Heal the Bay PAVA Creek Education Program

Korea Daily - creet Team Presentation--Aug 22, 2011

2011-08-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.koreadaily.com/news/read.asp?art_id=1246858

한인 청소년 'LA 환경 지킴이' 로[LA중앙일보]
PAVA소속 회원 생태계 조사
LA강 주변 환경.오염도 감시

기사입력: 08.21.11 20:09

생태계 조사에 나선 미주 한인자원봉사자협회(PAVA) 소속 학생 대표들이 20일 오전 LA 한국교육원에서 학부모와 PAVA 소속 학생들 앞에서 보고서를 발표하고 있다. 백종춘 기자
미주 한인자원봉사자협회(PAVA.회장 강태흥) 소속 청소년들이 'LA 지역 환경 지킴이'로 거듭난다.

PAVA 소속 고등학생 30여명은 20일 오전 LA한국교육원에서 학부모와 다른 PAVA 회원들에게 LA 강 주변 생태계 조사 보고서를 발표〈본지 8월17일 A-3면>하고 자연환경의 중요성을 강조했다.

이들은 지난 6월 27일부터 7월 1일 7월 11일부터 7월 15일까지 두차례에 걸쳐 총 10일간 남가주 최대 환경단체 '힐더베이'와 함께 LA강의 수질과 강 부지의 생태계 환경 및 오염도를 조사했다. 조사 구역은 ▶빅터헝가 크리크 ▶한센댐 ▶글렌데일 내로우 ▶캄튼크리크 ▶LA강 마우스 등 5개로 총 48마일 거리다.

이들은 이번 조사를 통해 환경의 중요성을 깨달은 것은 물론 앞으로 LA 지역 환경 지킴이로서 다양한 임무를 해낼 것을 다짐했다.

김용석(12학년) 군은 "오염된 환경이 우리 삶에 악영향을 미치는 만큼 앞으로 환경보호 운동에 적극적으로 참여해 목소리를 낼 것"이라고 말했다.

한편 이날 강 주변 생태계 조사 보고서 발표 후에는 의대 진학 세미나도 열렸다. PAVA 측은 의대 진학 전문 컨설턴트를 초대해 학부모와 학생들에게 의대 진학을 위한 학습 방법 등에 대해 상담할 수 있는 기회를 제공했다.

강태흥 회장은 "법대 의대 수의대 정치 분야 등 세부적으로 전문 진학 세미나를 개최해 한인 청소년들이 나아갈 길에 대한 가이드 라인을 제공할 것"이라며 "인적자원이 곧 힘인 만큼 다양한 분야로 더 많은 한인 2세들이 진출할 수 있도록 견인차 역할을 하겠다"고 말했다.

박상우 기자

swp@koreadaily.com

PAVA Creek Team Presentation--Aug, 22 2011

2011-08-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

Korean Daily Newspaper Aug, 17 2011

2011-08-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.koreadaily.com/news/read.asp?art_id=1244371

16일 LA시의회에 LA강의 환경보호를 위해 비닐 백과 스트로폼 용기 사용 규제를 요청한 재미한인자원봉사자협회(PAVA) 산하 LA강 환경조사팀원들. 뒷줄 왼쪽부터 시계방향으로 김주송, 제시카 김, 김민지, 팀리더 앤젤라 오, 김치영, 김용석, 양영민, 성정욱 군. 김상진 기자

한인 청소년들이 LA시의원들에게 비닐 백과 스트로폼 용기 사용을 규제하는 조례안 추진을 요청하고 나와 눈길을 모으고 있다.

LA시의회는 한인 청소년들의 요청에 긍정적인 검토 입장을 밝힘에 따라 조례안 추진이 가시화될 전망이다.

시의원들에게 조례안 추진을 당차게 요청한 이들은 미주한인자원봉사자협회(PAVA) 소속 청소년들. 10~12학년생들로 구성된 이들은 여름방학을 맞아 지난 6월 27일부터 7월 1일 7월 11일부터 7월 15일까지 등 두차례에 걸쳐 남가주 최대 환경단체인 힐더베이의 스태프와 함께 LA강의 수질과 강 부지의 생태계 환경 및 부지 오염도를 조사했다.

조사 구역은 ▶빅터헝가 크리크 ▶한센댐 ▶글렌데일 내로우 ▶캄튼크리크 ▶LA강 마우스 등 5개 구역으로 총 48마일 거리다.

이들은 16일 이같은 조사 결과를 토대로 작성한 보고서를 시의회에 제출하고 비닐백과 스티로폼 용기 규제 외에도 물 부족으로 인한 생태계 파괴 현상을 막을 수 있도록 수도와 전기 절약법을 강력히 건의했다.

특히 강 주위에 플래스틱 물병이나 봉지 외에 컴퓨터 등 전자 쓰레기가 늘어나면서 강 하류의 생태계 환경이 크게 파괴됐다고 지적하고 이를 규제할 수 있는 방법을 마련해줄 것을 요청하기도 했다.

