From Friends of the Dunes: 

On the morning of May 29, 700 local students spent their school day being stewards of the coastal dunes during the 20th Annual Kids Ocean Day event at the Mike Thompson Wildlife Area, South Spit of the Humboldt Bay. After spending the day restoring dune habitat and picking up trash, students, teachers, and volunteers formed an aerial art image of a sea otter and bull kelp with the message “Restore Balance.” The aerial art image was designed by Jess Barger and captured by photographer Gabe Adams with help from pilot Justin Gaffney , as well as by Justin Legge via drone. 

Friends of the Dunes, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management’s Arcata Field Office, organized the Kids Ocean Day event, which took place locally as part of the statewide Adopt-a-Beach program, funded by the California Coastal Commission. Kids Ocean Day is a significant day of action and celebration that aims to empower young individuals to become nature heroes. In late May, Humboldt County joined three other locations along the California coast in hosting student-led beach cleanups and awe-inspiring aerial art displays. These events lead up to the globally recognized World Ocean Day, empowering collective efforts to protect and preserve our precious ocean ecosystems.

Leading up to the event, students participate in educational classroom presentations that explore the causes and impacts of marine debris, as well as identify possible solutions. Through these educational presentations, students gain a deeper understanding of environmental stewardship. They also learn about restoration efforts in our local dune systems, instilling a sense of responsibility and the power to make a positive impact. Kids Ocean Day serves as a platform to emphasize the significance of individual choices to “restore balance” in our communities and for our planet.

“This year’s image is a throwback to our first Ocean Day event in 2005, which was the same message: restore balance, with a yin and yang symbol,” said Suzie Fortner, Executive Director of Friends of the Dunes. “Our collaborative work to conserve the natural diversity of coastal environments is, at its core, about restoring balance. Kids Ocean Day is an opportunity for elementary and middle school students to participate in this collaborative effort. Through both the restoration activities and the aerial art design, students from across the county come together to accomplish a goal that we could not achieve on our own.” 

In addition to Humboldt County’s event, Kids Ocean Day events took place in San Diego, Orange County, and San Francisco throughout May. At the four events held along the California coast, over 5,000 students spent a school day caring for their coast by cleaning up litter. In Humboldt County, students clean up trash and focus on removing non-native, invasive plant species to create space for native plants to thrive, increasing biodiversity. A diverse dune is a healthy dune. 

This year, a sea otter and bull kelp were chosen to represent the Kids Ocean Day event in Humboldt County. The sea otter is a keystone species of kelp forests, meaning it plays a significant role in maintaining the health of the kelp forest ecosystem. A historic decline in sea otter populations along the California coast has led to an overpopulation of sea urchins, which in turn decimate kelp forests, resulting in an unbalanced system. Sea otter recovery efforts have brought their population back from the brink of extinction, from an estimated 50 individuals in the 1930s to over 3,000 individuals currently. The recovery of this species has helped restore balance in California’s kelp forests. Although we don’t currently have sea otters in Humboldt County, we hope they may be reintroduced in the future. 

“The students are sending a powerful message about the need to protect and preserve the California coast,” said Annie Kohut Frankel, Public Education Program Manager for the California Coastal Commission. “Their actions have shown us that we can restore our coast and ensure that it endures for future generations. Thank you to all of these incredible coastal stewards!”
Participating Schools included: Alice Birney Elementary, Blue Lake Elementary, Fieldbrook Elementary School, Garfield School, Jacoby Creek School, McKinleyville Middle School, Northern United Humboldt Charter, Seaforth Montessori, Sunny Brae Middle School, Trinidad Elementary, Union Street Charter School, and Washington Elementary School.