Oct. 13, 2017 — Fostering a sense of connection and respect for the magnificent ocean, foliage and wildlife in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties is the objective behind a grant awarded to CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Called a “B-WET” grant, the $59,955 award goes toward the NOAA’s continued support of the collaborative project entitled “Crossing the Channel: An Inquiry-based Expedition.”
The NOAA California Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program funds watershed environmental education projects for San Francisco Bay, Monterey Bay and the Santa Barbara Channel. This is the second phase of a three-year grant that awards almost $60,000 a year to CSUCI.
“Crossing the Channel” is a year-long series of classes focusing on the local environment and the ocean. “Crossing the Channel” pairs Oxnard middle school students with CSUCI professors and undergraduates in the Environmental Science & Resource Management (ESRM) and Education programs.
“The idea was to create a coastal science curriculum to expose middle school and high school students to notions such as: What are the tides? What are ocean currents? We do this with the type of engagement that CSUCI students can bring,” said Sean Anderson, Ph.D., Chair of the ESRM program.
CSUCI collaborates with the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Channel Islands National Park, who provided educational material, professional mentorships and other resources for the program.
This year, the program will be taught to students at R.J. Frank Middle School, which has the R.J. Frank Academy of Marine Science and Engineering. Academy instructors will also teach some of the classes.
The students will get regular lessons on everything from tide pools to seabirds to undersea robots. Then, they will experience what they’ve learned with five outings: On Oct. 6, the students learned about biodiversity with a trip to Ormond/Mandalay Beach. After returning to R.J. Frank, the students wrote about their adventure.
“It was really fun and we were with the CSUCI students,” wrote eighth-graders Giselle Navarro and Crystal Perez in a joint essay. “They taught us about marine life. And at the end of the field trip, we picked up trash and played in the water.”
In November, the students will learn about the watershed with a visit to the Ventura estuary, Channel Islands National Park and the Ventura County Wastewater Treatment Plant.
February will bring trips to Carpinteria State Beach, the Channel Islands Boating Center and the Maritime Museum to learn about monitoring change. March will feature a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) competition in which the students will learn about undersea robotics.
The field trip that is perhaps the crown jewel of the experience is a three-day trip to the Santa Rosa Island Research Station as part of the Channel Islands National Park.
“We have kids who can see the Channel Islands on a clear day but have never been there,” Anderson said. “It may be because their families don’t have the money or who don’t go on boat trips.”
The program targets students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who might not otherwise experience the opportunity to visit the islands and participate in hands-on learning.
“It’s primarily underrepresented kids who take part in the program,” said ESRM Lecturer Linda O’Hirok, Ph.D., who is directing this year’s program. “Part of the goal is to get first generation college-bound students out to the university and empower them.”