Autumn 2014
B AY LINES
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Repowered and Revitalized Our Ship Sails On
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Storming the Brownlee SWAT goes Urban Shield
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Summer Camp Stewards featured in our Camp Navigator on page 8.
Volunteering Takes the Helm Maxim Integrated
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Creature Feature Blue Whale
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Thank You! Sponsors and Donors Find Upcoming Events, Coastal Cleanup and Special Event Opportunities on pages 4 and 5 !
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B AY L I NE S Repowered and Revitalized, Our Ship Sails On Brownlee Renova,on Donors Bay Area Air Quality Management District Bay Planning Coali7on Bay Ship & Yacht The Bothin Founda7on Cargill Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Founda7on Matson Founda7on Moore Family Founda7on The David and Lucile Packard Founda7on Rossi Family Founda7on
Reflec,ons on the Brownlee Repower
The Brownlee is a remarkable ship. Like no other, it was specifically designed for the unique condi7ons of the San Francisco Bay and for the educa7onal needs of the young scien7sts who explore the Bay. Repower Project Objec,ves: • Objec,ve Goal #1: Replace the ship’s engines with the cleanest marine diesel engines available today to increase reliability of the ship and decrease its carbon output. • Objec,ve Goal #2: Replace the ship’s propellers and sha_s to improve fuel efficiency. • Objec,ve Goal #3: Resurface the ship’s hull to reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency. • Objec,ve Goal #4: Ship resumes hands-‐on marine science educa7on for more than 50,000 students of all ages each year through Discovery Voyages and by providing live marine animals for land-‐based educa7on programs. All of the project objec,ves were met. 2!
The vessel was put into service in 1998 and has the learning space to accommodate up to 70 students. Onboard, students use a variety of research equipment to explore Bay life. By sailing to ports in San Francisco, Richmond, Rio Vista, and An7och, we bring science to the students’ nearby waterways thus reducing school transporta7on costs and travel 7me. The ship’s original engines were built to last 30,000 hours but through vigilance and a lot of “coaxing,” they served us for more than 100,000 working hours. As a result of our large ship renova7on project In January, 2013, the Brownlee now runs on the cleanest and most fuel-‐ efficient marine diesel engines available today. By upgrading to new eco-‐ friendly engines, we achieved a 17% reduc7on in nitrogen oxide “As a result of this project, the Brownlee achieved the following emissions reduc,ons: • 17% reduc,on in Nitrogen Oxides (NOx); • 50% reduc,on in Par,culate MaSer (PM); and • 80% reduc,on in Hydrocarbons (HC).” -‐Marilou Seiff, Marine Science Ins,tute Execu,ve Director
B A Y L I NE S Repowered and Revitalized, Our Ship Sails On emissions, a 50% reduc,on in par,culate maSer emissions, and an 80% reduc,on in hydrocarbon emissions. With the new engines and other needed improvements, we have increased fuel efficiency by more than 34%. Each 4-‐hour voyage now uses only 23 gallons of fuel compared to 35 gallons previously used. Thanks to some very generous long-‐7me supporters and new friends of MSI, we can now embark on Discovery Voyages and Ecotours with full confidence that the Brownlee runs with the smallest possible ecological footprint while making the largest impact on future caretakers of the Bay.
BROWNLEE CHARACTERISTICS PASSENGERS 103 BEAM, MOLDED 30’-0” DEPTH, MOLDED 11’-9” FUEL CAPACITY 2850 gal.
LENGTH OVERALL LENGTH, DWL BEAM, OVER GUARDS DRAFT, MAXIMUM FRESH WATER CAPACITY
89’-8” 80’-6” 30’-6” 5’-6” 300 gal.
