Un Mar de Colores · San Marcos, CA
Hydrology & Coastal Resilience — Free in San Marcos
Year-round day-trip field trips for San Marcos Unified School District classrooms across San Marcos and North County.
Un Mar de Colores ofrece watershed education gratuitas para jóvenes de San Marcos de All ages años, con transporte gratuito de 11 millas desde San Marcos a nuestras playas de enseñanza. Sirviendo a una comunidad del 51% BIPOC (96,664 residentes), nuestra instrucción se lleva a cabo en Carlsbad Tamarack (11 miles) y Oceanside Pier (13 miles), con entrenadores bilingües certificados y todo el equipo proporcionado. La inscripción prioritaria es para estudiantes de Alvin Dunn Elementary, Paloma Elementary, San Marcos Elementary.
Horario — programa en San Marcos
Summer cohorts + year-round school field trips · Completamente gratis
Quizás sientes esto
- —Stewardship feels separate from science — you want San Marcos youth learning advocacy alongside hydrology.
- —Kumeyaay water relationships are absent from school curriculum — your child hears about Indigenous history without Indigenous science.
- —Paid 'eco-camps' charge for experiences that should be public education — the math never works for your household.
Lo que cambia cuando los jóvenes entran al agua
- Watershed Explorers overnight summer cohorts trace Cuyamaca streams to San Diego coast — multi-day immersion.
- NGSS-aligned curriculum supports San Marcos Unified School District teachers with real field science alignment.
- Policy and clean water advocacy training — students learn organizing, not just observation.
Por qué operamos este programa en San Marcos
San Marcos is the most diverse inland city in North County, with 37% Hispanic/Latino population and home to California State University San Marcos. Our cohorts travel from Alvin Dunn Elementary and San Marcos Middle to Carlsbad's Tamarack for water programming. CSUSM student volunteers support our program delivery, making this one of our strongest university-nonprofit partnerships.
- Población
- 96,664
- Residentes BIPOC
- 51%
- Hogares hispanohablantes
- 37%
- Distancia a la playa
- 11 mi
Watershed Education en San Marcos — Lo que debes saber
With 37% Spanish-speaking households in San Marcos, bilingual watershed materials and field instruction are standard — not English-only nature walks.
Citizen science on watershed field trips lets San Marcos students contribute hydrology data — science with public impact, not disposable worksheets.
Por qué San Marcos importa para nuestra misión
Cross-border watershed work matters to San Marcos because Tijuana River pollution and coastal health don't stop at a border fence. Our education modules name that reality honestly.
San Marcos's relationship to the Pacific is complicated by history and economics. Our curriculum weaves Kumeyaay coastal stewardship, environmental justice, and culturally grounded instruction into every session — not as an add-on, but as the foundation.
Socios comunitarios locales en San Marcos
En asociación con el San Marcos Unified School District y organizaciones comunitarias locales, reclutamos jóvenes de 5+ escuelas Título I.
Distrito escolar y escuelas Título I
- San Marcos Unified School District
- •Alvin Dunn Elementary
- •Paloma Elementary
- •San Marcos Elementary
- •San Marcos Middle School
- •San Marcos High School
Socios comunitarios
- ◆California State University San Marcos (student volunteers)
- ◆San Marcos Unified School District
- ◆Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos
- ◆San Marcos Library
Currículo del programa
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.
- →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 de San Marcos
- ✓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
Our impact is measured in youth served, school partnerships, and watershed stewardship hours — published annually in our impact reports at mar-de-colores.org.
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."”
Preguntas frecuentes — Watershed Education en San Marcos
How does Kumeyaay culture appear in watershed education?+
Indigenous Kumeyaay relationship with water is integrated into hydrology fundamentals — not a token acknowledgment. San Marcos Indigenous and Latino youth learn coastal stewardship narratives alongside flow measurement and pollution tracing.
What pathways open after watershed education?+
Youth connect to ocean stewardship cleanups, Ocean Stewards after-school, and marine science career exposure. Watershed education is an entry point for San Marcos environmental leadership.
Where do field trips go from San Marcos?+
Sites progress from Cuyamaca mountain streams through river and estuary systems to coastal locations near Carlsbad Tamarack (11 miles) and Oceanside Pier (13 miles). Multi-site tracing shows the full watershed pipeline relevant to North County.
¿Los programas de Watershed Education en San Marcos son realmente gratuitos?+
Sí. Todos los programas de Un Mar de Colores en San Marcos son 100% gratuitos. Proporcionamos trajes de neopreno 3/2mm, tablas de surf, transporte desde escuelas asociadas como Alvin Dunn Elementary, Paloma Elementary, San Marcos Elementary, e instrucción bilingüe certificada. El financiamiento proviene de la San Diego Foundation, subvenciones comunitarias y donantes individuales.
¿Dónde se realizan exactamente las lecciones en San Marcos?+
Los jóvenes de San Marcos viajan en nuestro transporte a Carlsbad Tamarack (11 miles), aproximadamente a 11 millas. Los componentes de aula ocurren en escuelas y bibliotecas asociadas dentro de San Marcos.
¿Qué edades son elegibles en San Marcos?+
Servimos a jóvenes de All ages años. Nuestra Beca One Ocean cubre las edades 6-12, Ocean Stewards After-School sirve a 13-17, y las Becas Atléticas de Surf están disponibles para jóvenes competitivos a través de nuestras asociaciones con San Marcos Unified School District.
¿Cómo inscribo a mi hijo/a?+
Contáctenos a través de nuestra página de contacto. La inscripción prioritaria se otorga a estudiantes de Alvin Dunn Elementary, Paloma Elementary, San Marcos Elementary y otras escuelas de Título I en San Marcos Unified School District. Los grupos de verano suelen llenarse con 3-4 semanas de anticipación.
¿Listo para entrar al agua?
Sign your San Marcos youth up today — every program is 100% free, with wetsuits, boards, and transportation included.
Todos los programas de Un Mar de Colores son gratuitos para jóvenes de San Marcos. Contáctanos para inscribirte, hacer voluntariado, o apoyar el movimiento.
Un Mar de Colores es una organización sin fines de lucro 501(c)(3) liderada por personas BIPOC, basada en Oceanside, California. Ofrecemos programación gratuita de surf, océano y educación ambiental para jóvenes en San Diego y Tijuana — conectando culturas, costas y comunidades desde 2018.
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