SAVE OUR SHORES
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Mission Statement
Our mission is to foster thriving and sustainable ecosystems in the Monterey Bay and surrounding habitats through equitable environmental action. Our vision is a resilient coastline uplifted by the responsible action of an engaged network of communities.
About This Cause
Our Shores (SOS) was founded in 1978 by grassroots organizers to prevent the threat of drilling in the Monterey Bay and has since become a multi-focused coastal conservation organization. A short list of our major accomplishments include: 1. Prevented oil and gas drilling in the Monterey Bay by getting 26 coastal communities to permanently ban the construction of any onshore infrastructure that would be required to support offshore drilling 2. Collaborated in the designation of Monterey Bay as a National Marine Sanctuary; accomplished by an act of Congress in 1992 3. Negotiated the closure of the last operating coastal sand mine in the U.S., which was removing sands from Sanctuary shores correlated to coastal erosion from Marina to Monterey 4. Created a clean boating education program, Dockwalkers, which was adopted and implemented statewide by the Coast Guard and Coastal Commission 5. Assisted greater than 10,000 recreational and commercial boaters prevent small oil leaks into the Sanctuary 6. Provide marine ecosystem literacy education to greater than 70,000 youth in the Monterey Bay area and beyond over the last two decades 7. Successfully lead > 50 plastic pollution mitigation ordinances to address items such as polystyrene containers, single-use plastic bags, contact lens, plastic straws, plastic utensils, and other food service ware as well as single use plastic toiletry bottles in the hospitality industry through coalition work and community-led advocacy. We are currently working across jurisdictions to ban the sale of single-use cigarette filters to reduce one of the top littered items identified our regional cleanup data. 8. Conduct greater than 250 beach, river, slough, parks, neighborhood, and public-space cleanups each year around Monterey Bay 9. Actively prevent an average of 15 tons of litter from entering the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary waters each year 10. Mobilize greater than 5,000 volunteers per year to support our coastal cleanups, clean boating actions, and education and outreach programs. 11. Developed and successfully launched a 15-week after school youth program to underserved youth reduce barriers to access to outdoor learning around Monterey Bay. This program builds leadership skills and engages the next generation of ocean stewards Current Programs Youth Education: We offer in class and outdoor educational programs to reduce barriers to coastal access and to inspire the next generation of ocean stewards. We highlight the land-to-sea connection in ways that are relevant to youth and their families. Junior Sanctuary Stewards Program –To reduce barriers to coastal access, our program connects underserved youth to shoreline/marine ecosystems in hopes of inspiring them to become ocean stewards. Junior Sanctuary Stewards (JSS) is an after-school program who may have less opportunity to access these habitats. The cornerstone of the program is a Youth Advisory Board that engages high school students in defining the requirements and design of the program to engage middle school youth in their communities. We provide transportation to outdoor sites, where nature is the classroom. We piloted this program in spring at Cesar Chavez Middle School (18 youth) and at North Monterey County Middle School (14 youth). This fall, we launched new cohorts at Shoreline Middle School North (30 youth) and Northern Monterey County Middle School (45 youth). The smaller groups enable us to give each youth as much one-on-one time as possible and build leadership skills. Demand for the program has grown and we are working on ways to accommodate more youth and ensure we continue to provide a top-notch educational experience. Throughout the timeframe of the program, the SOS educational staff and youth participants embarked on a learning process that built meaningful relationships and connection to Monterey Bay’s array of habitats and ecosystems. Some field trips included Palm Beach State Park, Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge, Lover’s Point Park, Elkhorn Slough, to name a few. We partner with local organizations, including Kayak Connection, The Bird School Project, Elkhorn Slough Reserve, Marine Life Studies, Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, State Parks, ReGen Monterey, and LiMPETs to share their expertise and offer a variety of hands-on learning opportunities, such as nature journaling, water coloring, hiking, birding, kayaking, species identification, tide pooling, sound mapping, touring a research vessel, sand crab monitoring, plankton collection and lab, beach games, pH water testing, and beach cleanups. Through program evaluations, we found: 75% of students felt happier and less stressed; 100% of students felt safe; 93% would recommend the program to peers; and 42% of students would not have had access to all field locations outside of JSS. We are excited to continue to adapt and evolve this new program for Monterey Bay youth! Save Our Shores Educational Sequence - this is a 3-part program that consists of 2 classroom visits aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, with a field trip to the beach in between those visits – we make nature the classroom! We have a targeted focus for each grade level for full youth engagement. Marine Protected Area Virtual Reality Educational Program - DIVE –This virtual reality experience using Oculus headsets to bring an interactive learning experience to students and educators to dive into Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Community Driven Action, Connection, and Advocacy: We strive to engage all walks of life with hands-on participation. We lead and engage in data-driven advocacy and policy efforts from the local, state, and national level through local partnerships and collaboration with environmental coalitions. We take a grassroots approach to inspire and involve community members in these processes to push forth equitable change for all communities. Cleanups: Save Our Shores offers community opportunities to partake in beach, river, and slough clean-ups and data collection. This serves as the first step in connecting people to the issue of pollution and the connection between ecosystem, wildlife, and community health. These activities help community members understand and support the data-driven policy measures that address pollution and community health issues. Speaker Series: we bring community members, experts and researchers together for panel discussions on environmental problems and solutions for the Monterey Bay – here and now! Advocacy and Policy: In 2023, we began working across jurisdictions to ban the sale of single-use cigarette filters by the end of 2024 to address one of the top littered items identified data set. Within the past five years alone, we have picked up greater than 120K cigarette butts during cleanups. We support, amplify, sponsor, and partner with environmental justice organizations such as Regeneration Parajo Valley, Amuh Mutsun land trust, and Northern Chumash Tribal Council to move environmental justice initiatives forward. Additionally, we are part of the Clean Seas Coalition, Healthy Oceans Coalition, Central Coast Climate Collaborative, Tobacco Education Coalition, Ban the Butt Coalition, to move the needle for pollution mitigation and coastal resiliency around Monterey Bay and connected communities!