Parks for All Californians

Annual Report Details

Programs may span from one year to multi-year, not to exceed four years. The specific length of the program is contained in the description above.

We have provided students opportunities to connect outdoor experiences and stewardship activities with instruction in arts, sciences, and mathematics. One avenue through which we approached this was with regular “outdoor adventure” sessions offered to elementary school students throughout the school year.

These hour-long sessions were rooted in a science or art-based principle, which students then took with them as they explored outdoor spaces. They used information presented to them at the beginning of the outdoor adventure session to guide their exploration of the landscape, and, at the end of each period of exploration/nature play, students would come back and share what they noticed or learned as they interacted with the landscape. - One example of this class involved students learning about the anatomy of prey versus predators, then taking on the characteristics of a predator or prey animal as they moved through the landscape around them.

Another session started with students taking a “gallery walk” of landscape paintings done by a local artist, Sally Yost. Sally instructed the students about the considerations and techniques she uses when painting landscapes. The students used these techniques as she later guided them through a nature journaling activity in the habitat outside her studio. Students revisited these skills during other nature journaling sessions later on in the year.

We have offered 45 Outdoor Adventure sessions to date. Additional topics presented during these sessions related to hydrology, plant identification, adaptations, way-finding, and forest management, along with other biological and environmental science themes and those related to the arts. Related activities included:

Working with partners at Plumas Audubon to implement lessons from their NGSS-aligned PEEP (Plumas Environmental Education Program) curriculum with elementary students, including classroom sessions on bird identification and habitat, followed up by field trips to look for birds in surrounding areas.

Field trips with the Feather River Land Trust allowed elementary students to see the effects of fire dynamics on the landscape, specifically introducing them to the concept of low, moderate, and high-severity fire impacts.

We have also utilized this grant in order to provide classroom and field-based sessions rooted in science, arts, and restoration principles that culminated in hands-on stewardship project development and/or implementation.

Combined classroom and field-focused activities allowed us to partner with the Feather River Resource Conservation District (FRRCD) and the 9/10th grade science class in Taylorsville to develop forest restoration projects. Staff from the FRRCD helped lead 3 classroom sessions where students learned about the science and theory of forest restoration, logging methods, and impacts of this work on the forest. They took a field trip to observe forest health and habitat and learn tree identification, and then brought all this learning back to the classroom to develop a forest restoration plan for a plot of land impacted by the Dixie Fire. The FRRCD then provided tree seedlings for the students and supported them as they completed their planned tree planting projects out on the impacted landscape. - We were able to work with staff at the 7-12th grade site in Taylorsville to implement an all-school Project-Based Learning week focused on Rebuilding and Restoring Indian Valley after the Dixie Fire. Project-based learning allows students to develop skills and knowledge as they work to develop creative solutions to real world challenges. In this scenario we used the challenge of how to restore ecosystems and rebuild community (and the town of Greenville) in areas burned by the Dixie Fire. Students learned about landscape architecture through presentations and reviews of plans for future plantings of the Greenville downtown corridor, developed by Caltrans. They took field trips and local walks to learn about native plants and riparian restoration. They toured the lumber mill that utilizes salvaged timber from the burn scar to provide resources for rebuilding, as well as buildings that use cross-laminated timber- a forest product developed from small-diameter ladder fuels removed from forests to create fire-resistant and easy to build construction panels for new buildings. The group was also able to participate in a restoration activity, planting tree seedlings in a severely-burned area right outside the entrance to Greenville. At this site, that you pass as you approach town, students were able to work in small groups to plant seedlings in an area that had burned at high severity and had since been logged/cleared. They were able to tag the trees that they planted with their names so that they can go back in the future and see their trees grow and reestablish the forest over time. Students then used all the information they gathered from the above activities, along with their own beliefs and values about restoring and rebuilding, to create plans for green spaces and community buildings for Greenville. They presented these plans to members of the Dixie Fire Collaborative. Students from top presentations have subsequently been invited to participate in planning meetings for a new green space along the main thoroughfare in Greenville.

