In early 2022, ABF gathered to create a five-year strategic plan for the organization, including a new Education Strategic Plan. Here, we share with you a summary of that plan. Education activities are organized into the following Program Areas: Guided Hikes and Drives, Research Based Education, Train the Trainer, Virtual Access, Teacher Symposia, Field Trips, and Career Pathways.
Check out our Calendar of Events for an up-to-date schedule of specific dates, presenters, and details about programs for the season, which runs from October – May. Brief program descriptions can be found below. For questions about education programs, please contact ABF’s Education Manager, Samantha Young: [email protected].
ABF offers many educational programs and fun events ranging from photography to wildlife to archaeology. Take a Spring Plant Walk. Become a California Naturalist. You’re sure to find something that will spark your interest! Learn more - click the icon above!
A series of challenging hikes that go beyond typical access to the State Park and to experience areas most wouldn’t go alone. Participants will learn desert safety and preparedness techniques and there will be minimal interpretation of flora, fauna, threats, and conservation.
We provide custom, guided, private tours by request, focusing on education and interpretation of desert natural and cultural history, etiquette, and safety. Learn more and request a tour – click the icon above!
Our Board of Trustees member and award winning photographer, Paulette Donnellon, teaches desert nature photography skills, shares tips on where to find subjects for photographs, the best time of day and season to capture images, and proper desert etiquette and safety.
We partner with experts from Quiet Parks International in a three-day retreat and research experience, exploring the idea of quiet in nature. Participate in citizen science, eat delicious food, and do yoga in the peace of Anza-Borrego.
Participants will be led on a three day field trip by birding experts to view birds in three different ecosystems (Anza-Borrego desert, Cuyamaca mountain, Salton Sea).
Annual research symposia are hosted at UCI Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center to engage the public in conversation and for scholarships recipients to share their work. Learn more by clicking the icon above!
A series of videos to be enjoyed at all seasons highlighting various subjects relevant to Anza-Borrego, such as wildflowers, hikes in the Park, and the watersheds and their water dependent ecosystems.
A long running environmental education desert camping experience for 5th graders. Students from underrepresented communities gain confidence in the outdoors and learn about desert resources and conservation.
We offer guided school field trips in Anza-Borrego, including half days, full days, and multi day camping programs by request and for a fee. ABF organizes the entire experience, providing camping equipment, naturalists to lead activities, guided hikes, social emotional learning, and can provide food. Learn more - click the icon above!
This program guides beginners on 4-Wheel Driving or All-Wheel Driving tours and how to off-road with intention. We’ll teach rules and etiquette of 4-Wheel Drives in the desert, interpret desert features, and discuss the principles of Leave No Trace.
A program of California State Parks, Anza-Borrego FamCamp provides free, first-time camping experiences, teaching San Diegans the skills to camp on their own and providing greater access to the resources in this State Park.
A long running lecture and field trip series that shares desert research with the public. We host in person lectures, online webinars, and hands on learning in the field, presented by knowledgeable researchers and desert naturalists.
In partnership with the Anza-Borrego Botany Society, we guide you on a leisurely stroll through areas of interesting and flowering plants and share detailed information about our iconic vegetation.
In memoriam of three desert pioneers, Wier, Jorgensen, and Begole, ABF administers and awards grants to students and professionals conducting research on natural resources and cultural heritage in and around the Sonoran desert. Learn more by clicking the icon above!
An in-depth training course about the natural and cultural history of Anza-Borrego, in partnership with UC Environmental Stewards. Learn about how to become a Certified California Naturalist and an ABF Program Host by clicking the icon above!
Professional development workshops for teachers of 3rd – 5th grade, middle school, and high school. An experiential learning retreat for teachers to learn about desert resources, while building a framework for their classroom. Learn more about the Teacher Symposium – click the icon above!
We collaborate with the California State Parks passPORTS program and teachers who have attended a Teacher Symposium to bring their students on field trips to Anza-Borrego. These field trips are generously funded by granting agencies. Learn more - click the icon above!
We are the cooperating association of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and thus create all education programs in partnership with the State Park. We provide opportunities for connection and access to Anza-Borrego that the State Park would not otherwise be able to do. All programs are vetted annually by the District Superintendent and the State Park Lead Interpreter. When participants join ABF education programs, they are directly supporting the Park!
We also support the State Park by purchasing private inholdings and transferring land to be protected, by running the State Park Store (two locations – in the Visitor Center and in The Mall), and through direct financial support.
We partner with UC Irvine to share the latest desert research with the public, to develop courses, and to host participants and events at the UCI Steele-Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center. Learn more about the research we do.
We work to increase access to programs by providing student discounts, scholarships for financial hardship, and make programs free when possible by seeking grant funding.
All programs fit within a strategic program area and touch upon a topic of priority for the State Park, including:
We work to reach a variety of demographics across program areas, including underrepresented communities.
ABF plans to build a new Desert Education Facility. This state-of-the-art building will contain cabins and dormitories and multipurpose rooms and will provide a comfortable space for public access programs and camping in the California Reserve System. Working together with California State Parks, Anza-Borrego Foundation is designing a space that aims to be both educational and beautiful!
