the SDGs and what you already cover in your Earth science teaching.

For example, as in past years, the Earth Science Activity Calendar features classroom investigations, authored or recommended by program partners, that help students understand 

various facets of how the geosciences relate to the SDGs. The U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) 

“Wetland in a Water Bottle” activity, for instance, enables students to learn about life in 

water (SDG 14) and on land (SDG 15). And the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ 

“Solar Updra Tower” activity sheds light on energy technologies (SDG 7) as well as industry, 

innovation, and infrastructure (SDG 9). These activities can help foster discussions on the 

SDGs and how even small steps toward sustainability are beneficial.

This year’s Earth Science Week Poster (https://www.earthsciweek.org/sustainable-world) 

features a world map showing specific places around the globe where initiatives are 

addressing SDGs focused on issues like hunger, climate, and affordable and clean energy. On 

the back of the poster are a handful of activities inviting students to, for example, learn more 

about those initiatives through ArcGIS StoryMaps (https://www.earthsciweek.org/sustainable-world), explore how geoscientists’ work applies to SDGs, and create displays about 

SDGs in their communities. The highlighted initiatives can call attention to work being done 

around the world to let students know that actions being taken locally can have regional and 

global effects.

This year’s Geologic Map Day Poster 

paints a detailed picture of how 

“Soils Sustain the World,” showing 

the global distribution of 12 soil 

orders, as classified by the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture. The 

poster’s learning activities explore 

soil classifications, profiles, textures, 

and related SDGs. One activity, for 

example, encourages students to 

consult online resources to learn 

about the type and uses of soil in 

their area. Many scientists believe 

that maintaining and improving 

soil health is the key to a sustainable future, since soil is the basis for 

food production and environmental 

health and stability. Figure 1. Global Map of Soil Regions

Paul Reich (USDA-NRCS) AGI 
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 7

Studying Sustainability

The Earth Science Week Toolkit once again includes dozens of posters, worksheets, and 

additional materials that take a range of approaches. Look for NASA resources on climate 

change and agriculture science, Geoscientists Without Borders® activity sheets, a National 

Park Service resource on paleontology, an item on resources from the Soil Science Society of 

America, Mineral Education Coalition material on metals and sustainability, a community 

resilience activity booklet, and much more dealing with subjects such as seismology, climate, 

energy, gems, caves, karst, groundwater-dependent ecosystems, and the critical zone.

The Earth Science Week Webinar Series (https://www.earthsciweek.org/content/earthscience-week-webinar-series ) will also occur again this year, tackling sustainability-related 

geoscience topics. AGI invites educators, students, and geoscience enthusiasts to participate 

throughout the week and beyond. This webinar series covers an array of thought-provoking, 

timely issues relating to the science of sustainability. Aimed at the general public and education community, the series features presentations hosted by scholars and experts. Selected 

on-demand webinars occurring during Earth Science Week have a live question-and-answer 

period with presenters. Webinars are available in many languages, with multilingual 

captioning.

AGI is sponsoring four contests honoring this year’s theme. The visual arts contest encourages students from kindergarten through grade five to explore “Our Sustainable World.” 

“Geoscience for Sustainable Development Goals” is the subject of the essay contest, targeting 

grades six through nine. The photo contest, which is open to all ages, asks participants 

to bring attention to on “Sustainability in Action.” Teams and individuals of any age and 

anywhere in the world are invited to submit brief videos that show viewers their perspective 

on “Striving for Sustainability Globally.” These contests allow both students and the general 

public to participate in the celebration, learn about Earth science, and compete for prizes.

Throughout the quarter-century that Earth Science Week has grown to become one of the 

premier outreach efforts in the geosciences in the U.S. and across the world. Many partners 

and sponsors have collaborated to support the program’s success. Some provide financial 

support, while others contribute materials for the Toolkit. Still others lend their expertise to 

the media that AGI develops, such as the USGS and Natural Resource Conservation Service 

adapting maps for the Earth Science Week and Geologic Map Day posters and accompanying 

online media. Specific partners are acknowledged on the media, and a complete list of partners and sponsors can be found on the Earth Science Week website. AGI is grateful to all the 

sponsors and partners as well as the Earth science educators in the U.S. and internationally 

who use Earth Science Week as a vehicle for building geoscience awareness.

For more information, visit www.earthsciweek.org or email info@earthsciweek.org. 

Help shape the future of Earth Science Week! Complete the survey at: https://bit.ly/

ESWtoolkitsurvey.

Geoff Camphire, Associate Director of Communications, American Geosciences Institute

Lindsay Mossa, Education Specialist, American Geosciences Institute

Lauren Brase, Education Specialist, American Geosciences Institute
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 8 The Earth Scientist

It’s

Elementary!

Abstract

Prairies are defined by unique soil characteristics, grasses, and wildflowers. They 

provide native habitat for birds, butterflies, insects, reptiles, and other small wildlife. This middle school project, supported by funding from NOAA Planet Stewards, 

created a native prairie landscape on a school-site yard where there was once only 

a 2.75-acre lawn. Students worked with community members to research planting 

and maintenance of prairie plants. Aer installation, students were able to track 

an increase in biodiversity of plants and animals over a four-year span. They also 

compared the biomass of lawn and prairie and calculated the savings of carbon 

emissions due to a reduction of mowing. 

Introduction

Native prairies require little maintenance, are long lasting, and do 

not need fertilizers or pesticides and they are perfectly adapted to 

the midwestern climate. Prairie root systems are drought resistant, 

hold soils in place, absorb water, slow runo, reduce soil loss, and 

lessen the severity of ooding. (https://tallgrassprairiecenter.org/) 

The benefits of restoring prairie in previous lawns can be substantial, maintenance that uses less water and no fertilizer, and an 

ecosystem that supports wildflowers and wildlife. (Kessler, 2021)

In the spring of 2017, my students watched with wonder each day 

as a mother killdeer tended to her chicks that had been born on 

the grassy lawn beside the playground. We used safety cones and 

communicated with our groundskeeper to keep them safe, but 

what if there were other nests we had missed? My students worked 

together to find a way we could encourage wildlife be on our 

school grounds. 

Increasing Biodiversity 

By Replacing Lawn With 

Prairie Plants

Prairie Sunset at Neal Smith 

National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa

Photo Credit: Doreen Van Ryswyk - USFWS

Figure 1. Baldwin Prairie area before restoration. 

Photo credit: Stephanie Baldwin

Stephanie Baldwin, Little Miami Middle School, Ohio
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 9

The Project

This project had 2 anticipated outcomes:

● Eliminate carbon dioxide gas produced by lawn mowing.

● Increase biodiversity by planting more species of plant instead 

of turf grass.

Finding community helpers was key to our success. Students worked 

closely with our district groundskeeper to develop a plan. We had local 

master gardeners look over our plans and they helped us pick plants and 

connected us with the Ohio Prairie Nursery where we sourced our seeds. 

A representative from the Greenfield Plant Farm taught students how 

to select native plants that would grow well in our local soil and attract 

the largest number of pollinators to our site. Warren County Master 

Gardeners explained to students how to clear our site and maintain the 

young plants for the most successful plant growth in the Spring. Local 

gardeners and high school student volunteers helped students learn the 

proper way to dig, transfer and water new plants. 

The groundskeeper was happy to stop mowing the new prairie during 

the school year and also had a brush cutter available to cut down the tall 

prairie plants once each fall to prevent our grass species from being taken 

over by newly growing trees. Funds for our plants, new benches and 

signs came from NOAA Planet Stewards and the Ohio 

Department of Natural Resources WILD school sites 

grant (https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/educationtraining/environmental-education/wild-school-sites). A 

local greenhouse manager came to our school on planting 

day and brought mature plants to plant along with 

our seeds. 

School year timeline 

August

● A local businessman tilled the soil that would become 

the prairie

● Prairie seeds were ordered 

● Students installed 2 benches at the prairie site 

September

● Students planted the prairie seed

● Students collected data on how much carbon our 

school mower emits per hour and calculated a carbon 

footprint for our current school yard maintenance 

practices 

● Students planted 100 native plants

October-March

● Students in the school’s nature club weeded the new prairie area weekly

Species Planted

Grasses

• Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem

• Bouteloua curtipendula - Side-oats Grama

Wildflowers

• Chamaecrista fasciculata - Partridge Pea

• Heliopsis helianthoides - Ox Eye Sunflower

• Gaillardia pulchella - Indian Blanket

• Echinacea purpurea - Purple Coneflower

• Monarda citriodora - Lemon Mint

• Coreopsis lanceolata - Lanceleaf Coreopsis

• Senna hebecarpa - Wild Senna

• Rudbeckia hirta - Black-eyed Susan

• Ratibida pinnata - Yellow/Grey-headed Coneflower

• Liatris spicata - Dense Blazingstar

• Asclepias syriaca - Common Milkweed

• Asclepias tuberosa - Butterfly Milkweed

• Asclepias incarnata - Swamp Milkweed

• Monarda fistulosa - Wild Bergamot

• Tradescantia ohiensis - Ohio Spiderwort 

• Penstemon digitalis - Foxglove Beardtongue

Figure 2. Students planting native species. 

Photo credit: Stephanie Baldwin
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 10 The Earth Scientist

Figure 4. Comparison of numbers of animal species before and after 

restoration at Little Miami Middle School (LMMS). 

April

● Students continued weekly weeding

● Students completed a quadrant frame measurement of biomass.

May

● Students calculate new carbon footprint data for our schoolyard maintenance practices 

We installed signs designating the area as a National Wildlife Federation 

Certified Wildlife Habitat. In subsequent years we have added bluebird 

boxes, bat houses and walking trails to the area. It is well used by both 

students and the neighboring community.

Data Collection and Results

The students gathered four types of data over the course of the project. For 

biomass calculations, students collected all the plants from a 1x1 foot grid 

and let the plants dry. Students then weighed the dried grass from each grid 

to show change. 

iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/

teacher’s+guide) is an app that provides a way for citizen 

scientists to share their observations of organisms with their 

community. It works well as a way to collect data for a biodiversity discovery project, such as a BioBlitz, a short (oen 24 hours 

or less) inventory of living organisms found within a specified 

geographic area. (https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/bioblitz/) A BioBlitz may be conducted on all organisms or 

confined to a single taxonomic group or habitat. I took students 

out weekly for a month each Spring and Fall to get a tally of 

species found in our prairie. Students recorded any species 

they could find by snapping a picture using a smartphone and 

using the iNaturalist app to help identify the species. Using 

the iNaturalist community we were able to delete duplicate 

species and have community members check the accuracy of our species identification. Once 

Figure 3. Butterflies on newly restored prairie. 

