%20BOCF%20Logo_edited.png)
Our Goal:
To empower the next generation of environmental stewards from historically underserved coastal communities—through culturally-rooted, science-based outdoor learning experiences that advance environmental justice, shoreline research, and sustainable futures.
SOME PROGRAM FEATURES
1
Eco-Justice Outdoor Labs
Conduct water quality
testing, participate in oyster
restoration, and engage in
biodiversity tours
2
Black Maritime Heritage
Explore the stories of Black
watermen, learn about segregated
beaches, and preserve history
through oral storytelling
3
Environmental Justice and Policy
Analyze environmental data to
uncover patterns of injustice,
participate in a mock public
hearings, and learn how to
advocate for equitable policy
change
Strategic Partnerships & Outreach
In collaboration with multiple partners, BoCF aims to serve 20+ students within each cohort, emphasizing participation from underrepresented and B.I.P.O.C. communities. Our Spanish-speaking volunteers will bolster outreach, engaging bilingual students and their guardians to promote participation among the county's growing Latine population. The program also places a special focus on encouraging girls to explore STEM fields and public advocacy, where they are traditionally underrepresented.
Tell Your Story. Shape Your Future.
Student Experiences
Students may participate in:
-
Hands-on excursions and experiential learning, including opportunities where they will monitor plastic and marine debris along local shorelines, and so much more!
-
A Day on the Bay! The program culminates in a Watermark™ boat tour featuring placetelling, while highlighting 400+ years of Black Watermen history and key environmental sites like Bloody Point and the Conowingo Dam, to name a few.
-
"Our Voice, Our Story" Exhibit: Public place-telling event celebrating student art., culture, and justice work
-
Eco-Youth Leadership Summit: Present your ideas to lawmakers, leaders, and the broader community
​
Field visits to local waterways, such as the Severn and South River, along with visits to the New 'Carr's - Elktonia African American Waterfront Park, are also included.
Our Partners
These partners will fund and deliver workshops on eDNA sampling, invasive species, and marine debris threats, as well as demonstrate how NASA satellite technologies like CYGNSS and PACE support NOAA and other agencies in identifying priority BIPOC shoreline areas for cleanup and monitoring.