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Community Events with MERITO Team participation
2002-2003
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In partnership with many other regional groups, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's MERITO team participates in and offers a series of special events designed to provide outreach for the Latino community.

Sunday, December 21, 2003 - "Tidepool Day " at Point Pinos
Third in a three-part bilingual series (Kayak Day, Slough Hike and Tidepool Day), MERITO staff will lead a two hour exploration of our wondrous rocky intertidal habitat. Families wanting Spanish interpretation of tidepool life encouraged to attend. To register, contact Michelle Templeton at (831) 566-7569 or michelle.templeton@noaa.gov
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Sunday, November 2, 2003 - "Slough Hike"
MERITO staff led a Spanish bilingual Slough hike in partnership with the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. The event brought out 25 community members for a beautiful day of hiking, bird watching, crab identification and much more. Second in a three-part bilingual series (Kayak Day, Slough Hike and Tidepool Day), are ways to provide meaningful experiences in nature as a follow up to community outreach efforts year round.
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Sunday, October 5, 2003 - "Kayak Day" at Elkhorn Slough
MERITO staff hosted it's second annual Kayak Day. Twenty seven community members from Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Castroville, Las Lomas, and Salinas participated in the Spanish bilingual tour focused on natural history and conservation of the Elkhorn Slough and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary waters. Kenton Parker, of the Elkhorn Slough Estuarine Research Reserve, joined the MERITO team as a naturalist guide. Participants were also provided with goodie bags and free passes to ESNERR following the paddle. All boat and equipment rentals were donated by Monterey Bay Kayaks. This field experience is first in a three part series offered in Spring and again in Fall through the MERITO program. "Kayak Day", the "Slough Hike" and "Tidepool Day" are ways to provide meaningful experiences in nature as a follow up to community outreach efforts year round. Next Kayak Day is scheduled for March 2004.
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Saturday, September 20, 2003 - Coastal Cleanup Day
California Coastal Clean-up event was provided in collaboration with California State Parks, Monterey County. MERITO staff worked as beach captains for the annual International Coastal Cleanup Day in an effort to increase community participation. The day was promoted through Spanish radio PSA's and bilingual flyers distributed throughout Watsonville and Pajaro. 123 volunteers came out to Salinas River State Beach in Moss Landing and helped pick up trash and debris along their coastline. In addition, MBNMS co-sponsored the Monterey County effort at 26 sites with over 1500 volunteers picking up 8,385 pounds and trash and 1,880 pounds of recyclables.
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Sunday, June 1, 2003 - Family Farm Day in Salinas
MERITO and Ag Plan staff teamed up to participate in Agricultural Land-Based training Association's Family Farm Day Festival at the Rural Development Center in Salinas. Local organizations came out to educate farmers and their families on how to help protect the environment with activities and information on composting, organic farming, and resource protection. The MBNMS provided the watershed model demonstration and information on the Sanctuary's Agriculture Plan. The event brought out 60 Latino farmers and their families to enjoy farm demonstrations, hands-on activities, food and music.
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Sunday, May 17, 2003 - Castroville Artichoke Festival
MERITO staff attended the Castroville Artichoke Festival. This multicultural event drew in about 15,000 local community members as well as visitors from across the country. The MERITO team educated about 750 visitors about the Sanctuary and provided fun activities for children.
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Sunday, May 11, 2003 - Mother's Day at Elkhorn Slough
the MERITO team participated in the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve's Mother's Day Event. The event included free flowers to mothers, music by the Joe Weed Band, free food, walking tours, a bilingual puppet show by Save Our Shores and activity booths for all ages. ESNERR, the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, Watsonville Parks and Community Services and MBNMS provided activities, arts and crafts. The Sanctuary gave out Threatened and Thriving and Robert Lynn Nelson posters for moms. A display of the Pájaro Middle School Watershed Institute's art and poetry debuted in the Visitor Center. MERITO's role in event planning included providing bilingual materials and promoting Latino attendance. Over 600 people attended, including 12 Latino families.
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Thursday, May 8, 2003 - Family Watershed Night
The Pájaro Middle School Watershed Institute held their This evening was the culmination of the student's knowledge and experience built from MERITO's one-year pilot curriculum program. (Click here for more information). The event was student led and delivered watershed and marine information to family and peers during the school's Open House Night. Students demonstrated the watershed model, soil erosion model, marine mammal thermoregulation, water quality testing and had a microscope/videoscope station for visitors to explore plankton samples taken from the Elkhorn Slough. For more information, please click here. Over 150 parents and students attended the event.
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Sunday, April 27, 2003 - Día del Niño & Earth Day with the City of Watsonville
MBNMS, Save Our Shores, Watsonville Wetlands Watch, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Ecology Action, Camp SEA Lab, Monterey Bay, Resource Conservation District, ALBA and the City of Watsonville Public Works teamed up to provide a special "Earth Day" component of the City of Watsonville's fifth annual Día del Niño/Day of the Child celebration. Kid's activities involving protection of the environment, litter clean-ups, nature walks, music, dancing, free hot-dogs, sunshine and speeches from Assemblymember Símon Salinas and our Superintendent Bill Douros rounded out the day. 3,000 attended the event and about 500 used Earth Day passport activities.
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Sunday, April 27, 2003 - Día del Niño with Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary education staff and MERITO intern participated in Monterey Bay Aquarium's 2nd annual Día del Niño/Day of the Child celebration. Watershed model demonstrations and the "touch and feel" box activities were hosted by MBNMS. A variety of hand-on kid's activities, music, dance and free admission to children.
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Sunday, March 30, 2003 - Kayak Day
MBNMS MERITO staff, Elkhorn Slough Reserve staff, Monterey Bay Aquarium staff, Pajaro Valley Unified staff, and Save Our Shores staff, led a group of 25 Latino adults and students on a kayak tour of the Slough. The trip offered a positive experience to first time kayakers, and delivered watershed protection messages in a way that was fun and meaningful. Monterey Bay Kayaks sponsored the day at no cost. The Monterey Herald and the Register-Pajaronian newspapers covered the event. For more information, please click here.
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Saturday, February 22, 2003 - "Padres Migrantes: Cultivando Futoros Lideres" (Migrant Parents: Cultivating Future Leaders)
MERITO staff attended the second annual Pajaro Valley Unified School District Conference. The event workshops were led by parents working with the district to teach other parents how to encourage healthy academic and social growth in their children. Over 200 Latino parents and families attended the conference. Various community agencies and organizations hosted informational booths. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, in partnership with Save Our Shores provided bilingual information, collected survey data, and gave away over 100 free family passes to the Elkhorn Slough Reserve.
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Saturday, December 7, 2002 - 4th Annual Conferencia Familia
MERITO staff and Save Our Shores coordinated to provide an informational booth at the conducted at E.A Hall Middle School in Watsonville. 200 Latino parents attended the conference, and staff conducted a fifteen-question survey to collect data on issues of concern for the community, and on their awareness about the Sanctuary and Elkhorn Slough.
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