Category Archives: ER Warden Report

Transect Study- Environmental Systems Class peg-15

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PEG 15 TRANSECT
ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS CLASS

transect_gfApril 1998: For this Exercise, a section of gently sloping shoreline to the East of the Docks at Peg #15 was chosen.(large old original oil-barge docking post  This intertidal zone rock is exposed to the North West, but protected by the corner of Great Race Island projecting to the West. The transect was laid at a bearing of 285 degrees. Maximum exposure of the area occurs when the wind blows from the North East in the winter months. This work was done in April when the area experiences the first of the low tides in the early part of the day.

 

 

RoyalRoadstransectAlso see the images of the Royal Roads students working on peg 15 in the summer of 1999.

The following is the transect strip. It will take a few minutes to download the whole strip ..

The photos for the transect strips were taken in 8mm video by Sebastian and Garry after the class recorded the details of species distribution over the 50 cm strip, running perpendicular to the shoreline.

Images of the students were scanned from slides taken by Duane Prentice, a professional photographer who lives in Victoria and is an Alumni of Pearson College.. Images copyrighted, 1999 by Duane Prentice.

PEG 15 : PHOTO BELT TRANSECT
Bearing 285 degrees. This area has a fairly constant slope for the 12.5 meters over a vertical range of 3 meters.The photos, one half meter in length, were taken from a video at low tide, in APRIL 1998 by Garry and Sebastian.
Investigation: 1. Plot a profile of the shoreline given the information provided.2. Determine the percentage coverage of the different species of algae shown.3. The physical factors of the habitat of an algae living high in the intertidal zone like Porphyra changes with the seasons. In this area, our low tides occur in the daytime in the summer and in the night time during the winter. It would be revealing to compare the exposure during the daytime in February or March with the exposure in June. First determine from the profile drawn above, the range of tidal level where this species lives intertidal. Then go to the data page where you can access the Tidal Predictions for Race Rocks . From the tidal level profile for Victoria, you will be able to see a graph of the tide levels .Determine how many hours this Porphyra will be exposed to the air by recording the cumulative lengths of time that the water level does not go above the lower limit of the algae. If you do this for different times of the year, you will be able to quantify the time spent submerged or emmerged over a number of days. Be sure to take into account the time of the tidal cycle when choosing days to measure, because you will notice a two week pattern of Spring ( maximum range ) and Neap( minimum range) tides.

Based on your evidence, suggest a hypothesis that could explain why this algae disappears from this area for most of the summer.

BELT TRANSECT PHOTO

Distance in metres from peg 15 is at the bottom of the picture 
Comments and species identification follow the pictures

Notes: at 0.5 metres: This is the upper level just below peg15 The yellow lichen at the top by the peg is Xanthoria parietina
At 1.0 Metres : Life is very sparse in this high splash zone, although a prominent invertebrate that we find is the tiny red miteNeomolgus.sp.
At 2.0 metres: Life is very sparse in this high splash zone, although a prominent invertebrate that we find is the tiny red mite Neomolgus.sp
At 3.5 metres: A few barnacles are starting to appear in the moist crevices.
At 6.5 Metres :Barnacles almost totally cover this areas for several meters
At 8.0 metres: The sea lettuce, Ulva lactuca starts to appear.
At 9.5 metres: The brown algae here is Alaria sp
At 11.5 metres: The wrinkled brown algae: Hedophyllum sp.
At 12.5 metres : The green grass-like plant is Phyllospadix sp , (an Angiosperm, not an Algae)

See Transect A0050101
See Transect A0050102
See Transect A0050103

___________________________________________________________

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BBC interview on a Proposal for Virtual Race Rocks

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In November of 1997, I was interviewed by Hugh Warrick of the BBC on a plan to set up a network on RaceRocks to be able to have live streaming video on the internet, Here is the audio clip of that interview

BBC Interview at Race Rocks in November of 1997 on Technology for Sustainability at Race Rocks

A Proposal for Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. : Technology for Sustainability

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A Proposal for RACE ROCKS ECOLOGICAL RESERVE: Technology  for Sustainability

CONTENTS:

 

STEWARDSHIP OF A PRICELESS RESOURCE: A window into a unique remote natural world exists on the south western tip of Canada.The Race Rocks archipelago of 9 small islands and a central island dominated by a 137 year old lighthouse was made an ecological reserve in 1980. Under the stewardship of staff and students of Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific it was designated to serve as an area for research and education as well as preservation of a rare assemblage of marine organisms. Almost 20 years later, Pearson College has taken on responsibility for managing the islands and the reserve, and providing for continued staffing on the now automated light station.

