Laguna Beach 6th Grade Students to Kick-off Participation in Ocean Institute's Environmental Geology Program on Jan. 13th

DANA POINT, CA, January 5, 2009- The Ocean Institute has partnered with the City of Laguna Beach on a new watershed education program entitled "Environmental Geology" for the entire 6th grade of Thurston Middle School in Laguna Beach. They will learn the importance of our local watersheds and how to preserve our natural resources for generations to come.

The Ocean Institute will be hosting a kick-off event to honor and thank the City of Laguna Beach for making this experience possible on Tuesday, January 13, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. The event will include 70 students from Thurston Middle School, who will be working in the Institute labs and working onboard the Institute's RV Sea Explorer.

Sponsors' donations will allow over 200 students to participate in the Ocean Institute's Environmental Geology Program, which is running January 12-14, 2009. This program will focus on students visiting the Ocean Institute to learn how physical processes and human actions can change the conditions of their watersheds. Special guests for the day include Kelly Boyd, mayor of Laguna Beach, and Mike Phillips, Environmental Specialist for the City of Laguna Beach.

During the lab, students learn about stream structure and dynamics, erosion processes, local geological history, and onshore sediment composition. Aboard the R/V Sea Explorer, they take part in data collection at three designated sample sites. The students test for nitrogen levels, plankton productivity, and offshore sediment composition. The data collected at each site is compared to current and archived information. Each collected water sample is then sent to UC Irvine for data analysis and comparison with student data.

With this effort, the Institute's sponsors hope to build upon an already successful environmental outreach program by targeting the young people in our community. By doing so, they hope to create a generation of environmental stewards.

As Dan Stetson, President of the Institute, stated, "We want our young people to understand how their behavior can positively or negatively impact our beaches and oceans and their marine inhabitants."

For more information on the ways you can help support students in your local community through the Ocean Institute's Adopt-A-Class program, please contact Lara Hughes at (949) 496-2274, ext. 413.