https://www.marinedepot.com/

The Marine Lab at Concordia University (mdshop.us/MarineLab) in Irvine, CA invited us to tag along with them on a recent outing to our local tide pools in Corona Del Mar. This was no regular trip to the beach because we were accompanied by an entire class of elementary school students!

Concordia University is working to help expose kids to marine biology and the importance of preserving our earth's natural environment.

For me, the coolest thing was to watch all the kids interact and ask questions about the wildlife found in the tidepools.

Sean and his group of undergrad students taught the kids how to collect and apply field data. They looked at the biodiversity by counting and recording the different species found in small sample sections of the upper and middle tidal zones.

Of course, these animals are a little different from what you might find in your typical tropical reef tank because our oceans are a little colder and considered a temperate environment.

Growing up in Southern California, visiting the tide pools with your elementary school is like a rite of passage. It was quite nostalgic for me to watch the kids run around and get so excited about all the amazing animals that can be found right here in our own backyard.

Be sure to stick around because we have some interesting projects in store with the Concordia University Marine Lab and will be posting videos all summer long right here on our YouTube channel. We are still brainstorming, but I can say a tour of the marine lab and building an aquarium for research are on the video schedule!

We appreciate all of you for watching and until next time, take care and happy reefkeeping. Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MARINE LAB AT CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY IRVINE:

https://www.cui.edu/en-us/academicprograms/arts-sciences/marine-lab