The City of Newport Beach's Fostering Interest in Nature program (FIN) provides three-day, two-night science camps that give fifth-graders hands-on access to the Upper Newport Bay and coastal habitats. According to the presentation, the program brings over 500 students from across Orange County each year and includes activities such as kayaking, laboratory work at the Back Bay Science Center, campfires, nature hikes and nature photography.

An unidentified presenter described FIN's origin as tied to an agreement reached during a hotel development process. The transcript states that in 2015 the city, the California Coastal Commission and developer RD Olson reached an agreement linked to the Balboa Peninsula's Lido House Hotel, and that as part of the project the city and Olson provided $1,400,000 to fund a 10-year, city-operated program to increase access to the coast for lower-income students. A subsequent 2016 agreement, the presenter said, paved the way for hundreds of elementary students to begin visiting Upper Newport Bay in 2019.

"Fostering Interest in Nature, or FIN as we like to call it, is a three-day, two-night science camp for fifth graders," an unidentified program speaker said in the presentation, listing the program's primary activities and partners. The city's Recreation and Senior Services Department administers and supports the program, the speaker said. The Newport Bay Conservancy provides educators and curriculum support; Newport Dunes supplies meals, hospitality and base-camp facilities.

Program organizers and the presentation emphasize access and stewardship: the camp is presented as a way to deepen students' understanding of conservation and their role in protecting coastal environments. The transcript uses approximate language such as "hundreds" and "over 500 students"; exact annual attendance figures beyond the cited "over 500" were not specified in the presentation.

More information is available through the City of Newport Beach recreation pages at https://www.newportbeachca.gov/recreation, the corrected URL from the transcript.

Next steps or new policy actions were not stated in the transcript; the presentation functions as an overview of the program's history, funding and partnerships.