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Fish teach kids, politicos about ecology
By Jason Dietrich
Ever held a live starfish?
What about a sea cucumber?
South Bay congressional candidate
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Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, SEA Lab Education Coordinator Giancarlo Cetrulo, and Congressional candidate Jane Harman get a hands-on experience with starfish rescued from the AES power plant's saltwater intake. |
Jane Harman and Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt got up close and personal with a few species of marine animals when they joined a group of middle school students from the Los Angeles Conservation Corps' Clean and Green Program for a visit to the Redondo Beach SEA lab.
There the politicians learned about the lab's educational programs and met the fish face to fin. The SEA Lab teaches ocean ecology to school-age children throughout the Los Angeles area by using sea life rescued from the AES power plant's saltwater intake system. Harman said that programs like the SEA lab are vital to keeping the Beach Cities a clean place to live.
"This is the way to connect kids to the ocean. They can see how everything in the environment is connected and how ecologically destructive activities impact these animals," Harman said. "I bet they'll think twice about what they dump down a storm drain from now on."
Sending the message early on that everyone should act in an environmentally responsible manner is important to effecting change, said Harman.
"My family recycles because my kids insist on it," she said.
Babbitt tried to impress on the students their responsibility for the resources of the future.
"These are things we all depend on. You all are so lucky to live next to this beautiful ocean. It's up to us to protect it," Babbitt said. ER