Teachers on the Estuary Special Edition Brings Bilingual Educators, Scientists and Storytellers Together at the Tijuana Estuary
Contact:
Alexandra Latona,
State Park Interpreter III
619-936-0357
Imperial Beach – Educators, scientists, storytellers, and community knowledge holders from across the region will gather at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve for a unique overnight professional learning experience designed to connect teaching, environmental science, and cross-border collaboration. The Special Edition: Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) x Camp and Co-Design Institute for Bilingual Educators, Scientists, and Storytellers will take place May 16–17 with camping available beginning the evening of May 15 at nearby Silver Strand State Beach.
Hosted by the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve and California State Parks, with support from California State University, Bakersfield, and National Geographic, the institute highlights the estuary as a shared ecological and cultural landscape that connects communities across the United States, Mexico, and the traditional lands of the Kumeyaay people.
The two-day immersive institute is part of the TOTE training program and offers participants the opportunity to experience field-based science at the estuary while learning how to integrate place-based environmental investigations into bilingual classrooms and community learning spaces.
Throughout the institute, participants will conduct field investigations within the estuary, participate in skill-building sessions led by Reserve staff and National Geographic explorers, and collaborate with fellow educators and storytellers to design lessons inspired by the landscapes and ecosystems of California’s state parks. The program also emphasizes bilingual education and transnational environmental collaboration between the United States and Mexico while exploring the deep cultural relationships the Kumeyaay people maintain with the region’s land and waters.
The multinational collaboration recognizes the estuary as a living system that transcends borders and invites educators and learners to explore environmental stewardship through multiple ways of knowing. During the two days, participants will better understand the ecological, cultural and historical significance of the Tijuana River watershed and the coastal ecosystems it sustains. They will also spend time co-designing educational resources and learning experiences that help students understand watershed systems, biodiversity, and environmental change through inquiry, storytelling and community-engaged science.
Programming will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, and conclude at noon on Sunday, May 17. Participants will camp at Silver Strand State Beach. Educators interested in attending can complete the interest form here.
By bringing together educators, scientists, Indigenous leaders, and storytellers, this special edition of Teachers on the Estuary reflects a growing movement to connect environmental science education with community knowledge, bilingual learning, and collaborative stewardship of shared ecosystems.
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