Central to this proposal is the concept that the International students on scholarship from 83 countries at Lester B. Pearson College will benefit greatly by the ability to continue to use Race Rocks as an educational resource. Moreover they will be able to be involved in operating this project as a model for ecological stewardship that they will be able to take back with them and apply to sensitive areas in their own countries. The potential for a global network of such education and research areas has exciting possibilities.

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME– ELECTRONICALLY! With our new responsibilities come a determination to make this unique resource available to the world while at the same time preserving its fragile wild ecosystems. In October of 1992 we had the experience of assisting with the broadcast from Race Rocks of 24 programs in the Underwater Safari television series. We reached by satellite, microwave and cable technology the classrooms and science centers across the nation. Now we have decided to use internet communication technologies to accomplish this task on a wider global scale and a regular basis. The following proposal puts forth some of the wide range of possibilities that could help us to succeed inthis challenging task over the next few years.

THE INTERNET AS A DELIVERY SYSTEM: Central to this plan is internet connectivity from the island of Great Race Rocks via appropriate microwave and/or Satellite technology. This prototype could be a valuable experiment in the provision of educational research images,sound and video to educational institutions around the world. Moreover it would be a valuable model for others to use in the stewardship process with unique and endangered environments.

TIDEPOOL MONITORING: N.J. Berril, one of the fathers of marine science in Canada said “If you look into a tidepool and comprehend what you see, you are observing the universe”. We have found in the biology and environmental systems classes at the college,that the tidepools at Race Rocks are a valuable asset for modeling ecosystems. There are a number of these pools of varying sizes and proximity to the water on the South West corner of the island. The physical factors of these pools such as salinity and temperature, fluctuate widely each day. Being able to monitor these changes continuously will lead to a better understanding of the dynamics of the systems. We can envisage electronic monitors that could be installed in certain tidepools that could lead to unique opportunities for students and researchers to pursue studies. It would also be possible to offer a visual image of these pools with the installation of a video imaging system underwater in a pool.

ROBOTIC VIDEO FROM THE LIGHT TOWER: With a series of robotic video cameras installed on the light tower and at other locations around the island, we could attain the possibility of an unrestricted panoramic view of the reserve. These cameras could be controlled by the operator on internet, and the following applications could result:
a) monitoring the marine mammal colonies. Year round there are always some marine mammals in the reserve. The elephant seal population has recently increased , with a possibility that they may form a new breeding colony.
b) Harbour seals are year round residents. Images of delivery of seal pups on the rocky shore right below the tower, and nursing mothers in the shallow water would afford a great advantage for the study of seal behavior.
c) The hundreds of California and Northern Sea lions that frequent the area from fall to spring would be a constant source of interest for internet visitors who could direct robotic cameras to zoom in on the constant activity in the haul out colonies. Feeding in the nearby waters that attracts flocks of birds could also be seen.
d) Orca whales frequent the area and would be visible from cameras scanning the surrounding ocean .
e) Four species of Marine birds: Pelagic Cormorants, Black Oystercatchers, Pigeon Guillemots and Glaucous Winged Gulls nest on the central island of Great Race Rocks. Video coverage of all stages of foraging , courtship and nesting behavior would be possible. Bird predation by frequently visiting bald eagles and falcons could be followed also. In addition , throughout the winter months overwintering populations of sea birds may be observed on the islands.
f) Security of the reserve could be enhanced greatly by cameras with robotic control. Both open ocean and Intertidal resources are at risk.
g) Continual observation of sea conditions would be possible for the environment weather service.

OCEANOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS: Daily measurements of salinity, (since 1936 ) and temperature ( since 1927) have proven invaluable for oceanographic research. We propose to add to this, sea state, and tide and current readings , all available in real time ,as well as in long term records.

UNDERWATER VIDEO RETRIEVAL SYSTEM: The staff and students of the Diving Service at Lester Pearson College have since 1980 been assisting other researchers in the reserve and doing regular monitoring of some of the basic features of the reserve. We have the capability to establish an electronic data bank, accessible by internet , of some of the footage of the organisms underwater at Race Rocks. This will serve as a valuable resource for those studying biodiversity and behavior of marine life. This footage could be updated frequently by our divers asthey do surveys in the reserve. Seasonal changes could be accounted for and a series of baseline ecosystem images could be established .

DEEP UNDERWATER ACCESS: In areas of the reserve too deep for regular diving, footage could be obtained from remotely operated vehicles. When linked to image maps of the reserve this footage could reveal a fascinating account of the underwater ecosystems. Arrangements through existing groups including the military who operate these vehicles should be possible to arrange.

HYDROPHONE RECORDING: Several years ago we participated with whale researchers in helping to install a hydrophone in the water off race rocks. This experience pointed to the possibility of having real time audio available from the underwater world of the islands.Killer whale vocalizations, as well as the murmur of other sounds of fish and invertebrates underwater could be a valuable addition to the web site.

ATMOSPHERIC DATA GATHERING: For many years, the light station served as a meteorological station.. Wind speeds are still transmitted to the weather forecasting services. Real time recording of a number of physical factors could be obtainable by internet. UV radiation,temperature, humidity, sunlight, precipitation and wind speeds could all be included in an array of data.

THE ALTERNATE ENERGY AND WASTE DISPOSAL TECHNOLOGIES: Recently the light and foghorn underwent conversion to Solar energy. We aim to seek an array of solar and wind technologies to be installed to make the island totally energy self sufficient. These energy generators could be monitored on a comparison basis so that a constant set of data on relative efficiencies was available to the internet site. There also exists the possibility of energy from the constant currents running past the island. This would not be an easy task but would be something to investigate for the long term. In addition, a number of technologies could be employed to provide for complete waste recovery in the sewer system of the station so that it no longer discharges into the ecological reserve.

Garry Fletcher: Pearson College faculty member in biology, environmental systems and the CoastWatch program.

November 4, 1997

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Why do Transects ? overview and techniques

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THE OVERVIEW:

Images of transects applied to biological systems provide educators and students an opportunity to explore a wide diversity of systems and habitats. Traditionally, transects have been used in ecological studies to understand populations and community associations within selected habitats. The same concepts may be used to investigate any number of other biological systems ranging from individual organisms, or parts of organisms, to global ecosystems.
The transect provides a tool to focus attention on specific, selected systems and the effects of abiotic and biotic parameters affecting those biological units in the system. Qualitative and quantitative analyses by students at many levels, utilizing the resources of the world wide web, will provide the ability to study not only the specific transect site, but to link those studies with related research and information. It is our expectation that this exercise will not only provide an opportunity for an actual educational experience but will form the initial stimulus for contributions on new sites by other individuals and groups on a world wide basis. This would transfer the collaborative classroom exercise to a research activity reflecting the collaborative nature of international science.Educators and students are encouraged to use, among others, the BioQUEST philosophy of collaborative learning to develop additional exercises that support the use of transects as a tool for biological investigations and learning.

Collaborative Curriculum Lead-In:

Using the internet with biological transects can enhance knowledge and appreciation of important relationships in established biological systems. It is an ideal technique to foster and promote collaboration among students of a class, or between students from different geographic areas, the states or provinces, and countries. Teachers at all levels (K- 16) can take advantage of this medium to introduce students to the WWW as an information-providing tool, and as a research tool (example: NIH Image). Furthermore, they are encouraged to get their students to provide other examples of transects so that a transect data base on the web can be expanded. It could eventually include a wide variety of biological systems whether from a microscopic view point or a satellite perspective.

