Join the Caspar Cove Project (part of the Watermen's Alliance Urchin Removal Efforts) and help save kelp forests and ensure a thriving and sustainable future for our beloved blue planet.

This initiative is dedicated to increasing community involvement and conducting research to help understand and restore the ecological balance at Caspar Cove, Northern California.

Remove Urchins

The Reef Check Kelp Forest Monitoring Training course is designed to provide participants with the skills and experience to complete the Reef Check Kelp Forest Monitoring survey protocol accurately. In addition to direct survey methods, the training will address safe diving practices, techniques of research diving, sampling design and theory, general marine ecology including species identification and interactions, and the importance of monitoring to meet marine management needs.

Reef Check Kelp Monitoring

Support ocean conservation by getting an official license plate issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles for vehicles registered in California. Sponsored by the California Coastal Commission, proceeds from the sale of the plates support a wide array of coastal education, conservation, and environmental enhancement projects throughout the state, with funds administered by the Coastal Commission, the State Coastal Conservancy, and the California Natural Resources Agency.

License Plate

Sea star wasting syndrome decimated sea star populations along the entire West Coast between 2013 and 2014, hitting sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) particularly hard. Many species are still struggling to bounce back—and the sunflower star may even be considered locally extinct in some areas. We lack data on many sea star species and need your help to gather more information on where these species are found.

Because tides are at their lowest point in December and June due to the winter and summer solstices, it's the best time of year for California beachgoers to search for sea stars—and make a difference for the recovery of these important species.

Join the Search

Help us document California's incredible biodiversity on your own or at a bioblitz event near you.

Every summer, the California Academy of Sciences—with support from the California Ocean Protection Council, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the MPA (Marine Protected Area) Collaborative Network, and many other partners—mobilizes communities from Del Norte to San Diego to make and share observations of plants, animals, and seaweeds along the California coast using the iNaturalist app.

Join Snapshot

The Kelp Forest Challenge is a global movement to raise our connection to the ocean and ultimate protect and restore 4 million hectares of kelp forests by 2040.

Anyone can get involved, it doesn't matter if you are a snorkeller, CEO, scientist, artist, Prime Minister, or ocean lover you can join the movement.

Make a Pledge

Above/Below is an ocean literacy campaign to raise awareness about kelp forests across the Northeastern Pacific. This webstory, The Mysterious World of Bull Kelp, is currently the centerpiece of our campaign—celebrating the power of art and science to tell the bull kelp story.

The bull kelp forest is a fascinating and complex place with lots of different organisms interacting with each other in different ways in different places. We hope you are curious about it!

Dive In

Kelp forests are experiencing alarming declines globally due to climate change and marine heatwaves. Reducing your use of fossil fuels can help all ecosystems and lead us to more resilient kelp forests.

Use The Nature Conservancy’s interactive calculator to learn your carbon footprint and actions to take to reduce it.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint