Team OCEAN – Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Volunteer kayak interpretive naturalist program that trains high schoolers and adults to educate paddlers about responsible wildlife viewing and marine protection along Cannery Row in Monterey and Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing. Requires a five-week spring training (evening seminars plus Saturday field sessions) before summer shifts begin.
You might also like
Bay Net Volunteer Naturalist Program – Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Trained volunteer docents (age 16+) engage the public at Monterey-area shoreline sites about marine mammals, birds, kelp forests, oceanography, and sanctuary regulations. Involves a five-week spring training (Thursday seminars plus Saturday field sessions) followed by ongoing shoreline shifts.
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium High School Summer Docent Program
Selective summer docent training for students entering grades 10-12 at the City of Los Angeles's Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro. Trainees learn Southern California marine life and then create educational projects and lead guided tours, camp classes, and aquarium experiences for the public.
San Francisco Habitat Stewards – Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Weekly drop-in coastal habitat restoration program at Fort Funston, Lands End, Baker Beach, and the Presidio of San Francisco. Volunteers remove invasive species, plant natives, and learn coastal ecology alongside Parks Conservancy staff; no experience necessary. Volunteers ages 15-17 need a signed parent/guardian approval form.
California Range and Natural Resources Camp (Range Camp)
A week-long science camp at Elkus Ranch in Half Moon Bay, run by UC Cooperative Extension, where CA high schoolers study rangeland ecology, livestock and wildlife management, and natural-resource science through lectures, labs, and a ranch tour.
Center for Land-Based Learning FARMS Leadership Program
A year-long program for Sacramento-region high schoolers combining field days on farms, ranches, and agricultural businesses with leadership training, mentoring, and a student-led community action project in sustainable agriculture.
Paleontology Academy California (Sternberg Museum)
Paleontology Academy California, run by Fort Hays State University's Sternberg Museum of Natural History, is a two-week residential program on the Santa Cruz coast where students ages 15-18 study marine paleobiology, comparing living coastal species to their extinct relatives through fossil-site fieldwork and visits to the UC Museum of Paleontology and Monterey Bay Aquarium.