Youth Watershed Education at Carlsbad Tamarack (11 miles) and Oceanside Pier (13 miles) near San Marcos, California

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

  • —Tijuana River pollution closes beaches and nobody at San Marcos Unified School District explains the cross-border watershed to your family.
  • —School field trips in San Marcos are underfunded — environmental science stays in the classroom while the coast is miles away.
  • —Your teacher wants a real field trip but doesn't know free options exist for San Marcos Title I schools.

Lo que cambia cuando los jóvenes entran al agua

  • Tijuana River cross-border case study — honest teaching about pollution, policy, and environmental justice.
  • Climate change and coastal resilience modules connect science to San Marcos beaches your family uses.
  • Multi-site progression: mountains, river, estuary, ocean — San Marcos youth see the full pipeline.

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

Family engagement in watershed programming welcomes San Marcos parents on orientation and select field days — environmental education as household literacy.

Watershed Explorers overnight program in North County gives San Marcos youth multi-day immersion from Cuyamaca to coast — commercial environmental overnight camps often charge $400–$600 per student. Un Mar charges $0.

Por qué San Marcos importa para nuestra misión

Whether San Marcos is on the coast or 11 miles inland inland, we treat transportation as part of the program — not an extra parents must figure out. That's how you build real access, not marketing copy.

San Marcos sits inside San Diego County's coastal equity gap — 51% 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.

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."”

— Middle school student— Parent, One Ocean

Preguntas frecuentes — Watershed Education en San Marcos

How do we enroll in Watershed Explorers from San Marcos?+

Contact Un Mar de Colores for summer overnight cohort enrollment or ask your San Marcos Unified School District teacher to book a year-round field trip. Priority for Title I schools and partner referrals in San Marcos.

Is transportation provided from San Marcos?+

Transportation from partner Title I schools is included for classroom field trips. Inland San Marcos classrooms (11 miles inland from mountain or coastal sites) reach field locations because Un Mar solves buses — not teachers fundraising.

What ages can join watershed programs from San Marcos?+

Watershed Explorers overnight cohorts and field trips serve all ages — school field trips align to classroom grades, and family engagement opportunities welcome multi-generational San Marcos households.

¿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?

Don't wait for summer — year-round San Marcos cohorts fill fast. Reach out now for free enrollment.

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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