TECHNIQUES:

The basic premise of the initial transect presentations on this web site is of transects established linearly across a biological site (often through an environmental gradient). The measuring device used depends on the size of the site and the logistical constraints in putting it into place. It is envisioned that eventually transects ranging in size from a microscopic level to a satellite image level will appear here.

Note: to be useful for this project, all images contributed must have a reference measurement scale visible or the scale must be known so that it could be inserted into the pictures. Photos also need to be of good quality. It is also possible that accurate drawings could provide the image for a transect.

BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

Transects may be used in any biological system that is appropriate to the educational and scientific mission. What is presented here are suggestions for choosing habitats; the list is not all-inclusive, but hopefully a stimulus for further selection and development of sites. Most of our natural ecosystems in the world are being affected by the onset of Climate Change. If we are to know what the components of a natural ecosystem are , we need to document them before irreversible change occurs,  

EXTERNAL SITES:

1. AQUATIC HABITATS:

a. Marine

  • Water column (vertical and horizontal transects; use of satellite imagery)
  • Rocky Intertidal
  • Mud Flats
  • Sandy Beaches
  • Subtidal
  • Cobble and Shingle Beaches
  • Tide Pools
  • Coral Reefs
  • Thermal vent communities
  • Ice Flow Communities

b. Estuarine

  • Water column
  • Mangrove communities
  • Mud and sand flats
  • Salt marshes
  • Lagoons
  • Docks and pilings

c. Fouling (Settlement) communities

d. Freshwater

  • Lakes and ponds
  • Ephemeral pools
  • Rivers, streams and creeks
  • Marshes

2. TERRESTRIAL HABITATS:

  • Forest and woodland
  • Grassland
  • Savannah
  • Chapparal
  • Deserts
  • Urban lot
  • Agricultural fields
  • Tundra

INTERNAL [LABORATORY BASED] SITES:

1. Microscopic communities: use of bacteria, protists, invertebrates, algae

  • Petri dish populations
  • Tissue culture populations
  • Glass slide populations

2. Macroscopic habitats

  • Aquaria – marine, estuarine and freshwater
  • Terraria – desert to moist 

We hope that this page will soon expand to include a wide range of images of very different transects. Some of the transects we would like to see contributed are :

    • A transect through a bog ecosystem.
    • A transect through an alpine ecosystem from the foot of a melting glacier.
    • A transect through the shoreline of a drying salt pan as one sees in Saskatchewan or other locations on the North American Plains.
    • Aerial transects from the tundra showing distribution of Caribou herds and vegetation .
    • Aerial transects through the savannahs of Africa showing animal distribution patterns .
    • Coral Reef and Mangrove Forest transects.
    • Vertical Transects in Forest Ecosystems.
    • Microscopic Transects.

    HOW DOES ONE PREPARE IMAGES TO BE ANALYZED?
    ECOLOGICAL NICHE MODELING: This file gives detailed instructions on the method used to download pictures for processing, measuring, and further work. It also contains details for an exercise on the 3D modelling of ecological niches of organisms.

ORIGINAL AUTHORS:

This program was developed at the 1995 BioQUEST Summer Workshop on Collaborative Learning, Peer Review, and Persuasion in Biology Education at Beloit College, WI. USA
The authors of the program were :

  • Lynette Padmore, Florida A & M University, Tallahassee, Florida
  • John Moon, Harding College, Searcy, Arkansas
  • Ned Lyke, California State University, Hayward, Hayward, California
  • Gabriele Wienhausen, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
  • Garry Fletcher, Lester B. Pearson College, Victoria, B.C. Canada

Peg 5 sample transects
See Transect A0050101
See Transect A0050102
See Transect A0050103
_____________________________________________________________

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The Schools Project Archive 1997-98

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SCHOOLS FIELD LAB PROJECT: In the late 1990’s the Pearson College Diving Service ran a series of field trips involving students of grade seven classes in the Sooke School District.The field trips were to the Pilot Study Marine Protected Area of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. The students of the Diving Service took responsibility for designing the curriculum, organizing the trips and conducting the field trips. The files below came from an earlier version of the Pearson College website. This page will show some of the images from those trips and the exercises the Diving Service members designed for the grade 7 students.

A special thanks to Duane Prentice (PC year4), now a professional photographer working out of Victoria, who has contributed his time and energy to help us build up a set of pictures on Race Rocks. Most of the schools program pictures above have been supplied by him.

Link to the Diving Service Schools Project 1999

OUTPOST- A video About Pearson College and Race Rocks

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http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives_2/vidday1.htm
This video was filmed by Alan Bibby in 1997. It features a visit by Dr.Joe McInnis to the islands to dive with students of Lester B. Pearson College.
Narration by Angus Matthews.

OUTPOST: RACE ROCKS
Marine Education Centre
See this file with stills and the script from OUTPOST

Moulting Elephant Seal video

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The video of this female elephant was taken off the South side of Race Rocks. It was done iby Alex Fletcher in hi 8 – before we had SONY cameras that would record in Digital. One can see the patchy skin typical of the moulting stage just behind the head. This seal had probably already gone through the most serious part of the juvenile moult, which may have occurred on one of the sandy beaches over near Metchosin.

The Race Rocks Ecological Reserve as a Scientific Resource

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The first year Pearson College students are doing their IB Group 4 science Project coursework this year on Race Rocks. 

The following is a list of preliminary ideas given to the 100 students of the first year who will all be participating in an interdisciplinary study of scientific problems at the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve on March 26, 1997.

The list is intended to stimulate the students to generate research problems to be planned in groups before-hand and then investigated on that date.

 

THE RACE ROCKS ECOLOGICAL RESERVE

AS A SCIENTIFIC RESOURCE

Scheduled for: Mar 26 1997

 

The following is a list of preliminary ideas given to the 100 students of the first year who will all be participating in an interdisciplinary study of scientific problems at the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve on March 26, 1997.

The list is intended to stimulate the students to generate research problems to be planned in groups before-hand and then investigated on that date.

CONTAMINATION SITES:

  • iron in South tide pools
  • oiled soil near storage tanks

NATURAL PRODUCTS:

  • calcium carbonate in different shell species
  • natural materials as dyes
  • enzymes- reactivity rates in invertebrates
  • alginates and other chemicals in algae
  • pigments of algae
  • feathers

ENERGY:

  • solar energy panels and their output
  • biogas potential of algae
  • wind power – real, time and historical anemometer readings.
  • energy system of generators.

MATERIAL CYCLING:

  • nutrients of tidepool systems
  • nitrogen, phosphorous
  • strand line materials
  • human recycling system

ADAPTATIONS:

  • mussel attachment
  • seaweed holdfasts
  • desiccation prevention techniques
  • temperature moderation techniques-algae, invertebrates
  • crevasse adaptations of invertebrates
  • tidepool algae salt tolerance

ON-SITE MECHANICS:

  • fog horns (3 types)
  • winch (2 types)
  • generator
  • desalinator

PHYSICAL FACTORS:

  • salinity
  • ph
  • wind
  • waves
  • currents
  • temperature
  • light

BIOTIC FACTORS:

  • biotic associations
  • distribution patterns of organisms
  • behavior of organisms-invertebrates, marine mammals
  • productivity
  • human environmental impacts

THE TOWER AS A RESOURCE:

  • internal acoustics
  • trajectories
  • seismology
  • laser aiming
  • biophysics (-as an exercise machine)

MICROECOSYSTEMS:

  • tidepools
  • crevasses
  • rainbarrels
  • rock undersides

OTHER WILD IDEAS:

  • GPS exercises
  • ground-truthing satellite observations
  • surveying and mapping

Tidepool # 5

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Pool 5 viewed from Pool 6

This file has been started to present some of the information we have accumulated on the pool in order to stimulate students to raise further questions and devise problems that can be investigated at the pool. It is also intended to be part of a cumulative digital legacy that those examining the pool can pass on to future students.

 

Tidepool 5 when the surge is filling it.

Pool 5 with a compass bearing of 210 degrees from Peg 6 is only cut off from the open ocean at a very low tide so it has a number of invertebrates that need cooler water to survive. Some anemone and purple urchins and several snail species inhabit this pool.