발렌시아고교의 김용석(12학년)군은 "물 부족으로 인한 오염이 심각해 수도와 전기 사용률을 확인하고 개선시키도록 시스템을 마련해달라고 시의회에 요청했다"며 "지금 오염된 환경은 우리의 삶에 영향을 미치는 만큼 앞으로도 환경보호 운동에 적극적으로 참여하고 목소리를 낼 것"이라고 말했다.

웨스트랜치고교의 제시카 김(11학년)양은 "상류 지역인 빅터헝가크릭의 경우 강 물 속에서 사는 생물들이 다양했지만 캄튼크리크의 경우 강 바닥을 들여다볼 수 없을 만큼 검고 탁하게 변한 상태"라며 "우리가 함부로 버린 플라스틱의 독성으로 생태계가 죽어가고 있음을 직접 실감한 시간"이라고 말했다.

발렌시아고교의 김주송(10학년) 양은 "프로젝트 이후 샤워시간을 줄이고 쓰레기도 함부로 버리는 행동을 자제하게 됐다"며 한인 커뮤니티에게도 재활용품 사용을 늘리고 물을 아껴쓸 것을 부탁하기도 했다.

장연화 기자

August 16th Presentation City Council

2011-08-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

A total of seven students and their program coordinator from Heal the Bay, Edward Murphy, went to the Los Angeles City Council meeting on Tuesday August 16, 2011 at 10:00. They were all prepared to present their experience with the creek week program. Each student had a speech on the five individual creeks that they visited during the program and the differences and similarities that they saw after completing their physical, biological, and chemical assessments. Eric Garcetti acknowledged all of the members who came to the event yesterday and the audience clapped and recognized all their hard work and presence. Edward Murphy was also extremely proud to take these PAVA students. Now that many of them know and learned how to speak in front of council and the process involved in giving a public comment, many of the other groups will be able to come to city council and present their individual advocacy projects.

LA City Hall Presentation Aug 15, 2011

2011-08-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

We, as PAVA representatives come here to inform City Council of the problems faced in our local rivers. This past summer we all participated in the Heal the Bay creek week program, a week-long summer session in which students actively went to five different creeks along the LA River.
At each location, we took several water assessments to test the quality biologically, chemically, and physically. There were a total of three procedures for these assesments. We first assessed the habitat of the creeks, looking at the surrounding animal life and exploring the scene. We then collected and examined the bugs and creatures in the rivers to see the aquatic critters that actually lived in the water. And lastly, we tested different levels of quality, including turbidity and pH levels in order to find out the chemical correlations to the natural wildlife there.

Big Tujunga Creek
Located at the northeastern reach of the Los Angeles River Watershed, this first creek we visited runs through the San Gabriel Mountains and joins with other tributaries to become one of the major creeks to the Los Angeles River. Being a natural riparian ecosystem, Big Tujunga shows many features of a river without the traces of human influence. From the results we took, it showed the river’s pristine condition. The water turbidity assessment showed the clearness as well as minor presence of other chemicals, such as copper and ammonia. Human influences such, as artificial materials were not present. The bugs we collected constituted largely of sensitive bugs, bugs that react to minor changes of the river. There were multiple tadpoles and frogs, indicating the livable quality of the water. The creek also showed heavy amounts of algae, which indicates that sunlight is usually present due to the lack of overlaying vegetation, such as trees. The biodiversity of the river was a signs of river’s sensitivity as well as its unaltered conditions. This was the water that we all wanted to dunk our feet in, but there were still slight appearances of trash around the nature near the creek.

Hansen Dam
Hansen Dam, on the other hand, slowly showed more human influence in both positive and negative developments. It is a flood basin of Big Tujunga that flows toward the Los Angeles River, showing an intersection between the natural environment and human development.The presence of trees and other vegetation prevented sunlight from reaching the water, which disabled algae growth. Despite the presence of nearby artificial structure, the water was still relatively clean. According to macro-invertebrate assessments, the bugs from the sensitive category inhabited most of the Hansen Dam River. We noticed a smaller amount of tadpoles and frogs and more sensitive critters living in the water. Large population of Willow trees only prevailed in the area, which shows that the nearby environment lacks biodiversity; however, it is still suitable for many types of wildlife. We feel that Hansen Dam is the ideal environment for us, human beings, because the environment is sustainable for the coexistence of both nature and humans.

Glendale Narrows
•As an entrance of the Los Angeles River, this soft bottom section at the Glendale Narrows clearly showed how the environment did not thrive within the city.
•Through the development of the storm drain system, we found out the pros and cons of human influence as it helped to prevent sewage treatment plants become overwhelmed by infiltration. During a rainstorm, it also can result in untreated sewage being discharged into the environment providing different life that what the nature has designed it to be.