In addition to the above all-school activity, all 7-12 students from the school site in Taylorsville participated in an “oak release” restoration day. Students learned about the way evergreen versus deciduous plants may respond to fire- noticing that most conifers that had burned did not grow back, while many oaks that had burned grew back via sprouts from their base. After this observation time, students worked with restoration specialists to trim back resprouting oaks to 2-3 stems to encourage more tree-like growth and stronger limbs. Students then had reflection time to verbalize their feelings about this project and the post-fire recovery. Overnight and extended trips offered opportunities for students to learn about sciences, natural resources and indigenous knowledge in new settings. - Sixth grade students were able to take a trip to the Bay Area to learn about natural resources found there. This included a tide pooling activity with docents near Half Moon Bay, as well as a hands-on boat voyage in the San Francisco Bay where students explored life in the estuary and our connections to it, with activities aligned with NGSS standards. Students used the scientific method and research equipment on the boat to examine different types of estuary life. Students also visited the California Academy of Sciences to explore exhibits that most spoke to their personal interests in the sciences.

We were able to take 3 separate groups of 10th grade students on adventures down in the Bodega and Tomales Bay areas to learn about local ecology. These trips included docent-led tours through redwoods to learn about their life cycles, fire adaptations, and connections to the environments. They participated in data collection paddles in kayaks to contribute to long term monitoring of water conditions at the mouth of the Russian River. Students were given a private presentation on the lives, culture, games, and ethnobotany of the coastal Miwok people, and were able to imbibe in a few culturally prepared treats and participate in traditional games. Students also learned about the unique geology and ecology of Tomales Bay as they paddled along its coves and looked at micro-flora and fauna with field microscopes. The highlight for many students was the chance to learn about and observe bioluminescent algae during nighttime paddles. Some of our work was strongly aligned with Career Technical Education standards for California public schools, specifically for the pathway of Natural Resource and Forestry. Students who expressed interests in pursuing natural resource careers attended classroom and field-based sessions, often with natural resource partners serving as experts.

These students also participated in an overnight camping trip, learning about salmon life cycles and ecology, and visiting some of the last few waterways that allow salmon to travel all the way back to the Sierra Nevada from the ocean. These trips gave students hands-on experience in natural resource careers and opportunities to observe professionals at work. In this same vein, high school students were able to spend the day with a local forester, who toured them through properties burned by the Dixie Fire, including those that a small logging company had completed thinning operations on prior to the fire, and those that they hadn’t. Students observed the impacts of thinning on fire severity and behavior. They also toured a small lumber mill that the logging company had established in the wake of the Dixie Fire- as an outlet for salvage timber removed from burned properties and a way to provide the local community with building materials. We also utilized grant funding to support students' connections with the environment via outdoor recreation opportunities. This included developing basic biking skills to allow students to participate in subsequent mountain biking adventures, rock climbing (indoors and outdoors), surfing, backpacking, kayaking, and more.

Feather River Resource Conservation District- The Feather Resource Conservation District (FRRCD) has been an amazing partner during our grant period thus far. They have supported us in providing classroom sessions, field sessions (including showing students how to conduct forest assessments and learn tree identification), as well as with on-the-ground restoration projects including “oak releases” and tree planting sessions with students in the Dixie Fire footprint. We found this partnership with the FRRCD to be highly effective, both in ability to work together as well as the impact of the projects on the land and students. We look forward to continuing to work with them for the duration of the grant period (and hopefully beyond!).

Lost Sierra Food Project- The Lost Sierra Food Project led multiple trips for both junior high and high school students to learn about soil management and small-scale regenerative agriculture, and the skills needed to maintain healthy land, soil, and crops in our mountain environment. All trips exposed students to careers in small scale agriculture and soil management.

