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 operating 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.

HUGE thank you to everyone that came out for this past weekend! Together we removed an immense amount of trash from ou...
09/22/2026

HUGE thank you to everyone that came out for this past weekend! Together we removed an immense amount of trash from our beautiful estuary, and we could not have done it without the help of these amazing volunteers!

Special thank you to OC Parks for organizing this event! 🧡

09/02/2026

Our annual Biodiversity Day is back this Saturday, September 5th! 🐚 Join us at the Back Bay Science Center from 1-4pm where we will have games, art workshops, educational activities, live animal feedings, and more! Event is free and all ages are welcome!

Spots are still open for our next Explore the Bay: Marine Life Inventory! 🐟Become a citizen scientist for the day as you...
08/27/2026

Spots are still open for our next Explore the Bay: Marine Life Inventory! 🐟

Become a citizen scientist for the day as you help our staff collect samples, identify local species, and explore the Back Bay up close and personal on the boat. Participants should expect to get wet and muddy!

*Registration is required and participants must be 13 years of age or older. For more information, visit our website or email [email protected]

08/27/2026

From helpless hatchlings to fishing on their own in just over two months!
Our live cam caught two osprey parents feeding their newly hatched chicks on May 7th. By July 15th, our live cam caught those same chicks feeding themselves! Ospreys grow extremely fast and gain roughly 70% of their adult weight in just their first month of life. They typically start learning to fish at just 7 to 8 weeks old!

Mark your calendars! 🗓️ Our annual Biodiversity Bash is back on Saturday, September 5th 🌱🦑🦋🦅🌼Come join us for this free ...
08/20/2026

Mark your calendars! 🗓️

Our annual Biodiversity Bash is back on Saturday, September 5th 🌱🦑🦋🦅🌼

Come join us for this free event at the Back Bay Science Center to celebrate California’s extraordinary biodiversity and explore your local nature 🍊🌲🐋

Visit the link in our bio to learn more about this event and other ways you can celebrate California Biodiversity Day!

That’s a wrap on our Summer 2026 fish camps!🎣 We had a blast teaching kids how to fish safely and reeled in some cool ca...
08/14/2026

That’s a wrap on our Summer 2026 fish camps!🎣 We had a blast teaching kids how to fish safely and reeled in some cool catches along the way. We host fish camps every summer, so we’ll see you next year!

Ever seen an oyster shell string? Here’s ours at the Newport Back Bay Science Center! Clean oyster shells are drilled an...
08/06/2026

Ever seen an oyster shell string? Here’s ours at the Newport Back Bay Science Center! Clean oyster shells are drilled and strung on a rope, creating an underwater nursery where baby native Olympia oyster larvae can settle and grow.

Do you have a boat dock? If you do, you could help grow the next generation of native oysters! Shell strings can be suspended right from your dock giving these native oysters a place to thrive. Learn more and get involved at the link below: https://www.coastkeeper.org/shell-strings/

Same place, same nest, different tides! With the full moon on July 29th, tides have been running higher and lower than u...
07/30/2026

Same place, same nest, different tides! With the full moon on July 29th, tides have been running higher and lower than usual. The moon’s gravitational pull drives our tides, and a full moon amplifies that effect by pulling water even higher and lower on the high and low tides. These two photos of the estuary were taken within a day of each other!

Address

Newport Beach, CA
92660

Opening Hours

10am - 2pm

Telephone

949-640-9958

Website

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