Tours of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve EDUCATOR's GUIDE
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Tours of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve EDUCATOR’S GUIDE Amigos de Bolsa Chica EDUCATOR’S GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter to Educators 3 Map of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve 4 Field Trip Information 5 Rules to Protect Our Wildlife and Your Children 6 The Ecology of Bolsa Chica 7 Connecting to the Standards 8 Functions and Values of Wetlands 10 Bolsa Chica as an Ecosystem 11 Salt Marsh Food Chain 12 Bolsa Chica: A Tidal Salt Marsh 13 Productivity Chart 14 Bolsa Chica Through the Changing Seasons Checklist 15 of Animals Commonly Seen at Bolsa Chica Checklist 17 of Fish Common to Bolsa Chica 19 The Birds of Bolsa Chica 21 Connecting to the Standards 22 Checklist of Birds Commonly Seen at Bolsa Chica 24 Pacific Flyway 28 Bird Beaks and Feet Worksheet 29 Bird Beaks and Feet Answers 30 What Are the Shorebirds Eating? 31 Endangered Species of Bolsa Chica 33 Connecting to the Standards 34 Endangered Species Act 35 Endangered Birds of Bolsa Chica 37 The History of Bolsa Chica 39 Connecting to the Standards 40 The History of Bolsa Chica 42 The Restoration of Bolsa Chica 47 Connecting to the Standards 48 Restoration of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands 49 Bolsa Chica 1901 50 Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Project Map 51 How You Can be Involved with Amigos de Bolsa Chica 53 1 Amigos de Bolsa Chica EDUCATOR’S GUIDE 2 Amigos de Bolsa Chica EDUCATOR’S GUIDE Dear Educator, Thank you for booking a tour to visit the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. Once covering several thousand acres, the Bolsa Chica is now approximately 1600 acres of undeveloped wetlands, lowlands and adjacent mesa areas. This area is rich with history beginning with the Native Americans who lived atop the mesas to the oil production in the twentieth century. The Bolsa Chica area is also an important stop for migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway, including some endangered species and threatened species. More than 200 species of birds have been sighted at Bolsa Chica. An Amigos de Bolsa Chica tour of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve helps educators meet specific Next Generation Science Standards required for their grade levels. In addition, a tour of Bolsa Chica adds a special dimension to the comprehensive study of environmental issues including community action, protection of endangered species, marine debris, recycling, and pollution. How Amigos de Bolsa Chica, a small grassroots organization, championed the protection of Bolsa Chica is a wonderful example of how concerned citizens can rally together to protect a historic wetland. This guide is designed to give educators detailed background on the various topics addressed in an Amigos de Bolsa Chica tour of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. This guide also provides sample activities that can be utilized to enhance your class’s learning experience. For additional activities and resources related to coastal environment education, download the California Coastal Commission’s California Coastal Voices, https://www.coastal.ca.gov/coastalvoices/download.html. The Amigos de Bolsa Chica thanks you for incorporating the importance of preserving and restoring wetlands into your curriculum. We hope that you enjoy your tour. Amigos de Bolsa Chica Community Education Committee 3 4 Amigos de Bolsa Chica EDUCATOR’S GUIDE IMPORTANT TOUR INFORMATION Bolsa Chica Wetlands Tour Location: The tour starts in the south parking lot of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve across the street from the entrance to the Bolsa Chica State Beach on Pacific Coast Highway between Warner Avenue and Seapoint Street. Bus parking is available. See map on previous page. Types of tours: The Footbridge to 1st Overlook Tour starts on the footbridge where visitors observe underwater life, then continues on to the first overlook and the full tidal basin. Visitors will see marsh plants and a wide variety of birds. The tour is approximately 1 ½ hours in length. The Inner Bolsa Bay to Mesa Tour starts on the footbridge, stops at the first overlook and continues on to the Bolsa Chica Mesa. The greater distance allows for more exposure to the ecology and history of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. This tour is 2+ hours covering 1.6 miles round-trip. Tour Procedures: A Tour Scheduling Packet can be downloaded from amigosdebolsachica.org/tours.php or sent by email to educators. The packet requests information about the school, requests tour date and alternative dates, and explains the procedure for reimbursing bus transportation costs for qualifying under served schools. Several groups utilize the BCER throughout the year, therefore all tours must be added to the Reserve Calendar to ensure there are no conflicts between groups. After the form has been returned and the tour officially scheduled, approximately one week before the tour, the educator will be