34° 02.27 North, 118° 44.85 West, Elevation: 22 m

Field Site:C		Protocols:
Solstice Canyon		This is a list of protocols that can be done at this community field site. GLOBE in the City summarized protocols are in hypertext. In parentheses are the learning activities that you may consider doing at this site.
Contact Person: Arnie Miller, NPS Education Specialist: National Park Service 401 west Hillcrest Drive Thousand Oaks, CA. 91360 805-498-0305 Map of Site http://www.nps.gov/samo/maps/solstice.htm Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area http://www.nps.gov/samo/home.htm		Cloud Type Observation, Cloud Cover Observation, Relative Humidity, Atmospheric Haze Gravimetric Soil Moisture Protocol, Infiltration, Soil Temperature, Soil Characterization, Soil Fertility Alkalinity, Dissolved Oxygen, Electrical Conductivity, Nitrate, pH, Water Sampling, Water Transparency, Water Temperature, Turbidity, (Macroinvertebrate Survey) Qualitative Land Cover (Celestial Navigation {done with another class at another site at the same time on the same day}, Relative and Absolute Directions)
Click here for directions to the site
Click on film frame for a QuickTime Panorama of the site!
Solstice Canyon is located in a canyon less than a mile from the beach. The site is set amidst a tower of sycamore and alder trees. There is a stream that runs through the day campground and there are trails that take you on very scenic hikes within the watershed. In the past, the canyon was home to giraffes, camels, buffalo, African deer and Exotic birds on the Robert's Ranch. Today, the canyon is home to deer, quail, bobcat and other common native species. Click on this URL to see what is blooming in the Santa Monica Mountains and what you may find at this site: http://www.nps.gov/samo/brochure/bloom.htm
Hours open: Dawn to dusk. Cost of admission: N/A Handicap access: Yes Restrooms: Outhouses are available next to the parking lot. Telephones: Available at the start of one of the trails in the parking lot. Food availability: None at the site. Pacific Coast Highway is less than a half of a mile from the site. There are restaurants on the highway not far from the site. Water: Bring your own. Equipment needed at site: All equipment must be taken to site. No equipment is presently available at the site. Equipment can be checked out from the Van Nuys Science Center for a two week period. Check each protocol for specific equipment. What you should know before you go: A lesson about watersheds would help students appreciate the topography of the area. Be sure to practice the protocols or review them in class before going out. Proper disposal of waste materials from tests (placed in waste bottles and taken back to your school or the science center) (as well as other trash placed in garbage cans at the site) should also be emphasized. Pitfalls: See safety precautions. Safety precautions: Poison Oak, rattlesnakes, ticks, rodents (that may carry Hantavirus) and wasps may be found at this site. The very curious students may find them! Please warn them of these hazards beforehand. Click on this URL to find out about Hantavirus: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hantvrus.htm or about lyme disease at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lymeinfo.htm. Poison oak is also something to watch out for. Site profile by Henry Ortiz 7/00
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