| Conservation
International - Project Profile SEAWORLD/BUSCH GARDENS/FUJIFILM ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS |
| The
Global Student Environmental Education Project Jurupa Valley High School - Riverside, CA |
||
|
The Global Student Environmental Education Project (GSE2P) was founded by a coalition of concerned students and teachers at Jurupa Valley High School in Riverside, California. The primary mission of GSE2P has been to increase public awareness of conservation and environmental issues by providing the opportunity to experience the world's diverse biological habitats and sharing those experiences with other students, research institutions, and the public at large. The students of this program dreamed of taking a scientific field trip to the Galapagos Islands. To raise money, they washed cars, held yard sales, and even sold scented candles and frozen turkeys. In the end, they had raised over $45,000 to fund their dream trip. But the students did not just want to take a vacation; instead, they wanted to make a contribution to science. First, the students conducted background research on the delicate reef systems of the Galapagos Islands. Specifically, they became interested in the role that sea cucumber populations have on the entire reef system. Holothuroideans play an important role in recycling nutrients that become locked up in the sea floor. Being deposit feeders, they help to make these nutrients available to organisms higher on the food chain. |
 |
|
| Their concern rose when they discovered that sea cucumber populations have been plummeting in the archipelago due to uncontrolled or illegal commercial harvesting. First, the group developed a research project that would help them to determine the optimum conditions or critical habitat for sea cucumber populations to thrive. They also hoped to determine the optimum biomass required to sustain the resource. GSE2P formally applied for and gained "scientific status" from the Ecuadorian government. They presented their findings and even made recommendations to the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos National Park. The group also collected population data on the Galapagos Penguin and the Flightless Cormorant. | ||
|
To reach the student population of the Jurupa Valley High School and the Jurupa Unified School District, GSE2P has produced several presentations and educational videos to facilitate professional development programs for teachers and to enhance future curriculum design. The group has also developed a web site (www.gsep.org) that highlights group activities and provides research information for teacher support. According to Conservation International, "This project embodied two of the fundamental principles of Conservation International: formulating strong conservation strategies of endangered ecosystems and basing those strategies on sound science. The students and teachers of GSE2P used persistence and ingenuity to explore life science and conservation in its natural setting. Biodiversity protection is a mix of innovation and hard work. GSE2P members demonstrated these skills and were able to apply them with real life conservation benefits. Conservation International looks forward to learning more about their efforts and investigating other opportunities for future successes with them." |
 |
|