Teens Inspired To Save Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is not for everyone.

“When I got there at first,” recalled Vanessa Medero, “I thought it smelled really bad.”

But, Medero and fifty other sophomores at Cathedral City High School took the Salton Sea seriously. They realized the massive body of water is not all that bad. In fact, some of them say, the Salton Sea needs more attention.

“Palm Springs is a tourist attraction,” explained Jenny Asuncion. “And once the Salton Sea starts getting worse, it’ll spread throughout the valley, making people sick. Then, the tourists won’t come.”

These students are part of an elite group known as HEAL, an acronym for “Health and Environmental Health Academy of Learning. Since February, they have been studying the various issues associated with the Salton Sea, such as the fish die-off.

The HEAL Academy began three years ago. Most of the students were recruited while they were still in middle school.

The project inspired Josh Sonico to choose a career in that direction. “I just like water, and the fact that we can save this. We don’t have to let it die, and let the fish die.”

Others simply will cherish taking that field trip southeast from school.

“It was good to see something visual and not be stuck in a classroom,” said Medero.