Photo credit: Stephanie Baldwin

Table 1. Project data collection types and results

Type of Data Data Collection Method Amount

Carbon sequestered Biomass comparison of lawn vs. prairie Students measure 400% more biomass in our prairie 

plants as compared to the maintained lawn areas of 

our school.

Carbon released by typical lawn 

mowing

Students calculated the amount of gas used to 

mow the school lawn where the prairie would be 

planted.

Students calculated a savings of 1,062 lbs of carbon 

per year from our prairie.

Types of plants observed Plant survey comparison of lawn vs. prairie Students recorded 20 types of plants in our prairie 

area compared to 3 types of plants in our lawn areas.

Animal diversity observed Animal survey comparison of lawn vs. prairie Students took an original survey of 30 animals found 

on our school grounds. After prairie planting the list 

has grown to 45 species of animals observed.
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 11

our observations were verified by the iNaturalist community we added the species to our 

bioblitz list. 

To calculate the carbon dioxide emissions of the original plot of land my students began by 

interviewing our school grounds keeper. He reported that his riding mower used 1.5 gallons 

of gas per hour. The 2.75-acre site took him 2 hours to mow and he mowed the site twice a 

week from April to October. First, students used this data to determine the amount of gas 

used on mowing the site. They calculated:

Gas used in a year of mowing the school grounds (168 gallons) = [hours of mowing per 

week (4 hours) + number of weeks mowed per year (28 weeks)] @ 1.5 gallons per hour

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the motor gas used in the school 

lawn mower produces 19.37 pounds of carbon dioxide for each gallon burned. Using this 

information my student calculated that:

Carbon footprint of maintaining our school lawn (3,254.16 lb.) = 19.37 pounds carbon 

dioxide per gallon x 168 gallons

Conclusion

Our goal of increasing biodiversity and giving wildlife a safe space to live in our school yard 

were met. We found an increasing number of species each year the prairie continued to 

grow. We had the most increase in plant species and bird species. Where we once only had 

fescue grass, there are now wildflowers and tall grass species. Birds attracted to prairies like 

red winged blackbird and meadowlark are now plentiful in our space where we had not seen 

them previously. By turning a portion of lawn to prairie we gave schoolyard wildlife a place 

to be safe and thrive. Over the years my students have tracked the increasing biodiversity of 

the area and enjoyed the new species our space has attracted. Educators who are interested 

in developing native species areas can find additional information in the National Wildlife 

Federation Schoolyard Habitats Planning Guide. (https://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/

Pathways/Schoolyard-Habitats/schoolyard-habitat-planning-guide)

Link for the BioBlitz activity

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QkygYtnR4N7oTiFGyPjbXatfN4-l0N3DgccIJQm39b0/

edit?usp=sharing

Reference

Kessler, Rebecca, 2021. Yale Environment 360. https://e360.yale.edu/features/

in_us_midwest_restoring_native_prairie_ecosystems_kessler

About the Author

Stephanie Baldwin is a sixth grade language arts and science teacher at Little Miami Middle 

School in Ohio. She holds a BA degree from DePauw University in Biology and an MS degree in 

Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Cincinnati. She has taught for 18 years in the middle 

school sciences and received the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation Teacher of the Year 

award in 2018. Stephanie can be reached at sbaldwin@lmsdoh.org.
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 12 The Earth Scientist

Abstract

Students in a rural Illinois high school Earth and Space science class were challenged to consider how to better manage our land in central Illinois to positively 

impact water quality. The students learned about watersheds, their local Little 

Wabash River and how our land use choices affect all of the bodies of water it 

empties into. They mapped the watershed, determined its threats, and gained an 

understanding of the effects of different land uses on the Little Wabash and all the 

watersheds downstream to the Gulf of Mexico. Students collected and analyzed 

water quality samples. They also used online tools to determine how changing a 

specific land use practice could impact runoff, siltation, and nutrient pollution. 

Students proposed and implemented a tree planting project to reduce runoff 

from part of an agricultural field of a local landowner. Students prepared detailed 

reports and showed improvement from pretest to post-test about their knowledge 

of watersheds. Results from this project will be used with future classes as the tree 

planting matures. 

Introduction

Water pollution is a global problem. Everyone has seen sad pictures of animals swimming 

around and ingesting plastics in the ocean, and many in coastal communities have been 

impacted by beach closures at various times. My students in central Illinois may have seen 

these things as well, but they don’t feel personally connected to them. We live in the very 

center of the continent, far from the ocean. Some students live on or near a local lake, Lake 

Mattoon, and sometimes they will describe the water as polluted, or “gross,” but when 

pressed to explain what that means, they do not have much knowledge about what could 

be polluting the lake. Students rarely consider the river that feeds the lake and drains our 

farmland and towns, the Little Wabash River. Water pollution is an everyone problem. We 

all produce sewage. We all eat the food and use the products produced by farming. We all 

want the rainwater to drain from our yards and properties as soon as possible, and not flood 

our homes. But we all also want clean water to drink. We want clean water for recreation. 

Watershed Studies and Restoration

Amy Brown, Neoga Jr/Sr High School, Neoga, IL
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 13

And we don’t oen make any connection between our lifestyle and land use choices and the 

quality of our water. 

Project Implementation

The challenge we attempted to address with a NOAA Planet Stewards grant was “How do 

our land use choices affect the Little Wabash River and all of the bodies of water it empties 

into, including its estuary, the Gulf of Mexico, and how can we better manage our land in 

central Illinois to positively impact water quality?” The impairments in the Little Wabash 

River can be attributed to grain and livestock farming, and sewage treatment by several 

small towns along its length. (Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, 2008) Siltation and 

excess nutrients are the primary concerns, and these are tied directly to stormwater runoff 

and the associated erosion of soil from agricultural lands. (NOAA, 

2019) As the Little Wabash makes its way downstream into the Wabash 

River, the Ohio River, and the Mississippi River, these same pollutants 

continue, until they are released into the Gulf of Mexico, which develops 

a dead zone every year (NOAA, 2021). In 2019, NOAA predicted the 

yearly dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico to be one of the largest ever, due 

to excessive amounts of agricultural runoff associated with increased 

rainfall throughout the Mississippi watershed during the year. Spring 

is the most significant season for the increased nutrient load, and in 

2019, the USGS was estimating that 156,000 metric tons of nitrate and 

23,300 metric tons of phosphorous was being discharged into the Gulf 

in May alone (NOAA, 2019). Some of these nutrients are coming from 

the Little Wabash watershed and the farmland in our school district. 

On a small scale, this project showed students in the Neoga Community 

School District and their families and community that land use changes 

can have an impact not just on local water quality, but on global water 

quality because of the effect in the Gulf of Mexico. This project involved 

installing a riparian forest area on the edge of an agricultural field 

currently experiencing significant erosion. 

This erosion is the result of stormwater runoff, which also carries agricultural chemicals into the adjacent creek. The goal of the tree planting 

was to reduce erosion and runoff from the agricultural field, and 

improve the quality of the stream) therefore improving the quality of all 

downstream waters in the process. 

Riparian restorations are valuable tools in maintaining or improving 

water quality, with the added benefit of removing carbon dioxide from 

the atmosphere. (Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network, 2016)

Students in Earth and Space science class were challenged to first learn 

about watersheds, in general. We spent time identifying our watershed, 

the Little Wabash River. Students researched information about the 

watershed and impairments to it, and drew detailed maps of the area. We 

learned about pervious and impervious surfaces, and the impact those 

might have on runoff and infiltration. We mapped our school property, and identified areas of runoff from the property, as well as where 

it leaves the property. We also mapped the site about 10 miles from 

school, where a landowner had asked to have a riparian forest planted. 

Figure 1. Runoff from site of riparian restoration before tree 

planting. Photo credit: Amy Brown

Figure 2. Creek on restoration site showing silt runoff. 

Photo credit: Amy Brown
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 14 The Earth Scientist

Students used tools on Wikiwatershed 

Model my Watershed (Stroud Water 

Research Center, 2022) to calculate 

runoff, infiltration and nutrient loss 

from the approximately 2-acre site, 

and then used the tool to change the 

land use on the site, and compare the 

differences in all parameters before 

and aer the tree planting. Results from 

this analysis are displayed in Tables 

1 and 2. Load and concentration data 

refer to the amounts of those contaminants expected to be in the runoff as 

simulated in the Wikiwatershed tool. 

(Stroud Water Research Center, 2022) 

Runoff was simulated based on an 8cm 

precipitation event. The depth measurements show how much of the 8cm runs 

off, infiltrates, or gets processed by the plants to eventually evapotranspirate. The volume 

data refers to total volume of water for each outcome. This simulation showed a significant 

reduction in runoff and pollutants between the current agricultural land practice and forest 

land use. 

Table 1. Water quality results from Wikiwatershed analysis

Load, 

agricultural 

use (kg)

Load, 

forest 

cover (kg)

Average 

concentration, 

agricultural 

use (mg/l)

Average 

concentration, 

forest cover 

(mg/l)

Total suspended solids 42.215 4.098 203.3 42.4

Total Nitrogen 1.505 0.096 7.2 1.0

Total Phosphorus 0.209 0.012 1.0 0.1

Table 2. Runoff results from Wikiwatershed analysis

Depth, 

agricultural 

use (cm)

Depth, 

forest cover 

(cm)

Volume, 

agricultural 

use (m3)

Volume, 

forest cover 

(m3)

Runoff 4.355 2.029 207.67 96.76

Evapotranspiration 0.605 0.526 28.83 25.07

Infiltration 3.04 5.445 144.95 259.62

Figure 3. (top left) Students 

planting trees on the pull behind 

tree planter. Photo credit: Amy Brown

Figure 4. (top right) Students sort 

and prepare trees for planting. 

Photo credit: Amy Brown

Figure 5. (left) Students and 

volunteers measure and plant tree 

seedlings. Photo credit: Amy Brown

Figure 6. (right) Student using a 

dibble bar. Photo credit: Amy Brown
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 15

On a cool spring day in March, 2021, a group of intrepid students and volunteers planted 

approximately 1800 trees and shrubs on the restoration site. We used dibble bars (hand-held 

tree spades) and a pull-behind tree planter. Conditions were very muddy, which made tree 

planting easier, but walking and carrying muddy equipment harder.

