The District’s Regulatory Environmental Engineer Gerry Salas (second from the left), and Biologist Steve Estes (far left), led the group’s dam basin tour. Estes explained the habitat surrounding the dam and the various species that call the basin home. Estes and Salas share a responsibility to safeguard the environment around the dam while balancing the needs of the community. LA Unified School District and STEM Academy educators and administrators took a field trip to the Whittier Narrows Dam on Dec. 6. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Los Angeles District, which operates and maintains the dam, promotes STEM by hosting visits to their sites.