Discovery, Action, Stewardship

Discovery

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than they seek.”
-John Muir

California is a beautiful state with a breathtaking diversity of natural communities. From the granite spires of Yosemite, to the wildflowers of Anza Borrego desert, from the rolling oak woodlands of the inland valleys to the tide pools of the Pacific Coast, California is a naturalist’s paradise. There are many ways to explore and discover all that our state has to offer.

UC Environmental Stewards seeks to guide discovery both by experiencing the natural world as John Muir and other Naturalist might have, and to research and monitor particular aspects as scientist do. Discovery can be as focused as a water quality study in the creek that runs through your neighborhood, or as broad as learning about how the snow in the Sierra affects the crops in the central valley.

Are you a person who enjoys taking measurements and collecting data or do you prefer planting trees and talking with native elders? The beauty of the Naturalist is that they do both. Naturalists are both scientists studying the details and observers of the whole.

You will discover that all the parts of a natural system, the water, plants and animals, are connected and dependent to varying extents on all the other parts. Discovery is a life long process. Continue to learn and share your knowledge with others in UC Environmental Stewards.  

“I know that I am not a scholar, but meantime I am aware that no man living knows better than I do the habits of our birds.”
-John James Audubon

Action

“A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.”
-John James Audubon

 UC Environmental Stewards will provide you with the knowledge, experience and organizations you need to take action in your community.  You will learn new concepts, skills and techniques all designed to be put use toward real changes you can see. Community leaders can learn how to better plan a city, teachers can learn how to incorporate sustainable living topics into their lessons and we all can learn to walk with a smaller footprint.

The course will empower you to attend those county supervisors meetings with credible information at your finger tips.

You will meet like minded people in your area, work with non-profit groups who are doing conservation work, collecting data for a scientific study or lobbying the state congress.

You will feel confident to speak publicly about natural resource issues either on a nature walk or in a board room.

If you want to do something to better your community and are committed to improving the environment, the UC Environmental Stewards is for you!

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.”
-John Muir

Stewardship

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. “
-Aldo Leopold

This is the goal of fostering environmental stewardship in our communities. To change the way we view natural systems, to use science to inform our decisions at home and at work, and to foster an attitude of personal responsibility to care for the natural world.

California Naturalists & Climate Stewards will explore the interconnectedness of all things in our environment from the air we breathe to the water we drink and use to grow the food we eat. The naturalist will begin to see how our actions impact the resources which comprise the majestic diversity of our state, including the water, wildlife, and plants.

This program takes a look at the complex issue: how do we support our human population without destroying the natural landscapes we depend upon? The answer undoubtedly involves taking action, whether this is changing your daily routine a bit and riding a bike to work, shopping at a farmers market, volunteering to do stream restoration or air quality monitoring in your community or teaching others on nature walks, all of us can find new ways to be good stewards of our natural world.

“We shall never achieve harmony with land, any more than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations, the important thing is not to achieve but to strive. “
-Aldo Leopold