Compton Creek
•The fourth day we visited Compton Creek, the final tributary to the Los Angeles River. Most definitely, there were first-hand effects of urban runoff and trash pollution.Compton Creek showed how the nature copes with human influence. There were signs of artificial structures such as freeways, cement pavements, and bridges indicating great deal of human influences. The water was visibly dirty and oily and so much trash from nearby restaurants and cities were piling up near the river. Due to all the trash, there was minor presence of cattail, a native plant of California, amongst foreign vegetation taking over. The water turbidity assessments showed there were heavy levels of chemicals that surpassed other rivers. There were no existence of sensitive, intermediate but only tolerant species, such as flies and mosquitoes, signs of stagnant and filthy water. Essential elements for biodiversity were not present showing the immediate need of repair. The freeway not only made the whole environment loud and disruptive, but all the runoff went to the creek. Not only does this show the destructiveness of human development, but also the ignorance of public, which stalls the improvements of the river.

Los Angeles River Mouth
On the last day, we visited the mouth of the Los Angeles River at Long Beach, where the water meets up with San Pedro Bay. The full effects of human influence on the environment were shown as the weight of the watershed came to impact the marine life.
In the mouth of the Los Angeles River, there is an accumulation of trash usually brought by storm drains. These trash are trapped by river boons that are placed throughout various locations of the river mouth. Although it prevents the dispersion of trash, the chemicals are still prone to blend with the ocean water, where other species of marine life reside in. However, these boons aren’t always successful. We realized that all the plastic was harming all the animals that mistook it for food, causing millions of death of birds such as the albatross. Like any solution to a problem, if the cause of the issue can be maintained, then the prevention of this devastation can be within our reach. We were definitely surprised by how much the water quality changed,biologically, chemically and physically coming from the top all the way to the bottom of the Los Angeles River.
Conclusion

Now, everyone knows the LA River is polluted - but to what extent? Strangely, there is no single "answer" for the level of pollution on the level. This level depends on the human influence on an area = the more people there are around the river, more polluted the river is. This is one of the many things Creek Week imparted to us. As one goes down LA River, the river gets more polluted. Through this week, we saw the impact of humans as we traveled down as it slowly crippled the river. For example, Compton Creek, located in an industrial area, was devoid of life except for a few tiny worms, while Big Tujunga Creek, located in an area with barely any human presence, was teeming with life - fish, bugs, and frogs. Records over time also shows that the river's also been getting progressively worse, something many people ignore. This program taught us that the LA River is something we should care more about. Even though we think, "oh, it's just a can" before we throw it out on the street, even that one bit of trash will make it down the river and eventually pollute the rest of the ocean. "Out of sight, out of mind" does not apply here, as what's out of sight will soon compound up, as more and more postponed jobs and scheduled events. This experience opened our eyes to the huge level of pollution in the Los Angeles River and how it affects the ecosystem and wildlife, and eventually harms people. We are here today to open up and acknowledge this creek week program to the Los Angeles city council and the rest of the public to help them understand that there are programs such as this one that can teach the younger generations. Heal the Bay and PAVA do a great job of supporting students who are interested in actually seeing what is going on in the environment in front of their eyes. Thank you for listening.

*Joo Song(Julie) Kim-Valencia High School
*Jessica Kim-West Ranch High School
*Youngmin(Justin) Yang-West Ranch High School
*Jeongwoo Seong-Valencia High School
*Alice Kim-South Pasadena High School
*Chiyoung Kim-North Hollywood High School
*Young Seok(Alvin) Kim-Valencia High School

Last Day of Creek Week Course 2-July, 21 2011

2011-07-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

This is Angela and it was a great ending day to the creek week session 2. The students met up close to the aquarium so they could walk closer to the jointing of the la river and the Pacific ocean. We took a short walk towards the creek, saw the sewage treatment plants that leads to the ocean, and then proceeded over to the aquarium.
They had approximately two hours to wander about in the aquarium seeing the different creatures and exhibits. After feeding them lunch from the aquarium, they were led into the classroom, where they learned about the influence of plastic from guest speaker from Heal the Bay and the Algalita marine Research Foundation, Dave Weeshoff. In front of the aquarium while we were waiting, the students even witnessed real life examples of entanglement as a small bird was caught by a fishing pole by it's neck and was choking to death as the aquarium staff members were trying to save it.
After the guest lecture, I shortly lectured on the elements required in creating a poster. The students worked in their respective teams and after finishing their posters, presented their topic and project to everyone else. Heal the bay then had them fill out a questionnaire on their overall experience to give feedback and support for the program.
Thanks so much for the end of the program. I think the students all had a great time and I will arrange dates for them to meet up together to actually pursue their projects sometime next week.

