February 14, 2026 — AquaMeridian 4th Annual Valentine’s Day Beach Cleanup

Feb 15

February 14, 2026 | Alameda Shoreline AquaMeridian proudly hosted our 4th Annual Valentine’s Day Beach Cleanup in partnership with DOER Marine and CASA. What began four years ago as a simple idea — to turn a day about love into a day of environmental stewardship — has grown into a meaningful annual tradition.

Post-Cleanup Reflection

We were so happy to have Mermaid Atlantis with us. She’s such a genuine educator and advocate for ocean literacy, and she brought a really special energy to the beach.
She instantly drew in our youngest volunteers, we even had a preschooler completely mesmerized. Every time a child gently touched her mermaid tail, it would swish and move, and the kids would light up as if it were real. You could see the wonder on their faces.
She is incredibly experienced in interacting with children — patient, playful, and fully present. The way she engaged with them made the moment feel magical. For many of them, this might be their very first emotional connection to the ocean.

Student Leader Spotlight

One of the highlights of the day was Xiaohan’s presentation. As one of our long-time student leaders, he has grown up with AquaMeridian — starting beach cleanups in 7th grade and continuing to show up year after year.
This time, he brought more than just gloves and buckets. He shared his research-based capstone project developed through the ACWD Youth Stormwater Education Initiative. Using simple visuals from his machine-learning study on “first flush” storms, he explained how pollution from our neighborhoods flows directly back into the ocean — and why the first rains of the season often carry the highest levels of contamination.
What made his presentation special wasn’t just the science. It was watching him explain his research, and then walk right back onto the same shoreline to clean it. You could see the connection between what he studied and what he cares about.
This is what youth leadership really looks like — staying curious, putting in the work, and being willing to share what you’ve learned with others.

We ended the day watching Mission Blue together and sharing pizza generously sponsored by one of our volunteers — the perfect way to wrap up a morning of action and connection.