Boeing Supports Wetlands Restoration and Aquarium Education Programs
The Boeing Company presents a check to the Aquarium of the Pacific in support of its education programs.
From left to right during the check presentation from Boeing Company to the Aquarium: Aquarium of the Pacific Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations Lindsay Yates; Aquarium Corporate and Foundation Relations Supervisor Shauna Badheka; Boeing Senior Director, Contracts – Boeing Defense, Space and Security and Aquarium of the Pacific Board Member Marcus Cooke; Aquarium Vice President of Development Ryan Ashton; and Boeing Senior Government and Community Relations Specialist Adam Galia. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
April 30, 2026
On April 17, the Aquarium held a Wetlands Restoration Day, an annual celebration in honor of Earth Day that brings together the community to restore a critical wildlife habitat. This year, employees from The Boeing Company, alongside several other Aquarium partners, came to volunteer in restoration efforts at the Los Cerritos Wetlands, helping to propagate native plant species. Boeing also presented a check to the Aquarium supporting the Aquarium’s education programs, including early childhood education, Family Science Night events, the CELP Scholar Program, and paid interns.
Boeing Senior Government and Community Relations Specialist Adam Galia and Boeing Senior Director, Contracts – Boeing Defense, Space and Security and Aquarium of the Pacific Board Member Marcus Cooke Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Boeing has been supporting the Aquarium since 1998 as a charter donor. Since then, Boeing staff members have served in many volunteer roles, including on the Aquarium’s Board of Directors and the Trustees of the Pacific. Currently, multiple Boeing employees volunteer at the Aquarium in our education, community science, and husbandry departments, including Charter Volunteer Robin Riggs. Retired Boeing Vice President of Space & Defense Mark Bertrand is Aquarium Board of Directors Vice Chair and is part of our Trustees of the Pacific. Two other Boeing employees that volunteer their support are Marcus Cooke, Aquarium Board of Directors, and Kim Armstrong, Trustees of the Pacific and volunteer with the Aquarium’s veterinary team. The Trustees of the Pacific is a group of supporters who are ambassadors in their community and volunteer their time and expertise to support the Aquarium.
“The Boeing Company is excited to continue our longstanding partnership with the Aquarium of the Pacific in support of not only education programs that will inspire the next generation, but also in efforts to positively impact our communities; through restoration efforts at local habitats like the Cerritos Wetlands,” said Boeing Senior Director, Contracts – Boeing Defense, Space and Security Marcus Cooke.
The corporate volunteers at the Wetlands Restoration Day were able to propagate more than 900 new plants to get them ready to be added to the restored habitat. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
The Wetlands Restoration Day is an annual event that celebrates the Aquarium’s corporate donors and the shared passion of conservation by helping the wetlands together. The public is invited to join in on the restoration of Los Cerritos wetlands on the first Saturday of each month; you can sign up here and read more.
Wetlands ecosystems are important places for birds and fish while acting as a filter for pollutants from water and reducing flooding. It is estimated that California has lost more than ninety percent of its wetlands—more than any other state. In Southern California, only 13,000 acres of wetlands remain to serve as rest stops for migratory birds. An expansion of the Los Cerritos Wetlands restoration is underway to help grow our local wetlands. This is one of the largest expansions of green space in Long Beach since the 1960s and aims to improve water quality, enhance biodiversity, restore habitat, and strengthen coastal resilience across more than one hundred acres of coastal land. The Aquarium’s Shorebird Sanctuary highlights the beauty of these critical ecosystems while inspiring others to join to help restore the local wetlands.
