Title
Mentor
Beach Profiling
Dave Schwartz, Cabrillo College
Description: On a biweekly basis you and a partner will measure the beach profile of Capitola or
Seabright beach. If Capitola is chosen, this project includes working with Cabrillo College once a
month, and two meetings at Cabrillo college.
(4 students max)
Phytoplankton Biodiversity Monitoring
Greg Langlois California Dept Health Services
Susan Coale, UCSC
Description: On weekly basis collect plankton sample from the Santa Cruz harbor and send sample to
Dept. of Health services and analyze and photograph sample with microscope for toxic phytoplankton.
(4 students max)
Biomonitoring
Chris Rosamond, UNR Aquatic Ecology Lab
Jennifer Stern, RCD
Description: At least two benthic macroinvertebrate samples collected and analyzed from San Lorenzo
River, Henry Cowell site. Will require extensive lab and identification work. You will use insects
living under the rocks and sediments to determine stream health. A biodiversity analysis can be
performed.
(4 students max)
Tide Pool Monitoring
John Pearse, UCSC
Lisa Emanuelson, MBNMS
Description: Collect transect data twice a month at Davenport Landing state beach. Individual projects
are available. This requires learning tidepool invertebrates and algae. Biodiversity from post projects
will be compared to current diversity.
(6 students max)
Fecal Coliform Monitoring
Steve Peters, County Environmental Health
Description: Collect water samples and analyze for fecal coliform contamination. This requires precise
and sterile laboratory techniques.
(4 students max)
Water Quality Monitoring
Chris Berry, City of Santa Cruz Water Department
Hugh Dalton, Water Department Chemist
Description: Using SLVHS test kits, probes and HOBO temps. Make weekly measurements of
chemical water quality. You can choose from a number of tests but must do temp and DO. Other tests
include: nitrate, Phosphate, pH, alkalinity, stream flow, turbidity, and conductivity. Can be done at
creek behind school or another location(Quail Hollow Ranch Pond). Data also entered on GLOBE web
site.
Riparian Bird Monitoring
James Von Hendy, Santa Cruz Bird Club
Description: Before school (7 AM) or weekends at the Covered Bridge park in Felton, you will search
for and record birds by song call and visual detection encountered on plots you establish in the fall.
Several visits will include vegetation data collection. (4 students max)
Title
Mentor
GLOBE Soil Monitoring
Rich Casale, NRCS
Description: Following Globe protocols will determine soil characterization, moisture and temperature.
Characterization done once and moisture and temperature weekly. Use soil temperature protocols and
gypsum block soil moisture
(3 students max)
GLOBE Atmosphere/Pollution Monitoring
Description: On a daily basis you will measure and record rainfall, rain pH, cloud type and cover, Min
and max temperature. You must also site and deploy the weather station and determine GPS location.
You must schedule and train each APES student to collect and enter one week of weather data. This can
include UV and atmospheric pollutant monitoring.
(2 students max)
Sand Crab Monitoring
Lisa Emanuelson, MBNMS
Description: The sandy beach monitoring project is a long-term, baseline study. The purpose of the
project is to collect distribution and abundance data on the Pacific Mole crab, Emeritia analoga. A
parasite study in the lab will also be conducted. Monitoring once a month.
(3-4 students max)
Amphibian Biodiversity Monitoring
Marion Blair, SJSU
Description: This project proposes to identify various sites along the watershed that will serve as longterm monitoring sites for amphibians. Data collected on species abundance and diversity and habitat
characteristics will be analyzed to provide information on many questions, including amphibian
population response to changes in the immediate environment and differences in population between
various habitat types.