We also collected water quality 

samples from the creek on the 

tree planting site and another 

site further downstream.

These were analyzed for typical 

freshwater quality parameters, 

including dissolved oxygen, 

ammonia, nitrites, pH, carbon 

dioxide, chloride, hardness, 

and alkalinity.

Results from the analysis of 

these water samples is shown in 

Table 3. Future classes will use 

these results to compare future 

water quality as the trees in the 

planting mature.

Students were given a pretest 

before beginning the activities in the unit, and aer 

completing the unit to find out their knowledge about 

watersheds, both in general as well as about their own 

specific watershed and its impairments. Students 

showed a 49.7% increase in scores aer completing 

the unit, reflecting the learning about watersheds as a 

result of the lessons. Students also prepared detailed 

reports of the results of our watershed study. These 

reports included recommendations for further land 

use changes that could improve water quality, both in 

the Little Wabash River and in the Gulf of Mexico. Some 

of these recommendations included more riparian tree 

planting restorations, installing saturated buffer strips 

along agricultural fields, and bioreactors to absorb 

excess nitrogen and phosphorus from field runoff. 

Conclusion

Real world problems provide actionable phenomena for students to engage with science. 

This project introduced students to their local watershed and concerns with its quality. 

Students quantified the water quality concerns, and learned about methods to improve 

some of the land management practices causing pollution issues. Students then proposed 

and carried out a tree planting project on former agricultural row crop acreage. Students 

produced positive quantitative and qualitative results, and were able to articulate how the 

land use changes would positively impact not just their own watershed, but all those downstream, as well. Students showed learning improvement through pre and post-test scores, 

Figure 7. Student collecting water quality samples in 

the creek below the field. 

Photo credit: Amy Brown

Figure 8. Student conducting water quality analysis. 

Photo credit: Amy Brown

Table 3. Water quality test results

Test name

Clear creek 

downstream

10/20/2020

Emmerich Farm 

tree planting site

10/23/2020

Alkalinity (ppm CaCo3) 200 200 

Ammonia nitrogen (ppm NH3) 1.8 2.4 

Carbon dioxide (ppm) 26 17

Chloride (ppm) 0.10 0.3 

Dissolved oxygen (ppm) 10 3.5 

Hardness (ppm CaCo3) 320 300 

Nitrite nitrogen (ppm NO2-) 0.06 0.1 

pH 7.5 8.0

Turbidity (NTU) 120 120
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 16 The Earth Scientist

as well as comprehensive lab reports that included detailed background information about 

the watershed, its impairments, and the improvements in water quality the land use changes 

would provide. 

References

Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network. 2016. The Second Solution: Riparian Restoration.

https://www.climate.gov/teaching/resources/second-solution-riparian-restoration

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). 2008. Little Wabash River Watershed TMDL Report. 

https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/Documents/epa.state.il.us/water/tmdl/report/little-wabash/littlewabash.pdf

NOAA. 2019. NOAA forecasts very large ‘dead zone’ for Gulf of Mexico. https://www.noaa.gov/

media-release/noaa-forecasts-very-large-dead-zone-for-gulf-of-mexico

NOAA. 2019. Watersheds, ooding, and pollution. https://www.noaa.gov/education/

resource-collections/freshwater/watersheds-flooding-and-pollution

NOAA. 2021. What is a dead zone? National Ocean Service. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/

deadzone.html accessed 7/15/2022

Stroud Water Research Center. 2022. Model My Watershed. https://wikiwatershed.org/model/. 

About the Author

Amy Brown is a high school biology and earth science teacher at Neoga Jr/Sr High School, in Neoga, 

IL. She has taught junior high and high school there since 2004. Amy earned her Bachelor of Science 

degree in Zoology (Wildlife Biology) from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and worked for 

the Illinois EPA for a few years in the early 1990’s. She then spent a few years as an independent 

contractor contacting riparian landowners along the Embarrass, Salt Fork and Spoon Rivers in Illinois 

to promote healthy riparian management. Amy received her teacher certification through Eastern 

Illinois University, and later completed a Master of Science program at the same institution. For the 

past few years, Amy has also been part of a team working on writing NGSS storyline units with Dr. 

Barabara Hug of the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign College of Education. Amy is very 

interested in ecology and conservation, and has always strived to bring real world issues into her 

classroom. She can be reached at abrown@neogacusd3.net.
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 17

Abstract

Reforestation efforts are oen cited as one of the 15 most important and effective 

strategies that can be implemented to reduce atmospheric CO2 (Hawken, 2017). The 

project detailed here, is a small-scale, proof-of-concept initiative for a much larger 

and future reforestation campaign in Northern Arizona. This project allowed 

for broad student involvement in what will ultimately be a multi-year effort for 

sequestering CO2. In addition, this project serves as a first step in a potential larger 

Carbon Offset initiative that would be sponsored and championed by all three of the 

State Universities of Arizona (ASU, UofA, and NAU). As part of this NOAA Climate 

Stewards funded project, two-dozen graduate students from the NAU Climate 

Science and Solutions (CSS) graduate program successfully completed a small-scale 

(2-acre) Ponderosa Pine reforestation initiative in the Fall of 2020. These students 

planted ~200 Ponderosa Pine saplings on previously burned National Forest land. 

Future graduate students will subsequently monitor survival rates and carbon 

sequestration. It is hoped that the long-term project will ultimately result in over 

1 million total newly planted trees (approximately 10,000 acres) in the next five years.

Introduction

Global climate change is not a single-solution problem to society and has even earned the 

nickname, “the wicked problem” (Murphy et al., 2012). As crucial players in the global CO2

cycle, forests and trees can help offset emissions by naturally increasing carbon sinks. In 

a CRS Report to Congress (Gorte, 2009), tree planting was deemed to have a greater carbon 

sequestration potential than other land use practices, and serves multiple purposes when 

implemented in areas where tree biomass has been lost. Specifically, it is estimated that on 

average, reforestation can result in the sequestration of between 1.1 and 7.7 metric tons of 

CO2 per acre, per year (Table 1; Brown et al., 1996). 

Among the different terrestrial ecosystems, conifer forests are considered major carbon 

reservoirs. Their contribution to climate change mitigation is established in their large 

Carbon Sequestration Through 

Ponderosa Pine Reforestation

John Fegyveresi, PhD, School of Earth and Sustainability, Northern Arizona University
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 18 The Earth Scientist

storage capacity and their ability to 

uptake carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis (Laclau, 

2003). As such, one common species of 

tree found in the forests of Northern 

Arizona, is the Ponderosa Pine.

Based on the EPA’s Carbon Footprint 

Calculator (https://www3.epa.gov/

carbon-footprint-calculator/), an 

average American household in 

Flagstaff produces between ~8-12 metric 

tons of CO2 per year. Thus, an acre 

of Ponderosa Pines planted as part of 

a reforestation strategy in Flagstaff 

could nearly offset the carbon output 

of an entire single-family home. The 

projected 10,000 acres of planned new 

growth as part of this greater project, could offset approximately 21% of all carbon emissions 

from Flagstaff county homes. Furthermore, Ponderosa Pine stands at full maturity, could 

sequester up to 175.1 metric tons of CO2 per hectare. In addition to significant biomass loss 

due to the various local and regional wildfires in Coconino County (e.g., the 1996 Horseshoe 

Fire), the already delicate Ponderosa Pine forests near the margins of the Colorado Plateau 

are losing several thousand additional acres per year due of the impacts of climate change 

and average warmer temperatures. This project aimed to address a portion of these losses. 

Data collected by future graduate classes will also be shared with the School of Forestry and 

the National Forest Foundation in order to inform the larger reforestation project, as well as 

evaluate the success, feasibility, and efficiency of the project. 

At the onset of this project, Northern Arizona University 

Graduate students within the CSS program took a required 

class specific to Climate Change Mitigation in the Fall of 

2020 (course: ENV 675). As part of their class project, they 

were broken up in to seven specific teams for the purposes 

of project preparation, field methods and operations, data 

collection, and report synthesis (as detailed in subsequent 

sections below). These teams were: Literature Review, Site 

Summary, Outreach and Fundraising, Aerial Drone Imagery, 

Automatic Meteorological Station, GPS Tagging, and Soil 

Sampling.

Background and Site Summary

The planting site is located within the Horseshoe Fire 

(1996) burn scar (Figure 1), approximately 25 miles NNW 

of Flagstaff, Arizona. It is characterized by high elevation (~8,000 ), mean annual precipitation of ~20 inches, 

moderate humidity (<50%), and four distinct seasons (with 

wide ranges in diurnal temperatures). 

Table 1. Estimated Sequestration Potential for Selected U.S. Land Use 

Practices. Adapted from Brown et al., 1996

(in metric tons of CO2 per acre per year)

Activity EPS (2005) USDA (2004)

Afforestation (previously 

cropland/pasture)

2.2 - 9.5 2.7 - 7.7

Reforestation 1.1 - 7.7 —

Riparian or conservation 

buffers (non-forest)

0.4 - 1.0 0.5 - 0.9

Reduced/conseration tillage 0.6 - 1.1 0.3 - 0.7

Grazing management 0.1 - 1.9 1.1 - 4.8

Sources: EPA: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Atmospheric Program, Greenhouse Gas 

Mitigation Potential in U.S. Forestry and Agriculture, EPA 430-R-05-006, Washington, DC, November 2005, 

Table 2-1, https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=P100GO8M.TXT. USDA: Jan Lewandrowski, 

Mark Peters, and Carol Jones et al., Economics of Sequestring Carbon in the U.S. Agricultural Sector, USDA 

Economic Research Service, Technical Bulletin TB-1909, Washington, DC, April 2004, Table 2.2, https://www.

ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/47467/17126_tb1909_1_.pdf.

Figure 1. Field location map created in QGIS by the author, using open-source 

satellite imagery.
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 19

The growing season in this area is relatively short, with the final spring freeze oen occurring as late as June, and the first fall freeze as early as September. There are two main 

seasons of precipitation in the area, a summer monsoon (rainy) season, and a winter precipitation, or snowfall season (Staudenmaier 

et al., 2014).

Low precipitation conditions in the 

area may become the new normal as 

climate change increases the mean 

annual temperatures of the region, 

and decreases annual precipitation. 

The 4th National Climate Assessment 

indicates that the Southwest U.S. should 

expect intensifying droughts all while 

the population increases in the region, 

and already limited water resources 

continue to diminish (Gonzalez et al., 

2018). Based on projections from the U.S. 

