Schools

Seal Beach Students to Restore Native Habitats

From the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:

Four fourth grade classes at McGaugh Elementary School are getting a hands-on opportunity to learn about native wildlife at the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), thanks to a special partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Simple Green®, the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, and some very enthusiastic teachers.

“Natives in the Classroom” is a new environmental education program launched in April this year to connect youth near Seal Beach NWR to a high-quality, place-based, memorable experience with nature on their public lands. Students will learn about not only native plants, but also migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, and how to track animals through identifying tracks, scat, and skulls. Students will also help restore habitat for endangered species and native pollinators on the refuge by growing hundreds of plants from seed inside their classrooms.

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By the time the students reach fifth grade, another trip will be scheduled for them to come back and plant the seedlings they started as fourth graders. The students have only one more field trip left on the refuge this year, scheduled for Miss Brittney Haney’s class on June 6.

The Natives in the Classroom program is funded through a grant provided by Simple Green’s non-profit foundation EGBAR (Everything’s Gonna Be Alright). The Seal Beach NWR field trips are run by USFWS staff with assistance from the Friends of Seal Beach NWR and the U.S. Navy.

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