Experiential education program guide bbj

Experiential Education Programs for

High Schools in Baja California Sur

2015 Guide

Todos Santos

Eco Adventures

Stephanie Rousso

Wildlife Biologist and Field Instructor

[email protected]

www.TOSEA.net

Sergio and Bryan Jáuregui

Owners and Operators

[email protected]

Programs

Marine Ecologists in Training — Pg 4

Participate in actual, ongoing research projects; data can be used back in

the school classroom after the trip.

Service Learning — Pg 6

Have a lifelong impact on the local community by English language and

cultural exchange with Mexican children, and participating in spay and

neuter clinics.

Whale Watching— Pg 8

Get up close and personal with grey whales in their native calving grounds

and humpback whales breaching along their migratory paths.

Natural Protected Areas - pg 10

Camp, kayak, snorkel, swim, and hike in some of Latin America\s most im-

pressive natural protected areas and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Mexican Culture — Pg 12

Go back to the future to explore extinct indigenous cultures and Catholic

missions, then learn the ropes from modern-day Mexican cowboys.

Custom Itineraries —Page 14

Choose the programs that best meet your academic learning objectives,

add on any fun activities such as surfing, shopping, horseback riding,

mountain biking, etc, then we’ll build a custom itinerary for your school!

Marine Ecologists-in-Training

Students get both feet wet when they participate in actual, real-time bio-logical monitoring projects. In Baja California Sur there are more than 20 active environmental groups, three federal academic institutions for bio-logical research, and even an environmental law group. This is why La Paz is considered the Baja hub for conservation and ecotourism . School groups can take real biological data that they collect in Baja back home with them. This allows them to explore biostatical concepts and principals back in the class room after building their field survey skills in Baja.

Learning Objectives:

Practice the scientific method in the field and use the real data back at school for math, statistics, and biology classes.

Understand the basic principals of marine ecology

Identify a minimum of three different marine or coastal ecosystems

Appreciate the importance of marine biodiversity for humans

Learn about current conservation programs in Mexico

Program List:

Mangrove biodiversity monitoring and restoration

Marine turtle nest monitoring

Whale shark photo identification

Coastal wetland bird monitoring

Marine mammal connections

Intertidal and REEF biodiversity

monitoring

Todos Santos Eco Adventures

Sea Turtle Nest and Mangrove Monitoring

Whale Shark Photo Identification

Coastal Wetland Bird Monitoring

Marine Mammal Connections

http://www.reef.org/

Service Learning Community service is just as much a part of life in Mexico as in the United

States. Through these program students exchange their language, culture,

knowledge and skills with local Mexican children and organizations. For the

children’s programs, rewards for both the local children and US high school stu-

dents are the joys of discovery, sharing and friendship, particularly as after each

program students throw a piñata party or beach bonfire for the local children to

cement their bonds. Animal welfare programs speak for themselves.


Teach English language and play games with local children in Mexico and

experience cultural differences and similarities

Volunteer with local spay and neuter clinics to help curb the overpopulation of

feral dogs and cats, and provide education on animal welfare. Gain a fresh

perspective of life struggles and the value of resources.

Programs:

Read to young children in English, play English language games with older

children or make flash cards at a non-profit after-school house at the Palapa

Society. In Todos Santos.

Organize art projects soccer games, and other fun with the local orphanage

of Todos Santos, Hogar del Niño.

Participate in a vital animal welfare program with

veterinarians with Amigos de Los Animales

de Todos Santos.


Explore protected areas with endemic fauna and flora, pristine wilderness, and Mexican culture. Protected islands in the Gulf of California offer spectacular ge-ology and amazing views of the abrupt, irregular coastlines, steep cliffs of varying heights and remote beaches. Students will enjoy camping, hiking, kayaking, snor-keling, and swimming in these protected National Parks. Federal permits are re-quired which contributes to the maintenance and protection.

Approximately 665 species of plants have been identified in the Sierras. Cactus and other succulent plants prevail and are the most notorious flora of Baja’s is-lands. There are 115 species of reptiles representing close on 10% of Mexico’s herpetological diversity in the state. Coyotes and Mule Deer are among the larger mammals. Large colonies of California Sea Lions are among the marine mam-mals living in the coastal zone of the islands. There are over 400 bird species in Baja Sur, and approximately 50% of the total number of species of land, beach and water birds are migratory.


