SPRING 2009 GRANTS UPDATE

Getting Kids into Nature –
The Salton Basin Living Laboratory Curriculum/Field Trip Program
The DPC-sponsored Salton Basin Living Laboratory Curriculum, created by naturalist and educator Pat Flanagan, got a great shakedown cruise this spring. A majority of Imperial County school children have never visited the natural desert areas that surround them. This curriculum is designed to make it easy for teachers to introduce their students to the history, ecology and geology of the local area, while meeting the state’s subject standards.

With funding from DPC, Pat spent eight months researching and developing the draft curriculum, aided by consultations with Imperial County teachers on ideas about a field trip/desert ecology/geology curriculum designed specifically for the area. With maps and illustrations by graphic artist Callie Mack, the curriculum integrates with science, history and social studies standards of 4th through 6th grades.

In a great kick-off to the new year, Pat and Teacher/Trainer Judy Ramirez of the San Diego Natural History Museum conducted a lively interactive workshop on the draft curriculum materials with nine Imperial Valley teachers on January 9th followed by an all-day field trip from the agricultural fields of Brawley along the western shores of the Salton Sea to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The trip included a visit to the State Park “Paleo Lab” to experience an overview of the geologic, mammalian, and human history of the Salton Basin.

Following the workshop and field trip, the nine teachers took the curriculum with them and have already worked it into their class lessons. The first field trips with students were held this spring, and received great reviews. We have received colorful, descriptive field trip “reflections,” photos and reports from the students and teachers. We are quite pleased that after only one teacher workshop, the teachers have embraced and integrated this new curriculum into their class studies. This is a great beginning to introducing teachers and students to new ways of looking at the fascinating and complex area that they inhabit. We hope more schools and districts in Imperial County will adopt the Salton Basin Living Laboratory Curriculum as it continues to develop.

Helping People Watch Wildlife –
BLM’s Algodones Dunes Watchable Wildlife Site
The Desert Protective Council will be partnering with BLM El Centro in upgrading the North Algodones Dunes Wilderness Watchable Wildlife Site (WWS) through their 2010 Challenge Cost Share Program. John Johnson, Wilderness Coordinator at BLM El Centro is taking the lead on this project, which will provide a bench, shade and an interpretive kiosk. With a team of volunteers from the California Wilderness Coalition, Desert Survivors and others, and with donations of items and equipment from other groups, they will create an inviting spot for visitors to the North Dunes to stop, park their cars, read about the dunes plants and animals, look for tracks and enjoy bird-watching in the nearby shady desert washes. The DPC is purchasing a shade ramada for the site. You can visit the Algodones Dunes wilderness by taking highway 78 east from the town of Brawley for 25 miles. Permits are required for all visitors to the Algodones Dunes also called the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area and can be purchased at the BLM Cahuilla visitor center on the south side of highway 78. Permits are $25.00 per day or $90.00 for the year. Visit the Dunes web site for more information.

Preserving the History of Imperial Valley Archaeology –
ASM Planning and Research
Archaeologist Jay von Werlhof epitomizes the professional who has dedicated his life to preserving information about the fragile cultural resources located within California, particularly in Imperial County. He has spent countless hours and years docu¬menting the geoglyphs (rock art created by placing stones on the ground) found throughout Imperial County. This spring, DPC donated $7,500 to archaeologist Russell Kaldenberg and his colleagues at ASM Planning and Research Collaborative (ASM PARC) to assist in collecting invaluable information on the geoglyphs, rock alignments and aboriginal trails from the experiences and collections of Mr. von Werlhof. Russ will spend time with Jay documenting his oral history on Imperial County’s cultural resources. They will scan Jay’s photo¬graphs and extensive field notes, preserving them in a high-quality digital format. Jay’s stories are a precious part of the cultural history of the area. Without the data Jay has gathered, large gaps would exist in our knowl¬edge of the geoglyphs, their locations and their interpretation. ASM PARC will work with Dr. David Whitley, a world-renowned rock art expert, to find a publisher to print a tabletop-style book on the geoglyphs of Imperial County. DPC is grateful to Russ and his associates for taking on this important project.

Introducing Children to Anza-Borrego –
Anza-Borrego Foundation and Institute
The Desert Protective Council is delighted with the successful and growing outreach of the Parks Online for Teachers (PORTS) Project into Imperial County classrooms and the Board granted $15,000 additional funding for the 2008/ 2009 school year. PORTS connects school children from K through 12th grade to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park through videoconferencing technology and satellite transmission from the field. They receive state-standards-based lessons in ecology, geology and biological history with compelling interactions between students and park interpreters.

The DPC has donated $6,000.00 to ABFI to fund publication and distribution of a 16 page full-color Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitors magazine in Spanish. The Visitors Magazine will be available at the State Park Visitor Center and will be distributed to key locations throughout the Imperial Valley.

MESQUITE FUND GRANT MAKES IMPERIAL VALLEY COLLEGE'S EARTH DAY FIELD TRIP A REALITY

With a grant from the Desert Protective Council’s Mesquite Fund, the Imperial Valley College Ecology Club was able to take a two-day field trip over the Earth Day Weekend, April 21-22, 2007. The first day of the trip included many stops in the Colorado Desert. Led by IVC professors and ecology club advisors Michelle Stevens and Randy Carson, the group began its day at the recently completed Desert Museum in Ocotillo, then made several stops on the way into and through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, including Shell Canyon (BLM land), Mountain Palm Springs and Sentenac Cienega. A stop at Bill Kenyon Overlook allowed the students to view the route of the proposed Sunrise Powerlink. Then it was east to Highway 86 and from there north along the Salton Sea, allowing many stops and conversation about the proposed restoration plan for this inland sea, as well as the history of Lake Cahuilla. Evening found the students high atop Mt. San Jacinto, after a ride up on the Palm Springs Aerial tramway.

“Though they live in the Colorado Desert, less than two percent of my students have ever visited its natural areas,” said Dr. Stevens. “They haven’t hiked, fished, hunted, canoed, or enjoyed any other form of recreation that brings them into contact with nature.” Through this and other programs, she hopes to offer IVC students a chance to “experience the natural history and sense of refuge that comes from a personal and intimate connection to nature. I would like my students to grow to feel a sense of wonder at the fragile beauty here in the desert and to appreciate the plants and animals that have adapted to this harsh environment.”

From the students’ trip reports, it sounds like the Ecology Club is on its way to fulfilling Dr. Stevens’ vision. For many of them, the outing seems to have been a transformative experience. According to Brisa E. Blevins, “This was my first trip as a college student and I must say getting out there and experiencing nature is by far much more educating than just sitting in a classroom. Thank you for the experience. It's one that will never be forgotten.”

Berenice Camacho also found the trip eye-opening: “It was an amazing experience seeing so many different types of cactuses and how each one has different purposes. I think it’s interesting how every plant has a completely different coloration and way of adapting to an environment. I really loved Shell Canyon. It was full of different types of rock formations and minerals … they are all so beautiful in their individual ways.”

The group drove to the coast on Saturday night, and enjoyed the Earth Day celebration in Santa Barbara before returning home.

This is just one of what DPC hopes will become an ongoing program of field trips into the desert for students in the Imperial Valley at both the grade school and college levels. We are currently in discussion with elementary schools in Holtville to organize desert field trips for their students.