Today the world faces many environmental challenges that if not properly addressed, could prove detrimental to future generations. Many issues already affect you and others directly. Poor air and water quality, for example, can diminish recreational and economic opportunities. Pollutants contaminate food supplies and water resources.

We especially need to keep in mind the coastal estuaries that surround our land. These estuaries are our oceans nursery grounds and are the most productive ecosystems on the planet. Historically, coastal estuaries have been at the receiving end of non-point and point-source water pollution. This presents a number of significant problems, including:

• Elevated levels of coliform bacteria in storm water runoff, an indicator of the potential presence of pathogens, are responsible for the closure of shellfish beds and bathing beaches.
• Sediment and a host of xenobiotic compounds in storm water runoff have significant negative effects on estuarine living resources, and add to these waters compounds that mimic hormones thus upsetting delicately balanced ecological interactions.
• Point-source pollution from municipal wastewater facilities, inactive hazardous waste sites, and inactive solid waste disposal facilities are not as widespread, yet they may be a causative factor in water quality degradation, contributing endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) altering organism development potentially all the way to humans.

While it may be difficult if not impossible to completely prevent issues like these from occurring, you can help control them. CERCOM's research-based environment provides the perfect setting for learning the active steps you can take to improve the natural world we live in.

We also conduct science teacher training workshops at CERCOM, bringing the latest advances in STEM to all teachers who sign on for a one week of fun while increasing ones "science knowledge base".