California Naturalist in the Desert – Fall 2024

Dates: Nine weeks: October 7 – December 15, 2024 (not including Thanksgiving week)  

Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza-Borrego Foundation Administrative Office, Borrego Art Institute, UCI Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center 

Course Fees*: Non-Member $500/person, ABF Member $450/person 

*Your registration fee goes to support the effort of creating and facilitating this course, as well as the overall conservation work of Anza-Borrego Foundation, the official non-profit partner of the State Park, and the work we do to directly support Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. We do our best to keep registration fees as low as possible, while reflecting our own costs for running this program. Any additional income is used to subsidize free or low–cost programs, such as our Teacher Symposia, Camp Borrego 5th Grade Outdoor Camp, and Desert Discoveries Youth Field Trips.   

Meeting Dates & Commitments: 

Online Class Discussions:  Thursdays October 10 – December 12 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.  (sub Wednesday Oct 30; skip November 28) 

Lectures: Webinar Thursdays 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.: 10/10, 10/17, 10/30, 11/14 

In-Person (or Webinar) Fridays 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.: 10/25, 11/8, 11/22, 12/6 

Field trips:  Saturdays 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: 10/26, 11/9, 11/23, 12/7

To summarize, students are expected to be available for the following dates and times:

• Thu., Oct. 10 (online lecture)
• Thu., Oct. 17 (online lecture)
• Fri., Oct. 25 (online or in-person lecture)
• Sat., Oct. 26 (field trip)
• Wed., Oct. 30 (online lecture – in lieu of 10/31)
• Fri., Nov. 8 (online or in-person lecture)
• Sat., Nov. 9 (field trip)
• Thu., Nov. 14 (online lecture)
• Fri., Nov. 22 (online or in-person lecture)
• Sat., Nov. 23 (field trip)
• Fri., Dec. 6 (online or in-person lecture)
• Sat., Dec. 7 (field trip)

*Make ups allowed if you miss a class 

*In person lectures and field trips take place in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park 

Participants are responsible for purchasing required texts, travel to/from field sites, accommodations, & optional UC extension credit fees.  

Financial Assistance: A limited number of scholarships are available for those with financial hardship. If you’d like to request a scholarship, please reach out to [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph description about why you want to attend this program and your need for a scholarship. 

 Description: 

Are you a desert lover wanting to take your love affair to the next level? We have just the thing! Join Anza-Borrego Foundation (ABF) and UC Environmental Stewards on a nine-week journey to become a certified California Naturalist… in the Desert!

This course for adult nature enthusiasts is designed to help you become an expert in the natural history of California. It focuses on Anza-Borrego Desert, home to more plant and animal species than any other state in the United States. A slew of content matter experts will take you on a deep dive into understanding the natural processes that make California a global biodiversity hotspot.

We’ll study these concepts through the lens of scientists in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, with field trips to explore geology, flora, fauna, water resources, and archaeology, among other things.

We’ll have live online discussions, webinars, in-person lectures, field trips, and independent projects to increase your knowledge and help you better communicate natural history. There are also opportunities to become an ABF volunteer program host or gain UC Extension credits. California Naturalists gain hands-on experience performing service in education and interpretation, stewardship, participatory science, environmental program support, community resilience, and environmental justice.

Don’t miss this opportunity to build your environmental literacy and stewardship in California’s largest State Park through discovery and action. You’ll finish the course with the knowledge, skills, and network to help protect and preserve our unique and diverse wildlife, habitats, water resources, wild and urban alike, and increase ecosystem and community resilience.

Space is limited to 18 participants. Please register in advance. If the event fills up, please reach out to [email protected] to be added to the waitlist.   

Register Here 

Hikes may be cancelled due to unsafe weather or road conditions with 24-hour notice if possible

Additional Details: 

Modality: This is a hybrid course, meaning that the modality of learning will be in multiple forms of contact. You’ll have online work, we’ll meet weekly on Zoom for lectures and discussions, sometimes you’ll have the option of in-person lectures, and we’ll meet in person in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park four times for field trips. 

Contact Time: A minimum of 50 educational hours (classroom + field), 24 of these hours are in the field. In addition, students must spend at least 8 hours on their Stewardship Project.  

Physical Expectations: Participants should be prepared for easy to moderate hikes, navigating at a slow pace, on uneven terrain and sand, with many stops (for interpretation). Some slight elevation gain may occur. The desert environment can range from extremely hot to cold, so participants should dress in layers and stay hydrated.  

Required Reading: You’re required to purchase and read the two class texts: 

• “The California Naturalist Handbook,” by Greg de Nevers, Deborah Stranger Edelman, Adina Merenlender 
• “A Natural History of the Anza-Borrego Region Then and Now,” by Mike Wells and Marie Simovich 

Stewardship Project: Participants must complete a Stewardship Project, after getting pre-approval from the instructor. Participants will present their project on graduation day. You’re expected to spend at least 8 hours in addition to the 50 hours in the course on the Stewardship project.  

Field Notebook and Journal:  All participants are required to keep a field notebook during the course with reflection or observation assignments during asynchronous work or on field trips.   

iNaturalist Observations: Each participant will be responsible for registering for an iNaturalist account and adding at least eight (8) observations to the course iNaturalist Project.  

Class Participatory Science Project: Each participant must contribute to the participatory science project adopted by the class. 

*Receive a 25% discount when you purchase this book at our Park Store or Visitor Center.