SR-510-002 (6)
EPWM:CP:BJ:F:USER\BRIAN\PUBLICOUTREACH1.MSW
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.
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?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
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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.
Baykeeper
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
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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.
Heal the Bay
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
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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.
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PROPOSED PROGRAMS FOR CURRENT FISCAL YEAR
Educational Implementation Age Project Approximate
Program Organization Level Activities Cost
Dolphin Project Ocean High School Selected students $7,500
Mentorship Conservation participate in focused
Society SM Bay Environmental
Research.
SM Festival Art Community Arts Elementary Students in art class $11,000
Project Resources & High research and produce
School environmentally oriented
art projects for the SM
Community Festival.
School Garden Environmental All This project develops $15,000
Project Consultants and maintains student-
run organic gardens in
all Santa Monica public
schools.
Teacher Training Center for All Teachers participate in a $5,000
Program Environmental series of presentations,
Education field trips and curriculum
regarding local
environmental resources
and issues.
Peer Partners, Center for Elementary High school students $5,000
Santa Monica Environmental & High select and are trained in
High Student Education School local environmental
Training issues and make
presentations to middle
and elementary school
students.
Used Oil Environmental High School Students in vehicle $10,000
Recycling Consultants and College maintenance classes are
given presentations
regarding re-refined oil
and waste oil recycling.
Household City Staff and All Students visit the $2,000
Hazardous Waste Consultants Household Hazardous
Waste Collection Center
and receive information
and demonstrations
regarding the hazardous
household chemical
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products.
Green Map Environmental All Project includes $25,000
Education Consultant development and
Project production of teaching
versions of the Green
Map and lesson
curriculum applicable to
all grade levels.
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
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