Climate Explorer Toolkit (https://toolkit.

climate.gov/tool/climate-explorer-0), 

the planting site should expect a mean 

daily max temperature increase of nearly 

10°F by the end of the 21st century if as 

a society we continue on the “business 

as usual” pathway (IPCC – SSP5-8.5 

scenario) of emitting greenhouse gases 

around the globe (Figures 2, 3). Based on 

these predicted changes in temperature 

and precipitation for the region, it is 

imperative that we regularly consider the 

suitability of Ponderosa Pine to inhabit 

this historically Ponderosa-dominated 

landscape in future planting initiatives.

Initial Site Data and Observations

Many aerial photographs and videos of the planting site 

were taken during the planting campaign (Figure 4). 

During the on-site tree planting, the ambient temperature, soil moisture, solar radiation, soil pH, and soil 

nutrient level were all measured by various team 

members. In addition, a Meteorological (ONSET) data 

logger weather station were configured to continually 

monitor local conditions at the site.

Aerial Drone Methods and Data

A designated drone team gathered aerial imagery of 

the site in an effort to create high-resolution figures of 

the planting area. Images gathered were made available 

to all other project teams in order to combine and/or 

Figure 2. Historical 1961-1990 mean daily max temperature for Northern Arizona. 

U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. https://toolkit.climate.gov/tool/climate-explorer-0

Figure 3. Projected 2090 mean daily max temperature for Northern Arizona under the high emissions 

(SSP5-8.5) scenario. U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. https://toolkit.climate.gov/tool/climate-explorer-0

Figure 4. Aerial drone imagery of the project planting site on the Horseshoe Fire 

burn scar. Photo credit: John Fegyveresi
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 20 The Earth Scientist

incorporate them with their gathered data sets (See also Figures 5–7). The obvious advantage of using a drone for the site imagery, was that it was capable of giving a more complete 

picture of the specific site location as compared to traditional ground-based imagery. 

Additionally, larger-scale aerial images give a better sense of scale for the burn scar and 

planting area. 

ONSET Meteorological Station Methods and Data

Introduction

The ONSET Sensor Station team installed and configured an automated meteorological 

sensor station and data logger at the planting site (Figure 8). This team was responsible 

for downloading all collected sensor data from the planting day, as well as data captured 

over a 10-day period following the planting in order to evaluate any possible longerterm trends. The ONSET sensor Station included sensors for detecting rainfall (inches), 

soil moisture content (m3/m3), solar radiation/Insolation (W/m2), temperature (°F), 

and humidity (%). The station was positioned near an existing snag (dead tree) at the 

primary planting area rendezvous point, and was programed to continuously record 

data at 1-minute intervals.

GPS Methods and Data

The GPS Measurement team gathered and documented all location specifics for the 

two-acre planting site through GPS latitude and longitude waypoints (e.g., Table 2). 

These measurements included GPS Coordinates bounding the entire site itself, as well 

Figure 5A. (top) DJI Phantom 4 drone and components used for aerial 

imagery and site surveying. Photo credit: John Fegyveresi

Figure 5B. (bottom) Students preparing DJI Phantom drone for flight 

and image capture. Photo credit: John Fegyveresi

Figure 6. View from the NW corner of the planting site. 1) Location of drone 

deployment; 2) Location of ONSET Weather Station and main rendezvous point; 3) 

Parking area; 4) Partial view of tree cluster #1. Photo credit: John Fegyveresi

Figure 7. (a) Examples of three different student teams near the NE corner of the 

planting site; 1) Original location of Drone Team; 2) Soil/Solar Team collecting 

sample; 3) Tree Planting Team. (b) Soil/Solar Team (left) and Tree Planting Team 

(right). (c) Tree Planting Team working cluster #1. Photo credit: John Fegyveresi

Figure 7. ONSET Meteorological Station 

installed at the planting site. Data logger 

and individual sensors are identified. 

Photo credit: John Fegyveresi
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 21

as coordinates for all individual planted trees, any on-site 

instruments installed (i.e., the ONSET station), and any direct 

measurements made (i.e., soil measurements). 

Soil Methods and Data

The Soil Measurements team set out to gather various data relevant to the health and condition of the soil in the planting area. 

In order to get an accurate and in-depth analysis of current soil 

conditions at the planting site, they used four different instruments. These included the Rapitest Soil Test Kit, Rapitest Digital 

3-way, the Atree 3-Way Meter, and standard Toulifly pH strips. 

Four sampling sites were selected to best represent the integrated soil composition and conditions across the planting site. 

Measurements of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and soil pH, 

were carried out using the Rapitest Soil Test Kit (Figure 9).

At each site, the GPS coordinates were recorded before the soil 

analysis, and soil was sampled from a depth of approximately 

six inches.

Ponderosa Pine Growth

Fortunately, Ponderosa Pines are fairly tolerant of varying 

soil conditions, however they still do prefer soils with a pH 

of between 6.0 to 7.0, and growing best in zones with 30 to 

60 cm average annual precipitation on well-drained soils. 

Once established Ponderosa Pines can also survive in hot and 

dry conditions, exhibiting medium drought tolerance (Ganey 

and Vojta, 2011). When compared to other species of pines, 

Ponderosa Pines are able to tolerate less fertile soils, requiring 

lower soil nitrogen and phosphorus in order to survive. In 

addition, though higher potassium levels are not necessary for 

growth and survival, there is some evidence that potassium 

fertilization can lead to decreased mortality in ponderosa pine 

(Garrison-Johnston et al., 2005). The biggest concern for the soil conditions is that the annual 

rainy (“monsoon”) season did not bring adequate rain totals for the year, leaving the soil 

conditions exceptionally dry. And though an established Ponderosa Pine tree can survive in 

such dry conditions, a young sapling needs additional moisture to properly establish. These 

dry conditions may ultimately lead to a higher mortality rate. 

It is reasonable to conclude that our saplings can grow with the available nutrients of 

nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus and the pH recorded for the planting site. Mean pH 

reading across all sampling sites and methods, was 5.7. This value is just under the ideal 

threshold of 6.0 (slightly more acidic). The nitrogen reading found in each testing location 

also showed that the levels were depleted. Our phosphorus readings varied at each testing 

site from depletion, to adequate, with two readings not clear enough to record an accurate 

interpretation. Though nitrogen levels were depleted and phosphorus readings were not 

consistent, it is still likely that the conditions are sufficient for tree growth. Lastly, two of our 

testing locations found a surplus of potassium while the other two found an adequate level of 

Table 2. GPS Site Locations

Site Identifiers Longitude Latitude

Site Corner 1 35.445203 -111.761341

Site Corner 2 35.446414 -111.761267

Site Corner 3 35.445178 -111.760622

Site Corner 4 35.4464 -111.760671

Instruments Longitude Latitude

ONSET Sensor Station 35.446517 -111.761240

Soil Sample Identifier Longitude Latitude

Sample 1 35.446389 -111.760639

Sample 2 35.445667 -111.761333

Sample 3 35.445639 -111.760972

Sample 4 35.446278 -111.760861

Figure 9. Students in the Soil Sampling team taking soil chemistry and 

pH measurements at the planting site. 

Photo credit: John Fegyveresi
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 22 The Earth Scientist

potassium. Despite the dry conditions, and based on the collected data however, the results 

should indicate a relatively satisfactory survival rate among the saplings (at least 20-30%).

Conclusions

In total, ~200 new Ponderosa Pine saplings were planted and catalogued on a 

previously burned portion of National Forest land, ~26 miles north of Flagstaff 

Arizona, within the Coconino National Forest. At the planting site, several 

measurements were made, and many instruments were used in order to document an ensemble of relevant data. These included drone photography, soil 

moisture and pH measurements, GPS waypoints and coordinates, and various 

meteorological and solar data. As a part of this campaign, a fundraising and 

social outreach effort was also carried out in an effort to raise awareness and 

funding for future project support. In total, over $500 dollars were raised 

through these efforts. In future years, this planting site will be further monitored by CSS graduate students to estimate overall tree survival rates, as well 

as total sequestered carbon. It is hoped that through this experience, and with 

the collaborations and partnerships built through it, that this initial proofof-concept, small-scale planting campaign, will evolve into a much larger and 

continual reforestation and carbon mitigation effort. Following the project, the 

NAU School of Earth and Sustainability and School of Forestry, have teamed up 

to promote a larger tree-planting fundraising campaign on the NAU campus. 

We have established a NAU Foundation charitable fund through the University 

that will allow for open donations to this campaign. Long term, the multi-year 

extended plan for this project is to plant over 1 million trees over the next five 

years (~10,000 acres). 

References

Brown, S., Sathaye, J., Cannell, M. and Kauppi, P.E., 1996. Mitigation of carbon emissions to 

the atmosphere by forest management. The Commonwealth Forestry Review, pp.80-91.

Ganey, J.L. and Vojta, S.C., 2011. Tree mortality in drought-stressed mixed-conifer and 

ponderosa pine forests, Arizona, USA. Forest Ecology and Management, 261(1), pp.162-168.

Garrison-Johnston, M.T., Shaw, T.M., Mika, P.G. and Johnson, L.R., 2005. Management 

of ponderosa pine nutrition through fertilization. Proceedings of the Symposium on 

Ponderosa Pine: Issues, Trends, and Management. Gen. Tech. Rep PSW-GTR-198. Pacific 

Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture, (198), 

pp.123-143.

Gonzalez, P., et al., 2018. Southwest. In Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: 

Fourth National Climate Assessment, U.S. Global Change Research Program, Wash., DC, 

USA, pp.1101–1184. https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/

Gorte, R.W., 2009, May. U.S. tree planting for carbon sequestration. Library of Congress, 

Congressional Research Service. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc689115/

Hawken, P., 2017. Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global 

Warming. Penguin Books.

Laclau. P, 2003. Biomass and carbon sequestration of ponderosa pine plantations and 

native cypress forests in northwest Patagonia, Forest Ecology and Management, (180),

Issues 1–3, pp.317-333.

Murphy, Raymond. Sustainability: A Wicked Problem, Sociologica, Italian Journal of 

Sociology Online, 2/2012, doi: 10.2383/38274

Staudenmaier, M. Jr., Preston, R., Sorenson, P., Johndrow, J., 2014. “Climate of Flagstaff, 

Arizona (Revision 7).” NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS WR-273, pp.1-68.

