The Thacher School and The Turtle Conservancy
Projects
Charlie, Sophie and Hayden
Charlie
Sophie
Hayden
I focused on sharing the experience and data that the class collected through the Southwestern Pond Turtle surveys by creating an interactive map that links to various data sheets and spreadsheets with our findings. It also gives a visual representation of the transects that we walk when doing our surveys.
The map gives brief descriptions of each site and as the Southwestern Pond Turtle project expands, the map will be able to change with the research and can be edited and revised.
I worked on creating a datasheet and database to record and analyze the stream ecology/health of bodies of water in the Sespe wilderness. The datasheet is organized into three sections: physical assessment, chemical assessment, and biological assessment. All three determine the health of the stream.
This data is used to see if the stream is a habitable place for the Southwestern Pond Turtle and hopefully to see if we can predict indicators of a turtle habitat.
I focused on water testing in the Sespe National Forest and throughout the Ojai Valley, looking for clear signs of water pollution. I took the data from seventeen different sites, and created a data sheet where all of my data is stored. I mainly tested for three different things: PH, Dissolved Oxygen, and Dissolved Solids.
The data gathered is used to see if there are any clear signs of water pollution, that could be potentially harmful to native species.
The Three Transects:
Sespe East Transect runs along the Sespe Creek with the start of the transect starting slightly west of Guerrilla Camp. This transect has notably more large boulders than the other transect and begins much wider open before narrowing down as surveyors head west.
Sespe West Transect also runs along Sespe creek and begins at the confluence of Piedra Blanca Creek and the Sespe. This transect is defined by smaller rocks and sediment and also thick river banks.
Piedra Blanca Transect runs along Piedra Blanca Creek which is nestled right next to Patton's Cabin and begins about 100 meters south of the cabin off a trail. This transect is skinnier due to the nature of the the creek. The transect is defined by small shallow pools and splits into two streams before the end of the transect.
Dash
As neighboring organizations with aligned values, The Thacher School and the Ojai Turtle Conservancy have a unique opportunity to develop a lasting relationship that provides students with extraordinary opportunities to enrich their foundational science curriculum. For my final conservation project, I partnered with Goode Films to create a documentary entertaining the partnership’s endless possibilities and its potential to inspire meaningful environmental action from students and community members.
