Summer 2015
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BWET Watersheds in Question
B AY LINES
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Unite for the Ocean Kids’ Ocean Day
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Underwater Investigators practice piloting an “ROV” on page 7
Camp Navigator An Adventure in Learning
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Wonders of Watersheds WOW and California’s Water
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Thank You! Sponsors and Donors Find Upcoming Events on page 2 !
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BAYLINES
Heading home to MSI Event Line-Up Redwood City California Coastal Cleanup and Coastweeks 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. At 2014’s CCD, there were over 4200 volunteers that collected over 19,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from all over San Mateo County. Families, friends, coworkers, scout troops, school groups, service clubs and individuals come together to celebrate and share their appreciation of California’s fabulous coast and waterways. Can’t get enough of Coastal Cleanup Day? Check out Coastweeks! Coastweeks takes place in the three weeks following Coastal Cleanup Day. You can participate in nature walks, restoration efforts, workshops and more. Visit the COASTWEEKS page to find an event that’s right for you. Join Marine Science Institute at Gray Whale Cove in Half Moon Bay on Saturday September 19th for this year’s California Coastal Cleanup Day. Register in advance at sfbaymsi.org/events.
EVENT
L O C AT I O N
DA T E
Plankton Soup Workshop
Marine Science Institute
Saturday, June 27 10:00am-12:00pm
Canoes and Sloughs**
Marine Science Institute
Saturday, July 11 9:00am-2:00pm
Shark Day
Marine Science Institute
Saturday, July 18 10:00am-12:00pm
Redwood City EcoVoyages**
Marine Science Institute
Saturday, July 25 1pm-3pm and 3pm-5pm
Canoes and Sloughs**
Marine Science Institute
Saturday, August 8 9:00am-2:00pm
Seashell Succulents
Marine Science Institute
Saturday, August 15 10:00am-12:00pm
California Coastal Cleanup Day
Gray Whale Cove, HMB
Saturday, September 19 9:00am-12:00pm
SIG N UP AT W W W. SF BAYM SI.O RG advanced registra-on required, **par-cipants must be 5 yo+, must wear close toed shoes 2
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BAYLINES BWET Watersheds In Question By Hayley Usedom
What is a watershed? In September 2014, when local students were asked that question, Marine Science Institute (MSI) educators received answers ranging from “I don’t know” to “a shed full of water.” Given the proximity of our communities to major bodies of water, it is important for Bay Area students to have a thorough understanding of watershed systems. Thanks to a Bay Watershed Education and Training grant awarded to MSI by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, all of the sixth graders at Kennedy Middle School in Redwood City are participating in a yearlong in-depth watershed program, Student
As part of the grant, Kennedy Middle School students have adventured to different parts of their watershed to get up close and personal with the ecosystems. For many students, canoeing has been a favorite activity. Most students had not been on the water before, and had a fun (and sometimes frustrating) time learning how to paddle. Working as a team, they were able to venture out into the slough and get a closer look at marshes. Students took hydrology data. They learned to use equipment that tests pH, turbidity, temperature, phosphate, dissolved oxygen, density and salinity, and to understand the results in the
Stewards of Redwood Creek Watershed (SSRCW). Using an EnviroScape watershed model, students have learned what a watershed actually is, explored the flow of water through a watershed, and discovered what happens to point source and nonpoint source pollution in a watershed.
context of a healthy bay. They also visited Stulsaft Park in fall, winter, and spring to check the health of the tributary that is just down the street from their school.
Students are not just learning about watersheds, but also about how they can be stewards of their community. A great way to be Perhaps you still find yourself wondering, “Well, what is a a steward of your community is to share knowledge. Kennedy watershed?” In short, a watershed is an area of land in which students are picking up trash from Stulsaft Park and sending the water drains or “sheds” into tributaries and larger bodies of data to San Mateo County Environmental Health Services. They water. However, the students in SSRCW are not learning about are also learning from high school students in Redwood City. The watersheds in general terms. By virtue of living in Redwood City, Redwood Environmental Academy and Leadership (REAL) they happen to live in the Redwood Creek watershed, which is the program matches high school students with middle school focus of their curriculum. Redwood Creek begins in the Woodside students, and focusing on teaching academic and leadership Glen neighborhood just south of Highway 280 below the skills through hands-on service projects related to the terminus of Farm Hill Boulevard. It then passes through the environment. The high school students mentor the sixth graders Menlo Country Club. Around Broadway Street, Arroyo Ojo De during some of the field trips and help them build watershed Agua, a primary tributary, meets Redwood Creek underground. models. Not only are these high school students sharing through Arroyo Ojo de Agua flows through Stulsaft Park, home to mentorship but they also educated teachers in February at the endangered rountain thistle. Near Alameda del Las Pulgas, Council of Math/Science Educators of San Mateo County’s 39th Arroyo Ojo de Agua runs through a concrete channel to El annual STEM Conference. REAL students taught a hands-on Camino Real, where it is briefly exposed to open air before it activity that demonstrated how to build, structure, and enters underground culverts in downtown Redwood City. The implement a watershed model in the classroom. SSRCW and creek flows under Highway 101 and becomes a tidal channel. REAL programs have provided opportunities for students to Sloughs, mudflats, and marshes are all located in this area. Water become teachers and for teachers to learn from their students. from the Redwood Creek watershed spills out into the San To see these watershed adventure activities online, visit MSI’s Francisco Bay Estuary--also the endpoint for water from YouTube page. approximately 40% of California’s watersheds.