Appreciate the value of a protected area

Learn about UNESCO cultural heritage sites in Baja

Practice “Leave No Trace” Principals that should be replicated every-where students travel in nature.

Experience pristine wilderness with endemic flora and fauna.

Programs:

Espiritu Santo Island Archipelago—day and camping trips

Loreto to La Paz National Park 9-day kayak adventure

Cabo Pulmo rocky reef snorkeling and camping adventure

Sierra La Laguna National Park trekking (1—4 days)

Nature Expeditions


National Marine Parks

End

em

ic S

pec

ies

Sierra La Laguna National Park

Marine National Parks

Whale Watching Each winter grey whales travel 6,000 miles to find refuge in the protected

bays and inlets of the Pacific Ocean along the western coast of Baja. Here

they mate, calve their young, and teach their offspring the skills they’ll

need to survive the return trip north. Humpbacks pass by on their journey

to Central America, but they love to put on acrobatic shows close to shore

en route, breaching, tail slapping, and calling so loud you can head it from

a small boat. Whale watching happens all over, but only in Baja Sur can

students get so close to look into a whale eye, count the callosities on

their head, and watch as the babies learn their motor skills from mom.

Students will not only get up close and personal with these whales, but al-

so learn from the expert marine mammologists in La Paz.

Learning objectives:

Identify migratory patterns and behaviors of baleen whales

Differentiate between baleen and toothed whales and appreciate the bi-

odiversity of marine mammals

Understand the importance of genetic diversity as new evidence of

Russian whales are mating with Canadian whales only in Baja

Programs

Overnight trips to grey whale calving areas with presentations from

Marine Mammologists in La Paz. (January thru April)

Day trips to watch acrobatics of humpback whales (December thru

Gray Whale and Humpback Whale Breaching in the Pacific Ocean


Up Close and Personal in the Lagoons of Baja

Anthropology and History Anthropology is the study of culture, and there is plenty of culture to explore in Baja. Students will experience and partake in the traditional culture of Mexico in areas where time seems to stand still.

In these ranches, women still make pottery baked by the sun, only har-vesting clay under a full moon. Ranches still use the missions from the Jesuit and Franciscan periods when Mexicans were converted to Catholicism. When the men are not riding their horses, they are en-gaged in leatherworking and medicinal plant collections—skills that have been passed down over 500 years. In some of the ranches, hid-den archeological sites are still being discovered, indicating where in-digenous cultures, now extinct, left their mark on the world through pictographs using natural red pigments from desert plants.


Experience sustainable living practices based on ancient principles with some modern twists

Feast on homemade tortillas cooked over a cactus wood-fired stove

Create your own clay pottery art with Doña Ramona

Analyze the meanings of indigenous pictographs over 4000 years old

Differentiate between renewable and disposable resources

Value the practicality of natural resources

Programs:

Mountain potters and missions

Mexican ranch life adventures

Leather making

Candy and tortilla making

Indigenous pictographs

Sierra Ranch Life Adventures / Guaycura Archeological Sites

Custom Itineraries Todos Santos Eco Adventures creates custom itineraries for each individual

school, basing the activities on your school’s learning objectives. We can com-

bine any of the activities presented here into a program to meet your curricu-

lum, and include others such as Spanish language instruction, yoga, art clas-

ses and so on. We prepare student booklets containing information on the spe-

cies and ecosystems to compliment the curriculum, journal pages for reflection,

and workbook pages for completion during the trip.

Our itineraries generally integrate biology, chemistry, history and anthropology,

all while kids are having fun surfing, hiking, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding

and more. Schools interested in service learning projects can participate in any

of our volunteer activities, and include preparation in the curriculum at home.

Our trips are a terrific combination of expert field instruction and tons of fun.

Explore the Beauty of Baja!


www.TOSEA.net

Experiential Education Specialists

in Baja California Sur

USA: 619-446-6827

Mexico: (011-52) 612-145-0189

[email protected]

Experiential education program guide bbj

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