given the name and phone number of his or her lead docent. The educator’s contact info will be given to the lead docent. Please Arrive On Time. If there are any issues with arrival time or changes in plans, you must contact the lead docent. We understand delays, however, unless forewarned, docents are volunteers and will wait no more than 30 minutes beyond the scheduled tour time. It will be up to the lead docent if the tour will proceed or will need to be rescheduled. Tour Group Size: Limit of 60. Adult Accompaniment for Children’s Tours: One adult to every ten children is requested. The Amigos tries to provide one docent for every 15-20 students. Docents will greet your group near the bus parking area. This guide has been designed to assist educators in meeting the needs of their class’s studies. As specified in the tour scheduling packet, docents will assist in identifying common plants, animals and birds; point out adaptations of the wildlife to the coastal wetland habitat; encourage direct observations; describe the significance of endangered species and Bolsa Chica’s importance for them; and explain the history from prehistoric times to the present, including the restoration project and conservation plans. Suggested Clothing/What to Bring: We recommend comfortable walking shoes, jackets (the Bolsa Chica Wetlands can be windy and cold throughout the year) and in summer months wear sunscreen and/or a hat. Binoculars are especially useful. Facilities: The only facilities on site are two portable toilets in the parking lot. No food is allowed in the Ecological Reserve. 5 Amigos de Bolsa Chica EDUCATOR’S GUIDE RULES TO PROTECT OUR WILDLIFE AND YOUR CHILDREN Please review these two rules with your students BEFORE your visit to Bolsa Chica. Teachers, aides and parents are all responsible for ensuring that children obey the rules at all times so the entire class or group will have a wonderful experience with nature! Thank you! Rule #1: Respect the wildlife in their home • Use a quiet voice at all times • Stay on the trails • Do not pick any plants • Do not harm any insects Rule #2: Listen to and obey your tour leader • Only 1 person talks at a time • When your tour leader is talking, you listen • Raise your hand to speak • Stay behind the tour leader on the trails • Follow instructions HOW TO ACT AT THE BOLSA CHICA ECOLOGICAL RESERVE: Instead of this: Do this: Why: shouting use a quiet voice We are visitors in the animals’ homes. We will see more if we are quiet. everyone talking raise your hand to speak We can share more information with you if only one person talks at a time. throwing rocks or use your eyes to find and We want to protect wildlife. picking plants watch an animal or plant running walk gently We don’t want you to get hurt falling. walking off the trail stay on the trail We don’t want you to trample or hurt the plants or hidden wildlife. 6 7 Amigos de Bolsa Chica EDUCATOR’S GUIDE CONNECTING TO THE STANDARDS The Ecology information session of the tour supports the following Next Generation Science Standards. Grade Level NGSS Citation Specific Connection Kindergarten Living things need water, air, and resources Explanation of plants and animals from the land, and they live in places that present in the salt marsh habitat have the things they need. K-ESS3.A First Grade Develop understanding of how plants and Interactive discussion of plants animals use their external parts to help and animals present in the them survive, grow, and meet their needs habitat as well as how behaviors of parents and offspring help the offspring survive. 1-LS1-2 Second Grade Make observations of plants and animals Observation and discussion to compare the diversity of life in different of living things present in the habitats. 2-LS4-1 habitat - Animal sightings checklist activity Second Grade Compare multiple solutions designed Explanation of the physical to slow or prevent wind or water from setting and zones of the salt changing the shape of the land. 2-ESS2-1 marsh Second Grade Develop a model to represent the shapes Observation explanation of salt and kinds of land and bodies of water in an marsh ecosystem area. 2-ESS2-2 Second Grade Plants depend on water and light to grow Explanation and discussion of 2-LS2.A salt marsh plants Second Grade Plants depend on animals for pollination or Explanation of interactions to move their seeds around. 2-LS2.A between living things in the ecosystem Third Grade Reproduction is essential to the continued Explanation of plants and animals existence of every kind of organism. Plants living in the ecosystem and animals have unique and diverse life cycles. 3-LS1.B Fourth Grade Plants and animals have both internal Discussion of plants and animals and external structures that serve various present in the ecosystem functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction 4-LS1.A Fourth Grade Make observations and/or measurements to Observation and discussion of provide evidence of the effects of the physical setting and zones of 8 Amigos de Bolsa Chica EDUCATOR’S GUIDE weathering or the rate of erosion by water, the salt marsh ice, wind, or vegetation.