SR-510-002 (8)
EPWM:CP:BJ:F:EPWM/ADMIN/STAFFRPT/PUBLICOUTREACH1.WPD1/31/2003
Council Meeting: February 11, 2003 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Agreements with BayKeeper and Heal the Bay to Provide Environmental
Education and Outreach Services to Santa Monica Students and Support
Operation of the Ocean Discovery Center at Santa Monica Pier
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 environmental
education and outreach services to Santa Monica students, and support operation of
the Ocean Discovery Center at Santa Monica Pier. The report also provides
information on City-funded environmental education programs provided by other
organizations and consultants during the current fiscal year. All of these services and
programs are appropriately funded by the City?s Wastewater, Water, Refuse and
Stormwater funds.
BACKGROUND
The Environmental Programs Division assumes the principle responsibility for
Sustainable City Program (SCP) activities and advocacy. One of the Guiding
Principles of the Sustainable City Program is the prioritization of education and
1
outreach programs to encourage shifts in community behavior towards more
sustainable practices. Each year, EPD staff develops a strategic outreach plan
consistent with the elements of this Guiding Principle. This plan provides the basis for
the division?s outreach resource and budget allocations.
DISCUSSION
This fiscal year?s education and outreach opportunities focus on students at all grade
levels throughout the community. 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 are relevant to curriculum in a wide variety of social and technical science
classes; and students are generally found to be eager, interested and receptive.
This year?s proposed educational outreach programs reflect a mix of ongoing efforts
combined with selected new programs which provide 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 academic obligations and community interests.
2
BayKeeper
The activity proposed to be undertaken by BayKeeper is their on-going Kelp
Educational Program. This program educates middle school students about urban
impacts on the local marine environment. It 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
makes in-class presentations to approximately 18 classes of 6th grade students (about
450 students total) focusing on the investigation of local marine phyla, animal taxonomy
and physiology, biodiversity, urban runoff and sources of pollution.
BayKeeper also assists with in-class cultivation of living kelp specimens which are later
transplanted into coastal kelp beds in Santa Monica Bay as a component of a multi-
year bay restoration effort. Staff recommends that the City enter into an agreement
with BayKeeper in an amount not to exceed $19,200 for support of this scope of
services.
Heal the Bay
Staff proposes 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
with an ocean-related environmental theme. The event includes a variety of
environmental activities: a children's march, beach clean up, arts & crafts, marine
3
aquarium displays, various educational booths (including a City of Santa Monica
booth), 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 $5,000.
Heal the Bay's marine environmental education program, Key to the Sea, is in its third
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
program provides approximately 350 Santa Monica student visits to the Ocean
Discovery Center each year and classroom presentations from Heal the Bay?s speakers
bureau. Staff recommends funding for the Key to the Sea program services in an
amount not to exceed $10,000.
For the past several years, UCLA has staffed, funded and operated the UCLA Ocean
Discovery Center at Santa Monica Pier. Due to budget cutbacks forced by a significant
loss in State funding to higher education, UCLA has decided to cease all financial and
operational responsibility for the Ocean Discovery Center (ODC) as of March 1, 2003.
Upon learning of the imminent demise of the ODC, Heal the Bay began negotiations
with UCLA in the hope of devising an interim strategy for the ODC to remain open to
the public and available as an important environmental resource to the region and
4
allow time for a restructuring of the operational and financial plans to achieve long-term
financial stability for the facility. As a result of these discussions, Heal the Bay has
formulated a viable interim operational plan for the period between March 1 and June
30, 2003, allowing the facility to remain open while a permanent restructuring plan is
finalized.
Due to the importance of the Ocean Discovery Center as an educational tool for the
ongoing water quality and pollution prevention initiatives of the City, Environmental
Programs Division staff have determined that existing budgeted funds in the amount of
$48,000 should be reprogrammed at this time to directly assist Heal the Bay with
approximately 40% of the required interim funding for the ODC between March 1 and
June 30, 2003. City staff will also lend advice and expertise to Heal the Bay over the
next few months (prior to July 1, 2003) as a new financial and operational structure for
the ODC is developed and implemented.
Other Program Support
In addition to the programs noted above, the City will sponsor and/or participate in
other environmental education/outreach efforts. The table below presents a summary
of other programs for the current fiscal year funded from existing Environmental
Programs Division budget accounts.
5
Educational Implementing Age Approximate
Program Organization Level Cost____
School Garden Project School District K - 8 $15,000
Teacher Training Prog. Center for Environ. Ed. Adult $9,500
Household Haz Waste City staff and consultants All $2,000
Total: $26,500
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
The total combined cost of the proposed BayKeeper and Heal the Bay
education/outreach projects as well as financial support for operation of the Ocean
Discovery Center is $82,200. Funding for these programs is appropriately provided by
the Wastewater, Water, Refuse and Stormwater funds. Budgeted funds are available in
the amount of $82,200 in 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 environmental education
and outreach services to Santa Monica students, and support operation of the Ocean
Discovery Center at Santa Monica Pier
6
Prepared by: Craig Perkins, Environmental and Public Works Director
Brian J. Johnson, Environmental Programs Manager
7