Best,
Angela Oh

Creek Week Session 2-Day 3, July, 20 2011

2011-07-21T14:00:00.001-07:00

Dear PAVA and students,

Hi, this is Angela Oh again after the third day of the 2nd session of creek week.
Today, the students met at Rio de Los Angeles State Park, where they saw much more human influence today than either of the two previous days. They had a brief introduction game, where they had to use team work and communication to put a floating pole down while keeping two of their fingers always touching the pole. After walking down to where the actual creek is, they had time to explore around and see the habitat around the water. There was a visible view of concrete surrounding the entire creek and the students were able to discern the effect of all the concrete and man-made influences in their tests.

They completed the macro-invertebrates and water chemistry tests by themselves and found more tolerant than sensitive bugs and insects in the water. We all walked back up to the park area, had lunch, and played a game of Capture the Flag. The teams were split amongst their groups and they had more team-bonding.

Finally, the students gathered in their groups and I led and presented the advocacy portion of the program. I was able to introduce myself and my experience with Heal the Bay and PAVA and tell them the brief history of the Heal the Bay Creek Education Program. They were very interested in volunteering and going to talk to the Los Angeles City Council meetings. All the groups seem very ambitious and excited to pursue these projects and research papers.

Group 1 wants to research on the filters for all the outfalls in the Los Angeles area and find methods to prevent trash from coming into the creeks in the first place with a type of filter. With this research, they plan on gathering sponsors from Heal the Bay and PAVA and speaking to the LA Council about attaching new filters. This way, they can divert the trash from the Los Angeles county in different ways through a filter system.

Group 2 plans on writing an actual research paper on the physical effects of pollution and human influence amongst the Los Angeles River and creeks and then propose the Los Angeles County to personally host many beach cleanups around the city. This way, advertisement and campaigning can spread throughout the city and much of the community can actively work to cleanup and pay attention to their wasteful and harmful habits. They wish to gather support from the councilmembers and have them support LA sponsored street and beach cleanups.

Group 3 focuses on the plastic use amongst Los Angeles, by writing a research proposal on the effects of plastic on the environment especially the biodiversity and aquatic and land creatures near the coastal areas. By concentrating on the harmful effects of plastic, they may expand to focusing on stopping the use of plastic bags in the Los Angeles County area, possibly with Heal the Bay.

Group 4 wants to create a documentary video on the general idea of pollution and on how they saw the rapid changes coming down from the top of Big Tujunga Creek to the bottom near Long Beach. Their video will also consist of interviews from Heal the Bay staff-members and people who can help and teach them about more environmentalism.

All the groups are extremely dedicated and determined to plan and then pursue these projects and research papers. I hope that PAVA will be in full support of their creative ideas, which are now in the process of being refined and even more focused. For the next two days, they will continue to plan for requirements to fulfill, people they need to talk to, and missions statements to officially discover the purpose of their projects.

Thanks so much.

Best,
Angela

Creek Week Session 2-Day 2, July,19 2011

2011-07-19T18:56:00.001-07:00

Dear PAVA,

Hi this is Angela Oh and today was the second day of session 2 of creek week. The students gathered at Hansen dam and played a group knot game, a game where all the students' hands were tangled together and they had to undo their human knot. Then, we led them down to the creek with big yellow boots to wear in the water and they explored for about half an hour. The area and environment were much different here down lower along the big tujunga creek compared to the location we were at yesterday.

The students then divided up in groups again completing both the water chemistry and the macro-invertabrate assessments with the guidance of two heal the bay staff-members, taira and amber.

After lunch, they went on a scavenger hunt exploring and collecting different items that affect and cause pollution. They returned with many dirty items wasted by humans including wine bottles, plastics, and even boxers. We discussed how these impairments may affect the aquatic creatures of the riparian ecosystem. Afterwards, I briefly lectured about entanglement and how animals often get caught up in the plastic we throw away and how harmful this is to their lives.

As a short activity, they used rubber bands to see how much of their daily lives may be impaired just by having their pinkies and their thumbs tied together. Using the trash they picked up during the scavenger hunt, the students then played a mine game. Each team lined up with one blind-fold and the blind-folded team member had to travel across the mine( a square of all their trash scattered around, their trash items being bombs). This helped them develop strong communication within their team and every time someone would step on a bomb ( trash), they would be splashed by a water sponge. By showing them how difficult it may be to live as animals surrounded by all this trash, this game was fun an successful.

As a wrap up, the students sat in a circle discussing what they enjoyed about their day and how different it was from their experience at the big tujunga creek yesterday. To end the day, Saira, the volunteer coordinator and organizer from heal the bay, talked about the various ways the students can volunteer including becoming a beach captains and ambassador for festivals and events.

Overall, I think the students enjoy the program very much so far.

Best,
Angela Oh

Creek Week Session 2-Day 1, July, 18 2011

2011-07-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of the 2nd session for the creek week. 23 members showed up. Three of the registered students were unable to come.

Administrative offices were done ( waivers and payments collected).