Brownlee Haul-‐Out August 2014 • Hull Cleaning • New Zincs • New Paint and sealant
Execu,ve Director Marilou Seiff and the R/V Robert G. Brownlee
BROWNLEE BIOMIMICRY HIGHLIGHT As part of the repower, a new engine cooling system was installed. These keel coolers circulate cold fluid near the engines to cool them. Our prior set of keel coolers piped water from outside the boat into the engine room of the boat to get it close enough to the engines to absorb engine heat, and then out again. Because of the amount of sediment in bay water, the keel coolers would o?en get clogged, requiring extra maintenance. The new keel coolers are located outside of the ship’s hull. They work much like the way bird legs regulate body temperature, by circulaCng fluid to the shell of its form, making use of external temperatures to cool the liquid and circulate back to the interior of it’s form. With the new keel coolers, there is no circulaCon of bay water through the ship. It is a more ecofriendly way to cool the engines, which we can relate to our Biomimicry program that teaches students to look to nature for ideas to adapt for human uses. Picture credit Athomeinnature.blogspot 3
B A Y L I NE S MSI Event Line-‐Up COASTWEEKS CELEBRATION!
Every year, on the third Saturday in September, people join together at sites all over California to take part in the State's largest volunteer event, California Coastal Cleanup Day. This year MSI will be cleaning up a brand new site in Montara, Grey Whale Cove! Join us and thousands of volunteers as we kick off COASTWEEKS, a three-‐week celebraTon of our coastal and water resources, with this annual clean up event! *advanced registra7on required
E V E NT
LO C AT I O N
DAT E
Canoe Paddle in Redwood Creek**
MSI
Saturday, Sept. 6 9am-‐2pm
Coast Weeks Event #1 Coastal Clean Up Day*
Grey Whale Cove, Montara
Saturday, Sept. 20 9am-‐12pm
Coast Weeks Event #2 Canoe Clean Up in Redwood Creek**
MSI
Saturday, Sept. 27 9am-‐2pm
Coast Weeks Event #3 Nurdle Patrol: PlasTc and PolluTon*
Crissy Field, San Francisco
Saturday, October 4 10am-‐12pm
Elkhorn Slough Safari by pontoon boat*
Elkhorn Slough Moss Landing/Santa Cruz
Saturday, October 11 9am-‐11:30am
Sharktoberfest
Crissy Fields, San Francisco
Saturday, October 18 11am-‐4pm
Low Tide Walk*
Pillar Point, HMB
Saturday, October 25 4:30pm-‐6:30pm
Lunch in a Tree*
Pescadero Marsh, Pescadero
Saturday, November 1 10am-‐12:30pm
San Francisco Eco-‐Voyages**
Pier 40, San Francisco
Saturday, November 22 1-‐3pm and 3-‐5pm
SIG N UP AT W W W. SF BAYM SI.O RG 4!
*advanced registra7on required, **par7cipants must be 5 yo+, must wear close toed shoes
B A Y L I NE S Special Event OpportuniJes Star,ng September 15 MSI will bring our marine science birthday par,es to you! The Rocky Shore Birthday Party is a hands-‐on, up-‐close look at animals that live in local 7depools! Party par7cipants will spend an exci7ng hour learning about the different fish and invertebrates that inhabit the 7depools and why these animals are special! We will bring 8 – 12 different species, including sea stars, crabs, anemones and more! The total length of the program is 1 hour. This program is appropriate for children ages 5 and older and
The cost of the program is $360 plus
the program is $360 plus $1/mile
c a n a c c o m m o d a t e u p t o 2 0
$1/mile roundtrip travel fee for
roundtrip travel fee for des7na7ons
par7cipants (adults not included).
des7na7ons outside of Redwood
outside of Redwood City.
City. Important informa,on about The Fish & Sharks Birthday Party is a
hos,ng an MSI party in your home:
great way to get a close look at the
* We are fully insured
fish and sharks that live right here in
* Live marine animals come with
San Francisco Bay! You’ll spend an
water -‐ make sure you have a space
hour learning about what it means
that can handle spills and splashes!
