Coastal Commission Awards $2 Million in Whale Tail Grants

AMTV/SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Feb 17 – On Wednesday, February 8, the California Coastal Commission approved 56 Whale Tail Grant applications totaling more than $2 million to non-profit organizations, community groups, and schools for projects and programs that provide educational experiences focused on coastal protection, public access, and environmental justice.

“Once again, the range of proposals funded by the Whale Tail grants reminds us of how important the coast is to all Californians, regardless of race, zip code, age, orientation, or ability,” said Coastal Commission Chair Donne Brownsey. “This funding opens doors, expands horizons, and inspires life choices.”

Whale Tail Grants are supported by drivers who purchase Whale Tail License Plates, as well as California Taxpayers who “Check the Coast” at tax time with contributions to the Protect Our Coast and Ocean Fund. Over the past 20 years the Commission has awarded an average of $350,000 annually across approximately 20 grants, primarily for projects that provide opportunities for inland, rural, and historically excluded communities to experience and learn about the coast and ocean and develop leadership, stewardship, and science-based skills.

In 2021the Legislature appropriated an additional $10 million for the Whale Tail Grant Program, to be expended over five years. This is the second grant cycle since the new allocation, and is much higher than the average annual allocation. After several months of extensive public outreach, and guidance on how to apply for the grants, Commission staff received 149 applications. Many were first-time applicants, with innovative proposals engaging communities historically excluded from coastal education opportunities. The additional funding enabled the Commission to distribute $2,089,226.

Some of first-time applications included funding for environmental education and coastal experiences for tribal youth and families, low-income LGBTQ+ adults, and youth from inland communities such as Riverside, Chualar, and San Joaquin County.

“These funds allow a whole new generation of Californians to fall in love with the coast and we hope will help them evolve into coastal stewards,” said Chair Brownsey. “We want to thank everyone who has purchased a Whale Tail License Plate for making this program possible.”

On February 9, 2023, the Commission unanimously approved the following 56 competitive grants totaling $2,089,226 to the following organizations for these specified projects, roughly organized from south to north:

1. BIPOC Support Foundation, $43,359
Project Title: Explore Outdoors: From Your Neighborhood to the Coast
Engaging Communities in: Valencia Park in San Diego
Project Timeline: May 2023 – August 2024
A three-week summer program will engage BIPOC youth in earth and ocean sciences, climate change, sustainability, environmental justice, and the intersections of these topics with their city and local ecosystems. During the program, youth will enjoy six field trips, explore science careers, and learn about environmental programs at local colleges and universities.

2. Paddle for Peace, $19,600
Project Title: Diversity in our Coastal Spaces
Engaging Communities in: City Heights, El Cajon, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley,
National City and South East San Diego
Project Timeline: March 2023 – March 2024
Ten beach events will welcome BIPOC youth and families to learn outdoor skills like surfing and beach volleyball, create relationships with mentors, increase knowledge of ocean conservation, and enjoy community at the coast.

3. San Diego Children and Nature, $26,750
Project Title: Promoting Coastal Health by Engaging Teachers in Watershed Exploration
Engaging Communities in: Coastal south San Diego
Project Timeline: March 2023 – June 2024
Formal educators will increase their environmental literacy and outdoor teaching techniques through a ten-month program where they will visit six local ecosystems and focus on science practices that inspire engaged learning, curiosity, and wonder.

4. Ocean Discovery Institute, $50,000
Project Title: Exploring the Kelp Forest and the Rocky Intertidal
Engaging Communities in: City Heights in San Diego
Project Timeline: March 2023 – March 2024
First and third grade classes in 11 schools will learn about the rocky seashore and kelp forests through a classroom lesson, a visit to the Ocean Discovery Institute’s Living Lab, and a field trip to the coast, as they investigate human impacts and solutions and meet science role models.

5. Outside the Lens, $50,000
Project Title: Cameras in the Outdoor Classroom
Engaging Communities in: City Heights and Barrio Logan in San Diego
Project Timeline: March 2023 – January 2025
Twelve third and fourth grade classes will engage in a 12-week environmentally-focused media arts integration program to understand how their local watershed connects to the ocean. They will share their learning through creating public service announcements and participating in in-person and virtual exhibitions of their work.

