2023 Youth Ocean Conservation Summit
The 9th annual Youth Ocean Conservation Summit (YOCS) was held on Saturday, February 18th, in Savannah, Georgia. This year’s theme was “Leaders in Coastal Resilience”, so the workshops focused on how we can help make our communities more “resilient” to climate change, storm surge, and sea level rise. A group of approximately 60 middle and high school students came together to learn more about ocean conservation and to meet other people with shared interests.
I am not new to the YOCS in Savannah. I started out as a participant when I was in middle school, and for the past two years, I have also had the opportunity to be a youth panelist. Each year, it is a great learning experience, an experience I love to share.
And today, I would like to share my experience at the 2023 YOCS.
The first event of the day was our keynote speaker Jill Gambill. She discussed her work with sea level rise planning for Tybee Island and Brunswick, Georgia. She discussed the importance of adapting plans to fit the area and community. For instance, Tybee Island is a predominantly older high-income community that can put more money and time into projects. Brunswick, on the other hand, is generally lower income and are more involved in other things. Therefore, Brunswick’s plan had to be different than Tybee’s to better accommodate people there. Mrs. Gambill used a symbol of a three legged stool to show how a plan must take into account three things: environment, economy, and society. Her talk was very informative and really showed how environmental issues can have more than one solution.
After the keynote, each group was split into different classrooms to start the “action planning” process. Each group discussed an environmental problem specific to their area and thought of solutions to solve them. Later, everyone presented their ideas to the rest of the groups.
Groups next traveled to three workshops, all related to “coastal resiliency.” Two biologists from the Coastal Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) spoke on different ways marshes can be protected from erosion. One way is to use oysters. Oftentimes restaurants that serve oysters have lots of leftover shells. These shells can be bagged up into mesh bags and placed along the banks of tidal creeks in the marsh. Baby oysters will then cling to the hard surface of the shells and build on top of them. Just like artificial reefs allow corals to cling to them and start colonies, these serve the same purpose. The only problem with this method is that the bags are made of plastic. Ongoing studies are trying to find new materials to create these “artificial shorelines” for oysters. In the workshop, groups bagged oysters, used virtual reality goggles, and learned about the importance of artificial shorelines.
In the following workshop, students planned an island community taking into account environmental, public, and economic concerns. Each group was given a topic like housing, transportation, roads, and education. Then they planned out where certain things should be located in order to be away from marsh habitat, but still efficient for people. It was really interesting to see what each group developed. People had differing opinions and views, so it was interesting to hear the different perspectives.
The final workshop was about harmful algal blooms or red tides. A student at Skidaway Oceanographic Institute informed us about the different types of plankton and how certain kinds can be harmful to plants and animals. Each week, the laboratory at Skidaway analyzes a sample of water right off of the dock for different kinds of plankton. They only look for certain kinds of plankton, because believe or not there are thousands of types! I was able to look through my own microscope, and I soon found out that identifying them is a lot harder than it seems. Below are a few pictures of my slides.
After a break for lunch, it was time for the panel. I spoke about my work with Trash for Turtles and shared some advice for other young people interested in starting their own projects. I stressed the importance of making connections with people and sharing experiences. The other two panelists were so interesting to hear from, too. One was a girl from One Hundred Miles who worked with protecting Right Whales. Her passion for the oceans was so inspiring. The other panelist was a previous member of YOCS who afterwards started to work on his own project. He brought an environmental science club to his school and does water monitoring just like me! It was really cool to hear from other youth leaders in marine conservation.
Lastly, the groups presented their projects. There were many creative ideas including repurposing plastic for the homeless, upcycling tires, and starting a campaign to bring back glass recycling. All of the ideas were unique and so creative. I can’t wait to see these projects come to life!
I had such a great time at YOCS. Seeing the new projects and ideas that come to the table is so inspiring and gives me hope for the future. If you are a young person in middle or high school who is interested in marine conservation or know someone who is, I encourage you to take part in a YOCS near you and learn how you can start making a difference right now where you are.
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