Author: Sean Williams

Living Coast Discovery Center

The Living Coast Discovery Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit zoo and aquarium located on the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Living Coast Discovery Center

The Living Coast Discovery Center is a nonprofit zoo and aquarium located on the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Founded in 1987 as the Chula Vista Nature Interpretive Center, they have served the San Diego community for over 30 years. Their mission is to inspire the community to connect with and care for our coastal environment. Their vision is a thriving natural coast through engaged conservation.

For more than 30 years, the Living Coast Discovery Center has reached thousands of children through field trips, outreaches, scout programs, and other community education programs. On average, they see 70,000 visitors each year, including families, school groups, and special events.

Since opening in 1987, the Living Coast Discovery Center has offered various educational programs on the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sweetwater Marsh. Each day, they welcome hundreds of students through their doors connecting them with nature to foster curiosity, environmental awareness, and a deeper appreciation for the natural world. By immersing students in outdoor environments, they inspire a lifelong respect for nature and cultivate a generation that understands the importance of environmental stewardship. 

The education program offers Living Labs, field trips, and classroom programs all designed to be fun, engaging, and age-appropriate. Preschool programs include an hour-long lesson and craft facilitated by a Living Coast Education Instructor. K-12 Programs are station-based, with some stations led by Living Coast staff members and docents. Classroom teachers and/or chaperones must lead stations using provided resources if docents are unavailable. The exact program schedule and stations vary by group size and program type. Field trip programming takes approximately 4 hours. The website provides a menu of program offerings and financial support is available for Title 1 schools. Outreach programs bring scientific exploration of the natural world to the classroom, library, or public event! These programs provide hands-on activities, up close animal interactions, dissections, scientific tools, and more! 

The Living Coast Discovery Center participates in conservation and sustainability programs too. This includes their contributions to Team Clapper Rail which is dedicated to the study, restoration, and introduction of the Light-footed Ridgway’s Rail, a state and federally listed endangered species. Their sustainability programs aim to educate their local community on how to sort waste and compost at home. They also offer master composter training courses. 

Animal ambassadors play a unique role in educating the community about their wild counterparts. Through interactive presentations and close-up encounters, they allow individuals to connect with native wildlife while inspiring them to contribute to conservation and protect natural ecosystems. Each ambassador helps to highlight the challenges their species face in the wild, from habitat loss to climate change, fostering a deeper understanding of conservation needs in the region.

To find out more about the Living Coast Discovery Center, visit their website. If you would like information about their education programs, email education@thelivingcoast.org. 

CAELI Partner Portal Resources March 2025

The CAELI County Office of Education Innovation Hub developed this introductory tool to support county offices of education, districts, and schools to understand the requirements of AB 285

1. AB 285 Toolkit



The CAELI County Office of Education Innovation Hub developed this introductory tool to support county offices of education, districts, and schools to understand the requirements of AB 285 and begin taking next steps for implementing grade-appropriate climate change curriculum. What Is California Assembly Bill 285? The bill amended Sections 51210 and 51220 of the California Education Code to require that courses of study for science in grades 1–12 include material “on the causes and effects of climate change, and on the methods to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Appropriate coursework including material on the causes and effects of climate change and methods to mitigate and adapt to climate change shall be offered to pupils as soon as possible, commencing no later than the 2024–25 school year.” Click HERE to read the Toolkit.

2. Children and Nature Network – The Benefits of Nature Toolkit 


In a new toolkit from the Children and Nature Network, access research that shows the health benefits and stewardship outcomes for kids who spend time in nature. Help make the case for the benefits of nature.Kids need to be outside. A joyful childhood, a healthy adulthood and a thriving planet depend on it. Spending time in nature makes kids healthier, happier and smarter. It also helps them become good stewards of the environment. These statements are based on a solid and growing body of research. This toolkit will help you access that research and other resources to “make the case” for equitable access to nature.To learn more, access the Toolkit HERE.

3. NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence


The National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, initiated by NAAEE in 1994, developed a series of guidelines that set the standards for high-quality environmental education. Each of these publications was developed by a diverse team of professionals, and each has gone through a substantive review by thousands of professionals prior to its publication.

Through the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, NAAEE is taking the lead in establishing guidelines for the development of balanced, scientifically accurate, and comprehensive environmental education programs and materials. Quality environmental education programs help develop an environmentally literate citizenry that can compete in our global economy; has the skills, knowledge, and inclinations to make well-informed choices; and exercises the rights and responsibilities of members of a community.

The Guidelines for Excellence series includes the following titles: Community Engagement, Early Childhood, EE Programs, EE Materials, K-12 EE, and Professional Development. All are downloadable for free. Learn more about the Guidelines for Excellence in this video featuring Bora Simmons, Director of the National Project for Excellence in EE.

4. NAAEE Webinar- Building Resilience: Strategies for Personal Well-Being




Webinar Recording (2/27/25): Drawing from a decade of experience supporting conservation professionals, Dr. Vik Mohan, a practicing physician and resilience expert, shares evidence-based approaches for thriving in a changing world. This interactive session offers practical tools for navigating workplace challenges, understanding stress responses, and cultivating sustainable support systems. Dr. Mohan combines his medical expertise with real-world insights to help participants develop strategies for maintaining energy and focus while pursuing meaningful and important work.

In this session, Vik shared: evidence-based techniques for managing change, uncertainty, stress, and overwhelm; tools and suggestions for coping with current challenges, and for taking positive action in support of our goals and our own well-being; concrete steps to maintain motivation and purpose in demanding roles; methods for building and strengthening support networks; and ideas to enable us to think differently about and feel more empowered to tackle the challenges we face.

Click HERE to watch the recording.

5. BEETLES Project Resources 




Better Environmental Education, Teaching, Learning & Expertise Sharing or BEETLES, infuses outdoor science programs with research-based approaches and tools to improve science teaching and learning. Their professional learning resources are designed for program leaders to use with field instructors. They provide experiences and rationale about outdoor science instruction designed to inspire instructors to improve their teaching. The student activities inspire students’ wonder and curiosity about the natural world, support their innate tendencies for exploration and guide them to make explanations based on evidence.
BEETLES student activities engage students directly with nature, encourage a scientific mindset, ignite wonder and curiosity, and help students “fall in love” with nature. The activities are student-centered (not instructor-centered), include student discussion of science ideas, help instructors to be “guides on the side,” and empower students to continue exploring and wondering about nature after they leave an outdoor science program. BEETLES activities create opportunities for students to make and share connections to their lives. This makes instruction relevant for students and helps instructors better understand students’ lived experiences and cultural identities. 

BEETLES student activities are learning cycle-based–structured to facilitate students flowing through phases of learning. The activities are written to be “educative” for instructors. That’s why, along with clear step-by-step instructions, there’s information about pedagogy, science background, adjusting for different students, and connections to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). BEETLES materials are aligned with the vision of NGSS to provide students with “3-dimensional” instruction (combining science practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas) in science learning experiences in the outdoors.

Click HERE to review many of the activities provided.