California Naturalist Program at the UCSC Arboretum

The UC Santa Cruz Arboretum hosts the California Naturalist program each year. 

The California Naturalist program goals are to:

• Foster a committed corps of volunteer naturalists and citizen scientists trained and ready to take an active role in natural resource conservation, education, and restoration
• Provide training, in collaboration with local sponsoring institutions, for adult environmental stewards through an adaptable outdoor and in class curriculum which can be easily applied in a variety of settings
• Engage adults in interactive learning which provides them with scientific literacy and critical thinking skills

This hands-on learning approach is a great introduction to natural history and features many knowledgable naturalists as guest speakers each year. The California Naturalist program is open to anyone - students, staff, community members, etc. The curriculum includes Journaling, Forest Stewardship, Ornithology, Geology, Herpetology, Paleontology, Mammalogy, Climate Change, Plants and Plant Communities, Entomology, Botany, and Local Botanical Hotspots.

View the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum's California Naturalist Program website or the California Naturalist website for more information on upcoming programs.