In their quest to learn more about global environmental issues, 20 students from the Asia Pacific region, members of the East-West Center, visited the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC) for a day of hands-on environmental education.
The East-West Center is part of the Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders on Global Enviromental Issues (SUSI), funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. While in the U.S., the visiting students are learning to meet the evolving demands and interdependency of global change, which is the reason they came to CBEC for the day.
CBEC’s restoration manager, Vicki Paulas, told the group, “In 2003, the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center changed its mission and philosophy to reflect the needs of those living within the bays’ reach. We added the term ‘restoration’ to the mission statement to invite new opportunities for education, research, membership and funding. As a result, many partnerships were formed with local, state and federal agencies, as well as area homeowner associations, local businesses and larger corporations.” As Maryland’s official “restoration demonstration site,” CBEC is a testing ground for materials and techniques that benefit bay-wide, large-scale restoration efforts.
The East-West Center students participated in planting bay grasses on the shoreline as they learned from Paulas how the grasses help prevent erosion and provide safe havens and feeding grounds for our Bay’s aquatic life. In the afternoon, the student exploreD CBEC’s water trails and visited the artificial reefs and oyster sanctuaries located just off the living shoreline.
ABOUT CBEC: The Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center is a 501©(3) nonprofit wildlife sanctuary located on 510 acres in Grasonville, MD, surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay. A private membership organization, CBEC’s mission is to promote stewardship and sustainability through environmental education and habitat restoration.
For more information on CBEC, visit www.bayrestoration.org, or call 410.827.6694.