Mission Viejo 6th Grade Students to Kick-off Participation in Ocean Institute's Environmental Geology Program on May 20th

DANA POINT, CA, May 20, 2009 - The Ocean Institute has partnered with the City of Mission Viejo on a new watershed education program entitled "Environmental Geology". On May 20 the entire 6th grade at Carl Hankey School in Mission Viejo will participate in the "Environmental Geology" programs. They will learn the importance of our local watersheds and how to preserve our natural resources for generations to come. Over the past year six other businesses have decided to join the Institute's efforts in educating these students: Wachovia, RBF Consulting, VA Consulting, Parsons, Santa Margarita Water District and the Orange County Environmental Health Division.

The Ocean Institute will be hosting a "kick-off" event to honor and thank all these donors for making this experience possible on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM. The event will include 130 students from Carl Hankey School, who will be working in the Institute labs and working onboard the Institute's RV Sea Explorer.

Sponsors' donation has allowed over 700 students to participate in the Ocean Institute's Environmental Geology Program. 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.

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 youth to understand how pollutants, improperly disposed of, will 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.