Ocean for Life

California Field Study

July 26-August 9, 2009Valerie Morel

What is Ocean for Life?

• Ocean for Life is a field study bringing together high school students from the United States, Canada, and the Middle East.

• There were two groups of students, a group of Florida field study participants and a group of California field study participants.

Themes

• There were three themes that the participants were encouraged to explore while on the trip and examine how they related to the ocean and to our world:– Interconnectedness– A sense of place– Ocean conservation and stewardship

Youth Media Projects

• Throughout the entirety of the program, all sixty participants were working on youth media projects in small groups.

• Each group worked with either the National Geographic Photo Camp staff and created still media, or worked with American University graduate student film mentors.

Washington, D.C.

• The two field study groups met in D.C. for three days, Florida at the end of their field study and California at the beginning.

• The two groups engaged in teambuilding exercises, sightseeing, and cultural activities.

D.C. Highlights

• Tours of the Capitol Building and White House

• Sightseeing-monuments and memorials

• Cross-cultural exercises at the Meridian International Center, a main organizer of the program

Ocean-related Activities

• Viewing of the new Sant Ocean Hall in the Smithsonian

• Going to the National Aquarium (picture taken at the aquarium)

Above: California Field Study participants at the closing reception in Washington

Right: the Jefferson Memorial

Above: in front of the White House

California

• On the fourth day of my field study, we flew from D.C. to San Francisco.

• For the next ten days, we traveled around northern and central California.

• The Gulf of the Farallones, Monterey Bay, and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries engaged us in ocean related activities.

San Francisco Highlights

• We stayed at the Headlands Institute located in the Golden Gate Bridge Recreation Area.

• Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge• California Academy of Sciences• A sailboat ride in the San Francisco Bay• Afternoon on a research vessel testing water

and examining sand from the bottom of the bay

Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones Sanctuaries

• We worked with the two sanctuaries to learn more about what is living in the ocean.

• Activities at the sanctuary:– Caught crabs– Art projects: sketching and ink presses– Looked at plankton under a microscope

• We kayaked around Point Reyes.

Above: cross-cultural sharing activity

Above: field study participants after completing the walk across the Golden Gate Bridge

Left: on the sunset sail in the San Francisco Bay

The research boat we spent an afternoon aboard.

The Headlands Institute where we stayed.

Movie Work

• My group had the theme “A Sense of Place” for our movie project.

• Each student was given a FlipCam (a small, simple portable video recorder) to use throughout the trip.

• We filmed anything and everything to put in our movie.

• We worked with the mentors to develop ideas and a storyboard for our short film.

Año Nuevo

• We stopped at Año Nuevo State Reserve on our way to Santa Cruz and Monterey.

• We hiked out to the shore to see elephant seals in their natural habitat.

• We cleaned up one of the trails at the reserve.

Santa Cruz Highlights

• We stayed at the University of California Santa Cruz for the final five days of our study.

• Redwood night hike

• Kayaking in the ocean under a full moon

• Surf lessons

• Beach clean-up

Surf lessons in Santa Cruz Cleaning up at Año Nuevo

Monterey Bay Sanctuary

• Visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

• Learned the difference between harbor seals and sea lions

• Went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium

• Dissected a squid

Monterey Bay Aquarium

• Explored the aquarium in small groups

• Attended a presentation by Bob Talbot, a renowned marine photographer and filmmaker

• Spent the night in the aquarium and slept by the big tanks!

Above: fish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Left: Unmanned vehicles at MBARI

What I Learned

• My knowledge of ocean life and ocean resources expanded greatly.

• I learned that we must protect our oceans because they have irreplaceable resources.

• I gained a greater respect for marine science and oceanic research.

What I Took Away

• I met friends for life.

• I made connections with students and adults alike that will be invaluable in the future.

• I learned more about cultures different from my own and learned that they are not so different after all.

Ocean for Life

• As a group, we all learned what it meant to be connected as one population around the world.

• We are all impacted by the ocean, despite our location on the map.

• We can all make a positive change in our world and on our oceans by putting forth a little effort.

Youth Media Project

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