| Description/Introduction: | “Empowering Students to Take Action: Aquatic Care Team (ACT)”: Water quality restoration efforts will need baseline information to compare the effectiveness of implementation to measure success; however, few data are available on existing water quality and ecological indices in Santa Rosa Sound at Navarre. To fill this gap, ACT students will learn to use standardized methods to measure environmental variables of habitat and water quality and create a long-term record for this region. Data will be stored in the Gulf Coast Ocean Observation (GCOOS) database. Forty high schoolers, dual-enrolled in Pensacola State College courses at the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station, will work with investigators and experts in water quality from the University of West Florida (UWF) to make their findings, which will incorporate ocean literacy principles aligned to Florida Sunshine State Standards. The experience will give students the background knowledge needed to make informed decisions, suggest solutions, and communicate issues to local residents and policy makers leading to watershed protection in Santa Rosa County. |