At the start of the school year, Miami Waterkeeper partnered with faculty and staff at Ransom Everglades School to train their students to be a part of our water patrol team, part of our “1000 Eyes on the Water” program. They learned about local ecosystems, pollution, and other issues facing Biscayne Bay. We kicked off this year’s water patrols on October 6th alongside 2 teachers and 13 students!
The morning was spent aboard a water vessel discussing wildlife and water pollution issues while students partook in various water quality tests throughout the Coral Gables Waterway. Experienced patrol members taught new students how to use sampling tools, such as the secci disk that measures turbidity and the YSI that measures dissolved oxygen in the water. Data was recorded and will be added to a growing pool of data for this area.
Students and faculty also collected potentially harmful marine debris throughout our voyage, like abandoned fishing line and plastic bags.
This program provides opportunities for high school and middle school students at Ransom Everglades School to get on the water and learn firsthand about the pollution threatening Biscayne Bay.
Originally published at https://www.miamiwaterkeeper.org/ransom_everglades_school_kicks_off_their_annual_water_patrols