More than 800 students from San Francisco and Marin County schools came to the rescue of San Francisco’s Ocean Beach this morning. They had already learned about the ocean, watersheds, how important it is to keep them clean and healthy (no matter where they live), and their own impact on the marine environment. This morning, they came out on the sand to make a positive difference. (aerial photo by Kevin Lozaw)

Students did a beach clean-up and then sat in formation on the sand to create a giant image of a diving Western Grebe and an “ONLY ONE OCEAN” message visible from the air. Western Grebe populations are in decline and they can easily get entangled in abandoned fishing gear and discarded fishing line.

The Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary organized the event and gave presentations to the youth in their schools prior to the cleanup event. This Bay Area event was part of the 21st Annual Kids’ Adopt-a-Beach Cleanup, a series of children’s cleanups and aerial art displays at a total of six beaches statewide, turning the California coast into a giant flyway of birds with ocean conservation messages for all of us. Kids’ Ocean Day, leading up to World Oceans Day on June 8th, is being organized statewide by the California Coastal Commission.

“This is their beach, their ocean, and their planet and kids really have the ability to push for and make real changes in how we interact with our environment,” said Wendy Dalia, conservation & education programs director at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary. “Through this program students learn that every day they live within a watershed and this watershed connects them to our ocean and beach."

"They also learn that a few simple changes can protect both these places and us," Dalia added. "Coming together with 800 other students to clean the beach and then becoming art is really powerful and we hope this experience stays with them a very long time.”

Participating schools from San Francisco included Alamo Elementary, Aptos Middle School, Cleveland Elementary, Longwood Elementary, Paul Revere Elementary, Sanchez Elementary, and Sunset Elementary. Marin County schools include Bahia Vista Elementary (San Rafael), WillowCreekAcademy (MarinCity), and Edna Maguire Elementary (MillValley).

“The students and teachers who participate in this program are leading the way to a more sustainable world,” said Steve Kinsey, Chair of the California Coastal Commission. “They are coastal stewards, caring for the beach and raising awareness. I hope the people who see their aerial art design in the sand will be inspired by their example and heed their message: that we have only one ocean, it is finite, and our lives depend upon each of us doing our part to help take care of it.”

The Coastal Commission coordinates the program statewide and provides financial support from the Whale Tail License Plate Fund.