Ocean Institute to Welcome 2,500
5th Grade Scientists in Training for January "Kids' Conferences on Watersheds"
DANA POINT, CA, December 19, 2007 - Teaching America's next generation of young
people about our oceans and the importance of protecting them and their inhabitants is at the
heart of the Ocean Institute's mission. Therefore, the Institute launched its annual watershed
program in 2003 to teach 5th grade students from the Southland about the science of the
watersheds, an area of land which runs into a body of water such as a river, lake or the ocean.
Often, residents of a watershed are careless in such everyday choices as how to wash the car or
fertilize the lawn, which ultimately contribute to pollution on our beaches and harm the wildlife
that live along our coastlines.
Over 2,500 students from 31 schools who are participating in the Ocean Institute's 2007-
08 Watershed program will visit the Institute January 8 - 28, 2008 for the Kids' Conferences on
Watersheds. The conference provides these young people with the opportunity to present the
findings of their studies in the program to their peers, with local elected officials and
professionals in the field listening in.
The program began in September and October, when 5th grade students visited the
Institute to learn about watersheds and ways to reduce pollution in our oceans. Topics studied
include meteorology, internal systems, water chemistry, water cycle, investigation techniques
and watershed science. They then returned to their individual schools to continue their studies,
collect data and prepare their information for public presentations. The Kids' Conferences in
January is the highlight of the program, when the children return to share what they learned with
each other. Some students present their findings to local businesses and public officials, in hopes
of encouraging them to be better stewards of our ocean environment.
"We've been pleased with the results of the Watershed program," observed Jonathan
Witt, Watershed Education Program Coordinator. "It's an ideal fit with our mission at the
Institute, ocean preservation through education."
Eighty-four classes of 5th grade students participated from 21 cities, 12 of which are in
Orange County. They were taught in Ocean Institute laboratories, as well as on-board the
Institute's R/V Sea Explorer. Teachers from the classes participating were trained in inservice
classes at the Institute last summer, and returned to their classrooms to prepare their students for
their visit to the Institute.
Guests from various community organizations, including city councils, school boards,
non-profits and county officials, will be invited to attend the Kids' Conferences to discuss the
research projects and current watershed issues with the students during roundtable discussions.
The Watershed program is made possible through the generous support of Miocean, the
Toyota USA Foundation, SIMA, Orange County Community Foundation, and the Kenneth and
Eileen Norris Foundation.
Information: Jonathan Witt, (949) 496-2274, ext. 330. Website: www.ocean-institute.org.
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