University of Redlands

Salton Sea Environmental Education Web Site

The Salton Sea Environmental Education Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program was initiated in the fall of 2002. Its goals are to broaden the base of educators who know about the Sea, to expand their awareness of its educational potential, to tap into the comprehensive studies that have been completed about the Sea, and to use the interest in technology-based education to provide a quality training opportunity for teachers. Students will learn to do problem-solving using spatial analysis, use digital data, access web-based resources, and use GIS software and digital maps.

An environmental education professor from Redlands was hired to use her sabbatical to work on developing the curriculum for the program and working with the participants. She works closely with the Redlands Institute at the university. The Institute manages the Salton Sea Database Program, the repository for all the studies being conducted on the Sea. The resulting curriculum addresses six topics:

• The physical setting for the Sea
• Water quality
• Changing ecosystems
• Bird habitat
• Air quality
• The future of the Sea

Salton Sea Environmental Education Geographic Information System Project: S2E2GIS