Coastal North Carolina State Parks, This program takes you on an educational "virtual tour" of some of the most scenic and ecologically significant state parks of North Carolina, including:
Jockey's Ridge State Park:
Located on the Outer Banks, Jockey’s Ridge is the tallest natural sand dune system in the eastern United States.
Merchant's Millpond State Park:
Dammed before the Civil War, this millpond is a perfect place for a leisurely paddle or camping trip. Abundant aquatic plants, 160 species of birds, and old-growth bald cypress await you in this tranquil wetland.
Pettigrew State Park:
Steeped in natural and human history,Pettigrew harbors Native American artifacts dating back 10,000 years and an inspiring virgin bald cypress forest teeming with birdlife.
Bald Head Island:
The only subtropical natural habitat in North Carolina, this barrier island is home to cabbage palmettos, nesting loggerhead sea turtles, and globally rare maritime forest.
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Journey of the Loggerhead is a multimedia exploration of the life of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). This interactive DVD focuses on the connections between humans and marine turtles. The plight of all species of sea turtles is a global issue that impacts the environment and our quality of life. Sea turtle populations are declining despite local and international conservation efforts. Journey of the Loggerhead will help students, conservation organizations, research professionals, teachers, and general audiences learn about this critical situation and how they can get involved in conservation efforts.
Designed and filmed in close collaboration with marine turtle researchers, scientists, and volunteers, the program includes interviews with leaders in the field of marine turtle conservation. The DVD contains information about marine turtle life cycles, worldwide terrestrial and underwater footage, long distance migrations, threats, innovative research, international conservation efforts, rehabilitation facilities and practices, and volunteer programs.
Oceans Alive! encourages students to ask
questions and share their experiences about the sea. Programs show life
from all of the world's oceans. Topics explore aspects of sea animal
and plant life, the structure of natural sea communities, and the
relationship of humans to the sea. Individual program titles are listed
below.
Oceans Alive! Part 1
¡Oceanos Vivos! (Spanish Version) Part 1
1. INTRODUCTION/ UNA INTRODUCCIÓN
Most of us see only the surface of the sea. But when we dive in we find that the ocean is alive with a wide variety of fish, crustaceans, and echinoderms, each with its own way of feeding, reproducing, and defending itself.2. PREDATION/ LA DEPREDACIÓN
Every animal must eat to live. Many living creatures in the sea eat other living creatures. Ocean predators include not only sharks and barracuda, but any animal that feeds on another animal.3. CNIDARIA/ CNIDARIA
Some animals in the sea stay put. Others go with the flow. Cnidaria do both. These animals can look like flowers and sting like bees.4. LIVING ROCK/ LAS ROCAS CON VIDA
Coral looks and acts like rock. It doesn’t move or swim around. If you bumped into coral, it would certainly feel like a rock. Yet coral is an animal.5. THE CORAL JUNGLE/ LA SELVA DE CORALES
Many different plants and animals grow in a tropical rain forest. The trees and plants of the jungle provide shelter for some creatures and food for others. Many living things can flourish in a very small area. There is also a jungle in the sea where thousands of sea creatures seek food and shelter. It’s called a coral reef.6. LIFE TOGETHER/ LA CONVIVENCIA
There are many different animals and plants in the ocean. Sometimes two very different animals, ones that may even harm each other, live as partners. Discover how different animals benefit from living with one another.7. THE CLOWNFISH AND THE ANEMONE/ EL PEZ “PAYASO” Y LAS ANÉMONAS
Bright orange clownfish are found in the western Pacific and Indian oceans, where they live in an unusual symbiotic relationship with sea anemones.8. PROTECTION BY DECEPTION/ PROTECCIÓN POR ENGAÑO
For a fish that is slow, a fast hungry fish can ruin the whole day. Fortunately, fish have developed special colors, shapes, and behaviors in order to protect themselves.9. CAMOUFLAGE/ CAMUFLAJE
Every animal in the sea may be another animal’s lunch. To escape, some animals use camouflage to simply disappear.10. ARMED AND DANGEROUS/ARMADOS Y PELIGROSOS
Some marine animals can run away from danger, while others escape by using tricks. But many protect themselves with defensive weapons.
Oceans Alive! Part 2
¡Oceanos Vivos! (Spanish Version) Part 2
1. PORIFERA/ PORÍFERA
If it looks like a plant and acts like a plant, is it a plant? Not if it’s a sponge.2. CRUSTACEA/ LOS CRUSTACEOS
They come in all shapes and sizes, and they’re painted every color of the rainbow. There are more than 30,000 different kinds, but they all have at least one thing in common. Crustacea wear their skeletons on the outside of their bodies.3. ECHINODERMS/ LOS EQUINODERMOS
Often, we look like our cousins. But in the sea, close cousins may look nothing alike. Consider the starfish, sea urchin, and sea cucumber.4. WHAT IS A FISH?/ ¿QUÈ ES UN PEZ?
What is a fish? Is a manta ray a fish? Is a moray eel a fish? Does the composition of the skeleton distinguish one fish from another?5. FISH SENSES/ EL PEZ Y SUS SENTIDOS
Sea creatures and humans have something in common. We both learn about the world around us by using our senses. Fish and people have eyes and can see. But did you know that many sea creatures can also smell, taste, hear, and touch?6. SHARKS AND RAYS/ TIBURONES Y RAYAS
Sharks and rays share a common evolution and a nasty reputation. Should we fear these special creatures? Spend five minutes learning about their behavior and unique sensory organs.7. RESPIRATION/ LA RESPIRACIÓN
Water, water everywhere! How do fish get oxygen from the water?8. UNDERSEA EYES/ OJOS SUBMARINOS
Have you ever wondered how you look to a fish? The answer may surprise you.9. THE DEEP BLUE SEA/ EL MAR PROFUNDO
Water. It’s clear. You can see through it. It has no color. Yet when you look at the ocean, you see many colors. Is the deep blue sea really blue?10. REPRODUCTION/ LA REPRODUCCIÓN
All living creatures reproduce. Animals in the sea have evolved a variety of mechanisms to accomplish this complex and important task.
