on the animal life instead of the schoolwork ” in the post-assessment .
She says that around 75 % of her AP Environmental Science students become interested in marine biology and wind up taking Marine Ecology in their senior year .
Children have the chance to spot marine wildlife like sea stars in one of the four tide pool viewing areas within Crystal Cove State Park .
STUDENT-STATE SYNERGY Even after their participation in the Crystal Cove project ends , students are encouraged to take part in various other programs — on their own or with family and friends — such as a joint stewardship effort with California State Parks that aims to help restore habitats with the help of the public .
The California Department of Fish & Wildlife is grateful for the role that Crystal Cove MPA Science Cruise plays in bringing students onto the water and into California ’ s MPAs .
“ One of the primary goals of the Marine Life Protection Act — the guiding legislation for why California has a network of 124 MPAs — is to improve recreational , educational and study opportunities , which this program is helping to fulfill ,” says Amanda Van Diggelen , an environmental scientist at the CDFW assigned to the statewide Marine Protected Areas Management Project . “ Wildlife programs like the MPA Science Cruise helps to create citizen scientists .”
Valdez says that data collected by the students have resulted in more informed land management decisions for California ’ s state parks and have been included in several published , peer-reviewed journal articles . And the relationship is set to grow stronger .
“ Over the next decade of management , the state is recommending the development of a comprehensive community and citizen science strategy for MPAs to better utilize community science to inform their management ,” Van Diggelen says .
“ This would include improving the coordination between existing community science programs and identifying opportunities for new programs . With the growing interest in expanding MPA community science programs , more work is needed to better integrate community science data — like the information collected through these MPA Science Cruises — with the broader MPA Monitoring Program .”
And the science programs at Crystal Cove help to transform students as well , giving children and teens confidence , sparking curiosity within them and sometimes setting them on a new career path .
“ Our programs move students from observers to problem solvers ,” Valdez says . “ Many of the teachers that join us on our programs have returned year after year due to the formative influence that the programs have on their students .” NBM
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