CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF WILDCOAST

To say the least, 2020 has been a tumultuous year filled with challenges, successes, and unexpected revelations.

While the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically reshaped our lives and sent us into uncharted territory, one thing that’s remained constant is the need to combat climate change as well as safeguard the blue and green spaces that calm us, inspire us, and make us thrive.

That is why we need whales and sea turtles. Leopard sharks and dolphins. Rocky reefs and seagrass beds. Kelp forests and tide pools. Mangrove forests and coral reefs. Fish nurseries and bird rookeries. And wilderness sanctuaries for peace of mind.

Earlier this year we set out to celebrate 20 years of WILDCOAST and launch our One Million Mangroves Campaign, but suddenly the world stopped.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and public health crisis, we focused on the safety and security of our staff and the communities in which we work. We swiftly pivoted to virtual operations as best we could.

Our team doubled down on advancing the WILDCOAST mission and did more with less. We quickly adapted and found strength in our resilience. Despite working apart, our international team grew closer and more tightly knit.

Despite all of the challenges, we had a significant conservation impact this year.

We engaged more than 1,000 students through in-person and virtual ocean learning experiences; completed the first ever baseline study on the condition of corals in the Mexican Pacific; purchased 1,140 acres of wilderness coastline in Baja California; initiated a Tijuana River Valley trash removal program; conserved 8,454 acres and restored 100 acres of mangroves in Mexico; commenced the restoration of 42 acres of wetlands in California; and launched San Diego County’s first blue carbon assessment in partnership with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the San Diego Foundation.

Now that we have done the scientific research to show how blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marsh, and seagrass meadows are key to helping address climate change, we must unleash the power of the ocean and coast to save the planet.

We must relentlessly defend these carbon-sequestering ecosystems – the very ones that we have been working to save for years.

With your gift today, place your confidence in WILDCOAST to effectively address climate change and save our coasts and oceans.

Your donation will plant mangroves, preserve wetlands, and safeguard these vital blue carbon ecosystems.

Your generous support will protect coral reefs, gray whales breeding lagoons, and sea turtle nesting beaches.

Your gift will fund educational youth programs to inspire the new generation of ocean ambassadors. And your dollars will go further than ever to achieve these goals.

To celebrate our 20th Anniversary we have created a timeline reflecting WILDCOAST’s conservation legacy from the past two decades.

In 2021, as we emerge from the pandemic, WILDCOAST will charge forward, expand our work and go deeper and further with a strategic plan for a continued legacy of conservation impact.

Our tireless work and your compassionate support have never been more important. Please stand with us during this critical time.

I am feeling hopeful for the future because of people like you who want to support the natural world. I believe that 2021 will usher in positive change and goodwill. And hope expands with action.

The pandemic has also clearly shown us that everything is connected. It has been a wake-up call and a chance to realize what really matters: the health of our loved ones and the health of our planet.

Thank you for giving. Your generosity will have a lasting impact.

I wish you and your family healthy holidays and a Happy New Year!

For our coast and ocean,

Serge Dedina, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Please make a donation to WILDCOAST so we can tackle climate change and safeguard our Blue Planet!