A visit to the Ballona Wetlands
Friday, October 5, 12:45pm - 4:00pm

The Center for Ignatian Spirituality invites LMU faculty and staff to walk through the Ballona Wetlands, guided by those with many years of experience and involvement with the preservation of this environment. Participants will also have time for quiet reflection and prayer. A box lunch will be provided, and transportation arranged.
Walking shoes and a hat are strongly advised, as well as a means of carrying some water; binoculars are an option.

To register, please call 338-1806, or send an email to ignacio@lmu.edu. We will contact you to arrange transportation, and will also send an email reminder on Thursday, October 4.

The guides:

Jim Landry, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor of Natural Science. His area of research is currently focused on the Ballona Wetlands. The wetlands fill with runoff water from the city after it rains. Landry, along with students, measures the metal pollutant concentration collected in that water. The water is then analyzed for pollutants and metals that precipitate to the bottom; ultimately, the fresh water moves out to the ocean and the Santa Monica bay.

John Dorsey, LMU Associate Professor of Natural Science, teaches environmental science courses in the Department of Natural Sciences and co-teaches the Environmental Laboratory Class. He is presently conducting pollution research in coastal wetland, intertidal and inshore marine areas. He is President of the Southern California Academy of Sciences, chair of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, and is a member of the Clean Beach Task Force for the State of California.

Pippa Drennan, LMU Associate Professor of Biology and a member of the Board of Directors of Friends of Ballona. Her research interests encompass adaptations of plants to stressful environments, ecology of deserts and estuaries, and the function relationships of plant structure.

Kelly Rose is on the staff of Friends of Ballona Wetlands, and is the Program Director for Middle School, High School and and University Education.

Further information about the both the organization and the wetlands themselves can be viewed at: Friends of Ballona Wetlands. For a full-size view of the east channel of the wetlands, click on the thumbnail picture>>>

Updated: 8/7/07