Oakland Estuary Stewardship - A Grand Science Kayak Adventure
LEARNING PROGRAM
IHOAE brings students, young adults, and workforce crews onto the Oakland Estuary for a hands-on experience combining kayaking, environmental education, and marine debris science.
Starting at Jack London Square with California Canoe & Kayak, participants learn kayaking and water safety before paddling with IHOAE through the Oakland Estuary. Along the way, we look for harbor seals, birds, fish, and other wildlife while learning about tides, the Estuary, storm drains, marine debris, and how Oakland’s urban landscape connects to the Bay.
After a solid paddle, we land on an estuary beach to learn how tides shape the shoreline and how the Estuary connects to Oakland. Participants collect marine debris and learn how pollution impacts wildlife and water quality. Using methods from NOAA’s Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP), participants identify, count, and document what they find.
It’s a kayak adventure, an environmental field trip, and a citizen science experience.
IHOAE brings students, young adults, and workforce crews onto the Oakland Estuary for a hands-on experience combining kayaking, environmental education, and marine debris science.
Starting at Jack London Square with California Canoe & Kayak, participants learn kayaking and water safety before paddling with IHOAE through the Oakland Estuary. Along the way, we look for harbor seals, birds, fish, and other wildlife while learning about tides, the Estuary, storm drains, marine debris, and how Oakland’s urban landscape connects to the Bay.
After a solid paddle, we land on an estuary beach to learn how tides shape the shoreline and how the Estuary connects to Oakland. Participants collect marine debris and learn how pollution impacts wildlife and water quality. Using methods from NOAA’s Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP), participants identify, count, and document what they find.
It’s a kayak adventure, an environmental field trip, and a citizen science experience.
Our Programs Are Designed For
Students • Youth & Young Adults • Workforce Crews • Conservation Crews • Community Groups
2-Hour Estuary Explorer
A shorter introduction to kayaking and the Oakland Estuary. Participants join an IHOAE-guided paddle, observe wildlife, land on an Estuary beach, and learn about the Estuary, tides, storm drains, plastic pollution, and its connection to the surrounding community.
5-Hour Estuary Citizen Science Program
Our full Estuary experience combines kayaking, environmental education, wildlife observation, and hands-on marine debris science. Participants paddle through the Estuary, land on a beach and collect and document marine debris, and then paddle back to Jack London Square for hands-on citizen science using NOAA’s MDMAP methods.
Jack London Square — Oakland, California
Programs begin with California Canoe & Kayak at Jack London Square before heading out onto the Oakland Estuary. Programs are offered throughout the year and can be scheduled for youth programs, workforce crews, conservation crews, schools, and community organizations.
Give your students, young people, and crews the opportunity to get on the water, and into the environment they are learning about.
Contact IHOAE to schedule an Oakland Estuary Learning Program.
Students • Youth & Young Adults • Workforce Crews • Conservation Crews • Community Groups
2-Hour Estuary Explorer
A shorter introduction to kayaking and the Oakland Estuary. Participants join an IHOAE-guided paddle, observe wildlife, land on an Estuary beach, and learn about the Estuary, tides, storm drains, plastic pollution, and its connection to the surrounding community.
5-Hour Estuary Citizen Science Program
Our full Estuary experience combines kayaking, environmental education, wildlife observation, and hands-on marine debris science. Participants paddle through the Estuary, land on a beach and collect and document marine debris, and then paddle back to Jack London Square for hands-on citizen science using NOAA’s MDMAP methods.
Jack London Square — Oakland, California
Programs begin with California Canoe & Kayak at Jack London Square before heading out onto the Oakland Estuary. Programs are offered throughout the year and can be scheduled for youth programs, workforce crews, conservation crews, schools, and community organizations.
Give your students, young people, and crews the opportunity to get on the water, and into the environment they are learning about.
Contact IHOAE to schedule an Oakland Estuary Learning Program.
A Day on the Estuary - Kayak. Explore. Learn.
This summer, IHOAE brought together workforce crews from Youth Employment Partnership, the Student Conservation Association, and Friends of Sausal Creek for a kayak and marine debris adventure on the Oakland Estuary.
Our day began at Jack London Square with California Canoe & Kayak, where the crew learned kayaking basics, paddle techniques, and water safety before heading out on an IHOAE-guided paddle through the Estuary.
Our day began at Jack London Square with California Canoe & Kayak, where the crew learned kayaking basics, paddle techniques, and water safety before heading out on an IHOAE-guided paddle through the Estuary.
On the water, IHOAE introduced the crew to Estuary wildlife—including a few harbor seal encounters—and explored the estuary, learned about tides, storm drains, sunken vessels, and got comfortable just being on the water.
The crew then landed at an accessible Oakland Estuary shoreline that is an official IHOAE NOAA Marine Debris Hotspot & NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP) site. There, participants collected debris and experienced firsthand both the impacts of pollution and the beauty of the Estuary.
After collecting debris and braving the wind while paddling back to CCK, the learning continued with hands-on shoreline monitoring using NOAA MDMAP tools. Participants learned how to identify, categorize, count, and document marine debris—turning what they collected into information that can help us better understand and protect our shores.
By combining paddling, environmental education, and citizen science, workforce crews left with new skills, a deeper connection to the Oakland Estuary, and a better understanding of the origins and complexity of the debris they help clear throughout the year.
Contact IHOAE to schedule an Oakland Estuary Learning Program.
The Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment work is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program.
The Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment work is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program.
