EYES™ — Engage Your Eyes for Sea Life
See. Learn. Protect. Coastal Wildlife Education & Community Science
A Wildlife Jewels® Program
EYES™ (Engage Your Eyes for Sea Life) is a Wildlife Jewels® educational program offering workshops, webinars, guided nature walks, volunteer training, and community-based wildlife observation and reporting programs in wildlife conservation and coastal ecology, along with educational materials that support and expand each experience.
What We Offer
Workshops
EYES hosts educational workshops on wildlife conservation and coastal ecology. Participants learn respectful wildlife viewing, hazard recognition, and community-science practices. Contact us to learn more about upcoming workshops.
Webinars
Our EYES webinars teach coastal ecology, wildlife protection, and safe community-science practices. These sessions offer accessible conservation learning for the public, students, and volunteers. Sign up for an upcoming webinar.
Guided Nature Walks
Join our EYES guided wildlife walks to learn about sea life, birds, and coastal ecosystems. Walks include instruction, wildlife observation, and hazard awareness education.
Community Wildlife Observation Programs
EYES offers community wildlife observation walks where participants learn how to observe and report coastal wildlife and environmental conditions. Participants document debris, entanglement risks, tar, and wildlife concerns using safe-distance practices.
Educational Materials
EYES provides online, non-downloadable educational materials covering wildlife conservation, coastal ecology, and safe community-science practices. Additional learning materials are distributed during workshops and nature walks.
Program Activities
Community-Science Field Activities
Observe and document coastal conditions— marine debris—using photos and location notes. Reports follow EYES program guidelines.
Wildlife Awareness & Outreach
Timely public guidance during periods of increased wildlife concern (e.g., entanglement events or environmental conditions).
Data Snapshots
Periodic summaries of wildlife observations and environmental conditions are shared with partners and community members.
Where We Focus
La Jolla • Solana Beach • Newport Beach / Upper Newport Bay • Laguna Beach
(Regional coverage across San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles counties)
Find Your EYES Community
Explore EYES programs, walks, and volunteer opportunities near you.
EYES La Jolla → Learn More
EYES Solana Beach → Details coming soon!
EYES Newport Beach → Details coming soon!
EYES Oceanside → Details coming soon!
Find Your EYES Community
Explore EYES programs, walks, and volunteer opportunities near you:
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EYES La Jolla
Guided education + community-science at La Jolla Cove to identify threats and report concerns appropriately.
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EYES Solana Beach
Guided education + community-science at Solana Beach to identify threats and report concerns appropriately.
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EYES Newport Beach
Guided education + community-science at Newport Beach to identify threats and report concerns appropriately.
How It Works
Learn — Join an EYES™ webinar or guided walk.
Observe — Practice safe, respectful wildlife viewing; never approach or feed wildlife.
Document — Take photos and note details from a safe distance.
Report — Submit wildlife or hazard observations through our reporting system.
Get Involved
Register — Join an upcoming webinar or guided walk.
Volunteer — Apply to the EYES Collective (includes a 30-min Zoom orientation + toolkit).
Sponsor/Partner — Support field kits, youth education, and community outreach.
Donate — Help expand EYES education, reporting tools, and community-science programs.
Contact — eyes@wildlifejewels.org
Join the EYES™ Collective and Get Involved as a Volunteer Monitor or Community Reporter!
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Join the EYES Collective (Volunteers)
Become an EYES La Jolla Volunteer Monitor and help protect coastal wildlife by safely observing wildlife, spotting hazards, and providing valuable data that helps route distressed wildlife to authorized responders.
You choose the times and locations that work best for you!
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Join the EYES Collective (Community Reporters)
Perfect for anyone who visits La Jolla often and wants to help.
Report distressed wildlife sightings, hazards, entanglements, or concerns from your everyday beach walks using simple observation guidelines.
EYES featured in Spectrum News 1. Read the feature HERE!
⭐ Our Story — The Origin of EYES™
Engage Your Eyes for Sea Life™
A Wildlife Jewels® Initiative Founded January 2025
Since 2021, Wildlife Jewels® Founder and Executive Director Azi Sharif, PhD, has been actively monitoring and observing coastal wildlife along the California coast — with a special focus on La Jolla, Solana Beach, Crystal Cove, and Corona del Mar. Through thousands of hours in the field, she documented wildlife behavior, injuries, entanglements, fishing gear hazards, toxin events, and other threats facing sea lions, seabirds, and tidepool life.
In May 2023, August 2024, then June 2025, during the devastating domoic acid crisis that swept across Southern California, Azi was on the frontlines documenting distressed sea lions and seabirds suffering from toxin exposure. Her work was featured on Spectrum News on June 17, where she explained the urgent need for a coordinated, community-powered wildlife monitoring system.
“The purpose of the EYES™ program is to actively search for wildlife along the coast that need help and also gather data on the threats they’re facing — including fishing gear entanglements. Even for animals in areas where rescue isn’t possible, their story needs to be known and shared.”
— Azi Sharif, Spectrum News Interview
Moved by the severity of the crisis, and recognizing gaps in public awareness and early reporting, Azi created EYES™ — Engage Your Eyes for Sea Life™ in January 2025.
EYES™ empowers community members, trained volunteers, and Wildlife Jewels® staff to:
Observe coastal wildlife safely and respectfully
Identify distressed animals and hazards early
Document threats such as fishing gear, toxins, charcoal, and harmful human interactions
Report emergencies to authorized rescue organizations
Share the stories of wildlife needing protection
Promote stewardship through education and community walks
The program plays a vital role in areas like La Jolla, where Wildlife Jewels® actively monitors sensitive species such as Western Gulls, protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. When their nests became vulnerable after beach access reopened, EYES™ volunteers helped watch over them from a distance, educating the public on safe and respectful viewing.
Today, EYES™ operates across San Diego, Orange County, and expanding to Los Angeles, helping communities “see” wildlife with greater awareness, compassion, and responsibility.
Through observation, reporting, data collection, and stewardship, EYES™ strengthens the connection between people and the wildlife who share our coastline.
Would you like to make a donation?
Wildlife Jewels is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and operates on donations. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Would you be interested in making a tax-deductible contribution to express your support for our mission to protect wildlife from human-caused threats?