Youth Education & Engagement at Ormond Beach
About the "Youth Education & Engagement at Ormond Beach" YE&EO Project
This is a two-and-a-half-year initiative titled “Youth Education & Engagement at Ormond Beach,” of the City of Oxnard funded by a California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) grant. The MERITO Foundation is delivering the services to 4th–12th grade educators (teachers and after-school instructors), instructing at schools located in disadvantaged communities in the City of Oxnard.
This project provides in-class and outdoor environmental education for students in Oxnard, offering hands-on opportunities to reduce pollution and improve habitat health by tracking and removing waste, debris, and invasive species at Ormond Beach. Participants will also support local biodiversity through native plant restoration and wildlife monitoring.
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Through this initiative, students will contribute to the restoration of their local coastal habitats while expanding their environmental and Chumash cultural knowledge.
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​Participating educators receive:
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Access to MERITO Foundation lesson plans and professional development (teacher's training)
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Sponsorship of the cost of substitute teachers and bus transportation for student field experiences
We are now accepting applications for the 2026-2027 school year! If you are an educator interested in applying, please fill out the application linked below.
Wetland Cleanups
Enivornmental Monitoring
Habitat Restoration
Chumash Cultural Education
Wildlife Monitoring
About Ormond Beach & Its Importance
There are no road signs to guide people to Ormond Beach - it is mostly unknown to the children who live in the highly urbanized, mostly low-income City of Oxnard. Titled ‘the Jewel of Oxnard’ by the late schoolteacher and local conservationist hero, Jean Harris, it is a natural treasure, albeit with rough edges. Located 65 miles north of Los Angeles, Ormond Beach is a 2-mile stretch of uniquely uncrowded southern California sandy beach. Backed by sand dunes and over 900 acres of degraded wetland, it is an expansive natural area that encompasses a rare, contiguous beach, dune, and wetland ecosystems; the best of its kind in southern California.​
​Ormond Beach provides diverse habitats for numerous birds, plants, and invertebrates, and is an important rest stop on the Pacific Flyway. Ormond is mostly hidden from the surrounding population of Oxnard because the area is bordered by industry, agriculture, a military base, and the dilapidated Halaco superfund site. Local children can be enriched by visiting and learning about the natural wonders of Ormond Beach, and Ormond Beach could also benefit from their visit. The children bring their parents, siblings, abuelitos, and friends. Exciting things are happening at Ormond, and the communities deserve to take part in this new era of habitat restoration.
​Through the YE&EO program, youth and their families can visit this special place, learn about its importance, and make a lasting impact by helping restore and protect Ormond Beach for future generations!
