Kids' Ocean Day is funded in whole by California Coastal Commission
30th Annual Kids’ Ocean Day Adopt-A-Beach Event
Marine Science Institute looks forward to coordinating the 30th Kid’s Ocean Day (formally Adopt-a-Beach) program at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on May 20th. Students primarily from Title 1 schools in greater Bay Area counties, will take part in our school marine debris education program. The assembly is either virtually or in-person, which connects children to their local watershed. The Marine Science Institute strives to connect children personally to their immediate outdoor spaces, as well as to the broader marine environment.
Through programs like Kid’s Ocean Day (Adopt-A-Beach), children become empowered to protect their local natural areas and become environmental stewards. This program is grant-funded by the California Coastal Commission. Originally started by the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education, the program and event spans the California coast with 8,000 school children from San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Francisco, and Humboldt Counties celebrating our shared oceans and showing the world that kids can make a difference. The event serves as a call to action to protect these important and beloved environments.
Check back often for page updates as we are still in the planning phases of this project.
Links
Volunteer Opportunities
We are seeking passionate volunteers to make Kids Ocean Day a success! Help to set up aerial art, assist with kids' groups and clean up the beach, capture photos/videos, or fly drones to capture the aerial image. Volunteers are welcome to join individually, as a group, or as part of a corporate team. For more details, check out our volunteer flyer and get involved in this inspiring event!
Visit our Volunteer page for more details and to register
If you would like to sign up as a photography/videography volunteer or a drone pilot, please email volunteer@sfbaymsi.org
Official Project Partners
The California Coastal Commission is committed to protecting and enhancing California’s coast and ocean for present and future generations. It does so through careful planning and regulation of environmentally-sustainable development, strong public participation, education, and effective intergovernmental coordination. The Kids’ Ocean Day Adopt-A-Beach Program is part of its effort to raise public awareness of marine and coastal resources and promote coastal stewardship.
Recology Sunset Scavenger offers compost, recycling, and landfill collection and disposal services to residential and commercial customers in areas of San Francisco.
The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department currently manages more than 220 parks, playgrounds and open spaces throughout San Francisco, including two outside city limits—Sharp Park in Pacifica and Camp Mather in the High Sierras. The system includes full-complex recreation centers, swimming pools, golf courses, sports fields and numerous small-to-medium-sized clubhouses that offer a variety of sports- and arts-related recreation programs for people of all ages. Included in the Department’s responsibilities are Golden Gate Park, Coit Tower, the Marina Yacht Harbor, the San Francisco Zoo and Lake Merced.
We’re thrilled to welcome back Kevin Lozaw, a San Anselmo-based photographer who has captured the aerial perspective of Kids Ocean Day over the years. Kevin’s stunning photographs — taken from above as students form massive sand art designs on the beach — have helped tell the story of environmental stewardship on a grand scale. His creative eye and experience documenting this event from the sky bring clarity, emotion, and a powerful sense of scale to our work. Explore more of his work at www.KevinLozawPhotography.com.
Nathan is a seasoned photographer with over ten years of experience, specializing in people, product, and event photography. He has worked with celebrities, politicians, professional athletes, and Silicon Valley executives. As a former digital photography instructor for Apple Inc. in New York City, he continues to offer private instruction. Based in Berkeley, CA, Nathan serves the Bay Area and beyond, committed to making quality photography accessible to all.
We’re thrilled to partner with Specialized Aviation, whose incredible aerial support makes the Kids Ocean Day experience possible from above. Their skilled pilots provide the vantage point that brings our large-scale sand art to life, capturing the scale, creativity, and message of thousands of students working together to protect the coast.
Date Taken: May 22, 2024
Photographer: Nathan Phillips - Nathan Phillips Photography
The event has two exciting activities for the students. The first activity is a beach cleanup, which emphasizes the positive impact that each student can have on the environment. The second activity is an aerial art project. Students, teachers, and volunteers will sit in formation on the beach to form an image. A helicopter will then fly overhead to capture the image of the students.
For more information on Kid's Ocean Day please email programmanager@sfbaymsi.org