Science / Medicine : Program Offers View of Underwater Forest

Many people visiting the local beaches may be unaware that just under the water’s surface there is a vast marine ecosystem which includes magnificent giant kelp forests. Visitors to the Channel Islands National Park can explore this underwater forest through the Underwater Video Program on Anacapa Island.

The program, unique within the National Park Service, offers visitors a glimpse into the diverse marine life and crucial ecosystem which flourishes in the waters surrounding the Channel Islands.

Visitors, who view the program on dock-side television monitors, are treated to a first-hand view of this underwater world via the combined talents of scuba-trained park rangers and advanced underwater technology.

As members of the dive team descend into the kelp forest with their video cameras, a park naturalist explains the variety of marine life, such as spiny sea urchins and slow-moving sea cucumbers, that the audience is seeing on the monitors.

The program continues through the summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 p.m. in the Anacapa Island Landing Cove. For information on day trips to the island and the program call Island Packers boat company (805) 642-1393; for general information on the program call the Park Service (805) 644-8157.

PALEONTOLOGY

The annual summer public excavation of Pit 91 at La Brea Tar Pits is under way. Visitors can observe paleontologists at work from a nearby viewing station Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Sept. 2. Call the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries for information (213) 936-2230.

BOTANY

The plants and environment of the Sepulveda Dam Basin Wildlife Area will be examined in a trip led by members of the California Native Plant Society on Aug. 11. (213) 933-7136.

GEOLOGY

Geologist Peter Sadler will give visitors a glimpse of the geologic formations of the San Bernardino Mountains in a trip to the Big Bear Valley Preserve area on Sunday . (714) 866-4190.

MARINE SCIENCE

Cabrillo Marine Museum staff members will teach students in grades 9 through 12 the basics of oceanography in a workshop Aug. 13-17, from 9 a.m. to noon. Early registration is recommended.

The museum is also offering a workshop for instructors on methods of teaching about marine life and the ocean in the science curriculum on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (213) 548-7562.

SCIENCE FOR KIDS

The nighttime world of science, including a private visit to the Griffith Park Observatory, will be revealed to children as part of the Los Angeles Children’s Museum ongoing tour “Inside L.A.” Aug. 7 at 7:30 p.m. (213) 687-8801.

At Kidspace in Pasadena, children can learn about the stars and constellations as Robert Moheit brings his portable planetarium, Starlab, to the museum Saturday and Sunday . “Introduction to Starlab” will be at 12:45 and 3 p.m, “Constellations” is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. (818) 449-9144.

The California Museum of Science and Industry continues its Summer Science Workshop series for children from preschool through eighth grade through Aug. 20. Youngsters can take classes such as “Count Mathula,” “It’s a Gas,” “Delightful Dinosaurs,” or “Getting to the Bone.” (213) 744-7400.

At the Westside Arts Center, children ages 6-12 can become engineers working with wood, wheels and axles in a workshop Aug. 11 from 1 to 3 p.m. Pre-registration is required. (213) 395-1443.

ENVIRONMENT

The Nature Conservancy winds down its summer restoration work at the Kern River Preserve with plant maintenance scheduled for Saturday and Aug. 18. Volunteers assist in the restoration of one of the finest remaining willow-cottonwood riparian forests in the state. (800) 733-1763.

ANTHROPOLOGY

The history and culture of the Chumash Indians who lived on the Channel Islands will be examined in a lecture at the Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center in Ventura on Aug. 12 at 2 p.m. (805) 644-8262.