Science / Medicine : Coastal Wetlands to Be Highlighted
The importance of protecting the nation’s coastal wetlands will be highlighted as part of the Cabrillo Marine Museum’s observance of National Estuaries Day and COASTWEEKS, a nationwide campaign to improve the quality of beaches and coastal wetlands.
To illustrate the importance of protecting these rapidly diminishing areas, museum staff members will lead participants on a field tour of “Salinas de San Pedro,” a man-made salt marsh at Cabrillo Beach, Saturday at 11 a.m. Marshes such as these serve as vital environments for birds, fish and other animal life, some of which are endangered.
The COASTWEEKS observance will continue Sept. 22 with a program designed to heighten awareness of the problems caused by beach pollution. Volunteers can assist in a beach and tide pool cleanup from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call (213) 548-7562.
SCIENCE FOR KIDS
Naturalist Christopher Nyerges will teach children about the plants used for everyday needs by American Indians who once lived in what is now Pasadena, in a workshop at Kidspace Museum on Saturday at 1 and 2:30 p.m. Call (818) 449-9144.
HEALTH
Dr. Marilou Terpenning will discuss trends in the treatment of breast cancer at the Breast Cancer Recovery Plus meeting Sept. 15 at 2 p.m. at the Mercury Savings and Loan Office in West Los Angeles. Call (213) 478-9463.
UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric Hospital is sponsoring a series on the problems of the modern family beginning Tuesday with a discussion about obtaining special education services for children, in the NPI Auditorium at 7 p.m. Reservations are recommended. Call (213) 206-3482.
ASTRONOMY
UCLA astronomy professor Edward Wright will discuss the discovery of background cosmic radiation, believed to be the “noise” from the Big Bang, at the annual Open House meeting of the Santa Monica Amateur Astronomy Club on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Call (213) 450-1944.
The Tessman Planetarium program at Rancho Santiago College will focus on the Milky Way and other galaxies, Sundays at 2 p.m. throughout September. Call (714) 667-3097.
The outer planets of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will be highlighted in the Moorpark College astronomy program Sept. 23 at 8:30 p.m. Call (805) 378-1408.
BOTANY
The environment of the Madrona Marsh and efforts to reintroduce native vegetation to the area will be discussed by naturalist Walt Wright at the South Coast Botanic Garden Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. Call (213) 772-5813.
MARINE SCIENCE
The 10th anniversary celebration of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary will be marked in a weekend of special events Sept. 22 and 23 at the Sea Center and the new sanctuary headquarters in Santa Barbara. Events include Chumash Indian dancing and programs about the sanctuary and shipwrecks found there, and naturalists will be on hand to answer questions about the diverse marine life of the area. Call (805) 966-7107.
