CCISD News

Bay Teacher Researches Orca

By Clear Creek Independent School District
July 16, 2005

LEAGUE CITY, Texas—Therese Janacek, first grade teacher at James Bay Elementary School in Seabrook, Texas, has received an Earthwatch Education Award. This summer Janacek will be joining one of the Earthwatch teams as a research assistant for a 10-day study of Orca whales in North America.

The project’s long-term goal is to document all individual killer whales in Washington State and Southern British Columbia areas to determine the population’s status and obtain demographic information. Many of the prey species of these whales have recently been listed as endangered in both the United States and Canada.

Lyondell and Earthwatch Institute have sponsored Janacek’s fellowship to attend the Earthwatch program in the San Juan Islands.

Janacek plans to come back and share with her classroom and her community the research and the information she will gain on this unique experience of working with a team of scientists observing the Orca whales.

The conservation program at Earthwatch sponsors multi-disciplinary research projects in some of the world’s critical regions of biodiversity, establishing strategic international partnerships.

For further information you may contact Earthwatch by calling (800) 776-0188 or visit www.earthwatch.org.

Photo update credit: CCISD

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