to be a fish or a shark, and will get a
* We can meet you at another
chance to see and touch these
loca7on for your party, like a local
wonderful creatures! The total
park
length of this program is 1 hour. This
program is appropriate for children a g e s 5 a n d o l d e r a n d c a n accommodate up to 20 par7cipants (adults not included). The cost of 5
B A Y L I NE S Storming the Brownlee SWAT goes Urban Shield By KC O’Shea MSI staff members were proud and delighted to Camp avigator Psodcast help the Redwood City N SWAT team with hip based -‐ Marine Science Camp Cont. assault drills to help our local law enforcement prepare for possible emergencies. The officers were friendly and polite when they arrived, but as soon as the drills began, they were organized, calm, and determined. They never made the same mistakes twice. We staff members were fascinated to see how they were able to adapt to the varied scenarios they faced. These drills are what help law enforcement learn what to expect and how to react in real emergencies. It is reassuring to know that Redwood City SWAT goes to great lengths to make sure that they are ready for anything. In fact, Redwood City SWAT was not only training for the sake of general preparedness -‐ they are geong ready for the Urban Shield 2014 Exercise. Urban Shield is a "comprehensive full-‐scale regional preparedness exercise" to test the overall response capabili7es of tac7cal emergency response teams from all over the world. Over a period of 48-‐hours, the teams will be confronted with scenarios that test their training, prepara7on, and decision-‐making. Redwood City SWAT will be compe7ng from September 4 -‐ September 8. To find out more informa7on about Urban Shield, go to hrps:// www.urbanshield.org/. To our new friends on the SWAT team: MSI wishes you good luck and thanks you for leing us be a part of your training! “The SWAT team loved prac,cing on the ship! The most difficult part by far was the naviga,ng the close quarters and darkness below deck. There wasn't much ,me to wait for your eyes to adjust to the darkness, and the ship had plenty of places to hide.” -‐Officer John Cowart RWC Police Department
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B A Y L I NE S Volunteering Takes the Helm By Ksenia Evdokimova Sr. Financial Analyst Maxim Integrated
Being a member of the MAD (Make A Difference) Team at Maxim Integrated it was my turn to organize a community event where we would dedicate a day to a not-‐for-‐profit organiza7on. I chose to work with Marine Science Ins7tute based on the work that they do introducing the rich and living ocean world to the kids. Being a scuba diver myself I know how important it is to support organiza7ons that promote water preserva7on and educa7on.
pain7ng and cleaning. We divided in teams to tackle the listed tasks. In the middle of our ac7vi7es we witnessed a summer program for a group of 30-‐40 kids. At one point we were called to help collect and give out lirle fish and crab that the kids brought up from the borom of the bay with a large net. It was a great experience to help as much as we could around the facility and par7cipate in the day camp with the kids. Our day concluded with the facili7es and grounds managers taking us through their aquarium area and telling us about various fish. The most exci7ng and memorable experience was to hold and study a leopard shark! I am considering dedica7ng my personal 7me to Marine Science Ins7tute.
With the support of our VP of Finance I was able to gather 11 employees to volunteer for a day at the Marine Science Ins7tute. Our i7nerary was summarized and presented to us a few weeks before the event so that we could properly prepare for the ac7vi7es. The ac7vi7es involved: pressure washing, removing non-‐ na7ve plants, cuong out bathroom sign, moving lumber,
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B A Y L I NE S Camp Navigator What’s a Nurdle? Of all of the trash collected by ! MSI campers, 85% was “small trash”—pieces of debris smaller than a boNle cap. Most of that small trash was plasCc, including 1295 nurdles. Nurdles are pre-‐producCon resin pellets that look like opaque or translucent beads. These pellets eventually become all sorts of plasCc products. They are melted down and molded to make boNles, pens, straws and any number of items. Nurdles are an important part of making the plasCc products that we use every day—but they are also a cause for concern when accidentally lost into the water. These small floaCng specks look like food to many marine animals, and can cause animals to become ill or even die. There is also concern that these pellets may leach chemicals into the water. While difficult to spot, nurdles can be found on most beaches as they are carried by currents around the globe.
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A jar of nurdles and other microplas,cs collected at Crissy Field.
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Summer Camp Stewards By Felicia Van Stolk
SF Bay Explorers transplan,ng plants for a community-‐based restora,on project.
