Friday, July 17, 2009
Wrapping up in Monterey
Our On Assignment projects are wrapping up here in Monterey. Marine Biology and Conservation students have been exploring more beaches, the high-tech research world of MBARI, and now the nitty gritty accumulation of observations and information for the final projects.
All groups joined on a whale watch excursion yesterday morning. Our boat, the Sea Wolf, left the harbor into a thick fog that slowly lifted as we made our way to the Mariana Trench. We saw dolphins and then, just before having to turn around, a humpback surfaced and we watched it for a half hour.
Back to Monterey for lunch on the wharf in the sunshine. The afternoon was spent working on projects briefly before heading to Point Sur Lighthouse. If anyone has driven the Big Sur coast, you might have noticed a massive sea stack barely connected to the continent. A road snakes up the side and a stone house lives on top. A working lighthouse operates on the ocean side. We got a rare tour of the lighthouse and keeper's house. It was cool and slightly haunted.
The Photography students have been documenting everything in addition to a collaborative project on the town of Castroville, the Artichoke Capital of the World. We've visited Main Street a few times and taken various trips to the strawberry and lettuce fields of the surrounding Salinas Valley. We are approaching it like a National Geographic assignment, trying to capture the sense of place by engaging with the people and the landscape. The photo essay should be a good window into a small agricultural town of the Salinas Valley.
We hope you enjoy these photos from Año Nuevo, a State Park north of Santa Cruz where we watched a beach full of massive elephant seals basking in the sun, from the artichoke fields, post-sunset, outside Castroville, and from Point Sur...
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Castroville, a quinceañera, and a kelp forest
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Artichokes, Point Lobos, and National Geographic Expert Ed Kashi
That's all for now!
David, Brianna, Kim, Peter, and the whole crew
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Greetings from Monterey Bay!
NGSE Monterey Team B arrived safe and sound and just in time for a sunset on the beach. We even got our feet wet.
(Note: Not pictured in group shot - Barbara and Lily, who arrived later in the evening.)
More soon!
NGSE Monterey Bay leaders-- Kim, Brianna, Peter, and David
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Meet the On Campus Leaders
Kim McCabe, Brianna McCoy Chapman, Peter Robbins, David Hanson
Photography
Peter Robbins.
Photography
David Hanson.
Marine Biology
Brianna McCoy Chapman.
Marine Biology
Kimberly McCabe.
Welcome!
Welcome family and friends of National Geographic Student Expeditions participants!
We have created this blog in order to keep you updated on the progress of your child’s National Geographic Student Expedition this summer. We hope that occasional updates throughout the program will help keep you informed about the activities, projects and successes of the program. Please keep in mind that the leaders’ first priority is the students and the program. If updates are infrequent, it is likely due to the group’s very busy schedule. Please know that any important issues that arise during the program will be discussed and resolved with leaders and parents by phone, not through the blog.
Best wishes from us all at National Geographic Student Expeditions