Santa Paula Coastal Access & Education Project

The Santa Paula Coastal Access and Education Projectprovided after-school coastal lessons and field trips to Santa Paula 5th graders between 2022-2024. 

This program provided fun learning opportunities to students and parents who have limited opportunities to access the coast. Field trips introduced healthy physical activities that were affordable, such as hiking, birding, and biking. 

Participants from the ASPIRE Program, Santa Paula School District’s after school program were able to learn about coastal ecology and recreation. Over the course of the program VCRCD hosted 6 field trips and 6 classroom lessons.

This project funded by:

Connecting children and the general public to the California Coast
and its watersheds through experiential education, stewardship,
and outdoor experiences

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Program Trips

Ventura Beach Bike Ride

Students and parents will be transported to the Ventura pier where bikes and other vehicles will be rented for a ride up the coastal bike path to see and learn about human influence on beaches, sea level rise, and the landmark “managed retreat” of a parking lot. They’ll be able to learn to ID native birds, spread native plant seeds, and conduct beach fauna surveys in the “splash zone” near the Ventura River to see what lies beneath the sand.

Ventura Harbor

During this trip to the Ventura harbor, students and parents will be offered either a kayak, stand up paddleboard, or multi-person paddleboat to explore the calm, protected harbor. After the paddle, depending on energy, there will be one mile walk to the river estuary. A bird expert and plant guide will join and will assist in pointing out wildlife and plant species. After the nature walk students will conduct simple water quality testing in the harbor and estuary, understanding the differences and reasons for pollutants.

Ormond Beach

This trip will go over the local flora and fauna of the coast. Students and parents will walk through the Nature Conservancy land and end up at the beach where they will use binoculars to identify avian species and other wildlife. Youth will make observations in their field journal as well as drawings of the outside environment. Discussion will focus on the coastal dune system, its importance, as well as the threats caused by climate change. Youth will be given a list of things to ‘find’ on a nature scavenger hunt.

To learn more about this project or discuss ways to bring similar programs to your school please reach out to the Conservation Education and Outreach Coordinator at Heidi.Ortloff@vcrcd.org