Edward Murphy again did a short introduction and handed out notebook for the students to use as journals. The students and staff members played a short ice breaker activity, with which they were able to learn each others' names and discuss the different aspects they liked about the environment. Shortly after, they were given time to explore around Big Tujunga Creek, taking notes down on what they saw and how they felt about the creek. They had reflecction time to write down their thoughts in their journals.

The students were then divided into groups of four. Two of the groups started with the water chemistry assessments, while the other two worked on identifying and document macro-invertebrates (bugs, insects, frogs, fish, etc). They then switched and all four teams finished both assessments.

After lunch, they made color coded tie dye shorts that they will wear throughout the week. Each group was given a color to dye their shirts with. To teach the students what a watershed is, we demonstrated the way water moved through a game called Over/Under. The students moved water through one sponge moving it over and then under each student, until all the water was collected at the back of the line.

They had a short de-brief and worked on their data workbooks. They discussed what they saw throughout the day and left with popsicles!

Today was a good day. Overall, I think the students were more excited this time than the last and they seem to participate in the assessments and games extremely well. We hope for the best.

Angela

Advocacy Project/Research Training

2011-07-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

Heal the Bay – Creek Week

Advocacy Project/ Research Training

Led by Angela Oh

PROJECTS

1. Documentary video on effect of pollution on creeks and what we can do about it.

2. Host a recycling competition between divisions/districts of PAVA

3. Hosting a PAVA cleanup

Topics – Research with Poster Board

1. Creatures/Animals/Insects in the different creeks and how they are affected by the pollution

2. Amount of trash based on environment/setting

3. Determine the difference between water quality of the five creeks

Day 3: Determining the Project, Idea, Issue

· Abstract: After students are divided into separate teams, students will listen to the different topics and projects that they can choose. From a total of three projects and three research proposals, students will determine how they can actively work on helping the environment using their projects. Students will learn how to plan their projects with biological, chemical, and physical methods of discovering a problem and finding a solution. They will define their project/topic and discern what they expect to accomplish. After breaking down the time and schedules, students will begin planning.

· Learning Objectives:

o Decide on a project/research subject, and defining a solution to the problem

o Decide the specific elements of the project/research

o Define goals

· Lesson Plan Schedule

o 15 minutes: Lesson plan lecture

o 40 minutes: students working

o 25 minutes: presenting to the other students

· Lesson Plan Notes

o - discuss any plans and concerns

o -what does each team what to focus on

o - present the different projects and topics that each team wants to pursue

o - project ideas, what do you want to do about it

o -how to change the environment and make a difference

o -working actively instead of just listening passively

o - planning with a good clear result, good regular communication

o - set up a list of requirements and steps to fulfill ( specifically)

o - discover the problem of the topic and what the solution of the problem is trying to determine or achieve

o - team game dodgeball developing team spirit, working together

o -what types of household habits can you change (i.e. using reusable bags, water bottles)

o - list of goals, mission statement, detailed overall goal, short statement

o - definition of success

o - brainstorming session

Day 4: Defining needed Materials and Resources

· Abstract: Students will determine a list of requirements and steps to complete their project. They will find out what resources to help facilitate their project and a calendar with a checklist on what they need to accomplish. Each team will determine the people they need to talk to and learn how to network with the staff at Heal the Bay for help and information. In the end, each team will nominate a team leader, who will assign what each team member will be doing.

· Learning Objectives:

o What resources are needed

o People they need to talk to (research scientists, speakers, community leaders…)

o Roles, how are you going to do this

· Lesson Plan Schedule

o 15 minutes: Lesson plan lecture

o 40 minutes: students working

o 20 minutes: presenting to the other students

· Lesson Plan Notes

o - how can we use resources to our benefit of the project

o - project manager who is responsible for ensuring that project is finished on time, with good quality

o - assemble project team with needed equipment

o - calendar with dates throughout the project that need to be met

o -time frame

o - references

o - problem-solving, who’s going to do what job

o -creating a checklist

o Planning out, getting started

o - timeline

o - what is the task

o - what is the cause and effect that is trying to be achieved

o - evaluate how much of the planning is finished

o - what are we trying to achieve in the bigger picture

Day 5: Planning Out, getting started

· Abstract: Students will have a plan with organized layouts of a cause and effect for their project/research paper. They will look at the bigger picture of their project and how this program has affected and or helped understand their project. They will also see how what they are doing is going to change the environment and in what ways. In order to make a poster, students will determine the different elements including a

o topic

o mission statement with goals

o solution

o methods

o hypothesis of data

o predicted results of fulfilling their project/research paper

o pictures

· Learning Objectives

o make a poster on their topic

o creating a timeline and being prepared to start

o completing a presentation

§ all members must present and introduce themselves to the rest of the program participants

