Wed, July 23, 2014 12:00 AM - Thu, August 28, 2014, 12:00 AM IRVING K. BARBER LEARNING CENTRE. free. The Sea of Cortez is located between the Baja Peninsula and mainland Mexico and is one of the youngest and most fertile seas on earth. The peninsula was formed approximately five million years ago when part of the Earth’s crust separated along the San Andreas Fault drifting in a northwesterly direction away from mainland Mexico. After colliding with southern California, an ocean basin was formed. This basin is known today as the Gulf of California or more commonly referred to as the Sea of Cortez.
The area has remained uninhabited and plays host to some of the rarest and most beautiful marine life on earth, offering an amazing environment for swimming, snorkeling, diving, kayaking, and hiking.
On July 15, 2005 the islands of the Sea of Cortez were declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. It is home to thousands of species of marine animals and is the reason why Jacques Cousteau called this sea “The Aquarium of the World”. Lela Sankeralli’s journey to the Sea of Cortez is onboard Panterra’s 110 ft. live aboard ship, the “M.V. Adventure“, custom designed and built for comfortable, quiet, intimate cruising. The ship is professionally crewed with passenger certification under the “Nacional de Seguridad Maritima” laws.
In partnership with Panterra Eco Expeditions and Panterra Educational and Cultural Training Society, the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre brings the Journey to the Sea of Cortez to campus.
Artist
Lela Sankeralli is the founder of Panterra Educational and Cultural Programs and started her career as a marine naturalist. She has dedicated her life to teaching and mentoring. Because of an insatiable desire to seek the origins of life on earth, her passion as a wanderer and explorer has led to a career in designing educational programs in the Gulf Islands of Canada and the Sea of Cortez, Baja, Mexico. In 2004, Lela retired, turning her business of 18 years into a non-profit organization. Her goal throughout her career has been to make a difference in the lives of the students she has come in contact with, turning them on to further learning, and instill in them the great importance and responsibility of being the future guardians of our planet.
Location: Foyer (Level 2) of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.
For more information visit the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre website.