Miami Waterkeeper continued our partnership with Breakthrough Miami (BTM) to give students the opportunity to become scientists for the day! BTM Scholars joined MWK staff at Virginia Key Beach Park for a day filled with science activities and games to educate students on water quality, habitats, and pollution issues of Biscayne Bay. The students started the day with background information and history on Biscayne Bay and the major threats it faces today. Then they jumped into water quality testing using EarthEcho Water Quality Testing kits. Students used real scientific tools to collect data on the pH, dissolved oxygen, and the turbidity of the water.
After the students collected data on water quality, they split up into groups for activities and games on habitat loss, erosion, marine debris, microplastics, and invasive species. The group then reconvened for the last activity of the day- a scavenger hunt! The students set out in their groups to find as many items on the list as possible, which included a marine debris clean-up looking for certain items and microplastics! The team who collect the most trash won a reusable Miami Waterkeeper water bottle. In total, the BTM students collected over 10 pounds of marine debris which were mostly microplastics, during their scavenger hunt!
Special thanks to Breakthrough Miami and Virginia Key Beach Park for making it an amazing day filled with science and marine conservation!
Originally published at https://www.miamiwaterkeeper.org/miami_waterkeeper_x_breakthrough_miami_enrichment_day