Join the Movement
Cultivating the Future —One Waterway at a Time
Youth-led science. Floating classrooms. Data that makes a difference. Welcome to Cultivating Currents, a nonprofit helping youth explore the deep connections between agriculture, river systems, and ocean health.
Why We Exist
Our Mission
Cultivating Currents empowers youth to explore the connections between how we grow our food, how rivers flow, and how our oceans thrive. We pair hands-on research with equity-focused education.
In Partnership with NOAA’s Phytoplankton Monitoring Network
As an official citizen science and outreach partner of NOAA PMN, Cultivating Currents is proud to align our data collection, training, and analysis with national standards. Youth participants contribute real environmental data to one of the most robust bloom-tracking programs in the U.S.—strengthening both scientific insight and student agency.
Founder’s Vision
Terry Travers, marine science communicator and youth advocate, brings NOAA background and unschooling roots to give teens tools, truth, and trust.
Our Flagship Program
6,000 Miles. One Mission. Launching October 2026.
A floating research station. A citizen science expedition. A network of young scientists at every port.
The Living Loop Lab is Cultivating Currents’ flagship expedition—a 6,000-mile circumnavigation of America’s Great Loop launching October 10, 2026 from thePontchartrain Conservancy Lighthouse in New Orleans.
Over 16–18 months on the water, the expedition will travel protected inland waterways, estuaries, and coastal passages through 18 states — completing the loop in early 2028. At every port, the vessel becomes a dockside field station, hosting youth science events, community engagement, and hands-on water quality research aligned with NOAA’s national monitoring standards.
The Expedition in Motion
Weekly updates from the command center — follow the journey as it happens.
Street Science
Community Edition
For homeschoolers, libraries, and microschools. Includes classroom kits, science fair support, and dockside learning opportunities.
Street
Edition
For unhoused, foster, and system-involved youth. Features trauma-informed kits, park-based events, and “Crew for a Day” opportunities.
Street Science Kits
Water test tools, microscopes, sample containers, journals, local ecology guides, zines, and creative prompts.
Transforming Data into Environmental Impact
It Takes a Villiage
Whether you’re a student, teacher, scientist, artist, donor, or dreamer—there’s a place for you in this movement. Volunteer, donate, or partner with us to empower youth and protect our planet from soil to sea.