Oceans Alive! Part 3
1. INTRODUCTION
When we see the earth from space, we see a world that is blue. Seventy percent of its surface is covered by water. Earth’s water, found in oceans, lakes, rivers, and clouds, is vital to the survival of all living things. We now know that for us to live, our waters must remain healthy and clean—our oceans must remain alive.2. MARINE MAMMALS
Their ancestors once walked on land, but these animals live in the sea. Marine mammals are our cousins in the sea.3. THE DOLPHIN
This sea mammal loves to play and socialize and is one of the most intelligent creatures on the earth.4. SEA BIRDS
What makes a sea bird different from the birds that might live in your backyard?5. THE SALT MARSH
It’s a place that’s not quite land and not quite water. Large numbers of living things are found here, but only a few different species are equipped to survive here.6. THE FOOD WEB
Some of the largest animals in the ocean feed on some of the smallest. In the oceans, living things form a pyramid of life from the very small to the very large.7. PLANKTON
Most people have homes, but in the ocean there are lots of animals that don’t have homes; they drift along wherever the ocean takes them, forming a sort of living soup called plankton.8. MOLLUSKS
Some can fly through the water like a jet plane. Some creep across the reef so slowly it’s hard to see them move. And others live their lives cemented permanently in place. They’re all mollusks.9. SAND COUNTRY
Many living things are found on a coral reef. But in the ocean, there’s also a lot of sand. Sand looks barren and desolate; we don’t see anything alive. But if we take a closer look, we’ll see that there is a lot happening in sand country.10. HOMES
Some sea creatures build their own, some are born with one. . . and others borrow someone else’s. Like us, many sea creatures need homes.
Oceans Alive! Part 4
Click here to return to the table of contents1. ISLANDS UNDER THE SEA
Much of the sea floor is a vast and seemingly empty wilderness of sand. Yet here and there we find an oasis. The skeletons of large ships, lost by accident or in war, become islands of life under the sea. The bones of great metal ships, unlike the wooden vessels of old, survive the ravages of the sea long enough to become home and haven for marine life of all kinds.2. SLUGS
Some slugs are smaller than a penny. Others are as large as your hand. Some are bright and colorful. Others are camouflaged. They’re all related to an animal that lives right in your own backyard.3. TUNICATES
They may look like a bunch of grapes, or a banana, or just a hole in the rock. But they are complex animals who survive without moving an inch. They let the sea bring them everything they need.4. AMAZING RAYS
They have a bad reputation. They can be as small as your hand or grow to 3,000 pounds, and they do it with no bones in their bodies.5. THE CLEANING STATION
When a group of fish are in one place, are they resting? Are they grouped for protection? No, they are simply waiting in line for their turn with a tiny janitor of the reef. They’re lined up to get a good cleaning in one of the reef ’s cleaning stations.6. THE DEEP
When we think of the ocean floor we often think of a beautiful, sun-lit coral reef, alive with fish and other marine creatures. But reefs are found only in warm and shallow waters, and the average depth of the oceans of the world is over 12,000 feet. It’s a world that’s cold and dark. Venture to the bottom of the ocean to see what life is like in the deep.7. COLORS AND PATTERNS
In the ocean we can see a palette of brilliant colors and unusual patterns. We know that the color of an animal or the design of those colors can help an animal avoid danger or find food or even find a mate. But some marine animals have shapes and colors so strange it’s hard to imagine they have a purpose.8. TIDES
Why is the beach sometimes wide and at other times narrow all in the space of one day? The beach is not growing or shrinking—the level of the ocean is changing. Tides are extremely important for people who live, work, and play along coastal areas.9. WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
When we view the earth from space, it’s easy to see that our home is covered with water. Yet why is water so important, and why is it so easily damaged, if there is water everywhere?10. PEOPLE AND THE SEA
We enjoy the ocean. It’s fun to dive or swim. . . to spend time at the beach. But we depend on the sea for many other very important things. What is the relationship of people and the sea?
Seahouse, a series of thirty five-minute programs, creates an opportunity for children and adults to discuss the characteristics of living things, and to encourage a sense of responsibility in protecting marine plants and animals. The program is narrated by a seven-year-old girl and filmed entirely in the wild in the Red Seas, Caribbean, Sea of Cortez and Pacific Ocean.
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Shorelines: A series of three 10-minute programs that take
students to the beach, dunes, maritime forests, salt marsh, tidal pool,
bays and estuaries of North America. Featuring the poetry and prose of
North American authors, this beautifully filmed series illustrates and
explains the ecology of the shorelines communities. The series is a
part of THE BIOMES PROJECT which includes Oceans Alive!, Exploring the Diversity of Life and American Deserts.
Program Titles
Click here to return to the table of contents1. BEACH
Focusing on the ecology of shoreline habitats on both rocky and sandy coasts, this program describes the forces that shape shorelines and features habitats ranging from the intertidal zone to the maritime forest.2. BAY
North America’s estuarine communities, where fresh water from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean, are amazing nurseries for marine life.3. MARSH
Salt and brackish marshes are some of the world’s most self-sufficient habitats. Marsh dwelling animals and plants are specially adapted to their ever changing environment.