1. Public School Kids Learn About the
S.B. Watershed
Take Kayak Tour and Visit Ty Warner Sea Center
Tuesday , April 2, 201 3
BY SCOTT CA M P
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The fifth grade classes of McKinley Elementary School were all smiles when they
recently got the chance to explore the Santa Barbara Harbor as part of a federally
funded marine education initiative. As part of the program From Side Streams to
Sea: The Health of a Watershed, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and the Santa
Barbara Museum of Natural History teamed up with the Santa Barbara Adventure
Company to teach kids about the ocean environment. They came from typically
underfunded schools such as Adams, Franklin, and McKinley.
The NOAA California Bay Watershed Education and Training Program allocated the
grant for the hands-on and educational experience about maintaining a sustainable
marine ecosystem. The B-WET program, which initially started in Chesapeake Bay,
according to Alex Bereda with the Museum of Natural History, educates students
about their local watersheds.
Paul Wellman

2. McKinley Elementary School students participate in the program called From Side Streams to
Sea: The Health of a Watershed
“One of the most significant environmental issues in our region is the impact of
personal actions upon our watershed and coastal health,” the museum said in a
statement. “A sense of personal responsibility for our natural world can only be
gained through the development of a personal connection with it.”
To instill a more personal connection to watersheds, members of the Ty Warner Sea
Center led groups of students down to the Mission Creek Lagoon and the base of the
Mission Creek watershed, an area that collects a lot of polluted runoff. “We want
them to know their choices matter,” Bereda said. According to members of the
museum, the water is regularly contaminated with cigarettes, animal feces, and other
trash. There, the students surveyed and tested the quality of the water for clarity, pH
levels, and salinity.
Paul Wellman
McKinley Elementary School students participate in the program called From Side Streams to
Sea: The Health of a Watershed
Thanks to the Santa Barbara Adventure Company, the students got into two-person
kayaks as guides led them throughout the harbor. The guides made regular stops to
deliver short quizzes and teach the students about local ecosystems and marine
animals native to Santa Barbara. After the kayak tours, students visited the Ty
Warner Sea Center, where they examined a number of marine invertebrate and shark
touch tanks, a Wet Deck exhibit, and a water quality testing center.
Michael Cohen, owner and director of the Santa Barbara Adventure Company,
appeared grateful to be able to help students who might not otherwise get out on the
water. “The Santa Barbara Adventure Company is proud to work with
Channelkeepers and the Ty Warner Sea Center to bring this awesome outdoor
education program to local kids from these public schools,” he said. “This was many
students’ first time kayaking. To see their excitement and enthusiasm for learning

3. about the ocean firsthand is really encouraging. If these kids love the ocean, they will
take care of it in the future.” Seesbadventureco.com.