Inland Ocean Coalition

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Boulder, CO
Inland Ocean Coalition

We are a grassroots network of individuals and communities across the country fighting for a healthy, sustainable, and just future on our ocean planet.

The ocean is our planet’s life support system, and with its health in crisis, its protection can no longer be seen as solely a coastal issue. By engaging individuals and communities that want to be part of the solution, the IOC builds chapters, leads campaigns, and implements programs that protect our watersheds, climate, and ocean. Working on many levels—including through coalition building, dire

ct action, education, community engagement, leadership development, and more—the IOC and its chapters are building community-based ocean conservation constituencies throughout the country. The IOC began as the Colorado Ocean Coalition (COCO) in 2011. Founded by Vicki Nichols Goldstein after a family move to Boulder, CO, the Coalition’s aim was to inspire and empower Coloradans to promote the health of our ocean through education and community involvement. Having spent most of her life working to protect our ocean, Vicki started looking for local organizations that had an inland ocean focus. To her surprise, there were none. She consulted with colleagues and found inspiration for a new initiative, an Inland Ocean Movement. In 2011, COCO became a project under the fiscal sponsorship of The Ocean Foundation based on the premise that you don’t have to see the ocean to protect it. In 2015, COCO began assisting individuals in other inland communities to start chapters—Utah, Arizona, Michigan, Illinois, New York—and in 2017 responded to the growing chapter network and rebranded as the Inland Ocean Coalition. The environmental issues that we work to address—ocean protection, climate change, watershed health, and plastic pollution—are also social issues, often with highly unjust outcomes. It is well established that marginalized communities bear the brunt of environmental harms, and we are working to address these injustices. It is our strong belief that we cannot have a sustainable future on this planet without engaged communities working toward both environmental and social justice, and we have been working with our partners to raise the visibility of the deep need for social justice in the ocean protection and environmental movements as a whole. The health of our ocean and planet impacts everyone—especially marginalized communities—and we cannot protect our ocean without embedding equity into the heart of this movement.

07/30/2026

Are you passionate about protecting our ocean and looking to make a difference? We often hear that the ocean is in trouble or that it’s too late to act. We want to show you that just one person can make a difference. The Inland Ocean Ambassador Training Program is a 5-session, 5-week online program offered twice per year that prepares individuals to take action to protect our ocean and waterways.

The training will run every Wednesday from 5 - 7pm MT ( 7 - 9pm EST), September 9th to October 7th, with each session covering different themes relevant to topical marine conservation issues. The course is designed to empower individuals to act as leaders in ocean advocacy from anywhere in the world, no matter how close or far they may live to a coast.

Apply now!

Join our network of nearly 400 passionate leaders in ocean advocacy across 38 states and 39 countries to show that it's NOT too late to organize for the sake of our oceans.

We need ocean advocates now more than ever, so apply today, or share with anyone who you think would benefit from the course.

Apply here by Wednesday, August 26th at 11:59pm MT to be considered for the program.

Apply now to become an Inland Ocean Ambassador for the 2026 Spring season. Learn how YOU can make a difference for the ocean in your community, no matter where you are.

07/24/2026

Every time you head out for groceries, you have the power to reduce plastic waste. Swipe through to check out simple ways to practice sustainable shopping - from bringing your own reusable bags to participating in local plastic audits! 🛒🛍️

07/22/2026

Join Inland Ocean Ambassador Stephanie Krueger for a river clean up this Sunday in Boulder! Bring your reusable gloves and can-do attitude on 7/26 at 3:15pm, then enjoy an Inland Ocean happy hour on us at the Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery.

Join the community and help keep our rivers clean this Plastic-Free July!

07/01/2026

We are honored to be joining Jack Johnson for his 2026 tour as an All At Once partner, and we’re excited to announce that you can enter to win two tickets to one of Jack’s upcoming shows!

Our goal is to raise $2500 as part of the All At Once Matching Donation to be matched by the Johnson Ohana Foundation. Donate $20 or more before August 14 and you will be entered to win 2 tickets to see Jack Johnson at Fiddler's Green in Denver!

Join IOC at the event and know that your donation will support strengthening the land-to-sea movement, as we bring ocean consciousness to the Front Range and beyond through reducing plastic pollution, supporting ocean-friendly food systems, empowering communities and individuals to drive change for the ocean wherever they live, whether that's on the coast or by the plains, lakes, rivers, and mountains: because you don't have to see the ocean to protect it.

Give now and be entered to win: https://inlandoceancoalition.salsalabs.org/jjcoconcert2026/index.html

04/06/2026

Join us for a screening + panel conversation on Seaweed Stories, a short film exploring the remarkable world of seaweed and the people whose lives are intertwined with this often-overlooked marine plant. From climate solutions to food systems, seaweed may hold surprising answers for a more sustainable future.

Following the 30-minute film, stay for a panel discussion on science, storytelling, and marine life, and our collective hopes (and concerns) for what comes next.

