Cruises to Explore Channel Islands

The waters of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary provide an exceptional environment for plants and animals, including five species of seals and sea lions, thousands of sea birds, more than 27 species of whales and dolphins, and giant kelp forests. This fall, the sanctuary will be offering cruises to explore the area, which covers 1,252 square nautical miles.

The cruises, in conjunction with Passage Productions and the Sea Center in Santa Barbara, will take visitors on the 88’ CONDOR to the waters around Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara islands. Each trip will include lectures by Sea Center naturalists and most will have a touch-tank setup to display animal specimens collected by divers.

Some excursions will feature a team of divers who will transmit live video images, along with two-way audio communication, to monitors on board the vessel. A cruise in December will highlight some of the more than 100 shipwrecks found within the sanctuary.

The first Underwater Video Tour is scheduled Sept. 19. For reservations, call (805) 963-3564.

ORNITHOLOGY

* Hawks, vultures and other raptors that inhabit Franklin Canyon will be discussed in a lakeside field outing sponsored by the William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. Call (310) 858-3090.

ENGINEERING

* The Reaction Research Society will sponsor a 50th anniversary Experimental Rocketry Exhibit and Symposium on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Gardena Community Center. Exhibits will include a 10,000-pound thrust liquid rocket engine, a rocket-powered funny car and firings of experimental rocket engines throughout the day. Call (213) 725-1139, Ext. 327.

ASTRONOMY

* The Mt. Wilson Observatory Assn. will sponsor a lecture on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the museum auditorium at the observatory. Call (310) 333-3478.

MARINE SCIENCE

* The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (formerly the Cabrillo Marine Museum) will host Richard Bray of Cal State Long Beach who will discuss his research on the nocturnal Pacific electric ray and its possible harmful effects on divers. Friday at 7:30 p.m. Call (310) 548-7563.

ZOOLOGY

* The Species Protection Project, a breeding facility for rare and endangered animals in Lake Elsinore, will celebrate its opening to the public with events including a guided tour on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Call (909) 678-1418.