Un Mar de Colores · San Diego County
San Diego County Watershed Education — From Mountains to Ocean, Free
Pathways from watershed education to ocean stewardship cleanups and Ocean Stewards after-school.
- Edades
- All ages
- Horario
- Summer cohorts + year-round school field trips
- Costo
- Free
The Watershed Explorers program is Un Mar de Colores's flagship environmental education offering. Summer overnight cohorts trace the journey from Cuyamaca Rancho State Park's mountain streams to the San Diego coast, with special focus on the Tijuana River watershed — California's most cross-border and pollution-impacted river system. Curriculum integrates hydrology fundamentals, Indigenous Kumeyaay perspectives on water, and California coastal policy. Year-round day trips serve school field-trip groups across our 15+ Title I partner schools, and all programming is free with transportation included.
Este hub conecta a familias del condado de San Diego con educación de cuencas en 27 ciudades. Cada enlace de ciudad abajo es una página completa con contexto local, playas, socios escolares y cómo inscribirse — no una puerta vacía.
Quizás sientes esto
- —Environmental justice isn't in the watershed conversation — over 55% of San Diego County residents bear pollution burdens.
- —Climate change lessons feel hopeless — your teen wants advocacy tools, not another slide deck about polar bears.
- —One-day aquarium trips don't teach hydrology — your child needs multi-day tracing from source to sea.
- —Your child learns 'water cycle' from a worksheet — but never stood in a mountain stream or traced runoff to The Strand, Tamarack, Moonlight Beach, La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach, and Imperial Beach.
Lo que cambia cuando los jóvenes entran al agua
- Watershed Explorers overnight summer cohorts trace Cuyamaca streams to San Diego coast — multi-day immersion.
- Bilingual curriculum materials in English and Spanish — about one-third households in San Diego County fully served.
- Water stewardship as movement — San Diego County families join a county-wide network protecting shared watersheds.
- Multi-site progression: mountains, river, estuary, ocean — San Diego County youth see the full pipeline.
Educación de Cuencas en el Condado de San Diego — lo que las familias deben saber
Climate change and coastal resilience modules in San Diego County watershed education teach advocacy alongside science — students learn policy tools for clean water, not hopeless climate anxiety.
Certified naturalist educators differentiate Un Mar field trips from volunteer-led school outings that skip safety and curriculum rigor.
Teachers in partner Title I school districts across San Diego County contact Un Mar to book free year-round field trips — San Diego County classrooms access mountain-to-coast science without PTA fundraising.
Pathways from watershed education to ocean stewardship and Ocean Stewards after-school give San Diego County teens year-round environmental arcs.
Por qué el Condado de San Diego es nuestra área de servicio
San Diego County sits inside San Diego County's coastal equity gap — over 55% of residents identify as BIPOC, yet beach access has historically been gated by cost, transportation, and culture. Un Mar de Colores closes that gap with free programming and school-based recruitment.
Recruitment in San Diego County runs through counselors, teachers, and community partners who know which students need this most. We don't run open enrollment chaos — we build intentional cohorts.
Currículo del programa y cómo funciona
- →Hydrology fundamentals
- →Cuyamaca to coast watershed tracing
- →Tijuana River cross-border watershed case study
- →Indigenous Kumeyaay relationship with water
- →Climate change and coastal resilience
- →Policy and advocacy for clean water
Qué se incluye — gratis para cada joven
- ✓Overnight summer program option (Watershed Explorers)
- ✓Day-trip school field trips throughout the year
- ✓Bilingual curriculum materials
- ✓Transportation from partner schools
- ✓Certified naturalist educators
- ✓Family engagement opportunities
Por qué Un Mar de Colores (E-E-A-T)
Un Mar de Colores is recognized by partners including the San Diego Foundation, Surfrider San Diego, WILDCOAST, and school districts across San Diego County — not a pop-up program, a sustained movement.
Lo que dice nuestra comunidad
“"He used to approach new activities with extreme anxiety — to the point where sometimes we couldn't even get out of the car. Now he goes much deeper into the water."”
Ciudades que servimos — elige tu comunidad
Un Mar de Colores opera educación de cuencas en 27 ciudades del condado de San Diego. Cada página de ciudad cubre playas locales, socios escolares y cómo inscribirse.
- OceansideCiudad costera
- CarlsbadCiudad costera
- EncinitasCiudad costera
- Cardiff by the SeaCiudad costera
- Solana BeachCiudad costera
- Del MarCiudad costera
- La JollaCiudad costera
- Pacific BeachCiudad costera
- Mission BeachCiudad costera
- Ocean BeachCiudad costera
- Point LomaCiudad costera
- Sunset CliffsCiudad costera
- CoronadoCiudad costera
- Imperial BeachCiudad costera
- Chula Vista10 mi a la playa
- National City8 mi a la playa
- Vista7 mi a la playa
- San Marcos11 mi a la playa
- Escondido17 mi a la playa
- San DiegoCiudad costera
- Poway14 mi a la playa
- Fallbrook22 mi a la playa
- Bonita10 mi a la playa
- Lemon Grove10 mi a la playa
- El Cajon14 mi a la playa
- Santee17 mi a la playa
- Spring Valley12 mi a la playa
Preguntas frecuentes — Educación de Cuencas
What is Watershed Explorers in San Diego County?+
Watershed Explorers is Un Mar de Colores's flagship watershed education program — summer overnight cohorts tracing water from Cuyamaca Rancho State Park mountain streams to the San Diego coast. San Diego County youth experience multi-day immersion in hydrology, Kumeyaay water perspectives, Tijuana River case study, and clean water advocacy.
Is watershed education bilingual in San Diego County?+
Yes — bilingual curriculum materials and field instruction are standard. In San Diego County, where about one-third of households are Spanish-speaking, educators deliver watershed science in English and Spanish.
What is the Tijuana River watershed case study?+
The Tijuana River is California's most cross-border and pollution-impacted river system — closing beaches near Imperial Beach and affecting South County shores accessible from San Diego County. Our curriculum teaches hydrology, environmental justice, and policy with honesty, preparing San Diego County youth to understand cross-border water reality.
How does Kumeyaay culture appear in watershed education?+
Indigenous Kumeyaay relationship with water is integrated into hydrology fundamentals — not a token acknowledgment. San Diego County Indigenous and Latino youth learn coastal stewardship narratives alongside flow measurement and pollution tracing.
Where do field trips go from San Diego County?+
Sites progress from Cuyamaca mountain streams through river and estuary systems to coastal locations near The Strand, Tamarack, Moonlight Beach, La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach, and Imperial Beach. Multi-site tracing shows the full watershed pipeline relevant to San Diego County.
¿Listo para que tu hijo entre al agua?
Support the movement or enroll your youth — Un Mar de Colores is building coastal access for San Diego County families.
Todos los programas de Un Mar de Colores son gratuitos para jóvenes BIPOC en el condado de San Diego. Contáctanos para inscribirte, hacer voluntariado o apoyar el movimiento.
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