Environmental Information Resources in the
San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond
A special THANKS! From Ms. Ash to class-mate Sarah Boyle
@ San Jose State University for creating this page of information for the
9th Grade Change Project.
The natural resources of the
San Francisco Bay Area are world-renowned.
Due to the continued growth in the region over the past several decades
the environment is being taxed more than ever before. Many local organizations are educating, motivating and encouraging
responsible stewardship of the natural resources of this part of California.
This pathfinder will help
Bay Area high school students locate information on the important environmental
issues currently facing both the nation and their local communities, with an
emphasis on providing relevant resources for students to evaluate different
volunteer opportunities with Bay Area environmental organizations and conduct
thorough and accurate research for environmental science school projects.
Resources
Bay Area
Environmental Information Resources for Teens
Bay Area Environmental Organizations
General
Interest Websites - with a focus on local Bay Area environmental issues
Research Resources and Writing Tips for Teens
Helpful
Searching Tips | Keywords & Subject Headings
Resources | Internet Sources – Bay Area Environmental
Information Resources for Teens
EarthTeam Links
(http://www.earthteam.net/links/organizations/)
EarthTeam is an organization that is
bringing together students, teachers and youth oriented groups to act
collaboratively in order to address the environmental needs of the Bay
Area. Within the website there are several
links to youth environmental organizations, with local chapters, throughout the
region such as Global Youth Action Network, Student Conservation Association,
Teen Environmental Action Mentorship Program (TEAM) and many others. If a teen is looking to get involved with an
environmental group, they could found an endless number of opportunities on
this website.
Bay Area Environmental Youth Quest
(http://www.yni.org/hi/youthquest.html)
This organization is part of the Yosemite
National Institute. Once a year the
institute sponsors a conference for Bay Area high school students with an
emphasis on environmental on Bay Area environmental issues. This is a good resource for students
interested in seeing what opportunities there are for teens when it comes to
environmental education. The Youth
Quest website lists high schools that have participated in these workshops and
opens up the possibility of high school students networking with other schools
and students interested in the same environmental issues.
Norcal Environmental Student Network
(http://www.geocities.com/nesn_globe)
This student network group is part of the
Secondary Environmental and Science Educators Institute. This group sponsors educational conferences
for high school students focusing on environmental issues. Again, a good resource for discovering local
groups with a focus on high school age students who wish to participate in
workshops, field trips and unique certification opportunities in watershed and
water monitoring. One of the unique
projects the group is involved with is the KWEST, Watershed and Estuary Support
Team. This team is working with the
State Water Resources Control Board’s Clean Water Team in helping to monitor
the Bay Area’s unique water resources.
A hands on project that has a direct impact on the local environment.
Internet Sources – Bay Area Environmental
Organizations
Greenbelt Alliance
(http://www.greenbelt.org)
The Greenbelt Alliance, established in 1958
is primarily concerned with land conservation for the entire Bay Area
region. The website contains current
articles from local newspapers as well as information on upcoming events, how
to volunteer in your Bay Area county and an interesting “lands at risk”
map. A good resource for a student
researching land use in the Bay Area due to the current and relevant
information found on the site.
Save the Bay
(http://savesfbay.org)
The Save the Bay organization, founded in
1961, is an important advocate, lobbying body and public educator when it comes
to local water issues. There are many
opportunities for becoming a volunteer through this organization; students are
welcome to participate in the organizations efforts. The organization offers out reach programs for schools and
students.
Sierra Club – San Francisco Bay Chapter
(http://sanfranciscobay.sierraclub.org/chapter/chapter_home.asp)
The local San Francisco Bay Area chapter of
the Sierra Club, an environmental group founded in 1892, is one of the most
recognized environmental groups in the nation.
The local chapter website offers many resources, from current issues
effecting the Bay Area to interesting environmental statistics and access to a
wide variety of articles discussing subjects as global warming, renewable
energy sources and potential of hybrid vehicles in helping to reduce the
emissions from automobiles. This
website is a good resource for exploring many of the environmental issues
facing the nation as well as the Bay Area.
Bay Area Air Quality Management District Web
Site
http://www.baaqmd.gov
Coastal Geography
http://www.ceres.ca.gov/ceres/calweb/coastal/geography.html
Cookbook of Innovations in Coastal Protection
http://www.epa.gov/owowwtr1/coastal/cookbook/cookbook.pdf
Earth Island Institute: Innovative Action
for the Environment
http://www.earthisland.org/home.html
San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners
http://www.bapd.org/gsaers-1.html
San Francisco Recycling Program Web Site
http://www.sfrecycle.org
Surfride Foundation: San Francisco
http://www.sfsurfrider.org/
USGS WRD: Water Quality of San Francisco Bay
http://sfbay.wr.usgs.gov/access/wqdata
Yerba Buena Chapter, California Native Plant
Society
http://www.cnps-yerbabuena.org/
Resources | Research Resources and
Writing Tips for Teens
Great resources which will
lead user to other web sites for lots of materials on the environment
http://www.teenink.com/Resources/EnvironR.html
http://www.enviroliteracy.org/index.php
Environmental Literacy
Council
Very comprehensive resource
for students. Well designed sit – full
range of topics on the environment.
http://www.epa.gov/highschool/index.htm
United States Environmental
Protection Agency
High School Environmental
Center
Your Neighborhood link –
Local Data, Maps, Community Issues
Cabridge Rindge & Latin
School Research Guide
http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/
Informative resource for
high school students on how to conduct research in an organized and will
thought out manner. This site provides
very practical and systematic
instructions on key research musts, note taking and writing of a comprehensive
research paper.
Exploratorium of San Francisco – Environmental
Science
(http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/cool/environmental.html)
This environmental science website is part
of the larger Exploratorium museum website.