About the Author

John Fegyveresi, Ph.D., is an 

Assistant Professor of Practice in the 

School of Earth and Sustainability at 

Northern Arizona University where he 

teaches content related to the impacts 

of climate change. Additionally, John 

is a research glaciologist and climate 

scientist specializing in the analysis 

and interpretation of ice cores and 

polar ice sheets. He is most drawn to 

research questions that address how 

the physical and chemical properties of 

ice can be used to model past climates 

in polar regions and quantify ice-sheet 

deformation and strain history. Prior to 

this appointment, Dr. Fegyveresi spent 

four years as a Research Physical 

Scientist at the US Army Corps of 

Engineers Cold Regions Research and 

Engineering Lab in Hanover, NH. He has 

also spent nine field seasons carrying 

out research in Antarctica. John can be 

reached at john.fegyveresi@nau.edu.

Contributions to this article were 

made by the following MS graduate 

students in the NAU Climate science 

program under the supervision of John 

Fegyveresi, PhD:

Anabeth Avila Arenas; Bryce Beck; 

Jamie Blatter; Samuel Blustein; Caitlin 

Brogan; Dylan Chandler; Jenna Decker; 

Katie Dickinson; Jack Dugan; Katherine 

Dunlap; Sebastian Espinosa; Jillian 

Goulet; Stephannie de Souza 

Fernandes; Brianna Lovato; Christopher 

Moreno; Marie Nabors; Xuechen 

Niu; Mitchell Riner; Bennett Rosenow; 

Crystal Routhe; Maya Shimoni; Virgil 

St Aime; Chelsey Trejo; Ryan Tsingine; 

Hailey Weinberg; Isabelle Wilhelm; Alex 

Wilson; Iris Wu; Taylor Wyum
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 23

Abstract

Anthropogenic Climate Change is the challenge of our time. Unfortunately, most 

educational experiences leave students in a state of despair, missing the opportunity to capitalize on action. In order to affect positive change for our collective 

future, students must not only understand the mechanisms of climate change, 

but be empowered to create positive change now within their sphere of influence 

(Hayhoe 2021). In this project, sponsored by NOAA Planet Stewards, high school 

students learned about plant growth, biodiversity, and ecosystems before investigating how their consumer choices and actions can impact individual carbon 

emissions. Finally, students worked to solve this challenge through the creation of a 

school community garden.

Introduction

It can be a daunting task for students to grasp the magnitude of climate change, attribute it to 

human causation, and enact meaningful change that will have a lasting impact. With funding 

from the NOAA Planet Stewards Project, high school students in central New York created 

a school community garden. This project had two phases. In Phase 1, students assessed, 

created, and improved the habitat in an enclosed courtyard at our high school. The project 

responsibilities were divided into student teams. One team researched what were the best 

trees and shrubs for our soil and climate with the goal of not only carbon sequestration, but 

to attract birds and other potential pollinators. A second team of students researched birdhouse designs and types of feeders to attract a variety of bird species. Students then selected 

and planted trees, shrubs, and installed bird houses and bird feeders. 

During Phase 2, students created an organic vegetable garden in the same courtyard with the 

improved habitat. The goal of Phase 2 was to learn the skills and knowledge about the art of 

gardening, as many had never been exposed to gardening at home and to empower students 

to translate this skill into their own context in the future. Students gathered information 

on what vegetables would be best for the school garden; then students planned, designed, 

Gardening for Carbon Sequestration

John Herrington, East Syracuse Minoa Central High School, East Syracuse, NY
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 24 The Earth Scientist

planted and maintained the vegetable garden while incorporating other school groups in 

their endeavors. They created meals from their vegetables and used these meals as a basis 

for calculating the carbon cost of food.

Implementation

The project was set to start in February 2020. Students took the Carbon Footprint Calculator 

(https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/) as a presurvey and started researching 

and gathering information for the implementation of the school garden. Then March 16, 

2020 happened and virtual teaching became the new rave. Even with plans scrapped for 

creation of the outdoor garden, some good was salvaged from the craziness. Through 

online discussions and videos, 11 students created a vegetable garden for the first time at 

their homes.

In August 2020, a few students met with an arborist from a local nursery to discuss the best 

trees and shrubs for attracting and creating habitat for birds and that are best adapted for 

our soil, drainage and climate. We also received supplemental funding from the State Farm 

Teacher Assist grants. Planting took place in September and October of 2020. Coordinating 

the planting was a monumental task but I had both a Boy Scout (future Eagle Scout) and a 

Girl Scout (future Gold Award) involved in this project and they were tasked with recruitment and task management. They were able to engage their prospective athletic teams, field 

hockey and baseball, in the physical manpower necessary to plant all the trees and shrubs 

and to move 12 yards of soil and 12 yards of mulch. Phase 1 was complete.

In March of 2021, students started with the building and placement of birdhouses and bird 

feeders in the courtyard. Students researched what type of birdhouses would best for our 

courtyard and shared plans with our schools’ production class and had 10 birdhouses built. 

In May 2021, the organic vegetable garden was tilled and planted. Over the next 6 weeks, 

students maintained weeding and watering of the garden. The cross-country team wanted 

to leave a legacy gi, and asked the production class to also build benches so that students 

could use the outdoor classroom for a mental health respite while also to make seating available for classes that wished to be outside. COVID had really cramped everyone’s style at that 

point, and the addition of benches enhanced the use of the outdoor space.

Image 3. Students working hard preparing the courtyard for planting of shrubs and trees. 

Photo Credit: John Herrington

Image 4. After planting the vegetables, students work the garden to 

remove weeds and keep the soil loose and watered. Photo Credit: John Herrington 
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 25

This project would not have been possible 

without the involvement of many partners. 

We were surprised how many local businesses were willing to donate, offer at a 

reduced price, or offer services in kind 

when the project was explained and they 

were asked if they could help our budget 

go further. Materials needed were soil, 

seeds, containers, wheel barrow and mulch, 

shovels, rakes, gloves, hose and water and 

online access for plant research or library 

resources. Local phenomena were highlighted and student engagement enhanced 

through Engineering Design Challenges. 

(NGSS, 2013) and (New York Board of 

Regents, 2016) Local phenomena included 

organic gardening using no pesticides and 

fertilizers and connecting it to reduced local 

harmful algal blooms. Our project focus 

was primarily on decreasing fossil fuel 

usage, but we spent a lot of time discussing 

and showing how large commercial farms 

had a negative impact on the environment. 

Traditional ecological knowledge was incorporated into our garden planning. One of 

our engineering design challenges was to 

create a water catchment system to collect 

rainwater from the flat roof of our high 

school and water the garden at the roots to 

limit evaporation and conserve water.

Image 2. The finished product was a mini ecosystem with bird houses and feeders. 

Students are able to use the courtyard for science projects and to relax and appreciate the 

outdoors. Perfect during COVID. Photo Credit: John Herrington 

Image 1. Student showing off some of the produce from the organic 

vegetable garden. Photo Credit: John Herrington

Table 1. NGSS performance expectation

Performance Expectation

HS-LS2-7 Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human 

activities on the environment and biodiversity. [Clarification Statement: Examples of human 

activities can include urbanization, building dams, and dissemination of invasive species.]

Science and Engineering Practice

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 9–12 builds on K–8 experiences and progresses to explanations and designs that are supported by multiple and 

independent student-generated sources of evidence consistent with scientific ideas, 

principles, and theories.

• Design, evaluate, and refine a solution to a complex real-world problem, based on 

scientific knowledge, student-generated sources of evidence, prioritized criteria, and 

tradeoff considerations.

Disciplinary Core Idea

LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience

• Anthropogenic changes (induced by human activity) in the environment—including 

habitat destruction, pollution, introduction of invasive species, overexploitation, 

and climate change—can disrupt an ecosystem and threaten the survival of some 

species.

LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans

• Biodiversity is increased by the formation of new species (speciation) and decreased 

by the loss of species (extinction). (secondary)

• Humans depend on the living world for the resources and other benefits provided 

by biodiversity. But human activity is also having adverse impacts on biodiversity 

through overpopulation, overexploitation, habitat destruction, pollution, introduction 

of invasive species, and climate change. 

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

• When evaluating solutions it is important to take into account a range of constraints 

including cost, safety, reliability and aesthetics and to consider social, cultural and 

environmental impacts. (secondary)

Cross-Cutting Concept

Stability and Change

• Much of science deals with constructing explanations of how things change and 

how they remain stable.
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 26 The Earth Scientist

The unit was presented in a 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) format. 

Engage: In the fall, the high school Biology and Environmental Science Students took a 

carbon footprint and attitudinal survey related to climate change and then connected with 

special education students to harvest vegetables and create a meal together. Pumpkins and 

apples were harvested to cook some creative fall recipes. The interactions between these 

students can be powerful. Students were then challenged to create a “local slow food meal” 

as school was beginning and local harvests are abundant. They were presented with a focus 

question: How do consumer choices impact climate change? Students were allowed to 

source their food out of the school garden, local grocer, or local farmer’s market. Favorite 

recipes were discussed and samples were shared. Students presented their findings on how 

buying local produce or growing produce at home has a positive impact. In the spring an 

area for an organic vegetable garden was tilled and weeded, seeds were started in the classroom and eventually planted in the garden.

Explore: Students calculated the food miles (carbon footprint) of their meal (https://www.

foodmiles.com/food/calculator), and compared that to an alternate, remotely sourced 

version. Students also investigated the food miles of their favorite foods (how carbon costly 

is your guacamole at Moe’s)?

Explain: Throughout the year, the concepts of ecosystem composition, nutrient cycling, 

photosynthesis, growth, biodiversity, and anthropogenic climate change were explored. 

Students mapped out the courtyard describing the different mini ecosystems present and 

related them to biodiversity and specific bird habitats. Also, with the use of compost bins, 

students traced the path of energy through an ecosystem using the compost as a ‘fertilizer’ 

for the shrubs and garden.

Elaborate: This portion of the experience happens in late winter/early spring. Students 

engaged in an engineering design challenge, “What actions can you take to reduce carbon 

emissions through personal food choices?” One of the student challenges was to design 

a garden at home (space, sun, soil and water collection) and determine which vegetables 

would best suit their family. Next students created an action plan to purchase locally grown 

produce either from local farmers markets or from the handful of local farms in our district 

that sell produce directly.

Evaluate: This portion of the experience happened in the late spring. Students retook 

the survey from the beginning of the year. Students presented and implemented their 

Community Garden ideas and their organic vegetable garden was planted.

Results

Phase 1: Students calculated that approximately 430 lbs. of carbon dioxide is sequestered 

each year from the trees and shrubs that were planted. National Tree Benefit Calculator 

(https://www.arborday.org/calculator/)

Phase 2: Students calculated that approximately 900 - 1000 lbs of carbon dioxide is saved 

from the vegetables and fruit harvested from our garden (food miles eliminated) each year.

The graphs that follow (Figures 1-5) show the Climate Change Pre and Post Student survey 

results. 
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 27

Discussion

This “Community Garden” project has become self-sustaining thanks to NOAA Planet 

Stewards and other locally sourced matching funds. The courtyard has created a unique 

space for student utilization and the student learning that has occurred in this space has 

been priceless. Students truly enjoy being outside and able to experience firsthand baby 

birds being fed by their parents, understanding the importance of growing a vegetable 

garden, recycling of nutrients in a compost bin and making connections between climate 

change and actions they can take to help reduce the impact of carbon emissions. Science projects and activities allow students to utilize the space to study bird houses/nests and types 

of birds that feed at the feeders. The garden is a point of focus in our Locavore Unit and the 

space is used as a place to read and do work. Other teachers in the school take their classes 

outside to have discussions or work time. A future project is to have the art club create a 3D 

piece of art from recycled material.

Figure 5. Graph shows what students feel are 

important ways to decrease carbon dioxide input. The 

project focus was on ways to drive less and buy local; 

decreasing fossil fuel emissions.

Action that produces the greatest CO2 emissions

Are humans causing climate change?

Can the impact of Climate Change be Reversed?

Ways to decrease CO2 (Post only)

Causation of increased CO2 impacting Climate Change

Figure 1. Graph indicates a better student understanding 

of the cause of the increased carbon dioxide in the 

atmosphere.

Figure 3. This project focused on the impact gardening 

and decreasing food miles through buying local produce. 

Understanding the role transportation plays in the 

addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere is crucial in 

making changes.

Figure 4. Graph shows a change in attitude about 

whether climate change can be reversed. 

Figure 2. Graph shows an increase in student 

understanding of the human investment and moral 

obligation to take action against climate change.
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 28 The Earth Scientist

Central New York is home to a state regional farmers market, where students and their families can purchase local foods every week throughout the year. It is famous for apples, not too 

far away from the Finger Lakes Region (grapes), and only ten minutes from the Onondaga 

Nation, so the opportunity to infuse traditional ecological practices such as the practice of the 

Three Sisters from indigenous traditions for soil amendment and crop efficiency on acreage. 

Through our partnership with S.U.N.Y Environmental Science and Forestry, a professor 

visited to talk with students about Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). These ideas were 

incorporated into students’ final projects. Students have tried different ideas at home such 

as the Three Sisters (Native Seeds, 2016) using no pesticides, using compost as fertilizer and 

supplying rainwater to their gardens.

East Syracuse Minoa Central School District is a founding member of the CNY STEM HUB 

and Cleanwater Educational Research Facility (CERF) in the Village of Minoa, NY. Because 

of these connections, students have the opportunity to engage those visiting our school, 

participating in “Learning Tours,” on their project. Future students also have the opportunity to learn from the original cohort of students and expand the project at CERF, where we 

have a greenhouse available, courtesy of a previous NOAA Climate Stewards grant. This will 

extend the season growing and include the practices of aquaponics and aquaculture into this 

project-based learning unit.

Implementation Tips for other schools that want to start a project like this.

● Involve the entire school community (several teams needed community service 

hours for graduation or club participation). The first year is labor intensive!

● Diversify funding sources

● Recruit other programs for summer maintenance and to reduce waste

● Create a space for mental health breaks

● Include social media shout-outs for donations from local businesses

Resources

Hayhoe, K. (2021). Saving us: a climate scientist’s case for hope and healing in a divided world. New 

York, NY : One Signal Publishers/Atria Books.

Native Seeds (2016) https://www.nativeseeds.org/blogs/blog-news/how-to-grow-a-three-sisters-garden

NGSS Lead States. (2013). Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. https://www.

nextgenscience.org/search-standards

New York Board of Regents (2016). New York State Science Learning Standards: http://www.nysed.gov/

common/nysed/files/programs/curriculum-instruction/hs-science-learning-standards.pdf

About the Author

John Herrington is a 24 year veteran teacher with East Syracuse Minoa Central High School located in 

Central New York. John has received the NNSTOY New York STEM Fellowship, the Technological Alliance 

of Central New York award for innovative teaching, is a NOAA Planet Steward, and has been appointed as 

an adjunct instructor for State University of New York Environmental Science and Forestry. John holds a 

BS in Environmental and Fisheries Biology from SUNY ESF and an MS in Education from LeMoyne College. 

As an environmental enthusiast, John co-advises the Outdoor Adventure Club, coaches cross country, and 

baseball. John can be reached at jherrington@esmschools.org.

Pamela Herrington contributed to this project and article. She is a former NOAA Planet Steward and is 

the STEM and science instructional specialist for East Syracuse Minoa Central School District.
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 29

Abstract

In partnership with the Climate Science Alliance, the San Diego Coastkeeper 

education team developed new climate change lessons and activities to demonstrate the connection between human activities and greenhouse gases and climate 

change impacts in our oceans. Thanks to the generous support from NOAA Planet 

Stewards, the project was able to bring a Water and Climate Stewards program 

to approximately 944 4th-12th grade students at eight schools within San Diego 

County. Through one-on-one meetings with teachers and students, classroom 

presentations, online lesson plans, free supplies and action projects, students 

gained a better understanding of San Diego’s ecology and the threats that our 

environment and community face from pollution and climate change. Students 

developed a sense of stewardship towards San Diego’s habitats and wildlife and 

learned specific actions they can take to protect our natural resources, reduce 

their single-use plastic consumption, and create positive change in their communities. Teachers gained free access to standards-aligned lesson plans that meet Next 

Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards, enhancing their 

curriculum with environmental science education. 

Introduction

San Diego Coastkeeper (https://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/) is a non-profit organization based 

in San Diego, California with the mission to protect and restore fishable, swimmable and 

drinkable waters in San Diego County. The education team has been providing hands-on 

water education for years, and have reached thousands of students and teachers with our 

education programs. In order to make our programming more relevant and local we have 

been building partnerships with San Diego environmental education organizations and the 

Climate Science Alliance, a non-profit organization with the mission of safeguarding natural 

and human communities in the face of a changing climate (https://www.climatesciencealliance.org/). With these connections and the knowledge and resources that community 

Water and Climate Stewards 

of San Diego Bay

Sandra Lebrón, Elementary Institute of Science, San Diego, CA
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 30 The Earth Scientist

partnerships bring, we felt empowered to start incorporating meaningful climate education 

into our existing curriculum. 

One of the key science education content standards that California has adopted to guide 

K-12 science education is the principle that people influence natural systems. The goal of 

our climate action project was to deepen student knowledge and to find practical solutions 

for two issues: climate change and marine debris. New climate change lessons and activities were developed that included tools for understanding which human activities produce 

greenhouse gases, presentations on the ways in which climate change is impacting our 

oceans, games that help illustrate links between human behaviors and climate outcomes, and 

resources full of tips for how students can reduce their climate impacts in their own lives 

and empower their families and communities to do the same. 

Funds provided by NOAA Planet Stewards (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/planet-stewards/psep-supporting.html) allowed us to purchase supplies to 

build the education kits we distributed to local classrooms. Through a partnership with the Port of San Diego’s environmental education grant program, we 

were able to expand the program into the San Diego Bay Watershed communities 

of Coronado, Imperial Beach, and Chula Vista in addition to San Diego. Spanish 

language versions of our climate lesson further improved our ability to connect 

with more students and more educators in our region. 

Project Implementation

During this grant period, we hosted numerous classroom presentations and 

field trips through partnerships with the Climate Science Alliance and the Earth 

Discovery Institute (https://earthdiscovery.org/). These partnerships allowed us 

to leverage a larger number of students and allowed us to present a holistic view 

of climate and water science. Through our hands-on trash decomposition and 

greenhouse gases activities, students learned about the relationship between 

plastic consumption and climate change. We offered classroom presentations to 

help teachers integrate the Climate Change and Marine Debris lesson plan into 

their curriculum and conducted climate stewardship action projects in three schools. 

The following schools in San Diego County participated in the project:

1. Bayside Elementary in Imperial Beach.

2. Harborside Elementary in Chula Vista.

3. SAY San Diego an aer-school program at Innovation Middle School in San Diego.

4. Logan K-8 School in San Diego.

5. Marston Middle school in San Diego.

6. Mission Bay High School in San Diego.

7. Silver Gate Elementary school in San Diego. 

8. Silver Strand Elementary school in Coronado.

Students learned about marine debris; what happens with our trash—specifically single-use 

plastics—when it reaches our storm drains, where it ends up if not properly disposed of, 

and its detrimental effects on our local waterways, the San Diego Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. 

Students discovered how long it takes for plastics to decompose and were surprised to learn 

Illustrations by Jack Kelly

Marine Debris

Trash (mostly plastics) and any other human-made material that enters the marine 

environment. 60-80% comes from land through the storm drains and rivers.

Basura Marina

Basura (mayormente plásticos) y cualquier otro material hecho por los humanos que 

entra al ambiente marino. 60-80% viene de actividades en tierra a través de las 

alcantarillas y los ríos.

Figure 1. Example of bilingual science illustrations. 
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 31

that some single-use items can take hundreds of years to 

break down into smaller pieces, making them more accessible to become part of the food chain and ultimately never 

degrade. Students were deeply concerned about the effects 

of marine debris on our marine life when exploring real 

pictures of aquatic and marine animals with their stomachs 

filled with plastic items. 

Link to NGSS Lesson Finding Solutions to Climate Change 

and Plastic Pollution: (https://docs.google.com/document/

d/184LF9U3EOCI2BRBAkod_IcTSyDt6LcNi9T5KdLxBnVw/

edit?usp=sharing).

Innovative games engaged students in learning about 

different causes of climate change, the sources of greenhouse 

gases as well as practical solutions an individual can take to 

reduce plastic consumption and pollution and decrease their 

carbon and water footprint.

The team piloted new lessons at Pacific Beach Elementary 

School over the course of five weeks in 2017—reaching every 

single student in grades K-5 at the school—and received positive feedback. We also worked with 6th grade students from 

Harborside Elementary and the students showed an increase 

in understanding about solving the pollution problem from 

22% to 84%.