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BAYLINES Unite for the Ocean Kids’ Ocean Day, Adopt a Beach! By Carlie Cooney On May 8, 2015, more than 800 students, parents, teachers and volunteers came together at Ocean Beach in San Francisco to create something incredible. It began with planning meetings, talking to teachers, making presentations and, of course, booking a helicopter. We ventured into schools in San Francisco and the North Bay to teach students about their watersheds, and to explain that they would have the opportunity to be environmental stewards and enact real positive change by participating in Kids’ Ocean Day. After months of planning and buildup, the big day was finally here. This was our first time hosting Kids’ Ocean Day in San Francisco, and we were filled with excitement and nervous energy as we journeyed to the beach at
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dawn to prepare for the students. As the students arrived, they headed eagerly to the beach with milk-jug trash collectors in hand. Their first mission: to clean Ocean Beach and rid the area of microplastics—small pieces of trash that many ocean animals commonly mistake for food. The students roamed the beach in small groups, acting as trash detectives to find the small but important debris. After a quick lunch, it was time for their second mission: to send a conservation message to all of San Francisco. The groups formed long snaking lines on the beach as they shaped the image that took almost six hours of choreography on the beach to prepare. Once everyone was in place, it was time to wait for the helicopter. As it broke through the clouds the students erupted with excitement, waving and shouting to the pilot and photographers overhead. It was a moment of pure joy
BAYLINES Unite for the Ocean and celebration, as we joined together to send a message of unity to protect our oceans and everything that depends on them. This amazing celebration of our oceans would not have been possible without the generosity of our funders and the hard work of many enthusiastic volunteers. The Kids’ Ocean Day AdoptA-Beach program is coordinated statewide by the California Coastal Commission and funded through the Whale Tail License Plate Fund. We would like to thank the California Coastal Commission for their support, which included devoting their time to volunteering at Ocean Beach. We would also like to thank our wonderful volunteers from Citrix Byte Mobile for diving in and helping us make this event a success. To our DJ, Noel Don Juan, thank you for keeping the good vibes
going all day long! Thank you to all of our brilliant volunteer photographers for their time and memorable images. Kevin Lozaw of Kevin Lozaw Photography and Charles Pitkofsky provided aerial photography and videography, David McGuire of Shark Stewards captured a time lapse of the event, and John Cooney and Matt Starsonek from Kongregate provided our beach images. A big thank you to the supportive and dedicated fellow staff members at the Marine Science Institute. And, last but not least, thank you to all of the students, teachers and chaperones that participated to send a powerful message of ocean stewardship to the San Francisco Bay Area and all of California. To learn more about this program visit OCEANDAY.NET
Thanks to the contributors that made this day possible
Food and drinks for our invaluable volunteers were generously donated by Whole Foods Market ® and Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill ®. A special thank you to Citrix Byte Mobile for providing enthusiastic and energetic volunteers to assist in this most successful beach cleanup.
