About

O’Neill Sea Odyssey engages 4th - 6th grade youth with educational programming in navigation, conservation, and marine science on a 65-foot catamaran sailing Monterey Bay and a shore-side education center. The program is free, and each class completes a community service project. It consists of a one-day field trip, and curriculum used in the classroom. The curriculum meets educational standards while teaching youth about watersheds that flow to the sea and their responsibility to protect them. In December 2004 OSO received the California Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in Children’s Environmental Education and in May 2005 US Senator Barbara Boxer awarded OSO her Environmental Champion award. In August 2009 the Adam Webster Memorial Fund of OSO received the Community Spinners award for its work with special needs youth. A study of OSO’s long term impact on youth demonstrated strong retention of the underpinning concepts of watershed and ocean stewardship.