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EPA AND NOAA TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL ESTUARIES DAY

Release Date: 09/24/2001
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FOR RELEASE: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2001
EPA AND NOAA TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL ESTUARIES DAY

Robin Woods 202-564-7841 / woods.robin@epa.gov


The nation will celebrate National Estuaries Day on Fri., Sept. 28. As part of the celebration, students across the country will log-on to a live Internet program kicking-off National Estuaries Day. “Estuary Live” will be accessible that morning at http://www.estuarylive.org. The following day thousands of Americans from Alaska to the Chesapeake Bay will commemorate National Estuaries Day, Sept. 29, 2001, on activities in 25 NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserves and 28 EPA National Estuary Programs. “Estuary Live” will showcase the wide variety of estuarine habitats and species. Classrooms across the country will explore estuaries at Kachemak Bay, Alaska; Padilla Bay, Wash.; South Slough, Ore.; Old Woman Creek, Ohio; Grand Bay, N.H.; Waquoit Bay, Mass.; the Chesapeake Bay; and more. Naturalists will guide students through National Estuarine Research Reserves. Students will also learn about the cultural and historical importance of estuaries and understand the importance of coastal stewardship. A segment featuring the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Puerto Rico) will also be conducted in Spanish. After each segment, students’ questions will be answered live over the Internet. On September 29, a variety of educational and recreational events will take place in local communities across the country. Details for these programs and locations are available at www.estuaries.gov. Estuaries, also known as bays, sounds, lagoons or marshes, are crucial coastal areas where freshwater mixes with salt water. These areas are vital because they are used as spawning and nursery areas for commercially important fish and shellfish, act as a buffer against storm surge and help prevent coastal erosion, and provide essential habitat for a variety of birds, terrestrial animals and aquatic life. For more information on EPA’s National Estuary Program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries . For more information on NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System visit: http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/nerr .

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