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.
- Ages
- All ages
- Schedule
- Summer cohorts + year-round school field trips
- Cost
- 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.
This hub connects San Diego County families to watershed education across 27 cities. Every city link below is a full local page with beaches, school partners, and enrollment paths — not an empty gateway.
You might be feeling this
- —Stewardship feels separate from science — you want San Diego County youth learning advocacy alongside hydrology.
- —School field trips in San Diego County are underfunded — environmental science stays in the classroom while the coast is miles away.
- —College pathways in marine science feel vague — watershed education should connect to careers, not just camp memories.
- —Overnight environmental camps cost $400+ per student — watershed immersion feels impossible for San Diego County working families.
What changes when youth get in the water
- Bilingual curriculum materials in English and Spanish — about one-third households in San Diego County fully served.
- Tijuana River cross-border case study — honest teaching about pollution, policy, and environmental justice.
- Year-round day-trip field trips serve partner Title I school districts across San Diego County classrooms across San Diego County Title I partner schools.
- Policy and clean water advocacy training — students learn organizing, not just observation.
Watershed Education across San Diego County — what families should know
Watershed-to-ocean tracing answers why San Diego County storm drains matter — runoff pipelines taught from street to The Strand, Tamarack, Moonlight Beach, La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach, and Imperial Beach.
How much does watershed camp cost in California? Paid eco-camps run hundreds per student. Un Mar de Colores provides overnight Watershed Explorers and school field trips free for San Diego County youth and classrooms.
Hydrology field education near The Strand, Tamarack, Moonlight Beach, La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach, and Imperial Beach connects classroom water cycle lessons to standing in streams and measuring flow — San Diego County students learn by tracing, not memorizing.
Parents searching watershed education near San Diego County, CA find paid eco-camps first. Un Mar is different: BIPOC-led nonprofit programming with Tijuana River cross-border case study, Kumeyaay water perspectives, and Title I school partnerships — not generic nature camp marketing.
Why San Diego County is our service area
San Diego County'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.
With 3.3 million residents, San Diego County is one of the communities where a single free surf cohort can change dozens of lives per season. Our shuttles and school partnerships make distance (across coastal and inland communities) a logistics problem we solve, not a barrier families carry alone.
Program curriculum & how it works
- →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
What's included — free for every youth
- ✓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
Why 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.
What our community says
“"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."”
Cities we serve — pick your community
Un Mar de Colores runs watershed education across 27 San Diego County cities. Each city page covers local beaches, school partners, and how to enroll — start with the community closest to your family.
- OceansideCoastal city
- CarlsbadCoastal city
- EncinitasCoastal city
- Cardiff by the SeaCoastal city
- Solana BeachCoastal city
- Del MarCoastal city
- La JollaCoastal city
- Pacific BeachCoastal city
- Mission BeachCoastal city
- Ocean BeachCoastal city
- Point LomaCoastal city
- Sunset CliffsCoastal city
- CoronadoCoastal city
- Imperial BeachCoastal city
- Chula Vista10 mi to beach
- National City8 mi to beach
- Vista7 mi to beach
- San Marcos11 mi to beach
- Escondido17 mi to beach
- San DiegoCoastal city
- Poway14 mi to beach
- Fallbrook22 mi to beach
- Bonita10 mi to beach
- Lemon Grove10 mi to beach
- El Cajon14 mi to beach
- Santee17 mi to beach
- Spring Valley12 mi to beach
Frequently asked questions — Watershed Education
Is transportation provided from San Diego County?+
Transportation from partner Title I schools is included for classroom field trips. Inland San Diego County classrooms (across coastal and inland communities from mountain or coastal sites) reach field locations because Un Mar solves buses — not teachers fundraising.
What do students learn about climate change?+
Climate change and coastal resilience modules connect global patterns to San Diego County beaches — storm intensification, sea level rise, and advocacy for clean water policy. Students learn organizing tools, not hopeless anxiety.
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 Diego County environmental leadership.
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.
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.
Ready to get your child in the water?
Ready to get your child in the water? Contact Un Mar de Colores — priority enrollment for San Diego County Title I school students.
All Un Mar de Colores programs are free for BIPOC youth across San Diego County. Reach out to enroll, volunteer, or support the movement.
Web platform architecture and development by Codinito.