· Lesson Plan Schedule

o 15: Lesson plant lecture

o 30: Students Working

o 15: Group Presentation

· Lesson Plan Notes

Heal the Bay Research Program Course 1, Day 5

2011-07-02T10:29:00.001-07:00

Hi this is Angela oh again reporting on the last and final day of the first session of the heal the bay PAva creek program. Today the students arrived closer to the junction between the la river and the ocean, seeing the sewage treatment plants and even the physical difference in water quality that is streaming right onto the ocean.
We then walked shortly to the aquarium of the pacific and was guided by a staff member from the aquarium to a private classroom. The students discussed the chemistry behind dissolved oxygen in the water, were divided into groups, and went outside to the shore to evaluate the amount of dissolved oxygen in various depths of the water. The students then determined whether there was more oxygen in deeper or in more shallow waters.
Heal the bay then provided an awesome lunch for the students including sandwiches, cookies, and salads. After the lunch, the students were given free time to roam around the aquarium. We had a speaker, Holly Grey, from an organization called Algalita. She talked about the plastics in the stomachs if albatrosses.
Afterwards, they divided up into their individual teams and discussed their projects. They discussed and analyzed how much work they needed to do and finish after actually starting. With a checklist of requirements and assignments of who is going to have what job to fulfill, they organized their projects and are hopefully ready to actually pursue them following this program.
I want to thank PAVA so much for supporting me and heal the bay until the completion of our project. I really hope that the students enjoyed the program as much as I did. And I really appreciate all heal the bay has done for the pava students, helping them understand how the environment is affected chemically, biologically, and physically by pollution and trash. I hope these active and hands-on projects have and will continue to help them develop more advocacy for helping better the environment.
Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Angela oh

Heal the Bay Water Research program Course 1, Day 4

2011-06-30T17:26:00.001-07:00

Hi, this is Angela Oh speaking on behalf of the fourth day at Compton for the Heal the Bay Creek Week.
Today, the students got ready behind the casino and did their assessments bright and early. Right afterwards, they picked up trash around the creek, learning about all the difference in water quality and severity of the city of Compton's affect on the water there.
After eating lunch, the students shortly had an activity on what they would bring, as a team, to a deserted island. Each team leader came up and presented their list of items, also being critiqued and questioned by their peers. As a connection from this activity, each team then decided on a mascot, animal or object, and then discussed their own list of items and questions regarding their projects. They were able to discuss what they needed to do, who they needed to contact to facilitate and enhance their projects, and how they were going to pursue them.
Each project and research papers seems to be developing tremendously and I am extremely excited for the students to begin their actual projects after talking to PAVA. I hope that PAVA can support and encourage all of their research ideas and projects and I am sure to help them after Friday as well as much as I can.
Thank you so much.

Sincerely,
Angela Oh

Heal the Bay Water Research Program Course 1, Day 3 -- June, 29 2011

2011-06-30T10:48:00.001-07:00

Hi this is Angela here to report back after the third day of the summer creek program. The students gathered at the rio de los Angeles park, where pava has had a cleanup in the past. First we had a speaker from the Los Angeles river conservation Corp, who discussed all about how they work to restore and conserve the rivers and creeks especially the Los Angeles river.
The students then quickly did all of the four assessments by themselves with only brief guidance from Tera and Edward. After eating lunch, we played team games of dodgeball and capture the flag to promote more team spirit.
With an hour left, I started my lectures on advocacy and projects. I introduced myself and my background in working in research and scientific projects and then briefly went over all the details of the history of the heal the bay pava creek education program. Each group chose a topic and project to do and are actively working together to plan their research papers and projects out. The topics and projects that were chosen were :
1) host a pava cleanup at one of the creeks
2) create a documentary focusing on the biological creatures and insects of the five creeks and compare and contrast. Perhaps this project will include a research paper follow up.
3) host a recycling competition between the districts of pava and donate the collected money.
4) write a research paper on the water chemistry an quality of the five different creeks.
These were the four projects that were chosen by the four teams. If there are any changes I will make sure to let you know.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the projects, please let me know through phone or email. Thanks!
Angela Oh

Heal the Bay Water Research Program Course 1, Day2 -- June, 28 2011

2011-06-30T10:46:00.001-07:00

Today was the second day of the heal the bay creek program. The students arrived in the morning learning how to make friendship bracelets and teaching others different methods. The second speaker of the program was jessica hall, who discussed different project ideas on decreasing water use and energy. She talked about the types of water streams and creeks.
They then started the four assessments again, this time with the instructors only watching over the students, who will independently do these tests tomorrow without the guides.
Afterwards, Edward spent some time talking about the water audit and how to decrease the use of water amongst the Los Angeles community. We wrapped up the day with a short brief and reflections on the environments of day one and two.
Thanks and I hope to respond with more information after the advocacy portion.
Regards,
Angela oh

Heal the Bay Water Research Program Course 1, Day 1 -- June, 27 2011

2011-06-30T10:42:00.001-07:00

Hi, this Angela Oh reporting on the first day of the Heal the Bay PAVA creek team project.
All 32 students gathered together at the Tujunga League Baseball field around 9:30. All students turned in their payment of $150 except for one.

