Thursday, August 25, 2011

Exploring a Kelp Forest

I helped out at the Bamfield Marine Science Centre for the Kelp Forest Diversity Youth Forum.  Bamfield is a remote location on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island.  Ten youth participated, Together with our instructors, Hana and Ali, we dove into a kelp forest and explored the biodiversity within. The program was packed with activities such as an invertebrate lab, kelp lab, snorkeling, beachcombing, hiking, using an underwater camera.  We were honoured to listen to a lecture by Dr. Louis Druehl, an authority on kelp.  Within this packed program,  I facilitated some co-design activities such as a "city on the wall" activity and also a co-design dialogue.  The co-design drawing included many of the activities we participated in.  The dialogue encouraged youth to consider their future ecological web as they return to the urban environment.  This forum was organized and led by Dr. Hana Kucera and Ali Griffith, two very talented environmental educators and dedicated researchers in marine biology.
Bamfield is accessible by logging road, boat or float plane. I took my first exhilarating trip on a small plane to get here.



we explored a kelp forest;  sea anenome, crab, seastar, a school of herring, seals, sea lion.  This coast is overflowing with biodiversity.
the city on the wall






many of us dove for the first time, including me.


kelp forest

enormous brown kelp forest off of Execution Rock
Ali Griffiths, marine educator, guided us on the dives, and led a lab on marine invertebrates

Dr. Hana Kucera guided us on the dives and led a lab on Kelp