Plumas National Forest- Plumas National Forest wildlife biologists led high school students interested in natural resource careers on a field trip to learn about wildlife biology, including how to monitor Sierra Nevada and Foothill yellow-legged frogs. Plumas Corporation- Watershed hydrologists from Plumas Corporation led high school students interested in natural resource careers on a field trip to Spanish Peak to learn about water monitoring. Staff from Plumas Corporation also supported students in their projects to develop a restored community green space in Greenville by giving them a presentation and walking field trip about native plants, and a nature journaling and riparian observation activity along Wolf Creek in Greenville.

Indian Valley Lumber- David Schramel, owner of Indian Valley Lumber, partnered with us to provide a walking field trip for elementary school students to tour his small lumber mill. Students were able to see how this operation, using a chainsaw mill, is able to provide the local community with accessible lumber in small volumes.

Plumas Audubon- Plumas Audubon partnered with us to introduce students to local bird friends with 2 classroom sessions exploring local birds/bird ID and their habitats, followed by a walking field trip to identify birds in habitats found near the school. While these sessions were well received, we had originally intended to extend this project out to allow students to build habitat-appropriate birdhouses for their homes or friends/family. We realized that we started our conversations too late, and that by the time birdhouses would be built, many species would have already completed their nests for the spring. We are hoping to revisit this project this year and start the classroom sessions, etc. earlier so that we can still provide birdhouses (or bat boxes!) to Indian Valley homes.

Sally Yost- Sally Yost is a local artist who has a studio within walking distance of the elementary school in Taylorsville. Yost led students on a tour of her art studio, allowing students to observe some of the different landscape paintings she had completed around Taylorsville, and then guided them through a nature journaling activity.

CalTrans- As part of the all-school Project-based learning week (PBL) (see description under education goals section), Landscape Architects from the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) provided a presentation to 7-12 grade students on the landscaping being installed along the Main St/Highway 89 corridor in Greenville as part of the rebuilding process. Students learned about landscape architecture considerations like seasonal color, height and shape of plants, and climate zones, and incorporated these lessons learned into their projects to develop a restored community green space in Greenville.

Riley’s Jerky- As part of the PBL, Riley’s Jerky owner Kaley Bentz gave a presentation to 7-12 grade students about the process of rebuilding after a fire. Riley’s Jerky was the first business to rebuild and announce its intentions to stay in Greenville, providing students with an opportunity to feel connected and inspired by the people who chose to stay connected to their Greenville roots, despite the post-fire landscape.

Sierra Institute for Community and Environment- The Mass Timber Project Coordinator for Sierra Institute gave a presentation to 7-12 grade students during the PBL about the uses of small-diameter ladder fuels in home and building construction, specifically cross-laminated timber.

Feather River Land Trust- The Stewardship Director for Feather River Land trust led elementary students on a field trip to the Heart K Ranch to explore post-fire landscapes. Heart K burned at many different fire severity levels, so students were able to explore the landscapes within these areas, looking for impacts of the fire as well as new and old growth.

Feather River College- The Outdoor Recreation Leadership (ORL) program at Feather River College partnered with us to provide 4 rock climbing sessions for junior high and 9th grade students at their indoor climbing wall. Both ORL staff and students provided instruction in climbing and belaying techniques, as well as insights into what led them into a career or studies in outdoor recreation. These trips were very successful, but we have since run into some administrative challenges with using the rock wall. We are working closely with the ORL staff to try to figure out a solution so that we can continue to offer these trips for students.

Coppervale Ski Area- We worked with staff and volunteers at Coppervale ski area to provide 2 field trips to 5-12th grade students to learn to ski and snowboard. Coppervale Ski Area staff provided discounted rates and opened the ski hill early to allow students to take free lessons in skiing and snowboarding before other skiers arrived. These trips were very successful, but Coppervale is at a relatively low elevation and is completely reliant on natural snowfall. We had a number of planned trips fall through at the last minute either because there was too little snow, and then too much snow! We look forward to continuing to provide trips to Coppervale, and will hedge our bets by planning many trips this winter, knowing that only a handful of them are likely to go through.

