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How Do You Adopt-A-Beach?

When a group "adopts" a beach, they commit to cleaning it at least three times per year, although school groups can fulfill their obligation with a single cleanup. Groups are encouraged to re-adopt at the end of the year. The Adopt-A-Beach program fosters feelings of pride and ownership as volunteers begin to care for "their" beach.

The process is simple and has been received with great enthusiasm by corporations, service and professional organizations and hundreds of California schools. Contact your local beach manager or the Adopt-A-Beach program at (800) COAST-4U for more information and an application.

See who adopted a beach this year!

Boys and Girls Club “Torch Club” East Beach, Santa Barbara County

What Educational Materials are available?  

Educating our young people is the single most effective strategy for the long term protection and enhancement of the environment. Thousands of young people have participated in the annual Coastal Cleanup Day and the Adopt-A-Beach Program. Free resources are available for educators who want to engage their students, including Waves, Wetlands, and Watersheds science activity guide; the Save Our Seas curriculum; the Marine, Coastal & Watershed Resource Directory; and an educational video lending library. If you would like to just obtain several "community action" activities which tie in to a beach cleanup (and form the final chapter of Waves, Wetlands, and Watersheds), they can be downloaded in PDF form, with related appendices.