Kelp Forest Monitoring

NPS/ Scott Gabara

Kelp forests provide habitat for over 1,000 species of marine plants and animals around the Channel Islands. The Kelp Forest Monitoring Team at Channel Islands National Park has been monitoring the kelp forests for over 40 years. Students will discover how and why scientists monitor change in the kelp forest ecosystem and why it is important.

Education Standards:

Program content supports the following California Content Standards:

Grade 6

• ESS2.D: Weather and Climate
  • The ocean exerts a major influence on weather and climate by absorbing energy from the sun, releasing it over time, and globally redistributing it through ocean currents. (MS-ESS2-6)
• ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems
  • Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species. But changes to Earth’s environments can have different impacts (negative and positive) for different living things. (MS-ESS3-3)
• ESS3.D: Global Climate Change
  • Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming). Reducing the level of climate change and reducing human vulnerability to whatever climate changes do occur depend on the understanding of climate science, engineering capabilities, and other kinds of knowledge, such as understanding of human behavior and on applying that knowledge wisely in decisions and activities. (MS-ESS3–5)

Grade 7

• LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
  • Organisms, and populations of organisms, are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors. (MS-LS2-1)
  • In any ecosystem, organisms and populations with similar requirements for food, water, oxygen, or other resources may compete with each other for limited resources, access to which consequently constrains their growth and reproduction. (MS-LS2-1)
  • Growth of organisms and population increases are limited by access to resources. (MS-LS2-1)
  • Similarly, predatory interactions may reduce the number of organisms or eliminate whole populations of organisms. Mutually beneficial interactions, in contrast, may become so interdependent that each organism requires the other for survival. Although the species involved in these competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial interactions vary across ecosystems, the patterns of interactions of organisms with their environments, both living and nonliving, are shared. (MS-LS2-2)
• LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience
  • Ecosystems are dynamic in nature; their characteristics can vary over time. Disruptions to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all its populations. (MS-LS2-4)
  • Biodiversity describes the variety of species found in Earth’s terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems. The completeness or integrity of an ecosystem’s biodiversity is often used as a measure of its health. (MS-LS2-5)
• LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans
  • Changes in biodiversity can influence humans’ resources, such as food, energy, and medicines, as well as ecosystem services that humans rely on—for example, water purification and recycling. (secondary to MS-LS2-5)
• ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
  • There are systematic processes for evaluating solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem. (secondary to MS-LS2-5)

Grade 8

• LS4.B: Natural Selection
  • Natural selection leads to the predominance of certain traits in a population, and the suppression of others. (MS-LS4-4)
• LS4.C: Adaptation
  • Adaptation by natural selection acting over generations is one important process by which species change over time in response to changes in environmental conditions. Traits that support successful survival and reproduction in the new environment become more common; those that do not become less common. Thus, the distribution of traits in a population changes. (MS-LS4-6)
• ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems
  • Typically as human populations and per-capita consumption of natural resources increase, so do the negative impacts on Earth unless the activities and technologies involved are engineered otherwise. (MS-ESS3-4)

 

How to Schedule

Kelp Forest Monitoring programs are typically offered between October and May on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Reservations can be made up to 4 months in advance. You must complete both steps to schedule your field trip:

1. Reserve your day on our Microsoft Bookings calendar. 
   Important Note: The date you request in Bookings is held for you, but your program is not confirmed until you complete step 2 and receive confirmation from park staff.
2. Complete and submit the Education Reservation Request Form below (NPS Form 10-1750).
   Important Note: List "Kelp Forest Monitoring" as the program title. List the day you requested on the Bookings calendar as the "Preferred Date of Visit."

If the park does not receive your Education Reservation Request Form within seven days of your Microsoft Bookings request, your Bookings request will be canceled.

You will receive an email confirming your field trip reservation within two weeks. If you do not receive this within two weeks, email us at [e-mail].

NPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0228

Learning Accommodations

Does anyone in your group need any accommodations?

Yes No

If yes, describe the accommodation need.

Next Step

School / Organization Contact Information

School / Organization Name (required)

Name of Requester/Contact Person (required)

Title / Position (required)

Contact Email Address (required)

Contact Phone Number (required)
123-456-7890 extension if any

Contact Mailing Address Country

I have a US mailing address

I have a mailing address outside the US

International Mailing Address (required)
Please include building number and street, city, state/province country and Postal Code

Mailing Address (required)

City (required)

State (required)

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ZIP (required)
Five digit ZIP code [99999]

Next Step

Group Details - Virtual / Distance Learning Program

Name of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Title / Position of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Email Address of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Phone Number of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)
Format: 123-456-7890

Program Name or Subject Requested

Grade Level(s) of Students (required)

Number of Attendees / Students (required)

Preferred Date of Program (required)
format mmddyyyy

My preferred date has been confirmed by the park.

Yes No

Alternative Date(s) (required)
Enter one or more dates.

Preferred Program Start Time (required)

Time Zone of the Classroom (required)

How much time will the ranger have to conduct the program? (required)

Discussion Points for Virtual / Distance Learning Program

Virtual and/or Distance Learning can vary depending on the technical capabilities of the park and the school. in order to find appropriate accommodations for your learning experience, here are some categories to be prepared to discuss with the park:

1. Internet Access
2. Phone Access (speaker phone or conference line)
3. Mobile or digital video conferencing capabilities
4. Firewall
5. Hardware and Software Capabilities
6. Classroom pre-work or assignments

Disclaimer:

A park representative will follow-up to confirm group details once this request has been received and reviewed.

Submit my Education Reservation Request

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NPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0228

Notices

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: Public Law 114-289 National Park Service Centennial Act and 54 U.S.C. 100701 Protection, interpretation, and research in System.

Purpose: To administer education programs for education audiences including but not limited to school groups, scouting groups, extracurricular groups, and home school groups.

Routine Uses: To effectively manage requests for education received by the NPS, the Education Reservation Request Form is used to collect basic education reservation information to facilitate operational aspects of scheduling groups for park education programs, including in-park education programs, ranger in classroom programs, and/or online distance learning programs.

Disclosure: Voluntary, however, failure to provide the requested information may impede the ability to grant your education reservation request.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

We are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501) to provide park managers and educators the information needed to schedule and conduct education program activities. All applicable parts of the form must be completed in order for your request to be considered. You are not required to respond to this or any other Federal agency-sponsored information collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved this collection of information and assigned control number 1024-0288.

Estimated Burden Statement

Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525. Do not send your completed form to this address.