Collins Pine Company- The former CEO of Collins Pine company met with us to lead a field trip for elementary school students at the Collins Pine museum to learn about the sustainable “selective harvest” techniques employed by the company. They then took a tour of the “Park 40,” a 40-acre area of forest that Collins Pine split in half, managing one half and leaving the other half untouched, that was impacted by the Dixie Fire. Students explored the differences in tree survival and burn severity between these two treatments, and then took a tour of an unburned forest for a lesson in tree identification.

Adventure Monkeys- The local mountain bike guide company, Adventure Monkeys, helped guide four trips with junior high students to single-track trails in South Park. Matt Meyerl, owner, helped transport the kids, provide instruction on mountain biking and trail riding techniques, and assisted with bike maintenance as needed. Two trips were taken last spring, after students had been practicing riding bikes for the school year, and two taken this fall when students had a few months of riding under their belt. We saw the difference and are considering doing more lessons at the school site before taking them out to trails, although kids had a great time in both situations.

Plumas Eureka State Parks Association- Volunteers from the Plumas Eureka State Parks Association provided a hands-on guided field trip for elementary school students to Plumas Eureka State Park. Volunteers operated stations related to gold mining, assaying, blacksmithing, and a tour of the museum, and a park ranger led students on a guided hike through one of the park’s trails. We took a visit to the park last winter when the museum was shut down and docents were done for the season, and then one this fall (2023) with docents available. We found the second to be much more informative regarding mining practices for the students, although we were able to cover recreation skills during the winter trip. We will likely continue to explore a combination of visits to the park during both seasons.

Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship- Two staff from Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS) led an interested crew of junior high and high school students on a trail work day constructing new trail in the Mount Hough area impacted by the Dixie Fire. Students learned about recreation management considerations, trail construction techniques, and about local jobs related to recreation. We found this trip worked well, and also provided students the opportunity to try out trail building before potentially applying for summer youth trail crew jobs with SBTS. Alicia Retes- Alicia Retes provided a presentation to 10th grade students on their trip to Bodega Bay to learn about the local Coast Miwok tribes including their use of local plants for food, medicine, and resources, as well as cultural information like games and arts specific to the Miwok. Ms. Retes proved to be an invaluable resource of information on the Coast Miwok people, and students really enjoyed the games she taught them.

J and C Enterprises- Staff at J and C Enterprises provided 2 field trips for high school and 7-12 students to observe their lumber mill and fire operations. J and C employees explained how the company mobilized to salvage timber that had burned locally in the Dixie fire, and turn it into lumber that the community could utilize in the rebuilding process, as well as firewood to heat homes. One of the field trips also included a tour of a property in Indian Valley where they had completed a thinning operation prior to the Dixie fire, and observation of fire behavior patterns in and outside of the thinned area.

California Department of Water Resources- Interpretive staff from the California Department of Water Resources provided 2 guided field trips for elementary students to visit the Feather River Fish Hatchery and salmon viewing barrier dam, as well as the Oroville Dam. We found this was a great way to introduce students to both the benefits and impacts of hydropower in our watershed, as well as the fact that salmon used to be a part of our ecosystem and staple in the local Maidu diet.

Lassen Park Foundation/Lassen National Park- The Lassen Park Foundation supported a group of 5th and 6th grade students from multiple communities by allowing us to utilize their space at Volcano Adventure Camp and facilitating activities with Lassen National Park interpretive rangers. We found we had a little trouble with communication but discovered it was due to staff turnover, so we look forward to trying to make this trip happen again in the future.

