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Visit the Living Coast Discovery Center for a chance to explore the amazing wetlands of San Diego Bay. Check the event calendar to see what activities are in store for this summer.

The Environmental Educator Leaders Network (EELN) had a fabulous year with educators in San Diego County. We have had the opportunity to offer professional learning to grow outdoor learning skills, two wonderful books clubs, hikes, and an amazing showcase night. We are so excited to continue the learning and fun with classroom teachers and environmental educators during the coming school year.

Save Sept. 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. to join EELN for our 2023-24 kickoff at Coastal Roots Farm!

Photo Source: C. Starr Howe

Join us July 10-13 to build your skills in bringing environmental justice projects to your science class. This virtual professional learning series will focus on environmental literacy and climate science and change. We will also connect the Next Generation Science Standards and career technical education to the California Environmental Principles and Concepts. We further aim to connect students with culturally relevant local phenomena to engage in science. Come and learn from experts in the field and collaborate with fellow educators to develop instructional resources for your classroom. See the program flyer for stipend and registration information.

Learn how to use essential understandings, instructional routines and questions to develop integrated math and science experiences for the prekindergarten through 3rd grade classroom. Leverage the connections between high quality instruction in science and math to increase learning for all students. Register for the Aug. 3 or Aug. 4 workshop.

The California Environmental Literacy Initiative has launched a new Partner Portal that promotes environmental literacy by building educator awareness of community-based partners and their products and services and fosters relationships between educators and community-based partners for increased student enrichment and engagement. The goals of the hub are to increase the visibility and access to environmental education community-based partners and be a reliable central repository for districts, schools, and teachers to identify programs that align with their local needs and meet educational standards. Learn more about our partners.

Tijuana Estuary's middle and high school teacher training will take place in early summer on June 27 and 28. It will be all in-person for the first time since 2019, with some asynchronous preparation. Teachers on the Estuary explores authentic data literacy and brings coastal research into the classroom. To register, use the form or email Anne Marie Tipton, education coordinator.

Join us at the Climate Generation Summer Institute July 17 to 19. The first two days will feature meaningful discussions about the intersection of social justice and climate change and collaborative conversations among national climate change education leaders. During the California Cohort Day on July 19, hosted by Ten Strands, we will focus on strategies to help support Climate Resilient California Schools.

The United States Geological Survey California Water Science Center, Water Energy Education Alliance, and California Project WET program invite middle and high school educators to a unique Project WET workshop experience exploring the role of California water science research in managing California’s water resources, our place in Earth’s systems, and how modeling increases access to STEM careers, supports student success, and enhances community resilience. Find more information and register online.

The biannual Climate Champions Design Summit supports participating teams with learning about a local climate-based phenomenon. From exploration of this phenomenon, teams will learn how to use the Understanding Global Change Framework to support constructing models and evidence-based explanations. Participating teams will be provided modeling kits for each teacher to use with their students and be invited to participate in monthly community of practice meetings. The Climate Champions Community meetings are designed to support sharing learning from implementation and connect teachers to new learning experiences with researchers. Learn more by completing this interest form.

Join STEM professionals for a variety of workshops exploring the real science conducted in America’s national parks. Participants will use technology to investigate real-world problems and learn ways to solve them, empowering them to preserve and protect nature and sparking an interest in STEM. These workshops are free to the public, and will be located at Cabrillo National Monument, libraries, and other community spaces around the county. Register for these free workshops on the Cabrillo National Park website.

The Water Conservation Garden and Ms. Smarty-Plants™ are providing fantastic free, fun programs for your students this school year. She can visit your school in person, or you can visit the garden to explore our garden exhibits. She will inspire students about water conservation, gardening, and science! Water districts throughout the county are funding these programs for schools. Please reach out to our education team to see if your school qualifies for a free program. Please email SmartyPlants@thegarden.org or visit the website.

The Energy is Everything program aims to develop the next generation of energy workers by raising exposure to high-value energy career pathways for K-12 disadvantaged students. Energy is Everything is a multi-disciplinary program aligning with California state standards and STEM skills, focused on energy and environmental topics. The program guides students in applying science and engineering practices (researching, designing solutions, redesigning, notebooking, and communicating). Simultaneously helping them build their conceptual knowledge, Energy is Everything intends to increase STEM skills, especially in energy and water resource management. As students deepen their understanding of human impacts on the environment, they shift their behavior and decisions toward living more sustainably. Learn more about the Energy is Everything program.

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Community Engagement team has been working since 2005 to make the alliance's scientific staff and facilities available to challenge, engage, and inspire students from middle school to college. The team's approach provides the opportunity to share a full, in-depth look at the work of conservation biology and the many fields of study that help guide conservation decision-making. Their specialized facilities offer the chance to work firsthand with the tools and techniques used in conserving endangered species. All of their programs are developmentally appropriate, relevant to real-world problems, and emphasize understanding through inquiry.

The Community Engagement team offers a 2.5-hour lab field trip program titled Exploring Conservation Science to interested science teachers and their classes. This program is open to all interested middle school, high school, and undergraduate classes, and includes visits to both the Beckman Center and the adjacent San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido. For more information and to reserve a field trip, please refer to the Exploring Conservation Science website.

The Nat has new educational materials available for San Diego County educators! To complement their Expedition Baja exhibit, which opened last year, the museum has a new curriculum guide with lessons for middle school teachers who want to engage their students in field research and conservation. Check it out, along with all the other curriculum guides on other topics. In addition, the museum has a brand-new Expedition Baja Teacher Kit available in the Nature to You Loan Library. This kit will teach students how plants are uniquely adapted to their environment. Check the kit out, literally!

Y4C provides opportunities for students (aged 13-23) and adult supporters to build leadership skills, engage in actions, and work towards a brighter future! Empower youth to make change through direct action campaigns, get community service hours and internships (paid and unpaid), and join an inspiring community of youth activists. For more information, see the Youth4Climate website.

In a new series by The Science of Happiness podcast, the discussion explores the intersection of environmental well-being and our own well-being, where taking care of ourselves and the planet are one in the same and feeling good is not only possible, it’s helpful. Climate, Hope & Science: The Science of Happiness podcast.

Emerald is an Atlantic Green Sea Turtle. She was found off the coast of Florida and had injuries consistent with a boat strike. An injury like this can leave sea turtles with significant buoyancy issues, which negatively affect their quality of life. She was brought to The Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida, where she was treated for her injuries. She was outfitted with a weight on her carapace (shell) that allows her to dive more successfully and stay submerged for longer periods of time. Her injuries prevented her from being released to the wild, which is when the Living Coast came in! Emerald was flown from Florida to San Diego and welcomed to the Living Coast, her new forever home, in October 2022!

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