Back Bay Science Center

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Back Bay Science Center An education & research facility located within the CA Department of Fish & Wildlife's, Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve.

As of January 1, 2012 the Upper Newport Bay was also designated as a State Marine Conservation Area. The mission of the Back Bay Science Center is to provide a hands-on facility where students and the public can study and enjoy the estuarine ecology of Newport Bay and the marine ecology of the ocean, and to promote natural resource conservation and stewardship throughout the watershed. The operati

ng partners who manage this facility include: the CA Department of Fish & Wildlife, the City of Newport Beach, the County of Orange Health Care Agency, and the University of California, Irvine.

Hi friends! 👋🌿We will be hosting a BioBlitz and Invasive Plant Species Control event with Project Grow, hoping to captur...
17/04/2026

Hi friends! 👋🌿

We will be hosting a BioBlitz and Invasive Plant Species Control event with Project Grow, hoping to capture native species data using and pull some invasive plant species!
Come join us May 16th if you are interested in learning about species identification, getting outdoors, and helping a native restoration site! 🌱🍃

Location📍: Meeting at Back Bay Science Center, working in Newport Valley
When🗓️ : May 16th, 2026
Time ⏰ : 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Age limit : 18+

You can sign up via QR code or using the link in bio 🔗

Hope to see you there!

Happy Earth Month 🌎🌍🌏!! This Earth Month may be one of our most important ones yet, as we continue our efforts to conser...
01/04/2026

Happy Earth Month 🌎🌍🌏!!

This Earth Month may be one of our most important ones yet, as we continue our efforts to conserve biodiversity and native species against all odds 🌱🌱

Earth month belongs to everybody! You are the warrior the planet needs to combat change 🤺🤺. These are some simple actions you can start TODAY that help the Earth breathe a little easier.

Let us know what other actions you do to support our Earth! ⬇️⬇️

Happy belated World Wildlife Day! Excuse our tardiness, but it is never too late to appreciate our species diverse world...
04/03/2026

Happy belated World Wildlife Day! Excuse our tardiness, but it is never too late to appreciate our species diverse world!
🐠🦆🌎

Wildlife is essential to maintaining and preserving the many diverse and high functioning ecosystems of our world. All species work together and each plays a crucial role in balancing the ecosystem and its services. Insects and smaller animals help stabilize ecosystems through nutrient and soil cycling while larger animals ensure ecological balance and maintain healthy populations. The importance of wildlife even comes down to our local bee populations, ensuring plant reproduction for nature spots enjoyed by humans! 🐝🐛🌅

Ensuring the health and survival of all wildlife enables a climate that is resilient and maintains healthy pollination, air purification, and food chain stabilization. Remember to care for the wild world in your actions today and tomorrow!🌎🌲🌊

Happy World Wetlands Day! These unique ecosystems, found where water meets land, support diverse habitats globally. Wetl...
02/02/2026

Happy World Wetlands Day! These unique ecosystems, found where water meets land, support diverse habitats globally. Wetlands provide essential ecosystem services, including protection, food, and recreation for coastal communities.

Coastal wetlands include salt and freshwater marshes, seagrass beds, mangrove swamps, and forested swamps. Unfortunately, these lands face pollution and urban development threats. Preserving these ecosystems is crucial in combating climate change and to providing our wildlife with a sanctuary.

Let’s pledge to respect and protect our local wetlands, starting today. Remember, not only does the environment rely on us but we in turn, we rely on the environment.

Shout out to the amazing lifeguards! We were in need of some mussels to feed our sea stars and they swam out to chest h...
10/01/2026

Shout out to the amazing lifeguards! We were in need of some mussels to feed our sea stars and they swam out to chest high water on the pier to get them for us! Thank you so much! 🌊⭐️

Happy (late) National Bird Day! We here at the BBSC see lots of bird species daily because of our special location as on...
06/01/2026

Happy (late) National Bird Day! We here at the BBSC see lots of bird species daily because of our special location as one of the last natural estuaries in California! This site often sees over 30,000 species of birds during migrating months!

