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| QUEST: Interactive Explorations: Making Maps Come to Life! |
Explorations are a collection of unique Bay Area excursions for individuals, families and groups with a strong science and nature theme. Created by the QUEST Team with Google Maps and GPS technology to 'geotag' locations and images of what explorers will encounter, these outings are meant to inspire visitors to explore beyond QUEST's television and radio broadcasts and beyond the computer screen.
Exploration topics will include astronomy, earthquakes, meteorology, tide-pools, and wetlands to name a few. Explorations will pair locations and topics so that each experience brings to light a new place and new ideas in the realm of science, nature, and/or the environment. Twenty Explorations will be on offer by the end of QUEST's season one. An interactive online map will add in-depth science information and highlight community involvement opportunities for each one. A "print and go" feature will add to the ease of getting out and exploring. Two upcoming Explorations to log on for are:
The Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge contains both industrial salt ponds and restored wetlands. Explorers will learn why the salt ponds are there, how they work, and exactly what all those exotic brown, green, orange, red, and yellow waters are all about. Explorers will also find out why they are being restored to their original pre-Gold Rush states. This Exploration is also an excellent outing for bird-watching, observing native plants and learning about their role in the ecosystem. It offers creative learning suggestions for young explorers like playing plant detective where the plants shown in the exploration guide are discovered.
The Elkhorn Slough harbors the largest tract of tidal salt marsh in California outside of San Francisco Bay, and is the ecological jewel at the center of the Monterey Bay coastline. It provides habitat for plants and animals, including more than 340 species of birds. This will be the first Exploration where explorers are encouraged to voyage via boat, canoe or kayak. Skimming just above the water level, explorers will encounter playful sea otters or lounging harbor seals, or spot a grebe about to dive for its next meal. This Exploration will highlight the mystery behind why the California sea otter population is not growing and other distinctive insights into the inhabitants of the Slough.
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