Students document nature

Twenty students from EcoAcademy charter high school in the Pico-Union area of Los Angeles are spending four days with photographers from National Geographic to document nature in the Santa Monica Mountains.

"We give them cameras and teach them how to see a little bit differently," Karine Aigner said this afternoon from Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu. Aigner, senior photo editor at National Geographic Kids magazine and coordinator of the photo camp, interrupted our telephone conversation a few times to call out to the students such things as: "Look at that! Try to get it in the frame!"

The photo camp, one of 10 that National Geographic runs, is documenting the Santa Monica Mountains BioBlitz, an event hosted by the National Geographic Society and the National Park Service.

More than 1,400 students as well as scientists, naturalists, community leaders and volunteers will observe and document as many plant and animal species as possible in 24 hours, from noon today to noon Saturday, in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

The photo camp students were spread out at several sites today and will chronicle the BioBlitz from set-up through the closing moments, joining scientists and volunteers as they comb the park counting species.

EcoAcademy provides a comprehensive high school diploma program for approximately 100 youth who either dropped out of or were expelled from traditional high schools.

A final presentation of the students' work is scheduled at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the National Parks facility in Thousand Oaks. The public is invited.

-- Mary MacVean