Community Education
Walks, Talks & Classes

November  |  December  |  January

The Laguna Foundation is proud to collaborate with local biologists, artists, educators, naturalists, and partner organizations to offer a wide range of natural and cultural history online programs, presentations, and outings all year long. Whether you’d like to learn a new skill, enjoy the beautiful Laguna scenery, or attend a fun event with your family, the Laguna Foundation has a variety of offerings to deepen your appreciation for the Laguna de Santa Rosa, connect with nature, and inspire a vibrant community dedicated to lifelong learning.

Please note that all in-person outings follow current Sonoma County health orders and guidelines for group activities to keep everyone safe during COVID-19. Heavy smoke, excessive heat or heavy rain cancels outdoor programs. Lastly, please let us know in advance if you can no longer attend an outing so we can offer a spot to someone on the wait-list.

Select webinar recordings can be found on our Educational Resources page or on our YouTube channel.

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December
	Fall Color Play: Leaves, Berries, Fruit With Nina Antze Saturday, December 9, 2023. 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. $60. Pre-registration required. Location: Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA Let’s get together and observe and draw the change of seasons. Fall into winter at the Laguna Education Center where we will be observing: rose hips, changing leaf color, flowers, fruits, seed pods, and other last vestiges of Autumn. Working with colored pencils, learn to create interesting browns and grays and combine colors using blending and layering techniques, incorporating the basics of botanical drawing while enjoying the warmth of Heron Hall. All levels welcome. A specific supply list will be provided, but generally you will want good quality colored pencils – Prismacolors, Lyra Rembrandt, Faber-Castell, Caran d’Ache Pablos or Luminance are best. Crayola or Prang are hard and will not give you good color. Nina recommends buying the pencils individually. Faber-Castell has an inexpensive student line called Goldfaber. Nina Antze is a Sonoma County botanical artist and quilt-maker. She has a degree in Fine Art from San Francisco State and a Certificate in Botanical Illustration from the New York Botanical Gardens. She teaches colored pencil and botanical workshops online and throughout the Bay Area. Her Shelter in Place quilt #5 was recently chosen for inclusion in the deYoung Open 23. Visit Nina's website to learn more about her work.
	Closing Reception for Charles Beck Art Exhibit Saturday, December 16, 2023. 1:00 – 3:00 pm. FREE. No RSVP necessary. Light refreshments provided. Location: Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA Last chance to see this beautiful exhibit featuring large-scale paintings of Sonoma County’s coastal and inland areas by artist Charles Beck. We have been honored to host this exhibit September – December 2023. Charles Beck is a longtime resident of Occidental and welcomes visitors to his home studio during Art at the Source, Sonoma County Art Trails, and by appointment. Beck has exhibited his artwork in galleries and museums across the state and the country. In 2005, twenty of his large paintings were exhibited at Stanford University’s Center for Integrated Systems in Palo Alto.
	Laguna Stewards at Irwin Creek Saturday, December 16, 2023. 9:00 am – 12:00 pm FREE. Pre-registration required. Location: Meet at Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Rd, Santa Rosa, Ca. Join us this December as we close out the year by going out to a very secluded and peaceful preserve. As it's mid-December prepare to enjoy some coffee and pastries as we learn about the history of Irwin Creek, plant native flora, and tend to a maturing riparian restoration site. PLEASE NOTE: Minors must be accompanied by an adult. No experience is necessary; tools and training are provided. Only heavy rain cancels. There is no charge for this outing, which is made possible by the voters of Sonoma County who fund the work of Ag + Open Space with a quarter-cent sales tax.

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January
FRIDAY EVENING	Acorn MusEcology Project presents Side by Side: Songs in Conversation Friday, January 5, 2024. 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm $20 $25 $30 (Sliding Scale) Pre-registration required. Location: Heron Hall, Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA Directed by Sarah Dupre, the Acorn MusEcology Project is 20-voice choral ensemble sharing music that explores our collective role as caretakers in our relationship with the Earth, with our animal and plant brethren, and living systems—toward the rediscovery, healing, and re-imagining of a vibrant planet beyond our own time. In our 2023 fall concert series, we pair songs sharing a common subject or lyricist, with original and selected settings of poems by Kim Stafford, Kathleen Lynch, Jane Kenyon, Dana Gioia, and Terry Tempest Williams. Join us for a musical conversation featuring magpies and marsh grasses, foxes and field mice, toy pianos and whale songs. The program (one hour-fifteen minutes, with no intermission) will be preceded by complementary refreshments and sunset colors on the beautiful Heron Hall patio overlooking the Laguna. Learn more at acornsings.com
SATURDAY MATINEE	Acorn MusEcology Project presents Side by Side: Songs in Conversation Saturday, January 6, 2024. 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm $20 $25 $30 (Sliding Scale) Pre-registration required. Sold Out - Please join the waitlist Location: Heron Hall, Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA Directed by Sarah Dupre, the Acorn MusEcology Project is 20-voice choral ensemble sharing music that explores our collective role as caretakers in our relationship with the Earth, with our animal and plant brethren, and living systems—toward the rediscovery, healing, and re-imagining of a vibrant planet beyond our own time. In our 2023 fall concert series, we pair songs sharing a common subject or lyricist, with original and selected settings of poems by Kim Stafford, Kathleen Lynch, Jane Kenyon, Dana Gioia, and Terry Tempest Williams. Join us for a musical conversation featuring magpies and marsh grasses, foxes and field mice, toy pianos and whale songs. The program (one hour-fifteen minutes, with no intermission) will be preceded by complementary refreshments and sunset colors on the beautiful Heron Hall patio overlooking the Laguna. Learn more at acornsings.com
JANUARY 12 ORIENTATION JANUARY 23 ORIENTATION	Learning Laguna Docent Training Orientation Friday, January 12, 2024. 10:00 pm – Noon OR Tuesday, January 23, 2024. 10:00 pm – Noon FREE, Pre-registration required. Location: Heron Hall, Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA The Learning Laguna school program for 3rd grade students has been going strong for years because of the skill and passion of committed community members who step-up, participate in training, then share the wonders of the Laguna with school children. Learning Laguna is a two-part program and docents work in teams to bring our specially-designed activities to third grade classrooms throughout the watershed. The week following the classroom visit, the docents meet “their” class at a Laguna Preserve to guide the field experience. Children learn about the Laguna de Santa Rosa ecosystem by engaging with our hands-on, curriculum content standards-based activities with caring adults (the docents!) who help the students connect to their home environment (the Laguna watershed!). Come to the training orientation to find out more about the Learning Laguna program and the role of the docent, plus all the training course details. The 2024 docent training program takes place on eight Tuesdays between February 13 – April 16. Once the training course begins, each docent-in-training will choose two dates to shadow Learning Laguna in action during the weeks of March 25-29 and April 1-5. After the training course ends the new docents will team up with experienced docents to volunteer on weekday mornings each spring and fall to lead the classroom visits and field trips. Going forward, each docent chooses the days of the week they volunteer each season. Every added docent means more school children will get to have high-quality, meaningful learning experiences in nature! This is a rich and rewarding volunteer experience that truly supports the children of our community while creating a healthy future for the Laguna de Santa Rosa. View this page of our website for more details, including an overview of the Learning Laguna program, training fees, the training schedule, the volunteer commitment, etc. We warmly invite you to join the Learning Laguna education team!

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For more information, contact Carlos Barragan, Environmental Educator
(707) 527-9277 xt. 110 or by email at Carlos.Barragan@LagunaFoundation.org