Dixie Fire Collaborative- The Dixie Fire Collaborative (DFC) was a big partner in a project-based learning week we did with all 7-12 grade students at the Indian Valley Academy campus in Taylorsville. DFC members provided us with many of the plans that they and others have developed for the restore/rebuild, which were then passed on to students for review and input. Subsequently, they helped identify projects for student groups to work on including designing a community green space and new multi-use community space for Greenville and its residents to consider during the restoration/rebuild. They led a field trip to the DFC for all students to learn about other restoration and community rebuilding activities that are taking place in Greenville, and helped to judge student’s final projects. After observing student presentations of their plans, the DFC has continued to reach out to involve students in designing the community green space as funders and partners step forward to move the process along. This included supporting student attendance at a recent community meeting/tour to discuss the green space development. (At which, some of the students stressed the need to include native plants in the new space, a result of learning during the PBL!)

We’ve found ourselves learning a lot with the successes and challenges of this grant. We wrote this grant on the heels of the Dixie Fire, which had burned down two towns in our county, most of another community, and had displaced families and challenged our senses of stability and place as the fire burned nearly 1 million acres. In writing this grant we brainstormed all the possible things we could potentially do with these students to rebuild their connections with the landscape- their source of trauma- while not ignoring the impacts of the fire itself. We were hopeful but distressed, and a bit unmoored at the time.

As the smoke from the fire has cleared and our minds with it, some realities have become apparent. Most striking perhaps is the amount of students we have in our communities. Post-fire there was a dearth of housing availability and that, coupled with the place-based trauma many families felt, meant that our student numbers fell as families were displaced and/or moved away. In fact, we are facing the likely future of the elementary school in Taylorsville being fully shut down, and the high school being relocated to Greenville. This has made it challenging to meet some of our student engagement benchmarks as we had fewer students in the Taylorsville area to serve. Additionally, the 7-12 school in Taylorsville has ramped up its athletics program in the wake of the fire. While this has helped students find a sense of community and engagement (nearly 70% of the 7-12 students play a sport!) it has also made implementing many of the Natural Areas trips challenging as youth have games or practices that they don’t want to miss that coincide with trips. We have been working with site administrators and staff at the Taylorsville sites to try to work around sports schedules, and have had moderate success in improving student engagement.

We have also pursued involvement of students in other fire-affected communities nearby in classroom and field-based activities to reach a wider audience. For some Natural Areas Trips that were to be done multiple times, we have opted to merge some into the same trip to capture more students and be most effective with time resources. One tip we have found helpful is scheduling trips out as early as possible. We have had to modify original plans for a number of activities because planned programming or desired lodging was booked. In this second year of the grant, we are working towards making reservations much earlier in the year in hopes of securing desired programming and lodging/campsites. We have also had quite the challenge with weather! For a number of our planned ski trips, as well as a few camping trips, they had to be canceled due to storms/excessive precipitation. We rescheduled as many trips as we could but, with all the moving parts (permission slips, reservations, etc.) there were considerable amounts of sunk costs both in time and reservation fees. While there is no way around some of these setbacks, we have started hedging our bets with some field trips by listing out multiple dates for say, the ski trips, on one permission slip. This allows us to only have to collect one set of forms for the students, while being able to take advantage of whichever date ends up being appropriate at the time. Finally, we are finding that we underestimated the time needed to complete some of these projects. Due to planning and implementing so many different activities and trips, and having little overlap across trips, each individual activity requires a lot of planning and preparation time. While we are working within these bounds as of now, we may have to consider shifting some money around between supplies and staff time.

We are also finding some of the reporting requirements, in particular the change of requirements/expectations during the first year and the need to resubmit materials, has taken up a lot of unexpected time. To address some of these issues, we have started to work with UC Berkeley’s GrizzlyCorp program, which has placed a Fellow to work with us on our education program for elementary and, occasionally, 7-12 students. This has allowed us to utilize some of our support staff funding to support our Fellow, while also having that funding to support other, more experienced staff to help with trips and other activities. We may in turn utilize staff time to support other administrative staff to help with some of the paperwork requirements for reporting/requesting reimbursements or advances.

