RESTOR Project

Research and Education - SGEP Advisor Monique Myers, Valerie Borel

The Research and Education for Students and Teachers about the Ormond Beach Restoration (RESTOR) Project is for teachers whose students are from backgrounds underrepresented in marine science fields with professional development in Environmental Education through participation in water-quality monitoring. Teachers learn about their local watershed and the RESTOR Project, while receiving continuing education credit. Standards-based curricula and instruction on how to implement the curricula are provided.

The final field trip for Myers' RESTOR Project in 2009, on the National Marine Sanctuary research vessel Shearwater.

Teachers should be willing to implement watershed and wetland curricula in their classes. They will participate in a day of fieldwork and collect scientific data that will build on the prior year's dataset and may be used by scientists for the RESTOR Project. With the assistance of researchers from Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, teachers will use their water-quality monitoring skills to train students. In a field trip to Ormond Beach students and teachers will monitor water quality and participate in wetland restoration activities at the Ormond Point Nursery and Research Facility (buses provided). The RESTOR Project culminates with an essay contest whose winners (one student and teacher per class) will go on a research cruise to monitor water quality and visit one of the Channel Islands. To encourage the long-term use of their training, teachers and students will interact with local scientists from  nonprofit watershed monitoring groups and be provided with long-term access to water-quality monitoring equipment.

Target Audience: Fifteen 6th- to 8th-grade science teachers from Ventura County schools and one class of students per teacher, predominantly representing multicultural populations.

Timeframe: Please contact Valerie Borel (vtborel@ucdavis.edu) for specific dates.

Compensation: A $100 honorarium will be provided to teachers for each of the three workshop days and fieldwork. Up to $140 will be provided for substitutes during the two days of fieldtrips.

Funding Organization: National Marine Sanctuary BWET Program

To apply please contact:

Program Representative:
Valerie Borel
University of California Cooperative Extension
Email: vtborel@ucdavis.edu
Phone: (323) 260-3851

Project Lead:
Monique Myers
California Sea Grant Extension Program
Email: mrmyers@ucsd.edu
Phone: (805) 680-4141