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Unite for the OceanKids’ Ocean Day

BWETWatersheds in Question

Thank You! Sponsors and Donors

Find Upcoming Events on page 2

Wonders of WatershedsWOW and California’s Water

Camp NavigatorAn Adventure in Learning

Underwater Investigators practice piloting an “ROV” on page 7

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Heading home to Redwood City

MSI Event Line-Up

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SIGN  UP  AT  WWW.SFBAYMSI.ORG

EVENT LOCATION DATE

Plankton Soup Workshop Marine Science InstituteSaturday, June 2710:00am-12:00pm

Canoes and Sloughs** Marine Science InstituteSaturday, July 11 9:00am-2:00pm

Shark Day Marine Science InstituteSaturday, July 18

10:00am-12:00pm

Redwood City EcoVoyages** Marine Science InstituteSaturday, July 25

1pm-3pm and 3pm-5pm

Canoes and Sloughs** Marine Science InstituteSaturday, August 8

9:00am-2:00pm

Seashell Succulents Marine Science InstituteSaturday, August 1510:00am-12:00pm

California Coastal Cleanup Day Gray Whale Cove, HMBSaturday, September 19

9:00am-12:00pm

advanced  registra-on  required,  **par-cipants  must  be  5  yo+,  must  wear  close  toed  shoes

California Coastal Cleanup and CoastweeksEvery 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.

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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 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.

Perhaps you still find yourself wondering, “Well, what is a watershed?” In short, a watershed is an area of land in which water drains or “sheds” into tributaries and larger bodies of water. However, the students in SSRCW are not learning about watersheds in general terms. By virtue of living in Redwood City, they happen to live in the Redwood Creek watershed, which is the focus of their curriculum. Redwood Creek begins in the Woodside Glen neighborhood just south of Highway 280 below the terminus of Farm Hill Boulevard. It then passes through the Menlo Country Club. Around Broadway Street, Arroyo Ojo De Agua, a primary tributary, meets Redwood Creek underground. Arroyo Ojo de Agua flows through Stulsaft Park, home to endangered rountain thistle. Near Alameda del Las Pulgas, Arroyo Ojo de Agua runs through a concrete channel to El Camino Real, where it is briefly exposed to open air before it enters underground culverts in downtown Redwood City. The creek flows under Highway 101 and becomes a tidal channel. Sloughs, mudflats, and marshes are all located in this area. Water from the Redwood Creek watershed spills out into the San Francisco Bay Estuary--also the endpoint for water from approximately 40% of California’s watersheds.

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 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 a steward of your community is to share knowledge. Kennedy students are picking up trash from Stulsaft Park and sending the data to San Mateo County Environmental Health Services. They are also learning from high school students in Redwood City. The Redwood Environmental Academy and Leadership (REAL) program matches high school students with middle school students, and focusing on teaching academic and leadership skills through hands-on service projects related to the environment. The high school students mentor the sixth graders during some of the field trips and help them build watershed models. Not only are these high school students sharing through mentorship but they also educated teachers in February at the Council of Math/Science Educators of San Mateo County’s 39th annual STEM Conference. REAL students taught a hands-on activity that demonstrated how to build, structure, and implement a watershed model in the classroom. SSRCW and REAL programs have provided opportunities for students to become teachers and for teachers to learn from their students.

To see these watershed adventure activities online, visit MSI’s YouTube page.

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BWETWatersheds In QuestionBy Hayley Usedom

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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

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

BAYLINESUnite for the Ocean

Kids’ Ocean Day, Adopt a Beach!By Carlie Cooney

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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 Adopt-A-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.

Unite for the Ocean

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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 clean-up.

To learn more about this program visit OCEANDAY.NET

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Marine Science Camp Line Up

All camps run Mon – Fri starting on the dates below.

Plankton Pioneer grade: K – 1June 15, June 29, July 13, August 3, August 10

Ocean Explorer grade: 2 – 5June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27, August 3, August 10

Bay Explorer grade: 2 – 5June 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 – 8June 22, July 6, July 27

Project Discovery grade: 9 – 12 July 20

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 student-lead exploration to 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

BAYLINESCamp Navigator

Fishing off the back of the Brownlee is an all time camp favorite!

An Adventure in LearningBy Felicia Van Stolk

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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 habitat, geology and endangered birds that nest on the beach. Ocean 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.

Camp Navigator

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Exploring tide pools is always popular

Developing knowledge and skills through fun and friendship

UNDERWATER INVESTIGATORSThis 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.

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!

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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 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.

Wonders of Watersheds

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Help Save California’s Water NowCalifornia, 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 compact-fluorescent 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

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.

WOW

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$50,000 and AboveMoore Family Foundation Oracle The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

$25,000 - $49,999Central Contra Costa Sanitary District Contra Costa Water District Genentech Foundation National Fish and Wildlife FoundationSand Hill Foundation

$10,000 - $24,999Delta Diablo Sanitation DistrictHeising-Simons FoundationHomestead Foundation Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation Matson Navigation Company Peninsula Aquatic Center Rossi Family Foundation Scandling Family Foundation** Science by Nature CollaborativeSilicon Valley Clean WaterTurner Designs Peter and Paula Uccelli Foundation

$5,000 - $9,999Atkinson FoundationCargill*Mr. and Mrs. James Crawford Danford Foundation The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation Mt. View Sanitary District The Rotary Club of Palo AltoWells Fargo Foundation

$500 - $4,499AnonymousMr. 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 GivesSuzanne and Mahmoud Jillo Ms. Carol Johnson Mr. Jason Jones

$500 - $4,499 continuedMr. 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 AgencyMr. 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

BAYLINESThank You to Our Donors

**Multi-year supportAn Advised Fund of Silicon Valley 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.

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.

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MSI’s Mission StatementThe 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.

2015  Summer  Edi.on

500 Discovery Parkway •Redwood City •CA 94063 •650-364-2760 •sfbaymsi.org

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