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Online Research Model: Our Changing Chesapeake

Research Scenario- Where have all of the blue crabs gone?

Oh how Marylanders love the smell of Old Bay seasoning in the moist, humid summer air! Every year you look forward to summer picnics and eating crabs with your family. To native Marylanders, eating crabs is a big part of life alongside the Chesapeake Bay. As a child, you probably learned the tedious task of “picking” a steamed blue crab to enjoy the tender white meat inside. Yummy! Lately, you may have noticed how expensive it has become to buy a dozen steamed crabs. Why have they become so expensive? When you asked your family and friends, they reply that it all boils down to supply and demand. In recent years, the supply of crabs has declined due to changing conditions in the Bay. When there are fewer crabs, the prices go way up and that affects all of the people that enjoy eating crabs for dinner! Wow, you think to yourself. What must be causing those changing conditions in the Bay? Is anyone doing anything about the changing Bay?

BayWatchers Needs You!

You do some investigating online and find that many residents along the Chesapeake Bay have witnessed these profound changes in the quality of their environment over the years: the water is not as clear as it once was, fish and shellfish populations are dwindling, and algae blooms occur more frequently. Concerned local residents have joined together to form the Coastal Residents' Alliance, a community organization whose goal is to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay and its natural resources. This group needs expert help to fully understand the environmental issues affecting the Bay, so that they can design a community action plan to address those issues. With these goals in mind, the Alliance has hired you and your environmental research team, Bay-Watchers, Inc., to investigate the impact of human activities on the Chesapeake Bay!

Essential Question

How does our use of natural resources impact the quality of the environment?

Task and Product

Each member of your Bay-Watchers research team will investigate a specific Chesapeake Bay

environmental issue:

  • The Conservationist will examine the various types of natural resources found in the Bay and their importance to the Bay environment
  • The Scientist will investigate sources of point and non-point pollution and their effects on the Bay
  • The Fisheries Manager will investigate the causes of population reduction in various fish and shellfish species in the Bay, and the issue of over-harvesting
  • The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Official will examine federal, state, and local laws regulating the use of the Bay and its resources
  • The Land Developer will investigate land use around the Bay and the effects of over-development

After conducting research individually, each member will share his/her findings with the rest of the team. The Bay-Watchers team-members will then work together to prepare a comprehensive environmental impact report in portfolio format for your client, the Coastal Residents' Alliance. The Alliance will expect your team portfolio to fully explain the impact of natural resource use and other human activities on the Chesapeake Bay environment, and to recommend some possible solutions to these environmental problems.

FISHERIES MANAGER

What types of fish and shellfish are harvested from the Chesapeake Bay? / How are these fish and shellfish harvested?
What are the causes of reduced populations of some species of fish and shellfish? / What measures could be taken to restore fish and shellfish populations to higher levels?
Resources:

SCIENTIST

What are the different types of point and non-point pollution of the Chesapeake Bay? / What are the sources of point and nonpoint pollution?
How do different types of point and non-point pollution affect the Bay environment? / How could point and non-point pollution of the Bay be reduced?
Resources:

LAND DEVELOPER

How has land around the Chesapeake Bay been used and developed? / How has the use and development of land around the Bay affected the Bay environment?
What can be done to counter the effects of over-development that has already occurred? / How could land around the Bay be used and developed differently in the future?
Resources:

CONSERVATIONIST

What natural resources are found in the Chesapeake Bay? (identify and describe) / How are these natural resources important to the Bay environment?
What is the current state of these natural resources? (supply/quality) / What are some ways these natural resources could be conserved?
Resources:

EPA (ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY)

What laws have been passed to regulate the use of the Chesapeake Bay and its resources? / Why were these laws passed?
How have these laws affected the quality of the Bay environment? / What new laws have been proposed to help restore and protect the Bay environment?
Resources: