New data from our two largest community science programs is now available!
Santa Ana River Mouth Monitoring Project
This project analyzes human, dog, and bird activity at the mouth of the Santa Ana River, located between Newport and Huntington Beach. Constant off-leash dog activity at the river mouth jeopardizes threatened and protected shorebird populations that have inhabited the area for thousands of years. Our goal is to document the problem so that the river mouth’s governing agencies can better address the issue through education and law enforcement.
Between January and June 2025, 534 surveys at the Santa Ana River Mouth were completed by 11 trained volunteers and two staff members. In the surveys collected, 6,475 people and 696 dogs were observed. Of the dogs, 400 were off-leash and 296 were on-leash. Dogs off-leash accounted for 57% of the dogs observed. During Coastkeeper’s surveys, no citations were visibly issued, though a total of 117 visitors were seen contacted by law enforcement officers and other public entities.
Click the link below to dive deeper into this data and what it means for the important habitat at the Santa Ana River Mouth.
Marine Protected Area Watch
Since California’s Marine Protected Area Network was established in 2012, we have collected human use data in and around Orange County’s protected coastal areas as a part of the statewide MPA Watch program. Our data collection focuses on reporting consumptive (fishing, collecting, etc.) and non-consumptive (walking, swimming, etc.) activities. Our surveys are crucial for government agencies to learn about MPA usage and make informed land management decisions, like deciding where resources such as signs, docents, and outreach efforts are needed.
Between January and June 2025, 523 MPA Watch surveys were completed in Orange County at 27 MPA survey sites by 21 volunteers. There were 39 potential violations observed out of 35,742 total activities documented, with 30 of these incidents hailing from the Crystal Cove State Marine Conservation Area. Crystal Cove continues to be the busiest MPA in Orange County for human activity, followed by the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve and the Laguna Beach State Marine Conservation Area.
Click the link below to learn more about how the public recreates in Orange County’s Marine Protected Areas.
