La Jolla Shores Lithocrete Map

Status as of September 10, 2008

After nearly three years of planning and construction, we're almost done. This Friday September 12, the fence will be removed in the morning and the ribbon-cutting festivities will begin at Noon.

About the Map

"The Map" is an educational walking surface that depicts the La Jolla Underwater Park & Marine Reserve topology, animal species, dive sites and other underwater features of the area. The map is ideally located on the patio between the comfort station and the children's play area at the South end of Kellogg Park. This area could not sustain grass due to high foot traffic and had become a dirt/mud surface.

The map is a fun way to educate the general public about all the great things living inside the La Jolla Underwater Park and why they are deserving of our protection. It will be seen by kids and their parents who use the adjacent playground and seen by new and visiting divers who often pass through the area when walking to the water.

The information on this page is "unofficial" and is mainly provided for the scuba diving community that I helped represent on this project.

The official contact for this project is:

   Friends of "The Map"
   ATTN:  Mary Coakley
   2120 Vallecitos  #203
   La Jolla, CA  92037
   Phone: (619) 840-0250

Project Leader Mary Coakley Chosen for Wyland Award

Mary Coakley received Wyland Foundation's Ambassador for the Planet Award on April 20th, 2008. Along with Mary Coakley, eight other individuals, including oceanographer and author Dr. Sylvia Earle, former vice president Al Gore and actress Hayden Panettiere, were named recipients of the "Ambassador for the Planet" award, which recognizes environmental stewardship.

Pictures of Lithocrete Installation Steps (Flickr Sets)

Video from the Mock-up Day on December 14, 2006

Click to Play Resolution Plays On Runtime File Size Notes
YouTube video stream small Flash video 7:40 stream Low resolution
ipod (640x360) Quicktime 7, ipod 7:40 91 MB Medium Resolution

Thank you Donors

It's exciting to see The Map project opening to the public. This installation will help further education and awareness of the marine environment. For me, it's all about the message to kids that "there's something out there worth knowing and caring about." It is already clear from the mockup days, kids love the life-size bronze fish and are asking questions about the animals.

As of September 10, 2008, It's not too late to have your name included on the donor plaque for min $250 donation. The donor plaque will be installed some time after the ribbon-cutting and will be mounted on the comfort station wall facing the lithocrete. See La Jolla Shores Map Website. Funds are still needed for long term maintenance and to fund a bronze sculpture of "JJ" the whale by the Artist Wyland.

The Fundraising Flier

The list of species, dive sites, and features that will be embedded on the map

Lithocrete Embed List (MS Word)