Connor Berryhill has a mission to save the ocean

Eleven-year-old, Connor Berryhill, a native of San Diego, California, is determined to save the world’s oceans, one beach cleanup at a time. He is the founder of the MicroActivist Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to “connecting youth with the world’s oceans” and bringing awareness to issues surrounding ocean conservation. To date, Berryhill’s foundation has collected over 19,000 pounds of trash from the Pacific. An avid scuba diver, a lover of all ocean animals, “I feel happiest when I’m at the bottom of the ocean,” he says.

Berryhill’s mission to clean the world’s oceans was ignited more than five years ago on a trip visiting family in Kauai. He was only five years old when he had a serendipitous face-to-face encounter with a Hawaiian monk seal while walking on the beach set out to learn everything he could about the species. When he discovered that there are only about  1,000 left in the world- they often get trapped in discarded nets in the water- he was heartbroken and felt compelled to do something to help prevent their numbers from further dwindling.

Berryhill’s parents, Lynel and Shawn, knew their son needed to take on an active role in remedying this monk seal dilemma; he would not be able to sit on the sidelines. He subsequently began picking up trash on various beaches. These small acts of kindness did not go unnoticed- the local media ran a story about him, which was then followed by more coverage from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Then Dr. Terrie M. Williams, an expert on Hawaiian monk seals and other large endangered mammals, invited Berryhill to visit her at the Williams Integrative Carnivore EcoPhysiology lab at the University of California in Santa Cruz. At the time, just beginning kindergarten.

Lynel and Shawn knew Connor, their firstborn, would follow a different path than most children. He began speaking at the unusually young age of five months, and learned how to swim before he was a year old. “ We didn’t create Connor, he came out this way, ” says Lynel. “He never napped, he was a late walker but in the water he soared- before two years of age he looked happiest snorkeling on the coral reefs. “

As Berryhill’s parents supported his unique nature,  they learned he had Asperger’s syndrome, a diagnosis that came when he was four years old. “ We have tried to embrace Connor’s true nature. Being on the autism spectrum allows him to keenly focus on one thing, which for Connor is the ocean and all its creatures,” Lynel says.

The MicroActivist Foundation became a passion project for the entire Berryhill family- it grew “organically” explains Lynel, who also runs a family manufacturing business. “It all began when Connor started giving presentations at school about his own discoveries and explorations of the sea. When he saw how excited his classmates were, he became super excited.”

“It’s simple really,“ Berryhill adds. “I just show them the beauty I see and then they are hooked.”

Berryhill has been described as a “champion of the ocean” by Dr. Sylvia Earle, a renowned marine biologist and National Geographic explorer-in-residence. Celebrities, including pop singer, Jason Mraz, and local ocean advocate Rich German, also commend Berryhill’s passion and ambitious initiative- there are photos of them on the foundation’s interactive and playful website.

When asked, Berryhill declares that he is most “proud” of the beach cleanups and programs the foundation organizes for kids of all ages and abilities in the Southern California area where he lives. On cleanup days, groups of children charge the beach armed with trash grabbers and  oversized buckets, diligently working to dig garbage out from the rocky jetties.

It’s not all work and no play- there is pizza, and prizes are given out for the craziest pieces of trash collected. Sometimes surf lessons are included in addition to snorkeling, kayaking, and swimming alongside leopard sharks.

“Kids don’t know limits,” Lynel says. “ We provide an avenue for kids’ empowerment and show them that they can make a difference.” Youth mentors are on hand to help the children on the autism spectrum participate in the various beach and cleanup activities.

The MicroActivist Foundation also develops age-appropriate educational modules for the classroom, homeschool curriculum and youth groups. Berryhill often personally visits schools and shares his extensive knowledge with students about sustaining the ocean’s environment. He also conducts Skype sessions while on location in places like Catalina Island.

In several mini films posted on the organization’s website, Berryhill invites kids to join him on his underwater adventures. Acting as both narrator and host, he dives, interviews researchers and presents his findings about his deep-sea explorations.

One such film, An Alien Among Us, focuses on the octopus and its brain; after an in-depth examination, an emotional Berryhill, surmises, “I wanted to know if octopuses have feeling and if they are able to love? Do they maybe even have a soul?” He concludes, “ I believe that they do have a soul and deserve our love.”

Because of Berryhill’s  passion for the ocean, his family has been diligent about incorporating diving into their lives. He has been a certified diver since the age of 10, and after diving 1000 feet below in a submarine off the coast of Curacao, he told his family, “ I want to do this all the time-for my entire life.

It’s no surprise that Berryhill’s hero is the late Jacques Cousteau, ocean explorer extraordinaire, inventor of the first diving regulator (Aqua-Lung) and most famous for his intriguing underwater documentaries. “Jacques Cousteau is like an underwater Arnold Schwarzenegger,” Berryhill exclaims. Finding a kindred spirit in Cousteau, he also wants “to inspire other people to care about the ocean.”

What’s next for the Berryhill family and their MicroActivist initiative?

A mobile virtual Ocean Experience game is in development, targeted for third to twelfth graders. Kids will wear VR headsets donated by Microsoft and wander about freely inside a modified trailer outfitted like a submarine, all at no cost to the schools. A follow-up and age-appropriate curriculum is also offered.

“The goal is to inspire children and to help them fall in love with the ocean, and to show them the simple things they can do to help in the conservation of the ocean,” Lynel explains. There’s also discussion of creating a children’s National Geographic series.

The word is out and the MicroActivist Foundation is growing, much like its young founder, whose energy and passion for conserving the ocean knows no bounds.

> This article by Rena Godfrey appeared in the Spring 2018 issue of Lifestyles Magazine.