As this summer comes to an end, we reflect upon the fun we had and the impact we made with our campers. Summer marine science camp is not only about studying animals and ecosystems up close; it also brings our campers in touch with their role as stewards of the environment. As any mud club member knows, before donning the muddy badge of honor on our faces, we pledge to “respect and protect the San Francisco Bay”, and during camp we enjoyed some great opportuni7es to do so. Birds flock around a pond at the Baylands in Palo Alto, honking and squabbling for some shade under the plants at Save the Bay’s na7ve plant ! nursery, where our SF Bay Explorers enjoyed one of their field trips. This summer, Save the Bay generously provided programs to teach campers about na7ve plant and habitat restora7on. Our campers got their hands dirty alongside Save the Bay staff working in the nursery. Rachelle Cardona, Save the Bay’s Restora7on Educa7on Specialist, took a tally of all of our campers’ hard work:
“Your group accomplished an immense amount of work, including transplan,ng 2,808 na,ve gumplant seedlings at the site…Your efforts will help us get one step closer toward restoring the scien7fically recommended 100,000 acres of wetlands that will provide valuable wildlife habitat as well as help protect communi7es from sea level rise caused by climate change. We couldn’t accomplish this without you and the campers from MSI’s Marine Science Camp.” While our SF Bay Explorers were busy with their restora7on project, our Ocean Explorers were on “Nurdle Patrol” with the Gulf of the Farallones Na7onal Marine Sanctuary Founda7on. Over the course of seven visits, MSI campers collected over 6000 pieces of trash from the beach
At the end of the field trip dozens of transplants are ready to be brought to wetland restora,on areas.
B A Y L I NE S Camp Navigator What’s a Nurdle cont. Table 1: Small trash composed 85% of trash collected by MSI campers
Campers carefully record the types of debris they collect from the beach. ! at Crissy Field. They carefully recorded each piece of debris on data sheets that help to track how much and what types of trash is on the beach and out in the ocean. The trash that our campers collected included all kinds of things, ranging from borles and cans to the 7ny bits of microplas7cs washed up by the waves. This marine debris was predominantly comprised of very small pieces of trash, including nearly 1300 plas7c nurdles (pre-‐produc7on plas7c). Our Ocean Explorers did an excellent job cleaning up the beach and kicking off an ongoing project to clean up and track the marine debris that washes ashore near the Golden Gate.
Foam Pieces
948
Glass Pieces
151
PlasTc Pieces
2705
Nurdles
1295
Other Pieces of Trash Smaller Than a Bodle Cap
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SMALL TRASH TOTAL
5103
Table 2: Marine debris collected by MSI campers by percent
Marine Science Ins7tute is proud to incorporate stewardship in every experience. As our campers learned and played with marine science, they also became berer stewards and discovered a role that they can play in the natural environment every day. It is thrilling to hear campers iden7fy na7ve plants, spout off facts about marine debris and recycling, and share their excitement for nature. We hope that this enthusiasm will stay with them as they return to school to tell tales of summer adventures that include messages of stewardship and connec7ons to our environment.
Campers par,cipa,ng in ci,zen science.
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B A Y L I NE S Creature Feature: Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus By Hayley Usedom
Imagine, if you can, swimming in the middle of the ocean side by side with... a Boeing 737 airplane. You might be thinking, Ok... but planes don't swim. You'd be absolutely right! However, it is possible to swim with creatures that can reach roughly the same size as that humongous airplane. MSI's Program Scheduler Jenn shared with us that her favorite ocean creature is the blue whale. Jenn told us that the blue whale, or Balaenoptera musculus, is the largest animal that has ever existed! They can be
Blue whales on the surface. California, Gulf of the Farallones NMS Photographer: Dan Shapiro. NOAA photo library
110 _ but most grow to about 90_. This magnificent mammal is part of the suborder of cetaceans called baleen whales. Baleen are kera7nous substance (finger nail-‐like material) found in two rows of plates which hang down from the upper jaw of whale. This amazing filtra7on system allows the massive beings to feed on organisms around 1250 7mes smaller than themselves, like krill. When the whale opens its mouth, it will take in the water and pushes the water out through the baleen plates using its car-‐size tongue. Though blue whales are now federally protected from commercial hun7ng, they s7ll face dangers in the water,
Throughout history these beautiful beasts have suffered a large depletion in their population. In the 1800s and early 1900s, whales were hunted primarily for whale oil. Commercial hunting nearly caused the blue whale to become extinct and during this time, almost 360,000 whales were killed. In 1970, the blue whale was classified as endangered in the U.S. Endangered Species Conservation Act. Even though the population has seen a steady increase, they have not fully recovered. 10!
