May 7, 2010
On the Internet at www.MISSIONTIMESCOURIER.com
Volume XVI – Number IV
San Carlos Teen Goes Face-to Face With Polar Bears in Arctic Circle Teen Arctic Ambassador shares experiences with peers and highlights impacts of climate change, bears' struggle for survival By Jeff Barnes From San Diego to the Arctic Circle, one Patrick Henry High School student has traveled abroad for the first time to learn about one of his favorite animals and the challenges facing the largest land meat eater on Earth - the polar bear. In September 2009, Daniel Straub embarked on the trip of a lifetime. The high school junior Polar Bear, Arctic Circle traveled to Churchill, Manitoba Canada as the San Diego Zoo's Teen Arctic Ambassador. Straub was one of 16 high school students from around the world selected to participate in last Daniel Straub, year's Polar Bears International Teen Leadership Camp. Teen Arctic The program is designed to inform, inspire and empower Ambassador students to motivate change within their communities, especially with regard to the effects of climate change on polar bears. continued on page 11
SpringFest Is This Weekend By John Peterson Good News - SpringFest weekend is here! Friday May 7th at 5pm the 11th annual celebration of spring in our great Navajo Community will get underway at the Allied Gardens Community Park. The fun-filled outdoor festival will feature carnival rides, over 100 food and merchandise vendor booths, inflatables, dunk tank, pony rides, talent demonstrations, a rock climbing wall, the famous Kiwanis Allied Gardens Parade, Car Show, a History Booth, a Beer and Wine Garden, and as always a great weekend of music. There is something for everyone; young, old, and in-between. Friday evening at 7:30pm the Air Force Band "Mobility" will be featured on continued on page 13
Lewis Middle School 8th Grader Rosa Olascoaga, sitting here next to First Lady Michelle Obama, had the privilege of introducing First Lady Michelle Obama during her visit to the New Roots Community Garden on April 10th in City Heights. Mrs. Obama met with residents who grow vegetables and fruit in the garden and spoke about her "Let's Move" initiative aimed at creating environments that support healthy eating and physical activity. Rosa serves as a youth member of "Building Healthy Communities," a new 10-year project funded by the California Endowment.
Explore Mission Trails Day 2010: Free Family Fun May 15 Mission Trails Regional Park - On Saturday, May 15, residents of all ages are invited to the 2010 event: Explore Mission Trails Day (EMTD). Mission Trails Regional Park is an "open space" urban park with over 6,000 acres. It is one of the largest urban parks in the United States offering opportunities yearround for free outdoor fun, but is not very well known except to those of us lucky enough to live in the neighboring communities of Tierrasanta, Santee, San Carlos and La Mesa. Mission Trails Regional Park is open every day. But only once a year do dozens of volunteers, Park Rangers and community leaders host a large free event to help San Diegans learn more about their Park and how to enjoy it. EMTD activities on May 15 will take place in several different areas of the diverse park, but will be focused mainly around the Visitor and Interpretive Center and the Equestrian Staging Area at SR52 and Mast Blvd. A bird walk, entitled "Birds of Kumeyaay Lake" will begin at 8 a.m. at the Kumeyaay Lake Campground. Most other events will take place between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., with child-themed nature walks occurring early in the day. However, a special Ranger-led "Twilight Walk" will begin at 7 p.m. from the Kumeyaay Lake Campground (reservations for this event are required: call 619-668-2748), followed by a star-gazing event at 8 p.m., weather permitting. Volunteer Trail Guides will lead several special walks into the Park with child-themed topics such as "How Kumeyaay Children Lived and Played in Mission Trails" and "Who Lives Here: The Critters of Mission Trails." Senior Park Ranger Tracey Walker returns to lead a popular walk for families from the Visitor Center entitled "Hike with a Ranger" at 11 a.m. Youngsters can also enjoy arts and crafts projects (for ages 3 and up), free pony rides and up-close encounters with raptors, reptiles and other live animals. Over a dozen "Discovery Stations" near the pony rides will provide interactive learning opportunities about geology, birds, insects, Indian culture, native plants and many other topics in the Equestrian Staging Area of the Park. Scholastic's Ms. Frizzle™ will help educate little ones about one of San Diego's most common wild critters, courtesy of the San Diego Natural History Museum. The wacky, redhaired character from the book series, The Magic School Bus©, will present a special program about coyotes in the Visitor Center's outdoor amphitheater at 9:30 and 10:45 a.m. and again at 12 noon for children ages three to eight continued on page 10
Lake Murray Playground Project Selected for Potential $50,000 Grant Tracy Dahlkamp never knew that rebuilding a playground would mean staying up until all hours of the night working on her computer. Her tenacity could just pay off. This month, the Lake Murray Playground Project was selected by Pepsi to compete with community projects across the country to win a $50,000 grant as part of Pepsi's Refresh Project. "I've been submitting our applicontinued on page 12