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| The Gulf of Mexico and St. Andrews State Park Aquatic Preserve |
 The Gulf of Mexico watershed covers almost two million square miles. It borders Mexico and Cuba on all sides. Five states in the United States border the Gulf of Mexico. They are Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
Pollution from these five states runs into the streams, rivers, and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. Litter on the beaches gets washed into the water. Runoff from the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains goes into the Gulf of Mexico. Thirty-three rivers in the United States drain into the Gulf of Mexico.
A beach is the sandy, pebbly, or rocky shore of a body of water. The beach is important for many reasons. First of all, it is a great place to visit. The people who live and work at the beach need tourists to come and visit to help the local economy.
Over 409 of the beaches in Florida are eroding. The erosion threatens the habitat of many plants and animals.
One way to restore the eroded beaches is by using beach nourishment. Sand is taken from a location off shore and it is piped onto the beach. When the water drains away, sand is left. Bulldozers move the new sand on the beach until it matches the design that will help prevent erosion. It helps with storm protection, too. When beaches are restored in this way the shorebird and marine turtle habitat are restored quickly. |
Everything affects the larger watershed. This includes the soil, plants, air, and water in the watershed. The best way to reduce the problems on beaches is to prevent pollution. Everyone can help to keep all of our water healthy!
Background by Sarah
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Did you know that all of the states between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains send their runoff to the Gulf of Mexico. That includes states as far away as Montana and New York. Some 33 major rivers drain into the Gulf of Mexico, as well as many, many small rivers, creeks, and streams.
WOW! There are 31 states in the Gulf of Mexico watershed.
They are Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin!
Think about it - all of the pollution from all of of the creeks, streams, and rivers from all of these states enters the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River drains almost 40% of the United States and it carries 1.5 million metric tons of nitrogen pollution into the Gulf of Mexico each year. |
St. Andrews Bay Watershed
St. Andrews Bay flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
 Visit St. Andrews State Park through Allie's Eyes
The St. Andrews Bay State Park Aquatic Preserve is 1144 square miles. |
St. Andrews Bay is located near Panama City, Florida and flows directly into the Gulf of Mexico. It is one of the most diverse bays in North America. The bay has the largest amount of seagrass beds in northwest Florida. There are many different types of habitats in the St. Andrews State Park Aquatic Preserve.
All of the water going in and out of the bay during the tidal cycle pass through the preserve. There are salt marshes and seagrass beds that give fish and shellfish a place to spawn. In the dune and beach ecosystems of the preserve, there are many federally protected species. They are the snowy plover, piping plover, loggerhead sea turtle, green turtle, and Choctawhatchee beach mouse.
The loggerhead turtle is an aquatic reptile. It is in the rare and endangered category in St. Andrews State Park.
Listen to "Where Do Sea Turtles Go?"
Mr. Lowery, the author of the book
visited the school and talked about sea turtles
Lowery, P. Where Do Sea Turtles Go? Illus. Tim Thomas. Panama City: Thomas Expressions, Inc., 2005.
Drawing by Sarah |
What are estuaries?
An area where freshwater and salty ocean water meet and mix together.
Photos by Allie
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It is difficult for plants and animals that live in estuaries because the water is sometimes salty and sometimes fresh. The tidal cycle may leave animals and plants that need salt water without it for a long time. When the water is shallow the water temperature can range from freezing to over 100 degrees F during one year. The plants and animals must adjust to the rise and fall of the tides.
| Organisms in estuaries sometimes have to adapt to water (salty or fresh), tides, and temperatures. Plant and animal life that depends on the balance can die. |
Estuaries can be thought of as the ocean's nurseries.
Many fish, crustaceans, and shellfish spend part of their lives in estuaries, especially when they are young. Many fish and crustaceans travel offshore to spawn or breed.
The estuaries have excellent hiding places for larvae and young animals. The shallow water, salt marshes, seagrasses, and mangrove roots provide hiding places from predators.
Rivers and streams drain into estuaries and bring nutrients from upland. We know that aquatic ecosystems use these nutrients and the energy from the sun, carbon dioxide, and water to make food.
Wetlands, Marshes, and Swamps |
Wetlands are found throughout the world. Wetlands help coastal water quality. Wetlands support shrimp, oysters, and blue crabs. They provide food and protected areas for fish nurseries. Marshes trap silt, so they help to keep coastal water clear. This benefits seagrasses. Seagrasses are nurseries for wetlands and help when storms cause flooding because they act as a buffer. A wetland can be fresh or salt water. Marshes and swamps are wetlands.
Drawing by Breanne
Macroinvertebrates are good indicators of wetland health. Hand-held dipnets are often used in wetlands to collect macroinvertebrates. Activity traps are used to collect very fast swimming organisms and those that move more at night. |
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