HR: 0800h
AN: ED41A-0078    [Abstracts]
TI: Sustainable Seas Intertidal Monitoring Project at Duxbury Reef
AU: Soave, K S
EM: kathy_soave@branson.org
AU: Dean, A
AF: The Branson School, PO Box 887, Ross, Ca 95957, United States
AU: Dean, A
AF: Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, PO Box 29386, San Francisco, Ca 94129, United States
AU: Gusman, V
AF: Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, PO Box 29386, San Francisco, Ca 94129, United States
AU: McCracken, K
AF: The Branson School, PO Box 887, Ross, Ca 95957, United States
AU: Solli, S
AF: The Branson School, PO Box 887, Ross, Ca 95957, United States
AU: * Storm, E
AF: The Branson School, PO Box 887, Ross, Ca 95957, United States
AU: placeholder, P
AF: The Branson School, PO Box 887, Ross, Ca 95957, United States
AB: The Sustainable Seas Student Monitoring Project at the Branson School in Ross, CA has monitored Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA since 1999, in cooperation with the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association and the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Goals of the project include: 1) To monitor the rocky intertidal habitat and develop a baseline database of invertebrates and algal density and abundance; 2) To contribute to the conservation of the rocky intertidal habitat through education of students and visitors about intertidal species and requirements for maintaining a healthy, diverse intertidal ecosystem; 3) To increase stewardship in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; and 4) To contribute abundance and population data on key algae and invertebrate species to the national database, LiMPETS (Long Term Monitoring Program & Experiential Training for Students). Student volunteers complete an intensive training course on the natural history of intertidal invertebrates and algae, identification of key species, rocky intertidal ecology, interpretation and monitoring techniques, and history of the sanctuary. Students conduct two baseline-monitoring surveys three times per year (fall, winter, and late spring) to identify and count key invertebrate and algae species. Seasonal abundance of the algae species Mastocarpus and Fucus revealed lower populations in the spring monitoring events. Turban snails, Tegula funebralis, also showed dramatic population variation with respect to tidal zone. One of our project goals is to monitor this area long enough to obtain trends and to begin to connect these patterns to contributing factors (specific weather events, anthropogenic impacts, etc). Replicate counts of all species are regularly performed. Replicate counts for invertebrate and algae species within the same quadrat along the permanent transects revealed a very small amount of variability, giving us confidence that our monitoring program is providing reliable data. The Branson School 39 Fernhill Rd. Ross, CA 94957 (415) 454-3612 x 323 Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, PO Box 29386 San Francisco, CA 94129, 415-561-6625 x 303
DE: 0805 Elementary and secondary education
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting