Ocean Alliance Network Launches Adopt-A-Class: Waterways to Ocean in partnership

Ocean Alliance Network kicked off its partnership with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in support of their new educational initiative Adopt-A-Class: Waterways to Ocean Stewardship Program in conjunction with the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation. The program launch was announced among business and community leaders this week at El Adobe Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano. The USC Sea Grant and USC Dornsife Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability also support the new initiative.

Founder of the Ocean Alliance Network Ana Rothwell said, “I’m excited and honored to share the goal in protecting our water and oceans while educating and empowering future leaders through the Adopt-A-Class program. Tonight also represents an important step in bringing together our local legends in San Juan Capistrano and connecting leaders from the Ocean Alliance Network.”

The Waterways to Ocean program will be classrooms in early 2027 educating students in grades 3–5 with Indigenous history and culture, clean drinking water education, waterways-to-ocean connections and environmental stewardship. Through classroom assemblies, hands-on field experiences and opportunities to share what they learn, students will discover how caring for the water and waterways helps protect our oceans and communities.

“This year has been an extraordinary year for the Acjachemen Nation, and I am incredibly grateful for the relationships and partnerships that have helped make it possible. I am especially excited about bringing our children ocean education teaching them not only about the waters that have sustained our people for generations, but about who we are as Acjachemen people and our enduring relationship with our ancestral homelands and waters,” said Nathan K. Banda, Tribal Chairman, Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation.

Event attendees included the recent Luau Legend honorees Nathan K. Banda, Tribal Chairman, Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation and Andrew Stroscher of Stroscher Ranch. Other attendees and supporters included host sponsor Aileen Holt, El Adobe GM, Realtor Daniele Smith, San Juan Mayor John Campbell, Developer Dan Almquist, CEO of Sustain OC Scott Kitcher, Sea Purity Investments owner Matthew Hayden, investor and nonprofit board member Rick Darnell and others. Wine and spirits were provided by Native Hands Wine, Capacity Brewing and Cali Fino Tequila.

For more information about Ocean Alliance Network, visit oceanalliancenetwork.org or to support the Adopt-A-Class: Waterways to Ocean Stewardship Program, visit https://givebutter.com/adopt-a-class-waterways-to-ocean-xjkj0y.

About Ocean Alliance Network

The Ocean Alliance Network (OAN) is a collaborative 501(c)(3) initiative fiscally sponsored by the Sustain OC Foundation. It unites coastal stakeholders, educators, innovators, investors, influencers, and community leaders to advance ocean conservation, improve water quality, and support a sustainable Blue Economy.

About the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation

The Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation are the original Indigenous people of Orange County, California, along with parts of San Diego, Los Angeles, and Riverside counties. For thousands of years, their people have lived, thrived, and carried deep spiritual and cultural connections to these lands. Through their Tribal Monitoring Program, they work to preserve sacred cultural heritage throughout their ancestral territory.

About the Metropolitan Water District

Metropolitan Water District is a regional wholesale water agency and cooperative of 26-member public agencies collectively serving nearly 19 million people across six Southern California counties. Its mission is to provide reliable, high-quality water to meet current and future needs in an environmentally and economically responsible manner. This community partnership supports the program’s focus on clean drinking water education, water conservation and watershed-to-ocean stewardship.

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