All Tentacles On Deck - Support Lake Merritt Institute!

Fall is here and we are kicking it off by participating in one of Oakland’s most popular annual events: Autumn Lights Festival! Join us at the Gardens at Lake Merritt and discover our light-up installation, All Tentacles on Deck!, featuring Henry the skeleton kayaking through polluted waters and joined by a giant purple octopus ensnared in trash. This whimsical scene highlights the real challenge of pollution in Lake Merritt and invites us to imagine a cleaner home for all its creatures!

Autumn Lights Festival marks the start of our end-of-year fundraiser, giving LMI a head start towards our goal of $70K and setting us up for success next year.

Supporters like you make it possible for us to keep Lake Merritt clean and thriving for both wildlife and the community. Your donation not only helps our mission to protect and restore Lake Merritt but also invests in the next generation of environmental stewards.

Because of donors like you, the Lake Merritt Institute is able to:

• Tackle and remove trash pollution that flushes into Lake Merritt from 62+ storm drains
• Engage local youth and schools in hands-on watershed education
• Support our hundreds of monthly volunteers with tools and training for year-round cleanups, rain or shine
• Partner with the City of Oakland and community groups to keep our lake healthy and thriving

In 2025, our volunteers and staff removed 111,630 gallons of trash, surpassing 2024’s total thanks to increase in volunteer turnout. Your gift ensures we can keep showing up for the lake, rain or shine, protecting Oakland's Crown Jewel.