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TCA LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE CLASSROOM
New Web site allows teachers and students to take a virtual tour of Bonita Creek and explore wildlife in the restoration area
IRVINE, Calif. (January 10, 2008) - The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) today launched an interactive Web site that highlights the importance of restoring wetlands and riparian habitats to improve water quality, conserve water, and provide habitat for wildlife. This Web site, www.bonitacreekclassrom.com allows teachers to download activities such as creating a mock watershed and building a nest like those used by red-winged blackbirds. The site also offers online guided tours to help students explore the creek. The curriculum incorporates the appropriate state framework science education standards for grades 4 through 9.
“The site is designed to teach visitors about the role that wetlands and vegetation play in improving water quality,” said Valarie McFall, TCA deputy director for environmental planning.
The Web site was developed through a $2,500 grant TCA was awarded from the Metropolitan Water District for a native plant education program around the TCA’s Bonita Creek Mitigation Site in Newport Beach. Located in Newport Beach, the 21-acre area was purchased by the TCA in 1994 as a mitigation site for the 73 Toll Road.
ABOUT BONITA CREEK
Bonita Creek is part of the San Diego Creek watershed. The watershed lies between from the San Joaquin Hills to the south and the Santiago Hills to the north. As the area around Bonita Creek was developed with agriculture, roadways, houses and
businesses, the creek was forced into a narrow channel that collected runoff from the developed areas. By 1994, Bonita Creek had become a narrow drainage when it was identified by the TCA as a mitigation site for the construction of the SR-73 toll road. The TCA planned and implemented the restoration of Bonita Creek from 1995 to 2001 to reestablish willow woodland, wetland march and upland buffer. Today, Bonita Creek is a premier example of riparian restoration, a type of restoration specific to plants which grow near streams, creeks and lakes.
Special thanks:
• Metropolitan Water District
• Municipal Water District of Orange County
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