Middle school students from Monterey County traveled all the way to Montaña de Oro State Park to spend several days learning how preservation is important to the park’s habitat.
“It’s fun because I’ve known everyone for quite a bit and I’m able to meet new faces and it’s always really fun to go on hikes and get everything on a more hands-on experience,” said Dylan Villasenor, 8th grader.
Twenty-four students from San Ardo and San Antonio arrived Tuesday and will be spending the next few days learning about STEM-based preservation with the help of California State Parks staff.
“A lot of times it’s the first time of kids being able to go out into the park and experience camping, raccoons and fun things like that, so it’s really a blast,” said Jeff Landon, Nature Corps Executive Director.
“It’s actually a fun experience because you never get to experience, especially if you come from a low-income family, so it’s a nice opportunity,” said Luz Carbajal, 8th grader.
Students will visit the park nursery and learn how to identify native plants. They will uproot invasive plants that are not native to the area.
“I feel like it will be great on our part since we’re out here helping remove invasive species that are here and it just feels great that we will hopefully make a difference or an impact here,” said Angel Ramirez, 8th grader.
Invasive plants can interfere with wildlife feeding and breeding habitats so with the students’ intervention, the area can be turned into a safer environment for the animals.
“A small help can be a lot of help so it’s good that we’re actually doing this and it’s an experience that will have an impact on our life,” Carbajal said.
“They produce a lot of oxygen. They are what we need to keep the ecosystem rolling,” Villasenor added.
Landon says the students will also get a chance to kayak in Morro Bay during their trip.
“A lot of them haven’t kayaked before so it’s going to be a bit of a learning experience trying to get that kayak to go straight. They’re probably going to see some seals, maybe sea otters. It’s a blast for the kids to see some wildlife, maybe some birds, and have that kind of experience,” Landon said.
This learning experience was made possible by a grant from Chevron.
