Press and Media

With a dedicated staff of volunteer educators and biologists, ABMI is committed to providing programs that are beneficial and educational to the community. Through outreach, participation and collaborative efforts, Avila Beach Marine Institute has built lasting relationships with local nonprofits, school districts and businesses in the community.

Children are intrinsic scientists. They are inquisitive about their environment, how nature operates and why. Interactive scientific learning and hands on education is essential in cultivating this curiosity and maintaining children’s interest in scientific exploration as their learning skills develop.

The Avila Beach Marine Institute is a unique marine science education organization providing hands-on learning opportunities in the fields of Marine Biology and Oceanography to the children of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Tulare, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. These interactive learning programs have the potential of reaching over 1/2 million children onsite and through outreach:

K-12 Enrollment for 2003-2004 by County
Fresno	190,744
Kern	60,157
Kings	26,846
San Luis Obispo	36,804
Santa Barbara	67,517
Tulare	90,230
TOTAL	572,298

Source: California Basic Educational Data System
Educational Demographics Unit, California Department of Education

“A facility such as your proposed Marine Institute at Port San Luis would be of great value to the students on the Central Coast. Knowledge of how the natural world works is an important part of our students’ education. The content of your program aligns with local science curriculum and the California State Science Framework, which emphasizes the integration of life, physical and earth science. A local Marine Institute would give our students a unique chance to experience science first hand. Our 10,000 students alone would keep such and institute very busy.” — Nancy DePue, Superintendent, Lucia Mar School District, Arroyo Grande, CA.

“Teaching with hands-on activities is demanding, but everyone is involved, eager, and active, and participants remember what they have done… I never saw a textbook do that” (Rosanne Fortner, as reported in Haury and Rillero, Hands-On Approaches to Science Teaching, 1992).