The Takeaway: Involving students, teachers, and communities in restoration actions inspires future generations of coastal professionals and stewards.
Overview
Creating a future generation of coastal stewards requires engaging students early and often. Getting youth involved in successful living shoreline programs helps them learn about implementing these projects while instilling an appreciation for coastal areas and a conservation ethic. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources’ South Carolina Oyster Recycling and Enhancement (SCORE) and From Seeds to Shoreline® (S2S) programs use a variety of living shoreline approaches, including oyster reef and salt marsh restoration, and provide access to helpful information, demonstrating how students and other young adults can participate in restoration efforts.
Lessons Learned
- Hands-on engagement lets youth learn about the environment and conservation. The programs use activities like planting marsh grass, collecting and growing seeds, and handling oyster shells to help students understand environmental concepts. These first-time experiences are highly memorable and impactful for students.
- Successful field activities require adaptability and an understanding of student capabilities. The SCORE program highlights the importance of developing field activities suitable for youth of different ages. This prevents activities from being unsafe or too challenging for some students.
- Education programs need teacher training and support. From Seeds to Shoreline® successfully uses teacher workshops to empower educators to implement the program in their classrooms. Providing teachers with tools, equipment, and curriculum support reduces the need for constant direct intervention from program staff and allows the program to reach more students.
- Programs must manage expectations and communicate clearly with partners, teachers, and volunteers. Being clear and upfront about capabilities, expectations for teacher involvement, and class size limits can prevent misunderstandings and improve outcomes.
- Having a single point-of-contact can help streamline, but requires good communication. One point-of-contact can cause communication issues; success relies on this single person relaying information to other participating teachers, which doesn’t always happen in practice.
- Logistical planning poses a significant but necessary challenge. The SCORE program lists scheduling difficulties (low tide, buses, in-school testing) and paperwork (waivers) as specific challenges. Addressing these logistical hurdles is critical for smooth program operation and participant safety.
The Process
Background
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources started the South Carolina Oyster Recycling and Enhancement (SCORE) program in 2000. SCORE’s goal is to encourage a conservation ethic by providing stewardship opportunities for state residents. SCORE has worked with over 57,500 volunteers donating more than 135,000 hours in stewardship activities. Of those, over 35,600 youth have logged more than 62,300 hours. The program has 175 sites along South Carolina’s coastline; they have built three acres of salt marsh and restored more than nine acres of oyster reef.
From Seeds to Shoreline® was started in 2010 by South Carolina Sea Grant, in collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Clemson University Cooperative Extension, with the goal of offering stewardship and volunteer opportunities that encourage community responsibility in protecting and conserving the surrounding environment. The program engages K through 12 students in salt marsh restoration, and aims to help students understand the importance of the salt marsh ecosystem by providing hands-on opportunities. Since 2011, they have engaged more than 200 teachers and over 13,000 students from more than 150 schools.
To implement the program, the Department of Natural Resources holds yearly teacher workshops, conducts outreach in classrooms, meets with teachers and administrators, and builds and shares science lessons and curricula. Each year, they lead student groups and other volunteers through all phases of oyster reef and salt marsh restoration.
Additionally, the department has developed field activities that are suitable for different ages. The key is to understand students’ capabilities in order for the activities to be age appropriate.
Staff at the department share that they love getting people out onto the shoreline and seeing the fruits of their labor after only two or three hours, and restoring marsh from seed all the way up to plant.
Activities include
- Recycling shells (picking out non-shell debris)
- Bagging shells
- Restoring marsh
- Monitoring oyster populations
- Sampling fish populations
- Monitoring water quality
Strategies and Benefits
Key facets of From Seeds to Shoreline® include
- Teacher workshops: Annual workshops train teachers on how to implement the program in their classrooms, and provide them with the necessary tools, equipment, and assistance in procuring greenhouses and supplies.
- In-classroom education lessons: Help teachers develop lessons that align with the state’s science standards.
- Student engagement in plant propagation: Gets students involved in collecting marsh grass seeds, germinating them, propagating the plants, and growing them in greenhouses.
- Restoration day: Students participate in field activities, planting the marsh grass they have grown. This allows them to see the tangible results of their efforts.
Both programs’ education efforts offer numerous benefits. These include
- Opportunity to make a difference: Providing students and volunteers with an activity that directly benefits their environment.
- Enhanced student experience: Opening students' eyes to the natural world, often through first-time experiences like seeing dolphins, catching fish, or engaging with the marsh environment (e.g., getting in the mud, planting grass, handling oyster shells). This creates memorable learning moments.
- Lasting impact and conservation ethic: Instilling a take-home message about how individuals can positively affect their environment and encouraging the development of strong conservation principles.
- Growth at multiple levels: Fostering advancement in the students from the beginning to the end of the year, professional training for staff, and expansion of school partnerships and volunteer base.
- Excitement and adrenaline: Generating enthusiasm among youth, staff, and program managers, especially after successful field events, demonstrating the rewarding nature of the work.
- Comprehensive teaching: Providing educational opportunities in various settings, including in the field, classrooms, and through direct engagement, ensuring that the information sticks with participants.
Michael Hodges, a restoration biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, shares, “Whenever we wrap up a field event with 150 middle schoolers, you leave and you have this rush of adrenaline from dealing with these children and showing them what's possible, and hopefully something will stick.”