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BAYLINES Camp Navigator Marine Science Camp Line Up All camps run Mon – Fri starting on the dates below. Plankton Pioneer grade: K – 1 June 15, June 29, July 13, August 3, August 10 Ocean Explorer grade: 2 – 5 June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27, August 3, August 10 Bay Explorer grade: 2 – 5 June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27 Naturalist
(returning campers only)
grade: 4 – 5 July 20, August 3, August 10
Underwater Investigator grade: 6 – 8 June 22, July 6, July 27 Project Discovery grade: 9 – 12 July 20
An Adventure in Learning By Felicia Van Stolk Nature is all around us! Whether or not you live near the coast, your child’s connection to the ocean can begin with any of the waterways that connect us all to the sea. Marine Science Institute summer campers explore their link to the ocean during our field trips around the Bay and along the coast. Every camper enjoys a Discovery Voyage aboard our research vessel, Robert G. Brownlee. This trip is the capstone of our hands-on programs, and combines teamwork, problem-solving, and Fishing off the back of the Brownlee student-lead exploration to is an all time camp favorite! deepen connections and understanding of the beautiful bay ecosystem. On this one-of-a-kind expedition, campers study the watershed, the habitat and the animals that call the bay their home. Using nets and gear, campers collect live animal ambassadors, large and small, that will teach them how to make close observations and see relationships within an ecosystem. Visiting familiar places with new people is a great way to see things in a different way. This summer, campers will experience two ever-popular field trips. Tide pooling at Pillar Point is a fun way for our Ocean Explorers to step to the edge of the ocean and take a peek into the underwater world. Bay Explorers will return to Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge to discover the many different habitats that surround the bay—sloughs, marshes, and salt ponds that host countless animals and plants. New field trips will allow campers to practice environmental stewardship and visit places they may not have been before. The EcoCenter at Heron’s Head Park in San Francisco is a unique, off-the-grid building and a wonderful place
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BAYLINES Camp Navigator UNDERWATER INVESTIGATORS
to introduce some innovative conservation science. During this field trip, Bay Explorers will not only learn about the “living building,” but will also work with park rangers to learn about and restore native plants in the surrounding landscape. For the first time this summer, we will visit Dune Beach (part of Half Moon Bay State Beach) and neighboring beaches to learn about the unique dune
This summer the Underwater Investigator camp (for uprising 6th-8th graders) will focus on the tools and technology used in marine science. Our campers will practice the scientific method—from forming questions to discovering answers about their local ecosystems. Campers will also explore the types of technology used to study marine science in the field. For example, they will use light traps that collect animals drawn to light (especially at night), different types of nets, sensors and chemical tests to examine the water, and even special equipment to sample water and mud. During a new field trip, these campers will visit the Bay Model in Sausalito—an impressive tool long used by scientists and engineers to understand the Bay.
habitat, geology and endangered birds that nest on the beach. Ocean Exploring tide pools is always popular Explorers will take this opportunity to work with park rangers on ongoing conservation projects to protect the beach and its inhabitants. Summer camp is a time of tremendous growth and development. Knowledge and skills are honed through fun and friendship. Whether out on the water, on the coast or around the bay, the shared experience of discovering a piece of nature will inspire campers and foster their curiosity.
We are very excited to also introduce the use of an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) submarine to truly become underwater investigators! While at our shoreside facilities and on our ship, our campers will pilot a compact ROV, recording video, and taking samples and data. Their observations will help them to explore questions about the bay and will be shared with the OpenExplorer community. This community is a worldwide, online forum of other ROV pilots sharing their projects and data. Thank you to OpenROV for donating this amazing and fantastic tool and to all our followers for supporting us and making this endeavor possible!
Developing knowledge and skills through fun and friendship
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BAYLINES Wonders of Watersheds The Marine Science Institute is proud to announce that we have taken over the Watershed On Wheels bus and the watershed discovery curriculum from the Watershed Foundation. Since 2005, the Watershed Discovery Foundation has been
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offering programs to students throughout San Mateo County on watershed ecology, pollution prevention, and stewardship of the bay, ocean and marine sanctuary habitats. They are closing their doors but
have passed on the bus and programs to MSI to continue their mission of creating stewards of the watershed. We are grateful to the Watershed Discovery Foundation founders, Carolann Towe and Rich Allen, for their confidence and belief that MSI will continue to provide quality hands-on programming. Please check out the green and blue lab bus and contact us at www.sfbaymsi.org to learn more about the Wonders of Watershed program. Help Save California’s Water Now California, it’s time to adopt a new habit. One of our most important resources is in trouble, and we need to do everything we can to protect it today and into the future. Our state is facing severe water challenges, and many communities and ecosystems are suffering as a result. Environmental problems, the pressures of a growing population and the effects of climate change are making it extremely difficult to keep water flowing reliably to our economy, our environment, our farms and our communities. State and local water managers are working on long-term solutions, including investments in our water infrastructure. But in the meantime, California needs every drop of water it can get, which is why we all need to do more to conserve water. Doing everything we can to save water today will go a long way toward helping our water supply situation while we move ahead with the necessary long-term fixes. The good news is that it’s not difficult to save water in our daily lives. Just as Californians have embraced compactfluorescent light bulbs and recycling, we can adopt habits to reduce our water use inside and outside our homes on a daily basis. As we have seen with energy conservation, small changes in our daily habits can make a big difference for California. In 2009, the California Department of Water Resources joined with the Association of California Water Agencies—450 public water agencies throughout the state— to form a statewide conservation and education program called “Save Our Water”. This effort is aimed at helping
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Californians learn about our water challenges and ways to save water inside and outside our homes. For example, did you know that the typical Californian uses much more water outdoors than indoors? Watering the lawn, washing cars and cleaning off the driveway and patio use much more water than you might think. Simple changes to our behavior, such as watering only when your landscape needs it or using a broom instead of the hose on the driveway, can add up to big water savings for the state. So join in this statewide effort to save California’s water. Plant water-wise landscaping, install a SMART irrigation controller, and take shorter showers. These are just a few of the easy ways we can all help to “save our water.” For more information about how to conserve water or about the “Save Our Water” public education program, please visit www.saveourH2O.org or join the effort on Facebook and Twitter.
