NATURALISTS AND DIVERS
Phase 2 of the Conservation Leadership Program invites students to deepen their ocean connection through two immersive summer pathways: Naturalists and Divers. Through field exploration, wetland observation, storytelling, ocean safety, and scuba training, students build hands-on skills while discovering different ways to know, care for, and protect coastal and marine ecosystems.
Resetting Baselines: Stories from Land and Sea
Inspired by National Geographic Pristine Seas, both the Naturalists and Divers pathways use storytelling to help students “reset baselines” and imagine healthier futures for local ocean ecosystems. By building naturalist and diver skills, students learn to observe closely from both land and underwater, gather evidence, notice what others may overlook, and tell richer stories about biodiversity, change, and recovery. Through diverse perspectives – from scientists, divers, naturalists, community members, and cultural knowledge holders – students connect what they see today with what these places once supported and what they could become again.
Naturalists
Led by National Geographic Explorer Dr. Brittney Beck, a scientist and educator, the Conservation Leadership Naturalists Program brought students to three San Diego County wetlands: Tijuana River Estuary, Kendall-Frost Salt Marsh, and Buena Vista Lagoon. Students were also introduced to the ocean through kayaking along the La Jolla coast, toured NOAA, observed a marine mammal necropsy, and learned from National Geographic Explorer Sophie Dia Pegrum, a filmmaker and storyteller. Through nature journaling, field notes, species identification, photography, and storytelling, students explored wetlands and the ocean as living classrooms for biodiversity, science, history, and community. Each experience offered a different way to understand coastal ecosystems-from border watersheds and salt marsh habitat to marine wildlife and ocean exploration-helping students see these places as interconnected, complex, and worth protecting.
TRNERR
Kendall Frost
Buena Vista
STORIES OF CHANGE
As part of the course, students reflected on what spoke most to them during the week and transformed those observations into short videos created in a single day. This example was created by Vivian Zhang, a Conservation Leadership Program Naturalist from the Summer 2026 cohort, and highlights how youth can use storytelling to share what they notice, value, and want others to see.
Gallery
Beyond the Shore: Expanding Access to Diving
Congratulations to our 12 youth that received their PADI Certification
Divers
Led by UCSD instructors and SIO graduate students Alberto Rivera and Corinne Pickering, the Conservation Leadership Diving Program gave students the opportunity to become PADI scuba certified through Captain Sam Fletcher of Odyssey Adventures while building confidence, water safety skills, and a deeper relationship with the ocean. Students developed their diving skills through training and open-water experiences at La Jolla Shores and Catalina Island, combining adventure with hands-on learning about Southern California’s marine environment. Beyond scuba certification, students explored pathways in marine science and scientific diving through a behind-the-scenes experience at Birch Aquarium and an introduction to Scripps Institution of Oceanography Scientific Diving, led by Christian McDonald. Through these experiences, students learned how diving can be used not only for recreation and exploration, but also as a tool for science, conservation, and ocean stewardship.
SIO / Birch Aquarium
Pool Dives