Birds are one of the most important key players in a healthy ecosystem, helping cycle nutrients and fertilizing ecosystems.

As our climate warms and extreme weather events increase, the timing of migration is shifting. Climate change and environmental stressors like pollution and habitat loss have lead to roughly 1 in 3 North American bird populations to face population decline. It is important for us to take care of our environment and help our bird species thrive!

One action you can take to help bird populations is to turn off your outdoor lights at night and to encourage your local schools or businesses to do the same! More information can be found at DarkSky.org

Photo Credit: James A Kendall & Diane Etchison

The King Tides are occurring right now in our estuary at the Back Bay Science Center, thanks to the Super Cold Moon this...
05/12/2025

The King Tides are occurring right now in our estuary at the Back Bay Science Center, thanks to the Super Cold Moon this month! This causes our tides to reach the highest water level, higher than an average day! This is cause our moon causes a greater gravitational pull on our tides.

These tides are a normal occurrence, happening more than once in our coastal areas, however due to climate change, these tide’s highs may become the new normal.

King tides also cause extremely low tides, uncovering animals that are usually covered by water and allowing us to see a world hidden most times!

Happy World Conservation Day! We would like to acknowledge the years of dedicated conservation for the Upper Newport Bay...
05/12/2025

Happy World Conservation Day! We would like to acknowledge the years of dedicated conservation for the Upper Newport Bay, which is one of the last remaining natural estuaries in Southern California.

Here is an image of the estuary before it became protected in the 1980s.
A person water-skiing on the bay in the 1960s before preservation efforts

Protecting places like the estuary are incredibly important for both humans and wildlife!

The Back Bay Science Center is now home to one of many Motus Wildlife Tracking Systems, a collaborative research network...
20/11/2025

The Back Bay Science Center is now home to one of many Motus Wildlife Tracking Systems, a collaborative research network that uses automated radio telemetry to study the movements of small flying animals like birds, bats and even large insects such as a butterfly.

How it works:

Animals are fitted with tiny, lightweight, digitally coded radio transmitters called NanoTags. These tags emit signals that are picked up by a network of automated receiving stations when the animal passes nearby. Each station logs the time, date, and identity of the tag, allowing researchers to track movement patterns over vast distances.

Why it’s important:

Motus helps scientists understand migration routes, stopover sites, and timing during migration season. By identifying critical habitats and threats along migration paths, it supports conservation planning. It’s a collaborative effort so data from one project can benefit many others.

🔗 Visit the website to learn more and to view a live feed of the Back Bays Motus!

Join us for Seasons Change, a virtual speaker series celebrating Native American Heritage Month! 📍Where: Virtual meeting...
06/11/2025

Join us for Seasons Change, a virtual speaker series celebrating Native American Heritage Month!

📍Where: Virtual meeting. Don't forget to register.

⏰When: 12-1 PM

Calling all California nature lovers! 🌻🍃🦉🐝🐌🪲🐍🌸🪺🐜🦋🐛For , we’re challenging you to observe & identify at least 30 species...
02/09/2025

Calling all California nature lovers! 🌻🍃🦉🐝🐌🪲🐍🌸🪺🐜🦋🐛
For , we’re challenging you to observe & identify at least 30 species of plants, animals, or fungi. Between Sept. 6 - 14, join the challenge by visiting the iNaturalist app or website (link will be posted) and adding ‘BBSC Bioblitz 2025’ project on to participate.

🦆☀️🐌 The annual event Biodiversity day is next week!! 🌳🐛🪿🪰 📍where: Back Bay Science Center🗓️when: September 6th⏰time: 1-...
27/08/2025

🦆☀️🐌 The annual event Biodiversity day is next week!! 🌳🐛🪿🪰
📍where: Back Bay Science Center
🗓️when: September 6th
⏰time: 1-4pm

This is a free event, everyone is welcome!

Address


92660

Opening Hours

10:00 - 14:00

Telephone

949-640-9958

Website

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