Experiential Education Programs for
High Schools in Baja California Sur
2015 Guide
Todos Santos
Eco Adventures
Stephanie Rousso
Wildlife Biologist and Field Instructor
www.TOSEA.net
Sergio and Bryan Jáuregui
Owners and Operators
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
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.
Learning Objectives:
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.
Todos Santos Eco Adventures
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.
Learning Objectives:
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
Todos Santos Eco Adventures
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
Todos Santos Eco Adventures
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.
Learning Objectives:
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!
Todos Santos Eco Adventures
www.TOSEA.net
Experiential Education Specialists
in Baja California Sur
USA: 619-446-6827
Mexico: (011-52) 612-145-0189
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