Gertz Kayaking Trip
Last September, AP Environmental Science and Honors Biology students went to the LA River to go kayaking . Unfortunately, it had rained prior to the field trip, so for the students’ and teachers’ safety, the rangers in the Los Angeles River decided to close the river for recreational purposes. Instead, Ranger Tim of MRCA gave a guided tour of the LA River wherein students learned about
the native plants in the area,and how invasive species such as the bamboo, affect the riparian ecosystem. It was altogether a fun and informative trip. We thought that was it. But we were happy to find out that since the rangers didn't want to disappoint us, we were going back on the weekend to actually go kayaking.
The kayaking activity was about 2 hours long, 1 hour to reach the end of the river, and the other hour to return to the initial point. The farther the students went into the river, the more greenery they saw in their surroundings. In the end, the rangers challenged both the Honors Bio and the APES teams to create a straight line with their kayaks. It was rather difficult, but we managed. During our field trip, we saw different types of trash. There were plastic bags, cans, water bottles, and even a shopping cart. Additionally, there were also a few dead fish. It really was quite shocking and eye-opening. We really need to keep our community clean, for it is our home. Why contaminate the air and the waters with pollution, when one can keep it clean, making it into a wonderful landscape.!
the native plants in the area,and how invasive species such as the bamboo, affect the riparian ecosystem. It was altogether a fun and informative trip. We thought that was it. But we were happy to find out that since the rangers didn't want to disappoint us, we were going back on the weekend to actually go kayaking.
The kayaking activity was about 2 hours long, 1 hour to reach the end of the river, and the other hour to return to the initial point. The farther the students went into the river, the more greenery they saw in their surroundings. In the end, the rangers challenged both the Honors Bio and the APES teams to create a straight line with their kayaks. It was rather difficult, but we managed. During our field trip, we saw different types of trash. There were plastic bags, cans, water bottles, and even a shopping cart. Additionally, there were also a few dead fish. It really was quite shocking and eye-opening. We really need to keep our community clean, for it is our home. Why contaminate the air and the waters with pollution, when one can keep it clean, making it into a wonderful landscape.!
Pictures by: Mrs. Yang