Earth Systems Science, Inc.

Happy New Year of the Sheep!

Feb 09, 2003

According to the Chinese calendar, the new year of the Sheep marks year 4700. Tradition calls for best wishes for good health, happiness, and properity.

ESSI got off to a good start. The Public Land Corps (PLC) grants were extended, and the mechanisms for accounting and funding are getting established. When you consider the re-grouping in the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and its impacts on the Los Angeles Community Partners (LACP), and the major budget constraints resulting from the US War on Terrorism, the survival of the PLC grants means ESSI will be able to continue to help implement the NPCA Cultural Diversity program by training youth to be ready for environmental jobs. Alan Spears, NPCA Cultural Diversity Coordinator, has helped ESSI, Expo Neighbors, and Charles Taylor (our main PLC contact at SAMO NRA) clarify administrative matters. Andrew Anderson and Juan Martinez (President and Director of Operations, repsectively, of THEFLABA, the LACP Youth Council) participated in training sessions led by Jim Anderson in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in January, as did ESSI volunteers Alex Arboleda, Tatsunori Ikeda, Saifon Lee, Dennis Phillips, and Erika Rodriguez. They will be "teaching back" these trail survey techniques to new PLC participants. The PLCs have also been listed as "Service Learning Options" for a Gregory Lee's college Geography Course to encourage students to perform community service. Service Learning requires students to use their knowledge and skills in their college class in the performance of community service. The PLCs and Geography go hand in hand. Additionally, the mix of college and high school students provides younger students with peer insights to college study.

Patrick Mccullough and Gregory Lee will be meeting with the Manzanar National Historic Site (NHS) superintendent Frank Hays to discuss the priority, scope, and deliverables for the PLC work there. We are also hoping to expand the PLC program to include local and Native American participants. By doing so, we hope to have a more local source of trainees and participants to better respond to the overall goals of both NPCA and NPS.

Some new collaborations and projects will also be investigated and initiated in 2003.

On Feb 15, 2003, ESSI will assist the Expo Neighbors Association in distributing free fruit trees through a Tree People's program. This is consistent with ESSI's goal of educating urban families and help create and maintain sustainable communities.

ESSI received two Pinnacles Scholarships from Outward Bound-Pacific Crest Schools. We are in the process of selecting two nominees and two alternates for full scholarships for youth to participate in extended outdoor/wilderness experiences. We are cooperating closely with THEFLABA (the LACP Youth Advisory Council). Some of the key youth members will be assisting in the screening and preparation of these scholarship nominees.

ESSI recently met with Dr. Edwin Bernbaum, Director, and Jeremy Spoon, Program Officer from the Mountains Institute's "Sacred Mountains Program" to explore possible ways to collaborate to include urban youth in access to outdoor experiences by expanding their awareness of culturally diverse views of mountains. The result of these talks paved the way for the Mountains Institute to support ESSI activities by providing resource materials and contacts relative to native cultural views of the environment. These reources will be used to enhance ESSI programs and lesson modules. Interestingly enough, the Mountains Institute "Sacred Mountains" project will be developing activities with National Park Service for the SAMO NRA, the site of one of the ESSI PLC grants.

Another recent meeting took place with ESSI and Mr. Somwang Udomsittikul, President of Sor Aroon, Ltd., a corporation in northern Thailand. The meeting gave ESSI an opportunity to discuss ideas for a Rural Training Center (RTC) in Nan Province using the community-based education model from the very successful Thailand volunteer project Gregory Lee (ESSI CEO) led for the Los Angeles Geographical Society in 1999. Mr. Udomsittikul was impressed with the spirit of international humanitarianism and pragmatic approach used by ESSI. He wholeheartedly endorsed the effort and pledged to assist ESSI as the project moves from the planning stage to implementation. [Note: See the July 2002 news article on this website reporting the initial talks about this project.]

The summer 2003 trip to visit the "Three Rivers of Yunnan" is still in progress. A number of persons have expressed interest in the trip. ESSI will collaborate with the California Geograhical Alliance (CGA) and is working on arranging optional Humboldt State University (HSU)Extension credit for the trip.

The current California education budget crisis presents major challenges for California schools. Many colleges have reduced class offerings due to the budget shortfall. But it also creates opportunities. One case in point is the cancelling of a field methods class taught by Gregory Lee. Talks are in progress to reformat the class to offer it as a collaboration with ESSI, the CGA and HSU Extension program. In the past, some youth from the LACP Jr. Ranger Pilot Program were enrolled in college in the Mr. Lee's Field Methods class. Some LACP members also took the course to enhance their environmental knowledge. The practical, hands-on approach and the use of the SCANS (US Dept. of Labor Secretary's Commission on Acheiving Necessary Skills) were adapted from this course and used as the foundation for the very successful LACP Jr. Ranger Pilot Program.

All of these ESSI activities are the direct result of partnering with various organizations. ESSI is essentially operating using "indirect" funding. That is to say, ESSI is enhancing existing programs through active collaborations while it still works to establish its own sources of funding. This is largely due to very effective networking through its active participation in the LACP and NPCA. Without these two groups, ESSI would not be able to be so active.

From its humble beginnings in the minds of its co-founders Patrick McCullough and Gregory Lee, ESSI is moving ahead to meet its goals of providing opportunities for people to learn about geography, the environment and to actively protect and sustain their communities.