Kids Give Back to Nature
This summer, we’re proud to have hosted five summer field trips at Curry Canyon Ranch for the Mount Diablo Unified School District’s CARES program.
Our stewardship team taught several groups of hard-working students about our restoration work on Mount Diablo and gave them the knowledge and opportunity to be a part of our 10,000 Trees and Plants project.
Students trekked up and down the slopes of Curry Canyon Ranch, enjoying an immersive outdoor experience.
Students protecting an oak seedling. Photo by Haley Sutton
And as they did so, they learned how to identify native plants and how to install grow tubes that have been designed to create a beneficial microclimate.
They learned real land stewardship that they can draw from long after the day concludes, while spending a fun and rewarding day in nature with their classmates.
Together, 66 students from El Dorado Middle School, Oak Grove Middle School, Holbrook Language Academy, Garden Academy, and Riverview Middle School helped protect 387 blue oak seedlings on the slopes of Curry Canyon Ranch!
New Ways to Explore Mount Diablo
Photos by Emily Sherwood
During our field trips, we always try to leave room for free exploration in nature.
After the students spent the mornings working hard to protect blue oak seedlings, we offered a few exciting opportunities for outdoor fun and learning at Curry Canyon Ranch.
Searching for eagles. Photo by Emily Sherwood
They could choose to
- use our binoculars to study the skies and spot wildlife such as golden eagles and kestrels at Curry Canyon Ranch,
- wander along Curry Creek to search for creatures in the water, or
- create plein air paintings of Mount Diablo’s landscape.
Through these activities, the students are also experiencing a few of the different ways that they can explore their local parks.
Enjoying the Outdoors and Its Essential Benefits
Curry Creek. Photo by Emily Sherwood
Take a walk outside in one of your nearby parks and see how you feel. You’re likely to find that your stress levels have lowered, you feel more energetic, and it’s now somewhat easier to focus.
The physical, mental, social, and spiritual benefits that time outdoors provides are extensive and well documented.
Outdoor education is both fun and one of the best ways to promote focus, learning, teamwork, and environmental awareness.
Studies have shown that these experiences measurably improve students’ academic performance and test scores!
If we want our conservation work to last, then we need a community that is deeply committed to conservation.
And that’s why Save Mount Diablo’s educational programs are a major part of our long-term conservation strategy.
These programs are helping to connect students from all over Contra Costa County to their local natural places.
We’re giving students the chance to enjoy the benefits of the outdoors and showing them why these places are worth protecting and cherishing.
Save Mount Diablo’s Educational Work
Outdoor exploration at Curry Canyon Ranch. Photo by Emily Sherwood
We are committed to connecting the surrounding communities to nature throughout the Diablo region through educational programs that we offer year-round.
Our outdoor education programs that aim to connect the next generation with nature include these CARES camps, our Diablo Conservation Experiences, and our Young Diablo Explorers program.
Year by year, we’ve been expanding our educational offerings. Now, we provide experiences for students ranging from third grade through college. Our young Diablo Explorers curricula are even available on our website!
Young Diablo Explorers at Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve. Photo by Emily Sherwood
Additionally, Save Mount Diablo encourages community members to get outside and learn more about Mount Diablo and its sustaining Diablo Range through
- our Discover Diablo hikes and outings,
- our annual BioBlitz, and
- our Mary Bowerman Science and Research program.
We also allow groups of three to 100 to reserve our Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve for educational purposes free of charge.
Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve. Photo by Cooper Ogden
