of the Kelp
Southern California's giant kelp forests are among the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on Earth. These underwater forests shelter hundreds of species of fish, invertebrates, and marine mammals. They sequester carbon, buffer coastlines from wave energy, and support the commercial fishing industry that thousands of California families depend on.
But California's kelp forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Warming ocean temperatures driven by climate change, combined with an explosion of purple sea urchin populations, have devastated kelp ecosystems up and down the California coast. Scientists have documented kelp forest losses of over 90% in some regions since 2014.
This is not a distant environmental problem. This is happening in our backyard — in the waters off Laguna Beach, Newport, Malibu, and Catalina Island — right now. Guardian of the Kelp is our response.
Kelp forest restoration is not a short-term project. Recovering California's underwater forests will take decades of consistent, dedicated work — planting, monitoring, and documenting across hundreds of miles of coastline. That work requires a generation of trained, passionate ocean advocates who are committed for the long haul.
By training underserved youth from Southern California communities as kelp forest restoration practitioners, My Clean Ocean ensures that the people who grow up alongside these ecosystems are the ones fighting hardest to bring them back. These students don't just learn about the ocean — they become its guardians.