BAYLINES 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 Melanie Kimbel, Advancement Director, at 650-364-2760 x14 or melanie@sfbaymsi.org. $50,000 and Above
$5,000 - $9,999
$500 - $4,499 continued
Moore Family Foundation Oracle The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Atkinson Foundation Cargill* Mr. and Mrs. James Crawford Danford Foundation The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation Mt. View Sanitary District The Rotary Club of Palo Alto Wells Fargo Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Jones Kilohana Outrigger Club Kohl's Campbell Kohl's Redwood City Kohl's San Jose East Kohl's San Jose South Kohl's Santa Clara Lyngso Garden Materials, Inc. Mrs. Denise Malmquist-Little and Mr. Dave Little Jennifer Martin Mr. Julian Osinski Patagonia, Inc. Matt and Nicole Patterson Port of Redwood City Provident Credit Union Recurrent Energy Development Holdings, LLC The Repass-Rodgers Family Foundation Inc. The Robert Brownlee Foundation James and Susan Roberts Sequoias Portola Valley Lakas Parrenas Shimizu Philanthropy Fund Sims Metal Management Solano County Water Agency Mr. Charles Spirakis Mr. and Mrs. Jason Strober The Surfer's Journal Mr. Chris Throm Mr. and Mrs. David Tuitupou Velvet Voelz Whole Foods Market® Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School
$25,000 - $49,999 Central Contra Costa Sanitary District Contra Costa Water District Genentech Foundation National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Sand Hill Foundation
$10,000 - $24,999 Delta Diablo Sanitation District Heising-Simons Foundation Homestead Foundation Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation Matson Navigation Company Peninsula Aquatic Center Rossi Family Foundation Scandling Family Foundation** Science by Nature Collaborative Silicon Valley Clean Water Turner Designs Peter and Paula Uccelli Foundation
$500 - $4,499 Anonymous Mr. and Mrs. Steve Atwell Ms. Celeste Baranski and Mr. Paul Hammel ChildCare Careers Mr. and Mrs. Peter Chung Ms. Patricia Cooley-Wetzel Mr. Mark Cottonaro DeepDyve Doering Family Foundation, LTD. Dow Chemical Company The East Creek Fund Mr. and Mrs. Chris Espinosa Expansion Capital Group Facebook Local Community Fund Ms. Vicki Friedberg Mr. and Mrs. John Gilbert Google Gives Suzanne and Mahmoud Jillo Ms. Carol Johnson Mr. Jason Jones
support * Multi-year Advised Fund of Silicon Valley ** An Community Foundation
We strive to make this list as accurate as possible. If we have omitted anyone by mistake, we sincerely apologize and ask you to contact melanie@sfbaymsi.org so that we can correct this oversight immediately. www.sfbaymsi.org
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B AY L I NE S 2015 Summer Edi.on
MSI’s Mission Statement The Institute's mission is to cultivate a responsibility for the natural environment and our human communities through interdisciplinary science education. We achieve this goal through innovative marine science education programs that: • Place students of all ages in direct contact with the natural environment • Emphasize the interdependence of all living things, their connection to the physical environment, and the special responsibilities of humans to the environment • Facilitate active learning through the use of observation, critical thinking, and problem solving skills in a cooperative setting • Instill confidence, encourage involvement, and inspire accomplishment by providing positive role models.
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500 Discovery Parkway •Redwood City •CA 94063 •650-364-2760 •sfbaymsi.org