Friday, August 19, 2016

GSCCC Girl Scouts and Ventura Fish and Wildlife Conservation Effort Looks Promising

If You Build It They Will Come, But Will They Nest?

In November of 2015, GSCCC put on a special Day of Birds event at Camp Arnaz where Girl Scouts of all ages got to learn about and be exposed to their feathered friends and older girls had the option of also constructing floating nesting platforms in an effort to help the light-footed Ridgway's rail, also known as the light-footed clapper rail - a near threatened bird whose numbers are continuing to decline. In January 2016 some of the girls went out to the Point Mugu marsh to help install the platforms. The hope was that in the months to come the elusive bird would find the platforms suitable for using for their nests.

Ventura Fish and Wildlife recently shared collected photos with us from the motion sensing cameras installed on each platform and it seems that the platforms have had a number of visitors of various kinds, day and night!




Keep an eye on the GSCCC website late next month for a page dedicated to this project. We'll post more about the project and any developments. We'll also post on our social media channels. We know from these photos that at least some birds are window shopping - we hope to see them making themselves comfortable next!


Wednesday, August 17, 2016

E/V Nautilus Spots Googly-Eyed Stubby Squid 3,000 Feet Under the Sea off California Coast!

GSCCC's Melissa Baffa, who has been sailing on the E/V Nautilus since August 1st, will be in San Francisco today giving a ship tour to Girl Scouts and answering questions. On Friday, she will be speaking at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at Long Marine Lab, which will include a live interaction with the ship along with a Q&A period.


Photo Credit: OET Nautilus Live
This is the perfect opportunity to ask Melissa about the E/V Nautilus' recent find, the googly-eyed squid! According to Nautilus Live researchers, the squid looks like a cross between an octopus and a squid, but is actually most closely related to the cuttlefish.

In most recent weeks, the scientists aboard the E/V Nautilus most unusual discovery was a glowing purple orb (shown below), which is still being studied. The team sent a sample to the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology for DNA analysis

Photo Credit: OET Nautilus Live















The E/V Nautilus has spent weeks along the west coast investigating undersea life, tectonic rifts and cracks in the sea floor. Melissa has explored the coast off of California's Central Coast with the ship over the past two weeks.  The ship’s objective was to explore the depths and map the sea floor.

For more information on Melissa's upcoming DIVE DEEP! events, visit us here: www.girlscoutsccc.org/events.

Monday, August 15, 2016

Meet Melissa Baffa this Friday, August 19th at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz!

Come and meet GSCCC's own Melissa Baffa on Friday, August 19th at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at Long Marine Lab in Santa Cruz!

Girls Scouts are invited to come join the fun and earn a patch at the Seymour Center on August 19, 3-5 PM. Learn about the Exploration Vessel Nautilus through a live interaction with the ship, facilitated by Melissa Baffa. Titanic shipwreck discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard’s exploration vessel Nautilus will search the deep sea off the coast of Southern California, investigating a series of seismic faults that pose a potential threat of earthquakes and tsunamis to Southern California, as well as many other discoveries. The goal of this mission is to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education around the world using the excitement of exploration to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.


Melissa sailed on the ship last year to the Galapagos Islands. She is setting sail once again this year from August 1-14, exploring the ocean off the Southern California coast. The expedition can be viewed in “real time” at www.nautiluslive.org!

Melissa will facilitate a live interaction with the ship along with a Q&A period, followed by time for a self-guided exploration of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center for girls and their families afterwards. Girls can bring a snack to enjoy in the Center’s outdoor picnic area before or after the program.

This will give k-12 girls the opportunity to:

-       Learn about the current expedition season, including studies around the Farallones and Monterey.
-       Learn about opportunities for girls & women aboard the E/V Nautilus
-       Explore the Seymour Marine Discovery Center’s aquaria and exhibits.
-       Includes two-for-one admission coupon good for a future visit to the Seymour Marine Discovery Center



WHEN:  Friday, August 19, 2016. 3 to 5 pm.

WHERE: Seymour Marine Discovery Center at Long Marine Lab, 100 Shaffer Rd., Santa Cruz 95060.

COST: $10 per person. Includes program and patch (kids only). Girl Scout Members can register here: www.girlscoutsccc.org/events. Tag-alongs, friends, and family members are welcome! If they are not registered Girl Scouts, admission fee will be paid at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center rather than through eBiz. (Online registration deadline is August 15.)

Cost includes two-for-one admission coupon good for a future visit to the Seymour Marine Discovery Center!