This program is designed to get students in grades 8-12 actively involved in discovering and protecting Wisconsin’s most unique aquatic environment & its freshwater estuaries.

The program’s goal is for students to study and formally adopt a Wisconsin estuary. Progressing through the curriculum’s levels and completing assignments that support the level’s objectives achieve the steps required to “file” adoption papers. The curriculum is “issue-based”. It challenges students to use knowledge to investigate and resolve problems.

The curriculum is arranged in four levels, each with three units. Each level has a different focus. As students progress through the curriculum “wheel”, they move from a basic understanding of estuaries, to identifying specific issues based on data they’ve collected, to creating solutions to help resolve the problem and demonstrate environmental stewardship. The curriculum ends with the students filing “adoption papers” with the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, for formal recognition of their project and estuary stewardship. Read more here

ADOPT AN ESTUARY WHEEL & COVER PAGE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PAGE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION

LEVEL I- Understanding Your Estuary
Introduction

• Level IA Estuary Search – Understanding freshwater estuaries and choosing one to adopt
• Level IB Discovering The Estuary’s Past – Exploring historical and cultural change that has affected the estuary
• Level IC Mapping The Estuary’s Watershed – Understanding the relationship between the watershed and estuary

LEVEL II- Sampling Your Estuary
Introduction

• Level IIA Estuary Exploration – An on-site field exploration of the estuary based on visual observations rather than field sampling
• Level IIB What’s in the Water? -In-depth field sampling of water quality indicators and environmental conditions
• Level IIC Who Lives Here? – In-depth field sampling of the estuary’s plants and animals

LEVEL III- Issues Affecting Your Estuary
Introduction

• LEVEL IIIA Issue Identification – Discovering issues and opportunities affecting the estuary
• LEVEL IIIB Best Management Practices – Developing Best Management Practices to resolve issues
• LEVEL IIIC Sharing Solutions to Issues – Creating an Estuary Action Plan to solve an issue

LEVEL IV- Taking Action
Introduction

• LEVEL IVA Estuary Stewardship – Designing and implementing a stewardship project to protect or enhance the estuary’s resources
• LEVEL IVB Reflections –  Evaluating the Adopt An Estuary Program
• LEVEL IVC Adopting Your Estuary – Putting it all together… assembling documentation and applying for adoption