Council Meeting: December 11, 2001
Santa
Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Agreements
with BayKeeper and Heal the Bay
INTRODUCTION
This report
recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute agreements with Baykeeper and Heal the Bay to provide outreach and
educational services to Santa Monica students.
The report also provides information on educational programs that will
be provided by other organizations and consultants during the current fiscal
year.
BACKGROUND
In 1990, the
City created the Environmental Programs Division (EPD) for purposes of
combining previously disparate environmental protection and education/outreach
activities into a single division within the City. In addition, the EPD assumes the principle responsibility for
Sustainable City Program (SCP) activities and advocacy. The division’s
activities are guided by the various elements of the SCP, including the Guiding
Principles and Policy Goals. The prioritization of education and outreach
programs to encourage shifts in community behavior towards more sustainable
practices is defined for the division in the following SCP Guiding Principle,
which was adopted by City Council in 1994.
“Community
Awareness, Responsibility, Involvement and Education are Key Elements of
Successful Programs/Policies: Individual citizens, community-based groups and
businesses must be aware of their impacts on the environment, must take
responsibility for reducing or eliminating those impacts, and must take an
active part in community efforts to address environmental concerns. The City will therefore be a leader in the
creation and sponsorship of environmental education opportunities in
cooperation with schools, colleges and other organizations in the community.”
Each year, EPD staff develops a strategic outreach which provides the basis for the division’s outreach resource and budget allocations.
DISCUSSION
The division’s
outreach programs prioritize opportunities with school age children and young
adult students for several reasons: they are active participants in learning
institutions; the concepts and practice of sustainability offer a relevant
structure for the development of effective curriculum in a wide variety of
social and technical science classes; students are generally found to be eager
and interested receptors of this information and have been found to be
effective conduits of communication to parents and other adults.
This year’s
proposed educational outreach programs reflect a mix of ongoing efforts
combined with selected new programs, which provide a broad coverage of
age-appropriate educational opportunities for students from elementary school
through college. Due to the City’s
proximity to the ocean and the high value the community places in the
protection of Santa Monica Bay, many programs are beach and ocean based. All programs described below are offered to
schools on a voluntary basis, so that educators may choose to participate based
upon their own academic and community interests.
Two activities by BayKeeper are
proposed: the Kelp Educational Program and the KelpFest. The Kelp Educational Program is an
environmental education program developed by BayKeeper to educate middle school
students about urban impacts on the local marine environment. The program was developed in conjunction
with BayKeeper's coastal kelp reforestation program and involves in-class
experiments with kelp germination as well as a field trip by boat to the
reforestation site. BayKeeper’s staff
conduct in-class presentations to 6th & 7th grade students focusing on the
investigation of marine phyla, animal taxonomy and physiology, biodiversity,
urban runoff and sources of pollution to Santa Monica Bay. BayKeeper also assists with kelp cultivation
of living kelp specimens in the classroom that are later transplanted into
coastal kelp beds in Santa Monica Bay as a component of a multi-year bay
restoration effort. It is recommended
that the City enter into an agreement with Baykeeper in an amount not to exceed
$15,000 for support of this scope of services.
KelpFest is an annual two day
environmental festival held on the beach in Santa Monica to educate residents,
students, visitors, and businesses about Santa Monica Bay and issues related to
human impacts, economic benefits, and the resources it provides. This festival provides a venue for City
staff to distribute information about the City's various environmental programs
pertaining to Santa Monica Bay and has been supported by the City as a
co-sponsor for the past four years. The
Festival includes a variety of speakers, entertainment, educational booths, and
beach clean-up. The students that
participate in the Kelp Education Program are involved in the beach clean-up
and waste characterization study that marks the first day of the KelpFest. It is recommended that the City fund this
event in the amount of $10,000.
It is proposed that the City enter into
an agreement with Heal the Bay to provide two education-related projects. The first, Heal the Bay's annual "Bay
Days" community event is in its fifth year. Bay Days is a free, one-day public event held in Santa Monica or
a neighboring city whose focus each year is on an ocean-related environmental
theme. The event's components include a
variety of environmental activities: a children's march, beach clean up, arts
& crafts, marine aquarium displays, various educational booths, and
lifeguard and CPR demonstrations. Bay
Days reaches out to local residents and visitors with a message of how to have
fun in the sun and surf with respect for coastal communities and the
ocean. Staff recommends funding this
event in the amount of $10,000.
Heal the Bay's marine environmental
education program, Key to the Sea, is
in its second year. Key to the Sea
provides a combination of teacher professional development, classroom
enrichment and experiential learning for kindergarten through fourth grade
students about ocean pollution prevention, coastal stewardship and beach
safety. This education effort utilizes student visits to the UCLA Ocean
Discovery Center and classroom presentations from Heal the Bay’s speaker
bureau. Staff recommends funding for the Key to the Sea program services in an
amount not to exceed $15,000. The total
cost of the proposed BayKeeper and Heal the Bay education/outreach projects is
$50,000.
In addition to the programs noted
above, the City will sponsor and/or participate in numerous other
education/outreach efforts. The table
below presents a summary of other proposed programs for the current fiscal year.
|
Educational Program |
Implementation
Organization |
Age
Level
|
Project
Activities
|
Approximate
Cost |
|
Dolphin Project Mentorship |
Ocean Conservation Society |
High School |
Selected students participate in focused SM Bay Environmental Research. |
$7,500 |
|
SM Festival Art Project |
Community Arts Resources |
Elementary & High School |
Students in art class research and produce environmentally oriented art projects for the SM Community Festival. |
$11,000 |
|
School Garden Project |
Environmental Consultants |
All |
This project develops and maintains student-run organic gardens in all Santa Monica public schools. |
$15,000 |
|
Teacher Training Program |
Center for Environmental Education |
All |
Teachers participate in a series of presentations, field trips and curriculum regarding local environmental resources and issues. |
$5,000 |
|
Peer Partners, Santa Monica High Student Training |
Center for Environmental Education |
Elementary & High School |
High school students select and are trained in local environmental issues and make presentations to middle and elementary school students. |
$5,000 |
|
Used Oil Recycling |
Environmental Consultants |
High School and College |
Students in vehicle maintenance classes are given presentations regarding re-refined oil and waste oil recycling. |
$10,000 |
|
Household Hazardous Waste |
City Staff and Consultants |
All |
Students visit the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center and receive information and demonstrations regarding the hazardous household chemical products. |
$2,000 |
|
Green Map Education Project |
Environmental Consultant |
All |
Project includes development and production of teaching versions of the Green Map and lesson curriculum applicable to all grade levels. |
$25,000 |
|
|
|
Total: |
|
$80,500 |
BUDGET/FINANCIAL
IMPACT
Funds are
available for these proposed services from Baykeeper ($25,000) and Heal the Bay
($25,000) in the Environmental Programs Division account number 31662.522540.
RECOMMENDATION
This report
recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute agreements with Baykeeper and Heal the Bay to provide outreach and
educational services to Santa Monica students.
Prepared by:
Craig Perkins,
Director of Environmental and Public Works Management
Brian J.
Johnson, Manager, Environmental Programs Division