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YOUNG STUDENTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Meadows Ave. Elementary School 10 & 11-Year-Old Science Club Members Mobilize to Make a Difference at California's Ballona Wetlands

SOUTH BAY, CA - (January 30, 2009) - With the ever-increasing awareness of ecology and our environment, and the drive towards becoming more "green," many of us have asked ourselves: "Can my actions really make a difference?" A small group of elementary and middle school students are not asking, they are telling us all, yes we can!

Meadows Elementary School, in Manhattan Beach California, has been working on a project to help restore the Ballona Wetlands, which are just north of LAX airport in Playa del Rey. Meadows' Science Club, a voluntary after-school club created by Chris Miko, a science teacher at Meadows, is leading the project. The "Eco-Kids" club is open to 5th grade students, and includes 6th graders from the previous years' club who have come back to mentor the current 5th graders. The project came about due to the commitment of teacher, Chris Miko and his wife Tanya to organize a club comprised primarily of young students who want to help their local environment, and make a difference in the world. Eco-Kids now has a platform from which to launch future environmental initiatives affecting and inspiring other kids to get involved.

The clubs' desire to make a difference coincided with the Disney Environmentality Challenge contest. The contest is open to 5th grade classes in California, to help students learn about conservationism and their environment, and encourages them to take action in helping their local environment, and to get community involvement to make a difference (For more information on Disney's contest, see here: http://disney.go.com/environmentality/dec/).

Local Impact: The students selected a local ecosystem: the Ballona Wetlands. The Ballona Wetlands serve as a wildlife refuge for many diverse species of plants and animals, and used to stretch for thousands of acres (now minimized to a few hundred acres) from their current location in Playa del Rey. The wetlands are part of the Los Angeles basin watershed, meaning much of the rainfall that falls in L.A. drains into the Ballona creek and filters through the wetlands. Over the years, development of L.A. has claimed most of the area that used to be wetlands. The students chose the Ballona Wetlands for three reasons: First, they have all been to the wetlands and comprehend what the wetlands offer. Second, the proximity of the wetlands means that their work has a direct effect on their immediate environment. Third, the wetlands serve a multitude of ecologic purposes that positively affect the South Bay's environment. The wetlands serve these purposes: carbon capture and sequestration, cleansing the runoff water in the LA basin before it drains to the ocean, preventing flooding of the surrounding areas by absorbing water like a sponge, providing natural habitats for many species of plants and animals in an urban area that severely lacks wilderness areas, and providing a beautiful and serene environment for anybody who wishes to visit and enjoy their beauty.

The Plan: Ballona Wetlands Restoration Day at the wetlands on Saturday, January 31st, 2009. The students will host a restoration day, inviting local community members to come help the process by lending a hand with the restoration, or buying a T-shirt celebrating "Eco-Kids". A booth will be set up at the Marina Baseball Fields on Culver blvd., just west of 90 freeway, where you can lend a hand by signing up to help with the hands-on work, or drop by and make a donation to get a T-shirt or bumper sticker celebrating the "Eco-Kids" between the hours of 9:30am and 3:30pm. Sponsors for this event include: Meadows Elementary, The Ballona Land Trust, STAR Education and the STAR Eco-Station, Santa Monica Bay Keepers, Heal the Bay and The Green Hive.

For more information on The Meadows Science Club "Eco-Kids," the Ballona Wetlands restoration project, or to donate, please contact Chris Miko, at CMiko@Manhattan.k12.ca,us or (310) 428-4728. http://www.GoEcoKids.org/

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