As the students turned in their payment, signed in, and gave their waiver forms, they were given their team numbers. There are a total of four teams, each of which contain 8 students. The teams were broken up by the staff at Heal the Bay; the students of each team are roughly from the same district and or areas.

For group and team spirit projects, the students created tie dye t-shirts in their according team color. These t-shirts were then hung and dried and will be worn by all the students each day of the rest of the program. This will help students identify each other with their team.

Edward Murphy then had a short introduction about the program and what we will be doing. The students then had a guest lecture, Melanie Winter, director of the River Project, a non-profit organization . She discussed where the water originates from and talked about how Heal the Bay influenced her work in saving parks and rivers. She emphasized how one person was able to change the environment and community as she had strived to pass legislation on saving a park, that was eventually brought to city council and successfully passed.

Afterwards, each of the four groups were to rotate about four different stations, each of which were guided by a staff member. The four stations consisted of

1) an instruction on bird watching
2) a guide to assessing the habitat of the creeks
3) process of taking out bugs and critters from the water and identifying them
4) the water quality tests (turbidity, pH levels, nitrate levels, etc)

These four stations are to help the students later on throughout the program to do these evaluations of the creeks by themselves. The teams will be doing all these tests and examinations again for the rest of the program. The first two days are merely instruction days while the last three days, the staff members will not be available to instruct them.

The students then gathered around, listened to short messages on how to wear different shoes tomorrow and clean their tie dye shirts to wear for the next four days, and were finally dismissed.

This is a rough explanation and guideline of what happened during the first day of the program. I hope to come to you with more information for the next four days.

Thank you.

- Angela Oh

KTLA 5

2010-09-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

During the Compton Creek event on August 24, 2010 with the 2nd Creek Education Program students, KTLA Channel 5 came to the creek to film and gather information about the stream team project. The channel planned on showing an hour long show focusing on Heal the Bay before the Coastal Cleanup Day on September 25, 2010.

The Heal the Bay KTLA Channel 5 event took place on September 18, 2010 8:00 - 9:00 PM and on September 19, 2010 2:00-3:00PM. Here is a video clip of the showing.

2nd CEP PAVA College Seminar Presentation

2010-09-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, August 28, 2010, the Pacific American Volunteer Association hosted a college seminar for PAVA Jr. high school seniors and parents. As an opening presentation, the 2nd Creek Education Program members were invited to give short speeches regarding their experience at Malibu Creek and Compton Creek. 11 of the 18 members spoke in front of the audience and allowed the other students from PAVA Jr. to learn more about the environment and spread the word.

You may the photos of each presenter at the seminar at the PAVA Seminar Photo page, and here is some video footage of the 11 presentations.

Los Angeles City Council Presentation

2010-09-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

After another meeting on July 3, 2010 to prepare for the second presentation at Los Angeles City Council Hall, the four students (Angela Oh, Hayoon Chung, Jane Kim, and Brian Jung) again presented their experience on Tuesday, July 6, 2010.

The presentation was a type of open public forum available to the community. Most of the Los Angeles councilmembers were present including president Eric Garcetti, council-member Tom LaBonge, and council-member Ed Reyes.

Here is the video clip of their presentation.

Thanks

2010-09-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Heal the Bay staff for showing us a new perspective on environmental conservation and giving us the opportunity to work with the Stream Team/ Creek Education Program. Special thanks go to Tiger Kang, the president of the Pacific American Volunteer Association, for allowing us to work with other non-profit organizations such as Heal the Bay and to the education coordinator of the creek education program from Heal the Bay, Edward Murphy, for guiding us in the right direction.

2nd Htb PAVA Creek Education Program

2010-09-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

After the first Heal the Bay PAVA Stream Team Project, 18 new high school students participated in the second round of the creek education program. The students in this round came from many different districts among the PAVA Jr. organization including Irvine, Los Angeles, Valencia, and Apple Valley.

Unlike the previous round, the Heal the Bay organization hosted a type of orientation for the students to preview the scientific materials they will be working with at the creeks the following week.

The orientation took place at the Heal the Bay headquarters in Santa Monica on Saturday, August 20, 2010. The staff members also taught the students more about ocean conservation and information about the Riparian zones and storm drain systems around the coast of Los Angeles. The students again went to Compton Creek and Malibu Creek State Park.

Training Research Date and Location

· Orientation – August 20, 2010 3:00 – 4:30 PM

· Compton Creek – August 24, 2010 9:00 – 12:30 PM

· Malibu Creek State Park – August 25, 2010 9:00 – 1:30 PM

Also, this time, there was specified instructor and coordinator from Heal the Bay named Edward Murphy. He helped the students through this second creek education program by teaching the students about the water chemistry tests and the rest of the creek.