Featuring:
Emy Kane (Executive Director, Lonely Whale)
Dr. Emily Yeh (CU Geography)
Dr. Paige Hoel (Oceanographer)
Vicki Nichols Goldstein (Inland Ocean Coalition)
Clementine Clyker (CU sustainability student leader)
Hosted by Jo Marras Tate

📅 April 9, 2026
⏰ 5:00–6:30 PM
📍 CASE Building, 4th Floor Auditorium & Chancellor’s Hall — CU Boulder
🎟 Free & open to all

Co-hosted by the Sustainability & Storytelling Lab, NEST Studio for the Arts, and the CU Environmental Center.

Come learn how seaweed connects science, storytelling, and solutions for a more sustainable future.

02/26/2026

Are you passionate about protecting our ocean and looking to make a difference?

The Inland Ocean Ambassador Training Program is a 5-session, 5-week online program offered twice per year that prepares individuals to take action to protect our ocean and waterways.

The Spring training will run every Wednesday from 5 - 7pm MT (7 - 9pm EST), April 8th to May 6th, with each session covering different themes relevant to topical marine conservation issues.

The course is designed to empower individuals to act as leaders in ocean advocacy from anywhere in the world, no matter how close or far they may live to a coast.

Apply now: https://inlandoceancoalition.salsalabs.org/ioaapplicationspring2026/index.html

Join our network of over 350 passionate leaders in ocean advocacy across 40 states and 41 countries to show that it's NOT too late to organize for the sake of our oceans.

We need ocean advocates now more than ever, so apply today, or share with anyone who you think would benefit from the course.

Learn more at our website: https://inlandoceancoalition.org/inland-ocean-ambassadors/

Apply by Wednesday, March 25th at 11:59pm MT to be considered for the program.

Apply now to become an Inland Ocean Ambassador for the 2026 Spring season. Learn how YOU can make a difference for the ocean in your community, no matter where you are.

02/02/2026

Today is World Wetlands Day.

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth. They filter water, store carbon, protect communities from flooding, and provide critical habitat for fish, birds, and wildlife.

Yet more than half of the world’s wetlands have been lost in the past century.

From coastal marshes and mangroves to inland floodplains and riparian zones, these systems connect land and sea, and our actions upstream directly affect ocean health.

Protecting wetlands means protecting food systems, biodiversity, climate resilience, and frontline communities.

At Inland Ocean Coalition, we work to highlight these connections and support solutions that safeguard watersheds from land to sea.

Learn more at: https://www.worldwetlandsday.org/

01/12/2026

🕔 Today at 5 PM ET

IOC coalition partners America the Beautiful For All Coalition and Right to Democracy are coming together for a powerful webinar to rally us in the final efforts of the public comment period to protect the Mariana Trench.

Join the call to learn about the collective impact of this movement: organizations who have collected signatures, letters, petitions, and comments will announce their results and celebrate the combined effort of the many organizations working to support protecting the Mariana Trench. Several elected officials will share remarks, and a panel discussion will follow.

🌊 Why this matters:
The Mariana Trench is the deepest place in the ocean and one of the most fragile ecosystems on Earth. Deep-sea mining threatens to permanently damage this environment by destroying habitats, stirring up toxic sediment plumes, and disrupting ocean systems that Pacific Island communities depend on for food, culture, and livelihoods.

This is a critical moment to stand up for ocean protection, Indigenous sovereignty, and island communities. Join us! And make sure your comment is in before time runs out.

Submit your public comment by 11:59pm EST: regulations.gov/document/BOEM-2025-0351-0001

And register for the webinar now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KuhBVLXRSW2DW_HsZM0Vjg #/registration

Photo of Fagatele Bay in American Samoa by Miriam Goldstein, NOPC

12/19/2025

Do your holiday celebrations include bringing together friends, family, and neighbors to share a festive meal? We may often think of the Thanksgiving Turkey or the Christmas Ham as the spotlight of the holiday dinner table, but fish is an equally appealing and special offering for holiday celebrations!

But with the state of seafood as it is – between confusing, unregulated labels, risks for by-catch and overfishing, and complex supply chains, to name just a few issues – we recommend getting curious about where and how your seafood is sourced.

Learn about One Fish Foundation's Seven C’s of Sustainable Seafood to help guide you through your seafood choices: https://onefishfoundation.org/resources/7-cs-of-sustainable-seafood/

12/09/2025

It's Colorado Gives Day—the largest day of giving in Colorado—and our ocean needs you! We all depend on a healthy ocean, no matter where we live, and our collective actions impact the ocean in big and small ways, even if we don't live near the coast. With your help, we are working safeguard the beauty and biodiversity of our ocean for generations to come. Together, we are addressing the most serious issues facing our ocean—plastic and other pollution, deep-sea mining, offshore oil development, overfishing, climate change, and more.

Can we count on you to help protect our ocean today?
With $250K available in matching funds across all nonprofits, now is the perfect time to make your support go twice as far.
So make a monthly donation up to $100 today and the Colorado Gives Foundation will double your impact!

Donate now: coloradogives.org/organization/Inlandocean

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Boulder, CO

Website

https://inlandoceancoalition.org/

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