The following is a student lab done on an analysis of this pool:

TIDE POOL LABORATORY

BY: SARA PAVAN, ROCIO GIL, ANA MARIA VEGA, MARIUXI ZAMBRANO

Introduction

THE INTERTIDALZone: It is an area occupied by a great number of individuals and species. It is sufficiently inundated by tides and waves that provide plant nutrients, Oxygen and plankton. It is the zone where tide pools form.The intertidal zone of Race Rocks is very rich of tide pools. They are conventionally numbered for the purpose of identification. The tide pool that was studied for this lab is pool #5.

POOL NUMBER 5: It is a very low pool but very high in biodiversity. It is located in an area very open to the swells of the sea.

STRUCTURE OF THE LAB

BIOTIC FACTORS: measurement of horizontal and vertical distribution.

ABIOTIC FACTORS: temperature and salinity.

AIM OF THE LAB: TO STUDY THE HIGH BIODIVERSITY IN THE LOW POOL.

PROCEDURE AND ANALYSIS.

In the middle of the tide pool and at point#1.1 temperature and salinity were measured. The table shows the data collected.

 

  salinity-parts per thousand  temperature °Celsius
 middle-surface  27.5 parts  9°
 middle-8 centimetres  28.5  9°

middle- 48 centimetres 9° 30

point 1- 8 centimetres 9° 28.5

point 1- 28.5 centimetres 9° 29

The above results were obtained in the morning and comparing with the results given by other groups at 4:00 pm, we can see that the temperature increased one degree.

The data collection process has caused some problems, as big swells came regularly every three minutes from 9:22 to 9:28, a smaller swell came at 9:31 and an even smaller one came at 9:36. At these times we had to clear a pool, this slowed down the process quite a bit.

The following species were found in the following points.

In point 2 Balanus was found at 20 cm. of depth to the surface. It was found also in point 3 at 23 cm. of depth to the surface.Two Anthopleura elegantissima were found at 25 cm. of deph. Two Purple Sea Urchins were found at the point of 1 metre of length, covered by rocks. Two cabezons were present as well as mussels. Fucus distichus algae were covering the left part of the pool.

Some of the species were weighed the same day that were collected.Then they were dried and weighed again, with the aim of obtaining the biomass. The next table shows the results obtained

Species Weight before dry Weight after dry Biomass

Corallina 14.1 g 4.8 g 34 %

Fucus 20.1 g 1.3 g 6.5 %

Green algae 8.7 g 0.6 g 0.6 %

Phylospadix (surf grass)  -10.5 g 2.3 g 21.9 %

 

To get the Biomass results we multiplied the dry weight for 100 and divided by normal weight.

To get more data about pool 5, we measured the amount of plankton of each sample of water. The results were that there was less plankton in the surface than in the bottom due to the constant exchange of oxygen produced by the waves

Measurements of the pool 5.

1.Aea: 34546.95 cm2

2.Length: 1449.65 cm.

To obtain these measurements, refer to this file on using NIH IMAGE

Obviously, the level of oxygen in pool 5 must be really high due to the huge diversity of animals and plants found. As we know, the plants produce oxygen and the animals consume it while producing carbon dioxide, which provokes an interaction increasing and decreasing the level of ph and oxygen  depending on whether sunlight is present for photosynthesis or not.

OUR EVALUATION.

From the beginning of the lab, we had some problems to take the samples due to the high tide that made the collecting of samples a lot more difficult. A more accurate study of the pool, could have been done by measuring the levels of ph and oxygen. Team work was effective, the effort came from everyone in the group and we succeeded in computer work by obtaining  excellent pictures and measurements of the pool.

Pearson College students plot tidal currents at Race Rocks

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n April of 1996, the Pearson College Environmental Systems Class planned a field lab which would enable us to present a profile of the currents around the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. We had acquired a number of drogues as surplus which were used in current studies after the Alaskan Oil Spill. We have fitted them with radar reflectors so that we can determine the distances from the islands in our plotting process.