2nd CEP members at Compton Creek

2nd CEP members at Malibu Creek

The members of the second creek education program included:

James Yun (Loomis Chaffee School 12), Minsang Kim (Mission Viejo HS 12), Jeesang Kim (Mission Viejo HS 11), Stacy Jung (L.A.C.E.S 11), Lynn Whang (Palisades HS 12), Lucy Kim (Palisades HS 12), Stella Kim (Palisades HS 11), Benjamin Kim (Arcadia HS 9), Moses Chun (Sunny Hills HS 11), Joshua Chun (Sunny Hills HS 10), Gina Kim (John Marshall HS 12), Wayne Kim (John Marshall HS 10), Ha-Rry Kim (C.A.V.A 11), Junhyun Kyoung (West Ranch HS 12), Daniel Han (Arcadia HS 11), Hyunjoon Kang ( South Torrance HS 11), Edward Chang (Loyola HS 11), and Daniel Kim ( Harvard Westlake 12).

Angela Oh (North Hollywood HS 12) is the PAVA Jr. representative who led, assisted, and guided these 18 lucky high school students throughout the Second Creek Education Program.

2010 1st HtB PAVA Stream Team Project Presentation 1

2010-09-19T00:08:00.000-07:00

The first presentation for the four of the members of the 1st Heal the Bay PAVA Stream Team Project was at the PAVA 2010 Installation/Fundraising Ceremony on May 28, 2010 at Wilshire Grand Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

The presenters, Angela Oh ( North Hollywood HS 12), Jane Kim ( L.A.C.E.S. 11), Hayoon Chung ( L.A.C.E.S 11), and Brian Jung ( Harvard Westlake 10) rehearsed and practiced with instructor Hanna Oh.This presentation also prepared these members for upcoming presentations.

Here is a group photo of the 1st Heal the Bay PAVA Stream Team members at the PAVA Fundraising Event.

1st HtB PAVA Stream Team Project continued

2010-09-18T23:50:00.000-07:00

After this two-day project, a total of four members, Angela Oh, Hayoon Chung, Jane Kim, and Brian Jung met to develop and organize the water chemistry research from both of the creeks.

On April 2, 2010, they met at the PAVA headquarters in Los Angeles and created a multimedia/ written packet explaining the stream team project and its data. With the help of instructor Hanna Oh, they also decided on the positions of each of the members and spoke about giving a formal presentation held on Friday May 28th 2010.

On May 22, 2010, they met once again at PAVA headquarters to prepare for their short speeches and presentations that they were planning on presenting at the PAVA 2010 Installation/Fundraising ceremony at Wilshire Grand Hotel on May 28, 2010 at 5:00 PM.

2010 1st HtB PAVA Stream Team Project

2010-09-18T23:23:00.000-07:00

For the 1st Heal the Bay PAVA Stream Team Project, 17 lucky high school students from PAVA Jr. participated in the two-day experience at Malibu Creek State Park and Compton Creek.

Training Research Date and location

· Malibu Creek State Park - March 29 2010 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

· Compton Creek - March 31, 2010 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

At both of these locations, we conducted water chemistry testings and saw the many similarities and differences between Malibu Creek and Compton Creek, both scientifically and visually.

1st 2010 HtB Stream Team Project Members

The members included

President: Angela Oh (North Hollywood HS 12)

Co Vice- Presidents: Jane Kim (L.A.C.E.S. 11) and Hayoon Chung (L.A.C.E.S 11)

Historian : Brian Jun ( Harvard Westlake 10)

Other members : Shane Kim ( North Hollywood HS), Gina Kang ( Van Nuys HS 12), Jane Tak ( Campbell Hall HS 11), Justine Kim (Van Nuys HS 10), Alexander Lee ( Cleveland HS), Kate Lee (Cleveland HS 10), Hannah Yook ( North Hollywood HS 10), Solomon Kim ( North Hollywood HS 10), Yunjo Chung (North Hollywood HS 10), Janice Uhm ( North Hollywood HS 10), Minjae Kim

( North Hollywood HS 10), Eunice Tak ( Campbell Hall 9), Andrew Oh ( Walter Reed, Jr. Representative ).

Instructor: Hanna Oh

2010 HtB PAVA Creek Education Program

2010-09-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Heal the Bay PAVA Creek Education Program, also known as the Stream Team Project, gathered young high school students who interested in benefiting the health of the Los Angeles community by directly testing the water quality at neighborhood creeks including Malibu Creek and Compton Creek.

Heal the Bay is an environmental advocacy non-profit organization, dedicated to protecting California's Santa Monica Bay.

For more information, go to healthebay.org

Pacific American Volunteer Association (PAVA) is a non-profit volunteer organization with a mission to educate young students by offering volunteer opportunities such as street cleanups to create strong relationships with their community.

For more information, go to pavausa.com