6. ‘ataaxum Pomwkaan/Community Action Service Advocacy, $33,635
Project Title: Returning to Our Homelands Project
Engaging Communities in: Northern San Diego County reservations
Project Timeline: March 2023 – January 2025
Native youth and their families will be engaged in reclaiming their homelands through habitat restoration projects in partnership with Buena Vista Audubon Society. Youth will take part in coursework on climate change and wetlands, including Indigenous culture and history, and four stewardship field trips.

7. Vista Community Clinic, $50,000
Project Title: REACH Youth Coastal and Marine Education
Engaging Communities in: Vista and Oceanside
Project Timeline: April 2023 – October 2024
Middle and high school youth will take part in a yearlong afterschool program on coastal and marine conservation, with direct instruction, stewardship activities, fun and educational field trips, whale watching, fishing, and a two-night camping trip to Tijuana River Valley.

8. Amigos de Bolsa Chica, $20,000
Project Title: Reserve Watch
Engaging Communities in: Huntington Beach and visitors
Project Timeline: March 2023 – April 2024
A partnership of Amigos de Bolsa Chica, Bolsa Chica Land Trust, Bolsa Chica Conservancy, Sea & Sage Audubon, and California Department of Fish & Wildlife will recruit, train, and mobilize docents at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve during peak visitor times, seven days a week, to educate the public and protect wildlife. Handouts will be translated into Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese.

9. El Modena High School, $19,572
Project Title: Ecological Research Student Funding
Engaging Communities in: City of Orange
Project Timeline: April 2023 – June 2024
High school students will learn about local wetland plant communities, conduct habitat restoration, and participate in scientific research while completing a California Naturalist certification.

10. Riverside Community College District Foundation, $50,000
Project Title: “C” to Shining Sea
Engaging Communities in: Moreno Valley
Project Timeline: March 2023 – April 2025
As part of the TRIO Programs (e.g. Upward Bound, Talent Search, Student Support Services), middle school through college level students will learn about marine and coastal stewardship, engage in related service learning projects, learn about career pathways, and take field trips to the coast.

11. Wildwoods/Community Partners, $38,516
Project Title: City and the Sea
Engaging Communities in: Pico-Union and downtown Los Angeles
Project Timeline: March 2023 – April 2025
Environmental education and ocean stewardship experiences that focus on watersheds, water science, and the impact of urban actions on the coast will engage children and their families. Three cycles of this three-part program will include a local garden component, a community walk, and a coastal exploration field trip to Leo Carillo State Beach, with all materials in both Spanish and English.

12. Outward Bound Adventures, $46,000
Project Title: Coastal Conservation, Education, & Restoration Project for BIPOC Families
Engaging Communities in: Watts, Northwest Pasadena
Project Timeline: April 2023 – April 2025
Sixteen families will take part in “Teach Me to Camp” overnight camping adventures at Leo Carrilo State Beach. Activities will include exploring tide pools, family goal setting, and assisting in a restoration project at Topanga Lagoon.

13. Children’s Lifesaving Foundation, $50,000
Project Title: Coastal Eco-Mariners Surf Camp
Engaging Communities in: South and East Los Angeles, Mar Vista, Palms, Culver City, Boyle Heights, Pacoima
Project Timeline: March 2023 – September 2023
A summer camp will engage youth in fun, eco-marine education activities, art projects, guided surf therapy, boogie-boarding, and swimming at Zuma and Leo Carillo Beaches.

14. Bresee Foundation, $38,642
Project Title: A Whale of a Time at Bresee
Engaging Communities in: Central Los Angeles
Project Timeline: March 2023 – June 2024
Middle and high school youth, parents, and senior citizens will take part in educational activities about the ocean and ocean pollution, including sustainable seafood cooking classes, an ocean-themed book club, field trips to local aquariums and kayaking in the Channel Islands, as part of a summer day camp and school year programming.

15. Friends of Ballona Wetlands, $30,754
Project Title: Title 1 Schools Explore Ballona! Project
Engaging Communities in: Los Angeles County
Project Timeline: June 2023 – August 2024
Elementary students will experience hands-on field trips to the Ballona Wetlands, with pre- and post-trip in-class lessons supporting teachers with grade-specific California science standards.

16. DiverSeaFy, $30,000
Project Title: DiverSeaFying the Underwater World
Engaging Communities in: Los Angeles County
Project Timeline: March 2023 – November 2024
BIPOC teens will receive training to achieve PADI Open Water Scuba and PADI AWARE Ocean Conservation certifications. They will conduct three cleanup dives with DiverSeaFy alumni, and enjoy two days of diving at Catalina Island.

17. Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority, $50,000
Project Title: Beach Equity & Accessibility for Community Health Leadership Program
Engaging Communities in: Los Angeles and Ventura Counties
Project Timeline: March 2023 – April 2025
BIPOC community organization leaders will meet at the beach to discuss and explore barriers to equitable beach access and inform MRCA action toward solutions. Participating organizations will be supported to bring their own groups to the beach for a day, with amenities and activities provided for a fun, positive experience.

18. Queer Surf/Green Cities Fund, $50,000
Project Title: Project ACCESS (Acknowledging Certain Costs Essential for Sustained Surfing)
Engaging Communities in: Los Angeles and Ventura County
Project Timeline: April 2023 – February 2023
Low income LGBTQ+ adults will have increased access to surfing through single day and overnight programming, while fostering sustained ocean belonging, connection, and relationships.

19. Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, $47,675
Project Title: Traveling Tataveaveat (TATAVIAM LAND): Áhëvëve mëmët (ON THE OCEAN SHORE)
Engaging Communities in: San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Simi, and Antelope Valleys
Project Timeline: April 2023 – April 2025
Native American youth will be introduced to traditional Fernandeño Tataviam villages, cultural, and natural sites, and make contemporary connections to historical sites. Youth will gain leadership skills and knowledge of local conservation efforts through aquarium visits, camping, hiking, kayaking, and other outdoor recreation including a visit to Catalina Island.

20. City of Oxnard, $49,989
Project Title: City Corps Ormond Beach Enhancement, Education, and Cleanup Program
Engaging Communities in: Oxnard
Project Timeline: June 2023 – March 2025
Oxnard City Corps trainees will receive education about Ormond Beach habitat and perform habitat protection and conservation work; youth in after-school programs will engage in service learning on Ormand Beach; and local residents will participate in community service learning days, removing invasive plants and trash, and planting native seeds.

21. California Institute of Environmental Studies, $49,300
Project Title: Ecosystem restoration focused service-learning field trips to Channel Islands National Park for Santa Paula High School Students
Engaging Communities in: Santa Paula
Project Timeline: March 2023 – April 2025
Santa Paula High School students will visit Channel Islands National Park for service learning at active restoration sites. Eight day-long trips and two overnight trips will take place over the course of the grant.

22. Ventura Audubon Society, $45,232
Project Title: Ventura County Shorebird Ambassadors
Engaging Communities in: Oxford, Port Hueneme, Ventura County
Project Timeline: March 2023 – December 2024
Two BIPOC college students will receive paid internships and career relevant mentorships as they assist in communication and education on dune ecology and habits. Beach Naturalist training workshops will educate community volunteers who will then protect shorebirds and educate beachgoers. Two community stewardship events and two bilingual nature walks will engage the local public. Volunteer Dog Rangers will be recruited to help dog owners understand how they can protect shorebirds.

23. Reel Guppy Outdoors, $20,000
Project Title: Oceans of Opportunity
Engaging Communities in: Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties
Project Timeline: March 2023 – December 2024
Four cohorts of youth and their families will take part in ten experiential activities and field trips including sustainable fishing and rod building, beach cleanups, multi-media creation, port tours, and a boat trip to Santa Cruz Island.

24. Sea League/Wilderness Youth Project, $45,740
Project Title: The Sea League
Engaging Communities in: South Santa Barbara County
Project Timeline: March 2023 – August 2023
Elementary and middle school-aged, majority BIPOC youth will practice surfing, kayaking, and stand-up paddling in a three-month afterschool ocean sports program. They’ll explore tide pools, perform beach cleanups, and join their families on kayaking and snorkeling trips in Channel Islands National Park.

25. Wilderness Youth Project Incorporated, $49,566
Project Title: Bridge to Nature
Engaging Communities in: Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Carpinteria
Project Timeline: March 2023 – April 2025
Elementary youth will experience in-school and afterschool nature-based mentoring programs, visiting local places including tide pools, beaches, and mesas, for activities including journaling, sensory awareness games, child-centered wandering, and focused nature inquiry.

26. Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, $50,000
Project Title: Explore the Coast Program
Engaging Communities in: Guadalupe and Santa Maria
Project Timeline: May 2023 – May 2024
Sixth graders will receive 12 in-class lessons and four coastal field trips to learn about ecosystem functions, science careers, and how human actions both positive and negative can impact the environment. Field trips will be to local estuaries, Santa Cruz Island, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

27. Northern Chumash Tribal Council, $45,238
Project Title: Curriculum Development with TEK and Scientific Research Ocean Monitoring
Engaging Communities in: Central Coast inland to Bakersfield
Project Timeline: March 2023 – April 2025
A certification course on the skills needed for monitoring the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary for adaptive management and mitigation of impacts of new energy sources, centered in traditional ecological knowledge and western scientific research, will be designed and piloted.

28. SLO Beaver Brigade/Ecologistics, $41,480
Project Title: Beaver Education in SLO County
Engaging Communities in: San Luis Obispo County
Project Timeline: March 2023 – March 2025
Twice-monthly experiential tours to beaver wetlands, including Spanish language and wheelchair accessible tours; monthly river and creek cleanups; new educational interpretive panels and a mural; and Spanish-translated educational materials will engage and educate the local community about the environmental and climate benefits of beavers and the connection of local waterways to the ocean.

29. Chualar Union Elementary School, $49,998
Project Title: Chualar Coastal Conservation: It Starts with Us!
Engaging Communities in: Chualar
Project Timeline: June 2023 – March 2025
A part-time science teacher will lead ocean conservation lessons with students, host bilingual coastal conservation community events, and implement community cleanups in Chualar and on the coast. Fifth and seventh grade students will attend a three-day residential outdoor science class, including trips to Elkhorn Slough.

30. Salinas Surf Club/Wahine Project, $3,687
Project Title: Salinas Youth Riding Waves with Whales
Engaging Communities in: East Salinas
Project Timeline: June 2023 – December 2023
Youth surf club members will learn about whales and the National Marine Sanctuary through hands-on activities and on a whale watch tour, and they will create personal fishing line recycling containers.

31. Bird School Project, $19,990
Project Title: Birding with Families on the Elkhorn Slough/Pajareando con Familias en el Humedal Elkhorn
Engaging Communities in: Watsonville and Salinas
Project Timeline: April 2023 – November 2024
Ten field trips to explore Elkhorn Slough on an electric catamaran, and four community birding events will take place in Watsonville and Salinas. Participants will learn about migratory coastal birds and the importance of Monterey Bay in the Pacific Flyway migration route during these bilingual programs.

32. Monterey Audubon Society, $19,800
Project Title: Black Oystercatcher Monitoring Project Latinx Internship
Engaging Communities in: Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove
Project Timeline: March 2023 – September 2023
An undergraduate student from CSU Monterey Bay will take part in a mentored, paid internship to assist with Black Oystercatcher monitoring and public education.

33. Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, $44,805
Project Title: Watershed to the Sea Experiential Education & Stewardship
Engaging Communities in: South Monterey County
Project Timeline: April 2023 – June 2024
Middle and high school classes will participate in educational programming on watersheds and sandy beaches, including classroom lessons, field trips, data collection and analysis, and conservation action projects. Teachers will receive professional development training.

34. San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust, $48,598
Project Title: Voyagers: Investigating Sierras, Trails, and Seas
Engaging Communities in: Madera and Fresno Counties
Project Timeline: March 2023 – December 2024
High school youth will explore and learn about the San Joaquin River watershed, including connections between river and marine ecosystems, through two campouts, a week of summer day camp, a service-learning project on invasive plants, and a capstone project presentation and exhibition.

35. Coastal Watershed Council, $50,000
Project Title: San Lorenzo River Environmental Stewardship Program
Engaging Communities in: Santa Cruz
Project Timeline: April 2023 – December 2023
People experiencing homelessness will be offered weekly environmental education, stewardship opportunities, and services. Training emphasizes plant and wildlife identification, basic stewardship principles related to habitat, and training on plant care and seasonal needs. Work includes removal of debris/litter and invasive species, planting of new native species, weeding, watering, and other site maintenance activities along the San Lorenzo River.

36. Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, $20,000
Project Title: Coyote Creek Environmental Education Project
Engaging Communities in: East San Jose
Project Timeline: April 2023 – July 2024
K-12 students will participate in experiential after-school programming in environmental topics including flood preparedness, urban runoff, watershed health, and trash decomposition.