Topics at the schools varied depending on the needs of the 

curriculum. Students from Marston Middle School, Mission 

Bay High School and Silver Gate Elementary participated in 

hands-on marine debris decomposition activities and greenhouse gases games. 

Image 1. 88 4th-5th grade students from Bayside Elementary learned about 

the San Diego Bay tidelands and pollution sources during an outdoor field trip 

with the Earth Discovery Institute to Imperial beach. Photo credit: Sandra Lebrón

Image 2. Students learning about marine debris and watersheds. 

Photo credit: Sandra Lebrón

Table 1. Before: 25 of the 115 (22%) students answered correctly. After: 97 

of the 115 (84%) students answered correctly.

Image 3. Mission Bay High School students analyze trash during 

decomposition activity.

Photo credit: Sandra Lebrón
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 32 The Earth Scientist

The aerschool program at Innovation 

Middle School learned about ways to 

monitor and minimize pollution in our watersheds, learned about ocean acidification effects 

to our ocean, and practiced pH testing. Students discussed ways to monitor and minimize 

pollution in our watersheds, learned about ocean acidification effects to our ocean, and practiced pH testing.

The focus at Logan K-8 School was water quality, measuring pH, ocean acidification, and CO2,

and ways to reduce greenhouse gases and plastic pollution as well as the effects of ocean 

acidification on our marine animals and habitats.

Image 4 and 5. San Diego Coastkeeper interns work with Innovation Middle 6-8th grade 

students at an afterschool program. Photo credit: Sandra Lebrón

Image 6. Students from Silver Strand Elementary School in Coronado. 

Photo credit: Sandra Lebrón

Image 7. Marston Middle students during trash collection and assembly. 

Photo credit: Sandra Lebrón
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 33

Student Action Projects 

Climate action projects were started at three schools to help students understand their 

carbon and water footprints on the local environment, their 

daily plastic consumption, and encourage simple actions to 

reduce their daily single-use plastic consumption. 6th grade 

students at Marston Middle School in San Diego conducted a 

plastic inventory and implemented measure to refuse, reduce, 

reuse, and ultimately recycle. Their climate stewardship 

action project included:

● Public service announcement (PSA) to increase 

awareness about single-use plastics. https://youtu.be/ZL1Eb2GwGg and https://youtu.be/1Hf68hCnSyY. 

● Each week from January-June, posters highlighting a 

different plastic pollution problem were hung around 

the school.

● A school-wide assembly highlighting the problems 

caused by plastic pollution with over 200 students and 

teachers in attendance. 

● A spirit week with each day dedicated to reducing the 

consumption of a specific plastic item, such as straws 

and single-use plastic water bottles.

● The Gied and Talented Education (GATE) class created 

e-posters to highlight a specific plastic pollution 

problem and its solution.

● Alphabet coloring books for elementary school 

students. (https://drive.google.com/drive/

folders/19cqHBk3Q54NKJiVnlnQW6H-76wuIm2DX)

The Marston Middle School students presented their climate 

action project at the 14th Annual CCTE Showcase, an initiative 

from San Diego Unified School District’s Ignite College, Career 

& Technical Education. They were the only 6th grade students 

in the competition and offered an outstanding presentation to 

the judges. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nO1UUGonXAPO

pEmicnq7iT4u0QdIcmDN/view). Photo at https://drive.google.

com/file/d/12maRQOAHhKB9cV0KhQm3sVncBkMxs_mO/

view?usp=sharing.

The 5th grade class from Silver Strand Elementary tracked 

their plastic usage for one week, then discussed as a class 

which plastics they could reduce and/or refuse to decrease the 

number of single-use plastics consumed. During the second 

week, they tracked their single-use plastic consumption.

The student’s data showed the highest reduction during the 

second week with the following items: plastic water bottles 

(61%), plastic plates (57%), cereal bags (46%), straws (40%), and 

plastic baggies (38%). Figure 3. Examples of the responses from the 5th graders after their 

second week of the climate stewardship action project.

Figure 2. Example of chart comparison between the first (previous 

behavior) and the second week (implementing environmental 

stewardship).
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 34 The Earth Scientist

The teacher from the 4th grade class at Bayside Elementary School provided feedback on 

how it was initially challenging to conduct the action project due to the limited time allocated to science class. However, aer participating in the action project, students expressed 

that this project was “very eye-opening” and that it increased their awareness of environmental stewardship. Additionally, the class was excited about the action project and will be 

implementing it next school year with the entire school. 

Conclusion

This project was a hands-on learning opportunity to help students understand their environmental impact on the local community and then to implement climate action projects. 

Our goal was to partner with at least two schools to encourage the students to implement 

climate action projects. We worked with 8 schools, and ultimately helped to pilot the 

climate stewardship action project at three schools: Marston Middle School, Silver Strand 

Elementary School, and Bayside Elementary School. 125 students from these three schools 

challenged themselves to reuse and reduce single-use plastics. Our students were able to 

conduct an investigation, learn from experts, and find solutions to prevent and minimize 

pollution in our beaches and watersheds and understand the connection to plastics and 

our carbon footprint. This project provided an opportunity for students to take action and 

to be part of the solution to marine debris and climate change. We appreciate the teachers, 

informal educators, interns, NOAA Planet Stewards, and The Port of San Diego for all their 

support to our students. Additional information about the project can be found at Climate 

Stewards - San Diego Coastkeeper (https://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/education/climatestewards) and “How Community Partnerships Empowered Coastkeeper’s Education Team to 

Take on Climate Change” (https://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/blog/environmental-education/

community-partnerships-empowered-coastkeepers-education-team-take-climate-change)

About the Author and Collaborators

Sandra Lebrón, MS in Marine Science, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez, is the former San Diego Coastkeeper Education Manager. 

She is the current Director of Education at the Elementary Institute of Science (https://eisca.org/) where she serves the Southeast San 

Diego schools to provide STEM opportunities for underrepresented students in STEM. Sandra has been working in science education for 20 

years with organizations like the National Estuarine Research Reserve, NOAA’s Sea Grant College Program, Birch Aquarium at Scripps, and 

the Living Coast Discovery Center. She is passionate about environmental education and STEM equity. She enjoys spending time with her 

15-year-old son, friends, and family, and enjoys the beach as much as possible! Sandra can be reached at slebron@eisca.org

San Diego Coastkeeper Education Interns

• Victoria Dickey, BS in Oceanography, Hawaii Pacific University

• Robyn Gillium, BS in Environmental Systems: Ecology Behavior and Evolution and B.A. in Political Science, University of California, 

San Diego

• Melissa Pennington, BA in Sustainability, San Diego State University

Climate Science Alliance 

• Amber Pairis, PhD in Environmental Studies. Founder and Lead Advisor, Climate Science Alliance, Associate Research Professor-Western 

Regional Climate Center at the Desert Research Institute

• Laura Hampton, BA in Physical Geography, San Diego State University. Former Program Manager, Innovative Community Engagement 

Initiative at Climate Science Alliance- South Coast California. Department of Fish and Wildlife & Center for Climate Change Impacts and 

Adaptation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 35

Abstract

The Planet Stewards Program is invaluable for connecting teachers and informal 

educators who are passionate about instilling the value of environmental stewardship in students. A team from the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal 

Government developed a curriculum for middle school students at the St. Paul 

Island School in Alaska about marine debris issues that helped them find small-scale 

solutions within their community. We created original lesson plans that utilized 

materials from marine debris experts around the world, and coordinated with 

them to provide virtually visits to students from the school to talk about their work. 

Piloting this curriculum required high levels of communication and collaboration 

with teachers at the St. Paul Island School and the Covid-19 pandemic provided challenges. As a result, our first attempt to deliver the curriculum was done in a hybrid 

format in which the teacher was in the classroom with the students on St. Paul 

Island, and presenters visited the classroom virtually via video conference to talk 

to students and lead classroom activities. We learned many valuable lessons about 

working with teachers and students in a small rural Alaskan community, and hope 

to pass along those lessons for teachers and informal STEM educators in other parts 

of the country.

Our story

Our staff within the Ecosystem Conservation Office, the research and resource management department within Tribal Government, consists of talented scientists and resource 

managers. Within the Tribal Government, we assist teachers in their efforts to offer the 

best education and opportunities possible to their students. As informal STEM educators 

working for an Alaska Native Tribal Government, we are particularly grateful for the opportunity to connect with and learn from other teachers – their input and creativity helped 

us to develop and propose a project that could hopefully engage and inspire the students 

of St. Paul Island, Alaska. We work closely with teachers at the St. Paul Island School and 

recognize that as a small public school in rural Alaska, teachers’ resources are limited. 

Environmental Stewardship on St. Paul Island, Alaska

Veronica Padula, Ecosystem Conservation Office, St. Paul Island, Alaska
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 36 The Earth Scientist

They are also asked to perform many tasks, going above and beyond for their students. We 

coordinate with teachers to bring our skills into the classroom, sharing our knowledge with 

students through conducting hands-on activities, and providing mentorship for students 

as they grow. While the environmental issues facing small, rural communities may vary 

across the country, we hope that teachers can be inspired by the lesson plans we developed to 

create curriculum that can inspire their students to find local, small-scale solutions to large 

environmental problems. We also hope we can share lessons learned for informal STEM 

educators in how to work with teachers and public schools and small communities.

Planet Stewards allowed us the 

opportunity to work with students 

to take action against marine 

debris, an issue that threatens 

the marine ecosystem of St. Paul 

Island. The Tribal Government 

conducts major marine debris 

cleanups, removing almost of 

25,000 lbs of debris from the 

island’s shoreline within a single 

cleanup event. 

These cleanup events are critical 

to the protection of the island, but 

leave Tribal Government with a 

new issue, which is the disposal 

of the collected marine debris. 

Plastic recycling is not available on 

a remote island like St. Paul, and 

plastic either becomes part of the 

landfill, or we must find a method 

of barging the waste off the island, 

which can be expensive and logistically difficult. 

Our project set out to make 

students aware of the plastic waste 

issue and formulate methods of 

addressing it directly within their 

community. Along with lesson 

plans that provided students with 

more background about marine 

debris, plastic waste and their 

associated negative impacts on the marine environment, we encouraged students to propose 

solutions that could potentially be achieved within their community. Fortunately, our team 

was able to travel to St. Paul Island in July 2021, during a brief period of Covid relief. We took 

advantage of that time on island to conduct cleanups both around the town and along the 

beaches. The team of students removed more than 200 lbs of litter and debris!

