On January 28, 2012 the new 2012 spring cohort of the BEETS
(Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) spent
the day at the California Academy of Sciences. They started up
on the living roof and had a tour by an academy docent, then
took a quiz to find many flora and fauna living up there. This
open-air observation terrace enables them to get a close-up look
at the roof’s lush canopy of plants. The view encompasses the
densest concentration of native wildflowers in San Francisco.
The expansive vista was an ideal location for watching Northern
California’s birds, butterflies and insects. Then they descended
to the Rainforests of the World exhibit. The rainforest is
contained within a spectacular 90-foot diameter glass dome. It’s
the largest spherical rainforest exhibit in the world. The BEETS
followed a spiraling path up through the exhibit, experiencing
what it’s like to actually walk in a real rainforest.
Temperatures are maintained at 82-85 degrees Fahrenheit, and
humidity is maintained at 75%