La Jolla tide pool enthusiasts help kick off statewide public science project – San Diego Union-Tribune

Sea stars, lobsters and fish — oh my! 

La Jolla’s tide pools were chosen as one of two statewide sites for the June 1 kickoff of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s month-long Snapshot Cal Coast initiative. Despite gray skies, dozens of volunteers participated to take photos of tide pool species and upload them to the iNaturalist app. State and local agencies hope the project will continue until the end of June. 

“We’re encouraging people to go visit the coast of California and document the animals they see in the water, on the tide pools and at the beach,” said John Ugoretz, environmental program manager with the Department of Fish and Wildlife. “You can go onto the iNaturalist app and find the Snapshot Cal Coast 2025 project and upload your images. We’re getting an overall view of what people are seeing all across the state throughout the month.”

A lobster makes itself at home in a La Jolla tide pool June 1. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)

Amanda Van Diggelen, senior environmental scientist for the department, said a project like Snapshot Cal Coast is a way to “encourage community science.”

“You can be out and about, snap a photo for yourself, but you can also upload that photo to the app, and it’s a way to help scientists keep track or document range expansions,” she said. “If someone sees a species in an area that has never been previously seen, that’s a great way for us to kind of keep track. We can look at how ranges are moving, all with just recreational searchers. So it’s a great way to ask people to go out and not just take a photo for themselves but … to help science in a little way.”

La Jolla’s tide pools were chosen to help launch the project — along with pools in Monterey — because of their accessibility and frequent public use. La Jolla has tide pools along Coast Boulevard and around La Jolla Shores. 

“This collaboration is important for us because it’s this way to remind people that this is literally in their backyard,” said Mike Ruiz, chief park ranger for the city of San Diego. “And we’re here to help them learn how they can explore safely. And also hopefully gain appreciation and create that seed of preservation that we hope will continue through the rest of their lives.” 

Mussels and other sea creatures are found in a shallow La Jolla tide pool. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)

Ugoretz agreed, saying “The great thing about educating people about the ocean is they start caring about the ocean, and they carry that forward. And with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, we have that dual role of protection and [educating on how to] take, so we’re encouraging people to experience the ocean in lots of ways. If they want to collect things, we want to make sure they’re doing that legally and properly. If they want to eat things, you want to encourage them to eat the right things in the right size. And if they want to view things, we want them to know what it is and carry that on and educate other people about it.” 

During the kickoff event in La Jolla, volunteers documented crabs, lobsters, sea anemones, fish and even a sea hare, a large sea slug. 

“I love tide-pooling; it’s fun and you get to see creatures,” said 10-year-old William Ware. “I really want to see an octopus, but we got to see a lobster!” 

Andrea Mims said she wants to participate because “I love tide-pooling. And then the fact that I could help with research in my local area really made me excited because I like to help out with my community, and that includes the sea creature community.”

William, Mims and Ryan Tannenberg saw small and big crabs, sea anemones, “some kind of worm” and fish, though they weren’t sure what kind.

As part of the Snapshot Cal Coast project, there will be a weekend dedicated to searching for sea stars on June 21-22. 

A guide of the various sea creatures found in Southern California tide pools includes those considered “most wanted” for documentation. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)

In addition to coastal habitats, the project looks to document species found near and in communities near the coast, including birds and plants. It also has a “Most Wanted Species” guide that lists the locations and creatures that officials say need the most observation due to climate change. 

To learn more or get involved, visit inaturalist.org/projects/snapshot-cal-coast-2025 or calacademy.org/calcoast.

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