California Naturalist Blog
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Natural History as an Entry Point for Gratitude
Gratitude, like all good things, is cultivated. For much of the year, we are running from one deadline to the next and the time for reflection is scarce. Thanksgiving is one of the few times during the year when the conditions and context put gratitude squarely on our table and it feels delightful. But, what if there was a way for us to...
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California Conservation Corps and the UC California Naturalist Program
Over 3,000 Corpsmembers graduate from the California Conservation Corps (CCC) every year. Some jump right into the workforce, but many enroll in college courses or seek additional training and professional development. The CCC Brad Duncan Scholarship provides $2,000 to Corpsmembers who complete a full year of service and the core training...
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Climate Change and Climate Stewards Initiative
September marks a pivotal moment in climate change conversation and action and this week, September 20-27, is Climate Week - a time where people around the world are raising their voices to talk about what climate change means to them. The UN Global Climate Action Summit will be held in New York Sept. 23rd for international climate...
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Back to School with California Naturalist
The days grow shorter and the temperatures are gradually getting cooler – fall is approaching, and that means it's time for school to start! Teachers are getting their classrooms ready and students are getting fresh supplies to head back to school. For our fall California Naturalist courses, heading into the classroom has a whole different...
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Collective Impact
Brenda Kyle is a California Naturalist—Naturalista Certificada as she likes to say—and does outreach with at least 1500 individuals from January to September in English and also leads nature walks in Spanish. “I do not look like what people expect an "outdoor" person to look like.” Says Brenda. “I'm...
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Curriculum gaps for adult climate literacy
Text and image by guest blogger Olivia Cooper. Olivia is an undergraduate at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She worked with former California Naturalist founding director Dr. Adina Merenlender on the research presented in this blog post. UC California Naturalist is developing a new education and service...
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Tide Pooling Along the Central Coast During the 2019 Regional Rendezvous
Our day started brisk and damp as the sun rolled out behind a curtain of central coast fog. We gathered in the grey light with our morning tea, dressed in warm clothes as the steam from our breath billowed out in front of laughter and conversation on the subject of tide pool safety and ecology. What followed was a deep dive (pun intended) into...