What’s New?
Join Noaa as an ocean guardian youth ambassador: Cohort 3 applications open november 2024!
Calling all Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassadors!
Are you a youth passionate about the ocean and the natural environment? Are you looking for a way to develop the skills you need to engage in conservation and stewardship opportunities? Do you want to connect with like-minded youth and become an environmental leader at your school or in your community? Apply to the new NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassador Program!
The NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassador program provides a new level of engagement for youth aged 13-18 committed to ocean conservation and stewardship of our blue planet. We are looking for enthusiastic youth with new ideas and a unique perspective to learn more about America’s underwater treasures and to share their passion with others. Together we can make a difference in the conservation and stewardship of the ocean through marine protected areas, and enhanced ocean and climate literacy.
September 27, 2023
Water Quality in Fall
WHY IS FALL IMPORTANT?
The return of the rain can have a significant impact on oceanic water quality. Over the summer, pollutants, including fecal bacteria from various sources, build up in the watershed. When the rain returns with the “First Flush”, the built-up pollutants get washed into creeks and ditches, eventually making their way to our bays and harbors. As the seasonal rains continue, soils become saturated. Saturated soils allow pollutants, including fecal bacteria, to wash directly into waterways. Too much bacteria can close beaches to swimming, and shellfish harvest. In fact, from October through December, Portage Bay (at the base of the Nooksack River) is closed to shellfish harvest each year. With your help, our community is working to change that! Keeping up good habits through the rainy season helps reduce fecal bacterial pollution entering our waterways, keeping our water clean and our community healthy.
To learn about these watershed and ocean-healthy habits, please refer to Our Salish Sea Community Challenge.