Friends of Ballona Wetlands

By partnering with Title 1 schools to provide free grade-specific curriculum and dynamic field trips during each year of a student’s elementary school journey, we provide the spark needed to get them interested and engaged in STEAM learning and in nature in general. With our standards-based lesson plans that our staff leads, our substantive support of teachers, and our commitment to experiential learning, we transform the Ballona Wetlands into a local learning lab that will grow the next generation of scientists and environmental stewards.

The Explore Ballona! STEAM Education Program is an immersive initiative dedicated to inspiring environmental stewardship and the acquisition of STEAM skills in students from throughout Los Angeles County. We bookend our experiential field trips with pre- and post- classroom visits that bolster teachers’ lesson plans and make us a strong partner to the LAUSD. We also partner with community-based organizations whose high school-age clients are invited to participate in a program component that culminates with paid internships at the wetlands.

The Explore Ballona! STEAM Education Program is an immersive initiative dedicated to inspiring environmental stewardship and the acquisition of STEAM skills in students from throughout Los Angeles County. We bookend our experiential field trips with pre- and post- classroom visits that bolster teachers' lesson plans and make us a strong partner to the LAUSD. We also partner with community-based organizations whose high school-age clients are invited to participate in a program component that culminates with paid internships at the wetlands.