Students and Scientists Help Cactus Wren Conservation

Millennial Tech Middle School Students First To Use Cactus Wren Modules at The Beckman Center for Conservation Research

Ever since the 2007 Witch Creek fire ravaged 600 acres of coastal sage scrub at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, scientists and researchers there have been analyzing the effects on plants and animals and restoring the native habitat. On Oct. 13, they got some help from middle-school students from Southeast San Diego.

Using educational modules unveiled for the first time, 76 seventh graders from Millennial Tech Middle School spent time examining and prioritizing habitats for the coastal cactus wren, a species they are learning about in their conservation biology class. The students were the first to use the new cactus wren modules at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Conservation Research at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park.

The Beckman Center, home base for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, is staffed with educators and scientists, including a cactus wren specialist, who led the students throughout the day.

At the Conservation Education Laboratory in the Beckman Center, there are several laptop computers, which made it possible for multiple students to work on the cactus wren modules at the same time. The modules, set up with Google Earth technology, enabled the students to observe various regions throughout the county.

Like land planners, the students went through a list of criteria and discovered which San Diego regions best meet the needs of the cactus wren. Researchers at the Institute for Conservation Research use the same technology to determine whether or not to invest in the restoration of various habitats. They, too, have goals of ensuring that the cactus wren, as well as other plant and animal species specific to the San Diego region, have a home.

During their time at the Conservation Education Laboratory, Millennial Tech Middle School students also had a question-and-answer session with the Institute for Conservation Research staff. They learned that San Diego County is home to a greater number of endemic species than any other county in the contiguous United States and that cactus wrens are specialized, live in cacti like the prickly pear cactus, and generally have one mate during their lifetime.

In conjunction with their time at the Conservation Education Laboratory, the students had the opportunity to tour other laboratories at the Beckman Center, including a laboratory where prickly pear cactus, home to the cactus wren, is being grown. Scientists there are actively working to find the best method for growing prickly pear cactus, which can then be planted in rich-soil regions throughout San Diego County.

Millennial Tech Middle School students are growing cacti themselves and will plant it in two appropriate regions, Encanto Canyon and Radio Canyon, which cover 75 acres near their Southeast San Diego school. Supported by a TransNet grant, Millennial Tech faculty, community members from Groundwork San Diego, and scientists from EDAW Inc., which is now known as AECOM, will work with the students to continue to learn about conservation science. Ultimately, native habitat throughout Southern California will be restored for the cactus wren.

For more information about the Cactus Wren Restoration Project, visit http://www.groundworksandiego.org.