Crystal Cove Conservancy

Our mission is to restore Crystal Cove State Park, educate future environmental leaders, and protect Crystal Cove—and places like it—for generations to come.

Crystal Cove Conservancy was founded in 1999 to preserve and restore the Crystal Cove Historic District, a collection of historic structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places and now available to the public for overnight stays.

Today, The Conservancy provides transformative educational opportunities for K–12 students from across Southern California. Our environmental literacy programs engage students in hands-on learning while introducing them to subjects and career pathways they may not otherwise encounter.

Revenue from the restored cottages and other park concessions is reinvested in The Conservancy’s education, conservation, and preservation work, alongside generous support from the community.

Students throughout Orange County have the potential to become our future scientists, educators, and environmental leaders, but not all have access to experiences that help them see those possibilities. By subsidizing field trips and meals for students from Title I schools, Crystal Cove Conservancy helps remove barriers to hands-on STEM education. During the 2025–2026 school year, our programs served 8,215 students from 76 schools, with 73% of participating students attending Title I schools.

We believe the best way to learn science is by doing science. At Crystal Cove, students work alongside scientists and educators to investigate real environmental questions. The data they collect contributes to ongoing research, environmental monitoring, and ecological restoration. Students are not simply watching science in action—they are participating in it.

Program evaluations show that students leave with a stronger understanding of the scientific process and increased interest in STEM careers. By helping young people see themselves as scientists, problem-solvers, and environmental leaders, The Conservancy is preparing the next generation to address the challenges facing Crystal Cove—and places like it.

Crystal Cove State Park protects increasingly rare coastal sage scrub habitat and provides a home for sensitive native species, including the coastal California gnatcatcher, cactus wren, and orange-throated whiptail. Drought, wildfire, invasive species, climate change, and continued development throughout Southern California place growing pressure on these fragile coastal ecosystems.

At the same time, many students lack access to immersive STEM experiences that allow them to learn beyond the classroom and see themselves in future scientific and environmental careers. The cost of transportation, field trips, and meals can create significant barriers for schools serving under-resourced communities.

Community support allows Crystal Cove Conservancy to address these needs together. Funding helps us provide subsidized, hands-on environmental literacy programs in which students participate in real scientific research while expanding conservation work throughout the park. It also supports ecological monitoring, habitat restoration, volunteer stewardship, and partnerships with Indigenous communities that incorporate traditional knowledge and land-care practices.

By connecting education with active conservation, The Conservancy helps protect Crystal Cove today while preparing the scientists, educators, and environmental leaders who will care for places like it in the future.

85% of Crystal Cove Conservancy's STEM education program participants come Orange County, and the remainder from surrounding counties.

Everyone who visits Crystal Cove finds something meaningful—a place of natural beauty, a sense of discovery, or a deeper connection to the coast. It is our privilege to partner with California State Parks and our community to care for this extraordinary place and ensure it remains protected and accessible for generations to come.

At Crystal Cove Conservancy, we believe that protecting the park and educating its future stewards go hand in hand. Students participate in hands-on STEM programs that allow them to work alongside scientists and educators, investigate real environmental questions, and contribute to ongoing research and conservation. For many, a visit to Crystal Cove is their first opportunity to experience a state park or imagine themselves pursuing a future in science.

Community support also makes habitat restoration, ecological monitoring, volunteer stewardship, and the continued preservation of the Historic District possible. Together, these efforts protect what makes Crystal Cove special while inspiring more people to take an active role in caring for the natural world.

Thank you for being part of this work and for helping ensure that Crystal Cove—and places like it—will continue to inspire discovery, connection, and care for generations to come.

See you around the park,

Hallie Jones
President & CEO

Crystal Cove State Park is more than a treasured destination. Its beaches, coastal bluffs, backcountry, and offshore Marine Protected Area form a living laboratory where students, scientists, educators, and community members can learn from—and actively contribute to—the protection of our natural world.

Crystal Cove Conservancy brings these groups together through hands-on STEM education, scientific research, habitat restoration, and environmental stewardship. In partnership with California State Parks, UC Irvine, and other experts, students and staff investigate challenges including coastal erosion, wildfire recovery, habitat loss, and the effects of a changing climate. What we learn at Crystal Cove can inform and strengthen conservation and education efforts well beyond the park.

The challenges facing our environment cannot be addressed by any one organization. Meaningful progress requires collaboration among researchers, educators, public agencies, community partners, donors, and volunteers. By working together and sharing what we learn, we can expand the impact of our efforts and inspire more people to become active stewards of the places they value.

Crystal Cove Conservancy—and everyone who cares about this extraordinary place—has an important role to play in something much larger. Together, we can protect Crystal Cove while helping shape a more resilient future for coastal communities and ecosystems.

Teddie Ray
Chair, Board of Directors