We developed unique lesson plans, but we also pulled resources and materials from various 

experts to supplement the information provided. We also invited experts to virtually visit 

Figure 1: Scenes from the May 2019 marine debris 

cleanup, where community members worked 

together to remove over 19,000 lbs of marine 

debris from St. Paul Island’s shorelines. 

Photo Credit: Ocean Media Institute

Figure 2: Some pieces of marine debris, such as the 

trawl net pictured here, were so large and heavy that 

four wheelers were required to drag them off the 

beaches. Photo Credit: Ocean Media Institute

Figure 3: The debris removed during the May 2019 cleanup was taken to the landfill and sorted by category 

before being weighed. Photo Credit: Veronica Padula
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 37

students and tell them about their work, which was an extremely 

unique component to this curriculum. 

We combined lessons about environmental issues with lessons about 

technologies that could potentially inspire solutions to the issue. For 

example, students on St. Paul Island are very interested in emerging 

technologies, such as 3D printing. We saw an opportunity to harness 

that interest and develop a project that combined environmental 

stewardship and technology concepts. While St. Paul Island does not 

have an active plastic recycling program on site, machines have been 

designed that can shred plastic items and turn them into 3D printing 

thread. The project for the students involved learning about marine 

debris, the problems with plastic and waste management, and challenging them to design solutions to the issues related to marine debris and plastics.

Figure 8: Students examine a sample of sand for microplastics during the July 

2021 marine debris camp. Photo Credit: Veronica Padula

Figure 9: Another day of marine debris cleanup during the July 2021 

marine debris camp. Photo Credit: Veronica Padula

Figure 6: Recycling bins set up for the start of recycling club. 

Photo Credit: Jessica Fratis

Figure 4: St. Paul Island students learned about how marine debris impacts marine ecosystems during 

the Bering Sea Days event in September 2019. In the lesson pictured here, students were part of a 

marine food web where microplastics (another form of marine debris) could be ingested by smaller 

organisms and get amplified through food web dynamics. Photo Credit: Veronica Padula

Figure 5: Students created art installations to help 

bring awareness to the marine debris issue. Photo 

Credit: Veronica Padula
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 38 The Earth Scientist

The reward for all of their hard work was to provide them 

with a ProtoCycler (desktop filament extruder) that could 

recycle plastic waste items into 3D printing thread and 

encourage them to create objects from the recycled plastics 

on 3D printers. Ultimately, we wanted the students to feel 

empowered to make a difference within their community with regards to plastic waste and protecting their 

environment.

The Covid-19 pandemic presented many challenges in the 

execution of this project. We were not able to interact with 

the students in the way we had hoped – St. Paul Island 

is a small and remote community, with limited access to 

health care and a number of Elders that are high risk with 

Covid-19. Travel to St. Paul was limited, and so we could not 

visit the island to deliver the lesson plans laid out in this 

project in person. Classes were remote and this presented 

its own challenges as internet on St. Paul Island is unreliable, resulting in many students 

being unable to access learning materials from home. Teachers were forced to rethink and 

reevaluate lesson plans and teaching methodologies. It would have been too much for us to 

ask the teachers to conduct these lessons with their students, even remotely. A key lesson we 

took away from this is that ongoing communication with teachers was critical, but even more 

critical is showing teachers our support in all ways possible, including showing patience, 

not placing the goals of our project over those of the teachers in providing quality educational experiences.

We were fortunate that by the winter of 2021, school was back in session for the St. Paul 

Island students, and we could join their class remotely. We had a marine debris class session 

every Friday from January to April, where marine debris experts visited students virtually, and the teacher led various activity lessons with the students. The students attempted 

to use the Protocycler and 3D printers several times, and created several amazing 3D 

printed objects.

They oen had to trouble shoot issues with the technology but the students were very good 

at finding solutions. A key lesson we took away from this hybrid model of teaching was 

that we needed to be adaptable within our lesson plans. If the internet was not cooperating 

and our virtual visitor could not speak to the class, we ensured that the teacher had been 

provided with enough materials to conduct another lesson with the students, ensuring their 

progress throughout the marine debris curriculum. 

Links to the curriculum:

Module: Introduction to Marine Debris https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GZsQ3xYoYLPk

lAxbG4c2pyPqdkJkDTK_/view

Link to Marine Debris Module 2 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BiCaZyHgPCcrp4oH25

zbOrxkxSxczTYd/view

Figure 7: Students experiment with 3D printing. 

Photo Credit: Ethan Candyfire
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 39

Conclusion

The challenges of working with remote communities were certainly highlighted in this 

project and reinforced during the pandemic. This was our first attempt at sharing the 

marine debris curriculum with students in a remote fashion, and we spent a good portion 

of our time trouble-shooting the technology and adjusting the lesson plans. We hope to 

repeat the effort at the St. Paul Island School in the future and collect data about the impact 

on students. It is clear that students in remote and rural communities oen do not have 

access to unique educational opportunities or lessons with a local impact. It is up to a coalition of caring adults, from teachers to parents to scientists, to put in the extra effort to 

ensure students in underserved communities are offered opportunities to enhance their 

educational experiences. While it may be difficult, and things may not turn out the way one 

imagines, it is always worth the effort. There may be a student in your orbit that becomes 

inspired and who may one day find the solution to the world’s toughest environmental problems because someone took the time to reach out to their community and introduce them to 

something new.

About the Author

Veronica Padula is the Assistant Director of the Ecosystem Conservation Office, the research and 

resource management branch of the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government. Her graduate 

research focused on the impacts of marine debris in the Bering Sea Ecosystem. She worked with an

amazing team of educators to develop the marine debris curriculum discussed here: Haley Edmondson, 

Herminia Din, Quin Fitzpatrick and Katy Nalvin. Veronica can be reached at vmpadula@alaska.edu.
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 40 The Earth Scientist

The DataStreme Project includes 

online courses oered twice yearly by the 

American Meteorological Society. Choosing among 

three courses -- Atmosphere, Ocean, and Earth’s Climate 

System -- K-12 teachers interested in increasing their confidence and 

resources for Earth science teaching explore these themes during 13-week fall 

and spring semester courses in small mentor-lead cohorts. Participants earn graduate 

credits from California University of Pennsylvania and can qualify to become an 

Certified AMS Teacher.

Learn More and Apply Online: 

ametsoc.org/DataStreme

ametsoc.org/CAT

25 Years Ago in TES

Twenty Five years ago, in 1997, TES was in its fourteenth year of publication. The focus of this Summer issue was “Looking for 

Weather Patterns”. The front cover is a NASA photo of Hurricane 

Elena, over the Gulf of Mexico, September 1, 1985. The Summer 

issue led off with a comprehensive 7-page article about Heat Waves 

and their associated dangers. Next, an article acquainted readers 

with the facts surrounding the Chicago/Milwaukee Heat Wave 

of 1995. This was followed by another article about 20th century 

“great rains” in the Great Plains. Then there was an article which 

informed the readers about the newspaper accounts of lightning 

from 1891 to 1895. There was a short article dealing with weather patterns. 

This was followed by an article dealing with what are now the “early days” of live satellite cams, and how a 

teacher could actually access them. The final article was a notice of the passing of Eugene M. Shoemaker 

[1928-1997]. His namesake comet, Shoemaker–Levy 9 was the one that broke apart in July 1992 and collided 

with Jupiter in July 1994, providing the first direct observation of an extraterrestrial collision of Solar System 

objects. It generated a large amount of coverage in the popular media, and the comet was closely observed by 

astronomers worldwide.

By Tom Ervin
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 41

NGSS-ESS Working Group

The NGSS-ESS Working Group is a collaboration between the 

National Association of Geoscience Teachers, the National Earth 

Science Teachers Association, and the American Geosciences 

Institute supporting implementation of the Earth and space science 

Next Generation Science Standards.

Sample presentation slides from 

NGSS-ESS Working Group webinars.

Top slide courtesy of Twin Cities PBS, https://www.tpt.org; 

Bottom: Drone photo by Steve Brimm Photography

To learn more about our 

programming and to receive 

notications of upcoming webinars:

https://bit.ly/joinNGSS_ESS

To view past webinars visit AGI’s 

YouTube channel: 

https://bit.ly/webinarsNGSS

Join the 2022-2023 Book Club with 

books of thought-provoking topics to be 

discussed at monthly meetings. 

hps://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/planetstewards/upcoming.html#bookclub1

Aecting Change Through 

Education, Collaboration, 

and Action

Check out the archives of 

previous book club offerings 

with discussion questions at: 

oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/

planet-stewards/bookclub.html
© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 42 The Earth Scientist

NESTA Membership

includes access to the online version of 

The Earth Scientist (current and past), 

E-News, special e-mailings, access to 

member-only sections of the website, and 

full voting privileges.

• One year - $40

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Student membership

We are now offering up to two sequential free years of NESTA membership for 

students at the undergraduate university level who are studying to become 

teachers or scientists in the Earth and 

space sciences, environmental sciences, 

or related disciplines. For more details, go 

to https://www.nestanet.org/join.

Windows to the Universe Educator 

Membership

provides access to special capabilities 

and services on NESTA’s premier Earth 

and Space Science Education website 

available at http://windows2universe.

org, available for only $15/year for NESTA 

members (50% off the non-NESTA rate).

• One year - $15

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NESTA Membership Dues Structure

Advertising in the NESTA Quarterly Journal, The Earth Scientist

NESTA will accept advertisements that are relevant to Earth and space science education. A limited number of 

spaces for advertisements are available in each issue.

Artwork

We accept electronic ad files in the following formats: high-res PDF, TIFF or high-res JPEG. Files must have a 

minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Ads can be in color. 

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advertisements in TES.

For further information contact 

Peg Steffen, Editor – 

nestaearthscientist@gmail.com

Issue Submission Deadline Publication Date

Spring January 15 March 1

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Fall July 15 September 1

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© 2022 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XXXIX, Issue 2 Page 43

The Earth Scientist (TES) 

MANUSCRIPT GUIDELINES

NESTA encourages articles that provide exemplary state-of-the-art tested classroom activities and background science content 

relevant to K-12 classroom Earth and Space Science teachers.

• Original material only; references must be properly cited according to APA style manual

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• Demonstrates clear classroom relevance

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Students participating in a NOAA Planet Stewards project clearing and cataloging marine debris from Florida beaches

Photo credit: Analisa Duran. 

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