37. Marshmallow Minds, $37,750
Project Title: Safe Birds, Safe Waters
Engaging Communities in: Santa Clara County
Project Timeline: March 2023 – April 2025
Elementary and middle school students will learn about coding and design thinking as part of a project on bird ecology, and will take a field trip to help restore San Francisco Bay shoreline habitat.

38. Climate Resilient Communities, $47,840
Project Title: Bay to Sea Youth Educational Program for Underrepresented Frontline Communities
Engaging Communities in: North Fair Oaks, Belle Haven, and East Palo Alto
Project Timeline: March 2023 – April 2025
As part of a six-month Youth Climate Collective, high school students and young adults will learn about sea level rise, flood zones, and pollution; participate in ten field trips to coastal, watershed, and wetland locations guided by professionals in
the field; take part in 12 environmental career workshops; participate in a career fair; and organize two beach cleanups for friends and family.

39. Literacy for Environmental Justice, $49,872
Project Title: Coast & Climate Eco-Adventures Program
Engaging Communities in: Bayview-Hunters Point in San Francisco
Project Timeline: April 2023 – August 2024
Middle and high school students will receive six hands-on field lessons and six in-class lessons on local coastal ecology, sea level rise, and coastal climate adaptation strategies, and enjoy San Francisco Bay kayaking and fishing outings.

40. Stockton Unified Native American Indian Center, $39,959
Project Title: Fleming Summer Learning
Engaging Communities in: Stockton
Project Timeline: June 2023 – July 2023
Native American youth will take part in a four-week summer learning program about local waterways and their connection to the ocean with a focus on environmental justice and Native American communities, including weekly field trips in the Delta and on the coast and guest lectures from government, community organizations, and higher learning institutions.

41. San Joaquin County Office of Education, $47,988
Project Title: Salmon Champions
Engaging Communities in: San Joaquin County
Project Timeline: April 2023 – March 2025
Elementary and middle school classes will learn about and raise salmon and release them at Mokelumne River Hatchery. Teachers and high school student leaders will participate in professional development activities, plan and lead educational programming at the salmon release event, and take part in a green career fair.

42. Golden Gate Audubon, $49,800
Project Title: Eco-Education
Engaging Communities in: San Francisco, Oakland, and Richmond
Project Timeline: June 2023 – May 2024
Four class sessions and three field trips will connect classrooms to local coastal ecosystems and human impacts to the environment as they travel from creek to marsh to ocean, with families included in the final ocean field trip.

43. Friends of Sausal Creek, $38,000
Project Title: From Headwaters to Ocean: Sausal Creek Watershed Connections
Engaging Communities in: Fruitvale District in Oakland
Project Timeline: March 2023 – April 2025
Through experiential classes, field trips, and restoration activities, Oakland youth will study the Sausal Creek Watershed, Oakland Estuary, and Pacific Ocean ecology; understand water quality and storm drain pollution links; identify creek and marine flora and fauna; and deepen their commitment to environmental stewardship. The wider community will engage in habitat restoration workdays and in walks with local community experts and artists.

44. California Invasive Plant Council, $41,613
Project Title: Shoreline Invasive Plant Professional Development Program
Engaging Communities in: Oakland, East Bay
Project Timeline: March 2023 – December 2023
A partnership with Oakland Civicorps will provide one year of in-depth shoreline ecology education, hands-on restoration experience, and professional development training for early-career professionals in the conservation and restoration field.

45. Earth Team, $20,000
Project Title: Blue Oceans Internship
Engaging Communities in: Antioch, Pinole, Richmond
Project Timeline: May 2023 – June 2024
High school interns will work with members of their campus communities to develop awareness campaigns of land-based ocean pollution and elicit changes in stewardship behaviors through multiple communication and engagement efforts. They will conduct related environmental investigations off campus, including through several field days and kayaking expeditions.

46. Environmental Traveling Companions, $50,000
Project Title: ETC Youth LEAD
Engaging Communities in: SF Bay Area
Project Timeline: April 2023 – March 2024
Sliding-scale scholarships will fund teens to participate in watershed education and stewardship which includes five-day sea kayaking, five-day backpacking,
and three-day rafting, with an opportunity for a follow-up eight-month internship. Curricular materials will be updated with a focus on coastal and watershed climate change impacts.

