Abstract
The New York Marine Rescue Center (NYMRC) located in Riverhead on Long Island, New York is the primary rehabilitation facility for pinnipeds and sea turtles in New York, although many residents of New York are not aware of its existence or role in conservation. The leading cause for sea turtle strandings in New York is cold stunning, a phenomenon like hypothermia.
NYMRC has a dedicated system of volunteer cold stun patrollers who support rescue efforts for these cold stunned turtles. The current education program at NYMRC for cold stun sea turtles includes Level I and Level II training. Level I training contains an educational lecture and Level II training adds on a field training element. This program has previously been adapted to present
to all ages and has been presented to scout groups but has not yet been brought to a formal education setting. To expand this educational program with the goal of mitigating the effects of lack of knowledge on local marine life, an engaging and comprehensive two-part lesson plan geared toward a diverse population of eighth grade students was developed. This included
creating four presentations, three worksheets, and one flyer. Additionally, social media posts were developed (eleven stories and four posts) and insights were analyzed to assess community engagement trends and optimize outreach efforts. Through this analysis, there was no clear correlation found between post views and follower gain, however educational posts saw a higher
level of engagement than promotional content. While this lesson plan’s implementation was not assessed, it is anticipated that this lesson plan will strengthen understanding of local marine ecosystems and encourage environmental stewardship. This project suggests that educational programs integrating both hands-on and traditional educational concepts can provide an
opportunity for a holistic approach to understanding complex biological phenomena. Future recommendations for this project include a pilot project for data collection, increased social media integration into program material and more opportunities for funding of no cost educational programs for small nonprofit organizations.