Every Day is Earth Day at NOAA

• What Does Earth Day have to do with NOAA?

  Spirit of Volunteerism

  On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was marked by a nationwide "teach-in" on the environment, community demonstrations in favor of environmental reform, and a CBS News special narrated by Walter Cronkite.

  Six months later, on October 3, 1970, Congress established the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), unifying three of the nation's venerable science agencies—the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Weather Bureau, and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. Pundits dubbed NOAA "the Whole Earth Agency."

  As it turns out, not only does much of America's scientific heritage reside within NOAA; in many ways, every day is Earth Day here. The commitment to foster a healthy planet resides within NOAA's people, and thus in the offices, ships, fields, wetlands, and waterways where for 41 years they've conducted their wide range of work.

  We were curious, then, about what sorts of volunteer activities our colleagues pursue, on Earth Day or any other. What we discovered surprised and inspired us. We hope it will inspire you, too.

• 'Indoor Gardening' Helps the Chesapeake Bay

  Alison Hammer

  NOAA Restoration Day celebrates its 8th anniversary this spring. In 2010, nearly 170 NOAA employees volunteered at 15 restoration projects in two states. They planted trees, wetland grasses, and oyster spat (larval or 'baby' oysters), mapped river bottoms and measured elevations, monitored fish and submerged vegetation, and constructed a rain garden to reduce runoff from storm water.

  The huge event grew out of one young NOS employee's commitment to conserve the Chesapeake Bay—to herself make a difference in some small way.

  Alison Hammer, chief of the Coastal Resources Assessment Branch in NOS Special Projects, had only recently begun working at NOAA when a pet project of hers took root a decade ago and later matured into NOAA Restoration Day.

  "We heard that underwater grasses in the bay were in terrible shape and wanted to help, so I organized an informal effort to grow some grasses in a few tanks in three NOS offices," she recalls. "Then I coordinated a group of 30 or 40 people who volunteered to plant them."

  "Then I worked on a short-term project at NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office in Annapolis, and met some people in NOAA Fisheries who ran large-scale coastal restoration projects. Together we developed a unique staff-led partnership, and officially launched NOAA Restoration Day in 2004. The event has been a big hit ever since."

  Over the years, Alison's "indoor gardening" project blossomed into the chance for hundreds of desk-bound NOAA employees to "enthusiastically get out into the field, work hard, and give back to the environment, at least for one day a year," she says. "I think this says a lot about the kind of people who work at NOAA."

  The 8th annual NOAA Restoration Day takes place Thursday, June 2, 2011. The event is for NOAA employees. For more information, send us an email.

• Fostering Respect for Wild Animals at the National Aquarium

  Lauren Chhay

  Lauren Chhay, a communications assistant in NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, has volunteered for the Marine Animal Rescue Program at the National Aquarium in Baltimore since 2003, after serving as the program's first college intern. For eight years she has worked the Monday night shift whenever the aquarium sheltered stranded, sick, or injured marine animals for rehabilitation.

  Together with her shift mates, she feeds and provides medication to the animals in rehabilitation—usually seals and/or sea turtles—completes water changes, cleans their enclosures, and oversees their interaction with environmental enrichment items.

  For Lauren, a highlight was participating in the release of a harbor seal named Hopper—the first seal she helped rehabilitate. "In addition to learning the technical aspects of caring for marine animals and preparing them for re-release into the wild, I've gained greater respect for these wonderful wild animals," she says.

• Conserving the Quiet Waters of a County Park

  Matt Chasse

  Matt Chasse of NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management is on the board of the Friends of Quiet Waters Park in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. A volunteer since 2004, he was instrumental in the park's development of a three-acre native meadow and also prepared grant proposals to support environmental education.

  Matt recently recruited a few of his NOAA and State of Maryland colleagues as speakers and was himself the moderator for a park lecture series on climate change. He is currently helping develop an environmental education program for 4th and 5th graders and several interpretive programs for the public.

  "I used to live adjacent to the park and had been kayaking, running, and taking advantage of special events there, like outdoor summer concerts, for years," says Matt. "As a volunteer, I've made friends, engaged the community in environmental issues affecting the nearby Chesapeake Bay, and helped improve the quality of Quiet Waters Park. It's rewarding to make a positive impact there."

Don't miss Part II of our 'Spirit of Volunteerism' series.