par7cularly from human boats and ships. Each year whales of many different species are injured or even killed when large vessel hit them. Between 1988 and 2012, there were 100 documented large whale ship strikes just along the California coast. These ship strikes tend to occur most o_en in areas of abundant marine traffic. Studies thus far have been inconclusive as to what factors contribute to collisions or why blue whales appear to be more suscep7ble than other whales. With the state of blue whale popula7on being what it is, it is important for researchers to con7nue studying factors affec7ng whale mortality. There are some steps all boaters can make to help the reduc7on of these collisions. Slow down in cetacean popula7on-‐dense zones and slow down when whales are visible. Happy viewing!
B A Y L I NE S
Thank You to Our Donors MSI is a non-profit education organization that relies on the generous donations of individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies to ensure that program costs remain within reach for schools. We thank the donors listed in part below who have made it possible for us to serve 55,000 students of all ages for the past 12 months. We salute these generous supporters’ commitment to high-quality science education and cultivation of environmental stewardship. If you would like to learn how you or your company can support MSI programs, please contact Denise Brennan, Advancement Director, at 650-364-2760 x14 or Denise@sfbaymsi.org. $50,000 and Above
Contra Costa Water District Na>onal Fish and Wildlife Founda>on Na>onal Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra>on (NOAA)
$25,000 -‐ $49,999
Central Contra Costa Sanitary District Oracle Sandhill Founda>on The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Founda>on
$10,000 -‐ $24,999
Dean and Magaret Lesher Founda>on Delta Diablo Sanita>on District Homestead Founda>on Rossi Family Founda>on Science by Nature Collabora>ve The Furnessville Founda>on
$5,000 -‐ $9,999
Atkinson Founda>on Cargill Danford Founda>on Facebook Local Community Fund Kohl's Matson Founda>on Mr. and Mrs. James Crawford Mt. View Sanitary District Peninsula Aqua>c Center Scandling Family Founda>on ** Silicon Valley Clean Water Turner Designs
$2,500 -‐ $4,999
Dow Chemical Company Wells Fargo Founda>on MaT and Nicole PaTerson Mr. Chris Throm
$500 -‐ $2,499
Borel Private Bank and Trust Company ChildCare Careers Devil's Canyon Brewery Company Doering Family Founda>on, LTD. Expansion Capital Group George and Ruth Bradford Founda>on James and Susan Roberts Jennifer Mar>n Lakas Parrenas Shimizu Philanthrophy Fund Lyngso Garden Materials, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Chris Espinosa Mr. and Mrs. David Tuitupou Mr. and Mrs. John Gilbert Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Hulsey Mr. Jason Jones Mr. Julian Osinski Mr. Paul Turner and Laurie Schoeffler(H) Ms. Patricia Cooley-‐Wetzel Ms.Velvet Voelz Port of Redwood City Provident Credit Union San Mateo County Harbor District SIMS Metal Management The Repass-‐Rodgers Family Founda>on The Robert Brownlee Founda>on Ronald C. Wornik Jewish Day School Sequoias-‐ Portolla Valley Resident Associa>on Solano County Water Agency Whole Foods ✴Mul,-‐year support ✴An Advised Fund of Silicon Valley Community Founda,on
We strive to make this list as accurate as possible. If we have omiTed anyone by mistake, we sincerely apologize and ask you to contact Denise@s^aymsi.org so that we can correct this oversight immediately. 11
September 23, 2010
B A Y L I NE S 2014 Autumn Edi,on
MSI’s Mission Statement The InsTtute's mission is to culTvate a responsibility for the natural environment and our human communiTes through interdisciplinary science educaTon. We achieve this goal through innovaTve marine science educaTon programs that: • Place students of all ages in direct contact with the natural environment • Emphasize the interdependence of all living things, their connecTon to the physical environment, and the special responsibiliTes of humans to the environment • Facilitate acTve learning through the use of observaTon, criTcal thinking, and problem solving skills in a cooperaTve seeng • InsTll confidence, encourage involvement, and inspire accomplishment by providing posiTve role models.
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500 Discovery Parkway •Redwood City •CA 94063 •650-‐364-‐2760 •s>aymsi.org