One of the most important goals of the Bays Plan is to educate citizens about the ecology of the bay system, its many environmental and economic values, and how an individual can make a positive difference to ensure its long-term health. To accomplish this, the Public Education and Outreach Action Plan is designed to:

Helping residents and visitors to understand the complex issues concerning bay resource management will be a priority. In addition to understanding how the bay system functions, it is important that citizens develop a sound appreciation for the significant value and economic impact derived from the renewable resources of the bays.

 

Keepers Of The Coast – If you can’t come to the coast, the coast will come to you…That is the educational goal of the Keepers Of The Coast project that targets selected school districts based on economic need, minority population, and low visitorship to the Texas State Aquarium. Teachers receive classroom and field instruction designed to focus on the Coastal Bend watershed and coastal resources.

Keepers Of The Coast outreach instructors travel to the school districts educating the students about inland and coastal environmental science. In addition, the Aquarium’s mobile interactive exhibit, Ocean In Motion, travels to the school districts taking a mobile science exhibit focused on the Coastal Bend to increase awareness and encourage protection of Gulf of Mexico resources. To find out how your school can particpate, e-mail us at info@cbbep.org.

 

The Kritters 4 Kids curricula teaches school children about the importance of wildlife and habitat, the threat of urbanization, local ecosystems, food webs, and includes an interactive learning tool called the Treasure Hunt.

The curricula targets the 7th grade Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS) guidelines that specifically require students to study the relationships of organisms to the environment.

Eight lessons have been developed following the TEKS guidelines. The lessons will focus on: Ecological Regions, Native Plants/Introduced Species, Ecosystems, Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers, Energy Pyramids and Food Webs, Adaptations, Pollution Research and Stewardship and Conservation.

 

TES I - The TES course is designed to increase teachers' understanding of environmental concepts and principles regarding air, water and waste management, and a clean and healthy environment. The goal is to provide balanced information and to promote partnerships among teachers, government agencies, businesses, and community organizations. Course activities will include fieldwork, field trips, hands-on lab activities, and guest speakers. Grades assigned for the course will be "credit" (CR) or "no credit" (NC). Course content will enhance the ability of participating teachers to satisfy the Texas Education Agency's requirements included in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

 

TES II – A graduate course offered to a maximum of twenty-five Corpus Christi and surrounding area secondary (6-12) public and private school teachers. Course participants will receive formal and informal training focusing on important land, air and water issues relating to the environment/conservation including the ecologic and economic importance of management issues unique to the Coastal Bend environment. Tuition for teachers is included and three (3) hours of graduate credit will be awarded by TAMUCC to each participant completing the course. The Texas Education Agency will award each course participant with Forty-five (45) hours of TEEAC credit.

 

CorpusBeat Magazine will focus on engaging students in activities outside the classroom by having them author original journalism style articles on specific environmental topics affecting the Texas Coastal Bend. The program is open to any student in high school, college, vocational and trade schools in the Coastal Bend. Students are required to review an action plan with an editor, research the topic, interview experts on the topic, write an article based on the information acquired and submit the work to the website for publishing. Once published, the article is then available for reprinting at no cost to the CBBEP and any of the Coastal Bend regional print publications.