AgdaPkt 2004-09-13 - Laserfiche WebLink

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contacted both the Redwood City School System and the Marine Science Institute to inquire into their willingness to participate in such a plan. Both have agreed to explore this new concept in education and refuge management. The Interpretive Center should provide more than just information about the refuge; it should be designed from the beginning as a pioneering multi-age teaching center. Class appropriate teaching tools ' should be incorporated into interactive exhibits on the Island. The Center will be able to educate with curricula on ecological interconnections at multiple levels depending on grade. Refuge managers and the Estuarv Education: Good for Kids! School System should be seamlessly blended to take advantage of each other's disciplines and teach local school children our shared values of environmental stewardship. Integration of Bair Island into the community benefits both and creates a synergism that pays generational dividends. The City recognizes the coundess efforts made on behalf of bay ecosystems such as the Baylands Ecosyste�n Habitat Goals. The City not only wishes to join this effort but seeks to expand the circle of stewardship and wise use through conservation principles. The City plan is designed to address specific concerns to the Bair Island habitat while balancing public access and natural resource protection. Existing programs, such as the task force for South Bay Restoration and slough restoration plans can be integrated into school and community projects. The Student and Landowner Education and Watershed Stewardship (SLEWS) program, sponsored by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and local partners such as Audubon California, has engaged students in restoring wildlife habitat in Yolo and Solano counties By recognizing and utilizing existing programs and incorporating them into the active life of our community we can educate and broaden our citizens to make them aware of the needs and value of the refuge. A mobilized and educated citizenry will provide a willing work force for environmental restoration. Partnering the agencies responsible for restoration of the refuge with the City and community members can develop additional resources and the political will needed to ensure the future of the refuge. The Bair Island Complex is one of the most urban wildlife refuges in the nation. It is in many ways an experiment to see if wildlife conservation can proceed within an urban context. As the most urban part of the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, the City on behalf of the community, must initiate a deeper discussion into 13