Snapshot Cal Coast Marks 10 Years of Documenting California’s Coastal Biodiversity with Monthlong Bioblitz

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (May 29, 2025) — This June, California families can explore tidepools, marshes, and beaches all while contributing to biodiversity science and conservation. The annual community science event Snapshot Cal Coast returns for its 10th anniversary of documenting and exploring California’s abundant coastal biodiversity. Taking place from June 1 - 30, this statewide effort aims to better understand nature in and beyond the state’s 124 marine protected areas by providing a valuable “snapshot in time” of the entire coastline.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate 10 years of Snapshot Cal Coast,” says Academy Director of Community Science Rebecca Johnson, PhD. “Over the last decade, we have partnered with organizations, agencies, tribes, universities, and community members to mobilize thousands of people to make nearly 540,000 observations of species living along the California coast. This growing body of data not only provides an annual record of how coastal species ranges are changing over time, but also helps guide conservation managers and decision makers as environmental and climate shifts reshape our coastline—all while building stronger connections to the ocean and to each other.”

All of the data collected during Snapshot Cal Coast informs the Early Warning and Forecasting System, a tool being developed by the Academy’s Center for Biodiversity and Community Science in collaboration with and funded by the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC). By using community science observations and data, forecasting systems help us track coastal health and predict how climate change might shape our coast’s biodiversity in the future.

“The Ocean Protection Council is a proud partner of Snapshot Cal Coast,” says Jenn Eckerle, California’s Deputy Secretary for Oceans and Coastal Policy and the OPC’s Executive Director. “Not only does this unique program help connect Californians to the incredible biodiversity of our coast and ocean, it also directly informs our work to protect these iconic places in the face of a changing ocean. Observations made by community scientists are helping us better manage our marine protected area network, detect invasive species before they spread, and track how ecosystems are shifting as a result of climate change. We look forward to the next ten years – and beyond – of work with Snapshot Cal Coast.”

During the month of June, any observations made along the California coast on the free mobile app iNaturalist will automatically be added to Snapshot Cal Coast. Participants are welcome to attend bioblitz events hosted by the Academy and partner organizations, where volunteers record plant, seaweed, and animal sightings using iNaturalist. But getting involved can be as simple as making observations on your own.

For both budding and veteran community scientists, participating is a snap:

1. Download the free iNaturalist app to your mobile device. Find a local beach, tidepool, or coastal trail that you can access safely.
2. Take photos to make observations of wild plants, seaweeds, and animals anywhere on California’s coast. You can use your phone and the iNaturalist app, or you can use a camera and upload the photos to the iNaturalist website. All observations made between June 1-30 will count.
3. Learn about your finds on the iNaturalist platform as community members help identify your observations.

The goal of Snapshot Cal Coast is to learn as much as possible about all coastal flora and fauna, but volunteers are encouraged to pay extra attention to “most-wanted” species that are potentially invasive or affected by changing ocean conditions. This year, researchers are particularly interested in wild observations of the critically endangered Sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) to better inform the Academy’s efforts to reintroduce future generations back into California kelp forests. A team of researchers, aquarium biologists, and community scientists will head to Humboldt County this June to survey tidepools, identify dive sites likely to support sunflower stars, and meet with longtime Snapshot Cal Coast organizers and tribal partners.

Participants are especially encouraged to look out for any sea star species, which will automatically be recorded as part of the Solstice Sea Star Search taking place throughout June.

Members of the public visiting the coast during Snapshot Cal Coast can explore how to safely & respectfully tidepool here:

1. Observe things where you find them. Never remove animals, rocks, shells, seaweeds, or plants from the tidepools.
2. Walk gently, taking care to avoid stepping on animals or seaweeds.
3. Do not “roll” rocks. Animals living on the underside of rocks can only survive there.
4. Be aware of the wildlife around you and try to minimize disturbances.
5. Be careful! Tidepools and rocky shorelines are slippery, and tides and waves can catch you off guard. Never turn your back on the ocean.
6. Plan ahead: Use the Tide Finder web app where you can search for daytime low tides near you.

Snapshot Cal Coast is led and coordinated by the California Academy of Sciences, with help from the MPA (Marine Protected Area) Collaborative Network, California State Parks, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and with funding provided by the California Ocean Protection Council and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. For more information about Snapshot Cal Coast, visit the Academy’s website and view observations here.

When: June 1 - June 30, 2025

Academy Events

• Friday, June 13th, Pillar Point, Mavericks Beach in Half Moon Bay 7 a.m. -9:30 a.m. Register Here
• Find other events hosted by our many partners here!

Resources

• Tidepooling 101 guide
• Tool for finding daytime low tides on the California coast
• Snapshot Cal Coast iNaturalist project
• Solstice Sea Star Search iNaturalist project

Organizing and participating partners

• California Academy of Sciences
• California Ocean Protection Council
• California Department of Fish and Wildlife
• California Department of Parks and Recreation
• California Marine Protected AreaCollaborative Network
• Cal Poly Pomona Coastal Ecology Lab
• Cal Poly Humboldt
• California State Parks
• California State Parks: Angel Island State Park
• California State Parks: Big Sur Section
• California State Parks: Crystal Cove State Park
• California State Parks: Half Moon Bay State Beach
• ​​California State Parks: Estero Bluffs State Park
• California State Parks: Leffingwell Landing State Park
• California State Parks: Mendocino Section
• California State Parks: Monterey Section
• California State Parks: North Coast Redwoods District
• California State Parks: Pismo State Beach
• California State Parks: Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
• California State Parks: Point Dume State Beach
• California State Parks: San Diego Section
• California State Parks: Santa Cruz Section
• California State Parks: Sonoma Coast Section
• California State Parks: Tomales Bay State Park
• California State Parks: Wilder Ranch State Park
• City of Dana Point
• Fort Ross Conservancy
• Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
• Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
• Greater Farallones Association - LiMPETS
• Heal the Bay
• Laguna Ocean Foundation
• Los Angeles MPA Collaborative
• Mendocino Marine Protected Area MPA Collaborative
• Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Morro Bay National Estuary Program
• Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History
• Noyo Center for Marine Science
• Pillar Point Tidepool Stewards
• Pacific Grove Natural History Museum
• Queer Surf
• Rotary Nature Center Friends (Oakland, CA)
• San Diego Natural History Museum
• San Mateo County Parks
• Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
• Shark Stewards
• Sonoma Marine Protected Area MPA Collaborative
• Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods
• The Nature Conservancy
• Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation
• Trinidad Coastal Land Trust
• UC Berkeley Ocean Society
• WILDCOAST

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Photo assets can be found here.