California Naturalist Program
March 28 - May 25, 2013
Note: the 2013 California Naturalist Program is full, applications are no longer being accepted.
The California Naturalist class will introduce you to the wonders of California’s unique ecology and engage you in the stewardship of our natural communities. This intensive certification program will utilize a combination of science curriculum, guest lecturers, field trips and project-based learning to immerse you in the natural world of the central coast. The program starts on Thursday evening, March 28. The last meeting is Saturday, May 25. Lectures will be from 7:00- 9:30 pm every Thursday with most field trips on Saturday or Sunday. [View the program schedule.]
Program Goals:
- 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
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Understand what it means to be a naturalist
- Integrate knowledge about the interconnectedness of abiotic, biotic and cultural factors and their influence on the natural history of the central coast
- Demonstrate skills in making and recording natural history observations in a field notebook
- Apply knowledge of central coast ecosystems to local and global environmental issues.
- Meet all of the course requirements.
Questions? Contact the hosts for the Arboretum's 2013 California Naturalist Program:
Some scholarships are available.
Consider becoming a sponsor! Your sponsorship will be greatly appreciated. Sponsors are acknowledged in class literature, on the Arboretum's website, in class presentations, and in class communications.
Want to print a flyer for the program?
You can find one here.
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| March 28 |
Introduction & course requirements Overview of journaling Bioregions of California |
Staff and Chris Lay (UCSC Museum of Natural History) |
| March 30 | Plant Communities Field trip: Upper Campus | Brett Hall, Director of UCSC Arboretum, and others |
| April 4 | Introduction to iNaturalist, including the journaling component | Scott Loarie |
| April 6 | Sustainable Timber Management Field trip: Big Creek/Cemex/Swanton | Nadia Hamey, Registered Professional Forester, Big Creek Lumber Forestry Department |
|
April 8, 10, or 11 |
Birding Observations and Interpretations Field trip: Arboretum Sign up for one time; 10 attendees max/session | Todd Newberry, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCSC |
| April 11 | Behavioral Ecology of California Birds | Bruce Lyon |
| April 13 | Bird Behavior Field trip: Long Marine Lab | Bruce Lyon, Todd Newberry |
| April 18 | The Natural History and Identification of California Trees | Matt Ritter, Director of the Cal Poly Plant Conservatory |
| April 21 | Natural History and Ecology of Amphibians and Reptiles Field trip: Arboretum | Gage Dayton, Director of UCSC Natural Reserve |
| April 24 | California: an ecoregional tour | Todd Keeler-Wolf, Environmental Scientist and Ecologist with the Veg CAMP program of the Calif. Dept. of Fish & Wildlife |
| April 25 | Geology, Soils and Climate | Gary Griggs, Distinguished Professor of Geology, Director of IMS |
| April 27 | Coastal Geology Field trip: Santa Cruz to Ano Neuvo | Jerry Weber, Hilde Schwartz |
| May 2 | Fossil Vertebrates | Hilde Schwartz |
| May 3 - May 5 | Plants and animals of the central coast Field trip: Big Creek Reserve | Brett Hall and others |
| May 9 | Native American land use and management practices | Rob Cuthrell, Chuck Striplen, Mark Hylkema |
| May 11 | Native American land use and management practices Field trip: Quiroste | Rob Cuthrell, Chuck Striplen, Mark Hylkema |
| May 16 | Ecology of Insects | Peter Oboyski |
| May 18 | Insect Ecology Field trip: Arboretum | Peter Oboyski, Senior Scientist, Collection Manager, Essig Museum of Entomology |
| May 23 | Climate Change in California | Lisa Sloan |
| May 25 | Capstone presentations |
Course Requirements
Required Coursework
- Thursday Lectures: 7-9:30 (2.5 hours)
- Field Trips: 7 of 9
- Field Notebook: entries for all fieldtrips
- Capstone Project
- iNaturalist: 3 postings weekly http://www.inaturalist.org/
- 40 hours of volunteer work over the year following the class posted to https://uccn.volunteersystem.org/UniversalLogin.cfm
Materials
Books (Required)
- California Naturalist Handbook $30.58
Available for purchase first day of class - The Natural History of the UC Santa Cruz Campus $12.95
Available at Norrie's Gift and Garden Shop at the Arboretum or at The Bay Tree Bookstore on the UCSC campus.
Book (Suggested)
- The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, by Sibley, D.A.
Supplies (Required)
- Field Notebook (Sokkia mining transit, Moleskine watercolor or the equivalent)
- Water proof ink pen or pencil, small plastic ruler.
- Hand lens (at least 10x jewelers loop, magnifying glass)
Supplies (Suggested)
- Binoculars
- Digital camera or smart phone
