Island Ecology Safari Educational Programs at Catalina Island

摘要

Catalina Island is an ideal field site to study island ecosystems. The history of Catalina Island is well documented and offers insight into the past cultures and uses. The Orange County Marine Institute's Island Ecology Safari Program offers students the opportunity to explore this unique island system and participate in the Catalina Island Conservancy's restoration program. Students explore Catalina Island through the sampling and analysis of different offshore animals and investigations of terrestrial plant and animal adaptations. The program incorporates earth science concepts as students look at geological evidence in the San Pedro Channel and on Catalina Island to determine how the island was formed. Students snorkel to explore subtidal communities in the shallow protected waters of the island. Night program activities include a 'Science Fiction And The Sea' lab, flying fish and squid observation. The Island Ecology Safari Program curriculum was originally developed in alignment with the California Science Framework published in 1990. The California State Proposed Science Standards (in press) will set new guidelines against which schools align their science curriculum. It will be important for the Orange County Marine Institute to continue developing activities for the Island Ecology Safari Program that meet the California Science Standards.