47. California State University Maritime Academy, $13,333
Project Title: Junior Ocean Explorer Program
Engaging Communities in: Vallejo
Project Timeline: March 2023 – April 2024
Vallejo fifth graders and their families will connect with Maritime Academy cadets through classroom lessons on estuary ecology, a campus visit, and a cruise on the Carquinez Strait to collect data and plankton samples.

48. United Anglers of Casa Grande, $50,000
Project Title: Tissue Sampling: Permit Management of a Rescue and Rear Program for Native Steelhead Trout
Engaging Communities in: Sonoma County, Petaluma Watershed
Project Timeline: March 2023 – March 2025
High school students will collect juvenile trout stranded from drought conditions, perform measurements and take samples, relocate them to the Casa Grande High School hatchery, and release them when freshwater flows allow. Tissue samples will be sent to NOAA Fisheries for the first-ever genetic analysis of Petaluma Steelhead trout as part of this NOAA-permitted project.

49. Sacramento Inspiring Connections Outdoors/Sierra Club Foundation, $16,000
Project Title: Three Day Adventures at the Coast for Sacramento Youths
Engaging Communities in: Sacramento
Project Timeline: April 2023 – March 2025
Youth and young adults will experience the coast for the first time on three-day outings at a coastal hostel, while learning about and enjoying coastal habitats.

50. Naked Whale Research, $17,425
Project Title: Crest to Coast
Engaging Communities in: Greenville, Plumas County
Project Timeline: March 2023 – May 2023
Greenville high school students will visit Mendocino County on a four-day trip to learn about marine science and marine mammal conservation and to participate in whale research. At home, they will produce videos comparing marine mammal recovery to that of a top mountain predator after a catastrophic fire event.

51. Mattole Restoration Council, $49,336
Project Title: Lost Coast Climate Resilience and Community Education Program
Engaging Communities in: Rural southern Humboldt County
Project Timeline: April 2023 – April 2025
Mixed-grade classes will receive age-appropriate climate and stewardship lessons as part of 12 classroom presentations, six coastal field trips, and four after-school program days. The community will be welcomed to family friendly hikes, beach cleanups, stewardship workdays, and an innovative Climate Change Emotions workshop. Scholarships will be offered to Indigenous and low-income Cal Poly students for the Mattole Field Institute Spring Field Course.

52. Northcoast Environmental Center, $16,624
Project Title: Bike Justice Humboldt
Engaging Communities in: Arcata, Eureka, McKinleyville
Project Timeline: March 2023 – March 2024
At least six bike tours along Humboldt Bay and the coast will engage students and other community members with a lens on environmental justice and increasing bicycle commuting, and provide education on basic bike maintenance, route finding, and civic engagement. At least four of the tours will be co-hosted with other local community groups and tailored to their specific interests.

53. Natural History Museum of Cal Poly Humboldt / Humboldt State University Sponsored Programs Foundation, $49,787
Project Title: Ocean and Climate Education and Exploration (OCEE)
Engaging Communities in: Humboldt County
Project Timeline: March 2023 – May 2024
The Museum will create and install two new exhibits relating to climate change science, expand on existing exhibits with additional climate information, and build a new marine science teaching box to be loaned to local teachers and used at outreach events.

54. Friends of the Dunes, $15,000
Project Title: Summer Sand Adventures
Engaging Communities in: Humboldt County
Project Timeline: March 2023 – December 2023
Summer camp programming and camper scholarships will be supported to engage Humboldt youth in multi-day inquiry-based exploration of coastal dunes and wetlands.

55. Resources for Indian Student Education, $12,022
Project Title: Native Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Engaging Communities in: Greenville in Plumas County, Alturas-Fort Bidwell in Modoc County
Project Timeline: March 2023 – September 2023
Native youth will experience the ocean for the first time on a five-day field trip to Mendocino County, including kayaking and hands-on stewardship at the Pda Hua village site near Point Arena.

56. Big Lagoon Elementary, $28,951
Project Title: Big Lagoon Coastal Camp
Engaging Communities in: Northern Humboldt and Southern Del Norte Counties
Project Timeline: March 2023 – July 2023
Indigenous youth will enjoy an immersive three-day coastal camp where they will use Yurok canoes, hike to Sue-meg State Park for interpretive presentations, and explore Yurok connection to the coast through learning indigenous skills, guided explorations of the beach, and camping at Big Lagoon.