Other Program Goals

Service Learning/Career Pathway/Leadership Opportunities

Wilderness First Aid Training – Students who have expressed interested in pursuing careers related to outdoor recreation and have participated in training session/trips will receive certification in Wilderness First Aid.

25 students certified.

Basic 32 Wildland Fire Training – Students who have interest in wildland firefighting or natural resource careers will participate in Basic 32 Wildland Fire Training led by Plumas National Forest Fire staff. This, in addition to a few short online courses and pack test (which will also be made available to students) allows them to be “red carded,” or eligible to serve on wildland firefighting crews once they turn 18.

15 students trained.

Leave No Trace Certification – All students who participate on the 8th grade trip will receive Leave No Trace Training, which will be relevant for resumes and applications relating to outdoor recreation and natural resource careers

50 students certified. 

Career Technical Education (CTE) Credits in Outdoor Recreation – Students who participate in outdoor recreation skills training activities related to Activity Goal 3, and who participate in Natural Areas Trips 7 and 11 are eligible to receive Career Technical Education Credits in Outdoor Recreation, which matriculate with the Outdoor Recreation Leadership Program at Feather River College. Students may also serve as student leaders on Trip 7, if desired.

24 student learning opportunities.

Career Technical Education (CTE) Credits in Natural Resources – Students who participate in natural resource skills training activities related to Activity Goal 3, and who participate in Natural Areas Trips 10 and 18, are eligible to receive Career Technical Education credits in Natural Resources and Forestry, which matriculate with the Environmental Studies, Ecological Farming, and Wildland Firefighting programs at Feather River College.

24 student learning opportunities.

Partnerships

Feather River College (FRC) Outdoor Recreation Leadership (ORL) Program

The ORL program at FRC plays an integral role in supporting Natural Areas Trips 17 and 19 (Criteria 3). Grantee has partnered with ORL to create opportunities for their students to serve as mentor-leaders during outdoor recreation adventures for 7-12 students. They support these efforts by providing instruction, gear, and facilities for these activities, while FRC supports them by creating opportunities for their students to practice instruction/guide skills they have learned in the ORL program. They also play a key role in mentoring youth after the grant period (Criteria 6).

Feather River Land Trust (FRLT)

Feather River Land Trust is a key partner in achieving Natural Area Trip 12. They will lead activities on the Heart K Ranch in Genesee, which are important to Activity Goals 1 and 2 in Criteria 2.

Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship

SBTS will support this grant by providing instruction on trail building and maintenance techniques, while also creating space for students to support the recovery and restoration of local trails (Activity Goal 3 and Natural Areas Trip 18).

Plumas FireSafe Council (PFSC)/Plumas Underburn Cooperative (PUC)

PFSC and PUC are key partners in helping students to learn about Defensible Space (Activity Goal 2) and other natural resource management skills related to preventing and controlling wildland fire (Natural Areas Trip 18).

Greenville Long Term Recovery Group

The Greenville LTRG is critical in helping to achieve Activity Goal 2 and Natural Areas Trip 10. Not only will the group help guide activities to be completed during Activity Goal 2, they will also help connect with individuals seeking support that students and community members can help address during Natural Areas trips.

Mentoring

Up to 20 youth with an interest in pursuing careers in outdoor recreation and/or natural resources will have the opportunity to work with the school counselor to develop a program of study in the relevant Career Technical Education pathway within the school. Youth will be mentored directly after the grant program and for the remainder of their secondary schooling. If students choose to pursue a degree at Feather River College, grantee will continue to try to work with them as college students through career planning and leadership opportunities.

Annual Reports Start in December 2023!

Grantee will report the number of children served, partnership accomplishments and lessons learned, how educational goals were achieved, and unforeseen challenges and recommended solutions, with the goal of inspiring and building capacity for future outdoor program providers throughout California.