Education & Programs

Education has always been a tenet of the SCCF (Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation) and Sanibel Sea School. The Education Department consists of Sanibel Sea School, Coastal Watch, Native Landscapes and Garden Center, Ocean Tribe Paddlers, traditional SCCF programs such as “Evenings at the Homestead,” and various adult environmental courses and lectures. The ultimate goal of our department is to bring people closer to nature in order to inspire change. Educational offerings such as those offered by Sanibel Sea School and SCCF adult initiatives inspire residents and visitors alike to value and care for our oceans and local ecosystems. SCCF educators aspire to promote environmental literacy, thereby leading to changed hearts and minds.  We recognize and celebrate the fact that learning is a process, a life-long process.  How we “educate” is firmly grounded in the concept of experiential education. SCCF educators believe in the value of being in nature to learn of nature.

The mission of SCCF is to protect and care for Southwest Florida's coastal ecosystems.  Re-enforcing this organizational purpose is the articulated mission of Sanibel Sea School; to improve the ocean’s future, one person at a time.  We are one organization with the united mission of improving, protecting and caring for our local natural resources.  This is done through education, research and advocacy. 

SCCF educators are active members of the North American Association of Environmental Education, the Association for Experiential Education, the League of Environmental Educators in Florida, the Florida Association of Native Nurseries, the Florida Native Plant Society, and the Children & Nature Network.