The museum, founded in 1969 in San Francisco, is dedicated to providing
interactive exhibits in order for students to learn about science and the
natural world around them. The
environmental science website provides the user with over twenty remarkable and
useful internet resources all to do with the environment. A helpful site for students who are just
starting to use the internet as a true research tool, but have not yet become
familiar with commercial databases.
Internet Public Library for
Teens | Teen Space A+ Research and Writing: (http://www.ipl.org/div/aplus/)
This is a comprehensive site developed
especially for teens by the Internet Public library, hosted by the University
of Michigan’s School of Information.
The site consists of a guide to writing a research paper, how to do
online searching and links to additional resources found on the internet.
Mesa Arizona Library Site for Teens
(http://www.mesalibrary.org/teens/homework/environment.asp)
Although this library is in Arizona the
website does an excellent job of explaining what databases are and which ones
are most appropriate to use for high school students. The addition of links to government environmental resources is
also useful.
San Francisco Natural
History Bibliography – California Academy of Sciences
(http://www.calacademy.org/research/library/biodiv/biblio/sf.htm)
This bibliographic resource is presented in
a straightforward manner and easy to navigate.
The resources provided focus on the local Bay Area and cover subjects
such as the bay tidal marshes and the effects of smog on the local
environment. Besides the bibliographic
resource, the over-all Academy website is a wonderful science oriented resource
with quite a bit of information written specifically for students of all ages. High school students will find this site
useful when starting out researching a project topic.
Save The Bay – The Bay Classroom
(http://www.savesfbay.org/site/pp.asp?c=dgKLLSOwEnH&b=474297)
The Bay Classroom –
excellent resource to learn about “Bay Basics” such as what is a slough, what
is the delta, what are tides and currents and other environmental subject
matter. Enough information to inform
students, but not too technical – good resource if interested in water issues throughout
the bay area.
Keywords
The following keywords will
be helpful when conducting searches using an online catalog, the internet or
information database:
It is highly recommended
that the Boolean technique of searching be used in this instance.
Boolean meaning: combing
search words or terms using the following operators: “AND”, “OR”, “NOT” and using quotes to group terms like “air quality”
Air pollution
Air quality
Bay Area
Community service
Environmental education
Environmental literature
Environmental organization
Environmental science
Environmental studies
Land use
Non-profit organizations
Open space
Parklands
San Francisco Bay Area
Teens
Volunteer
Volunteer organization
Water quality
Water Pollution
Wetlands
Young adults
Youth programs
Subject Headings - Library of Congress Relevant when conducting database
searches
ACID
RAIN--ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS
AIR--POLLUTION
CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES
DEFORESTATION
ENDANGERED SPECIES
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
GREENHOUSE EFFECT, ATMOSPHERIC
HUMAN ECOLOGY
MARINE POLLUTION
NATURAL HISTORY--STUDY AND TEACHING
See also subdivision "Study and Teaching," "Problems, Exercises,
Etc.," "Activity Programs," or "Juvenile Literature"
under subject headings of interest, such as "Botany,"
"Biology," Ecology," "Science," "Urban Ecology
(Biology)" NATURAL RESOURCES--MANAGEMENT(Relevant)
NATURAL RESOURCES--MANAGEMENT
NATURE STUDY
See also subdivision "Environmental Aspects" under headings of
particular interest, such as "Automobiles," "Hazardous
Wastes," "Pesticides," "Pollution," "Sewage"
OIL SPILLS AND WILDLIFE
OUTDOOR EDUCATION
OZONE DEPLETION
RAIN FOREST ECOLOGY
RECYCLING (WASTE, ETC.)
REFUSE AND REFUSE DISPOSAL
THERMAL POLLUTION OF RIVERS, LAKES, ETC.
URBAN ECOLOGY (BIOLOGY)
WATER--POLLUTION
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Mongillo, J. F. (2004). Teen
guides to environmental science.
Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2004.
This volume is part of an
eight part volume series on environmental science. Comprehensive in scope and good resource for high school students
investigating topics for a research paper or identifying a specific area where
a student would like to direct their volunteer efforts.
Ryan, B. (1998).
Community service for teens:
opportunities to volunteer. Chicago : Ferguson Pub. Co.
This book is part of an
eight part series on community service and teens. This particular volume discusses how one becomes involved in
local community environmental issues. The
book contains interviews of teen volunteers and suggestions on where one might
look to volunteer in the community.
Database Resources on General Environmental Topics
Thomson Gale InfoTrac | Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center
An electronic resource specifically designed
for high school students offering pro and con articles on a wide breadth of
topics.
Facts on File | Science Online
This database provides information on science from all
different aspects including terminology, scientific concepts, and the history
of science through the years.
Thomson Gale InfoTrac | Student Resource
Center
This database comprises a collection of images, essays and
other articles on a variety of subjects of interest specifically targeting high
school students.
Here are some examples of
basic environmental terms that could be helpful for a student when beginning
their research for a school project or research paper.
"Air pollution." Gale Encyclopedia of
Science, 3rd ed. 6 vols. Gale, 2004. Student Resource Center. Thomson Gale.
10 December 2005
http://0-galenet.galegroup.com.mill1.sjlibrary.org:80/servlet/SRC
"Land use." Gale Encyclopedia of Science,
3rd ed. 6 vols. Gale, 2004. Student Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 10 December
2005 http://0-galenet.galegroup.com.mill1.sjlibrary.org:80/servlet/SRC
"Water conservation." Gale Encyclopedia
of Science, 3rd ed. 6 vols. Gale, 2004. Student Resource Center. Thomson
Gale. 10 December 2005
http://0-galenet.galegroup.com.mill1.sjlibrary.org:80/servlet/SRC