Community Education
Walks, Talks & Classes

MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUGUST | SEPTEMBER

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.

May
	It All Begins in the Nest Online program with David Lukas Friday, May 26, 2023. 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm Sliding Scale: $10, $15, or $25. Pre-registration Required. Location: This is an online program via Zoom. The link to join the presentation will be emailed upon registration. In the fourth and final part of a four-part series of talks on bird biology, naturalist David Lukas will introduce us to bird nests and eggs. This might be the most important time of the year for birds, yet so much of this exuberant activity remains hidden from view. Consider this our peek into the tender moments and care that go into making carefully crafted nests and rearing eggs that turn into the hungry chicks and feisty nestlings you’ll be noticing all spring David Lukas is an expert naturalist who is well known for his talks, walks, and classes. He is also the author of many books and articles on a wide range of natural history topics, including the books Bay Area Birds and Sierra Nevada Birds. His most recent book, Language Making Nature, is an exploration of tools and ideas for creating new words. Visit his website at www.lukasguides.com
	Sold Out - Please join the waitlist Coloring Spring at the Laguna Workshop with Nina Antze Saturday, May 27, 2023. 10:00 am – 2:00 pm $60. Pre-registration Required. Location: Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA Explore the textures, markings, and colors of Spring, using colored pencil. Spring is the time of new beginnings. Come explore and draw the beautiful plants of the spring at the Laguna and take your newfound skills to your favorite flowers from your own garden! We will explore a variety of colored pencil techniques and learn how to blend, burnish and create new colors while incorporating the techniques of botanical drawing. We will focus on drawing, and color application. All levels are welcome! This workshop is suitable for adults. Please bring snacks and a lunch to be eaten outside. A supply list will be provided upon registration. Nina Antze is a Sonoma County botanical artist and quiltmaker. 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 throughout the Bay Area. Learn more about Nina at her website http://pcquilt.com/. PLEASE NOTE: All in-person outings follow current Sonoma County health orders and guidelines for group activities to keep everyone safe during COVID-19. Please let us know in advance if you can no longer attend so we can offer a spot to someone on the waitlist. Heavy smoke, excessive heat, or heavy rain cancels.

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June
	"Oh, I Wish I had My Camera with Me"—HEY YOU DO! Phone Photography Workshop with Neil and Susan Silverman Saturday, June 3, 2023. 8:00 am – 3:00 pm $110. Pre-registration Required. Location: Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA What inspires you to take a picture? Is it natural beauty; a bizarre moment; a quirky expression; an adorable child; your dog at the beach? No matter what sparks your motivation to “click”, your photographs represent what is significant in your life. And while we don’t all have the $5000 camera we feel we deserve, we always have our phones, with their own amazing cameras, on or around us! Through lecture, demonstrations and discussions we will go over: Gaining control over your camera with basic settings, compositional considerations; exposure, focus, shutter speeds, choice of lenses, panoramic, close up photography, portraits, filters, and videos. All the fun stuff PLUS some great apps for fine tuning your images and turning on your creativity. And we can all go out and about to capture the Laguna with our phone cameras! After practicing with our phones or tablets (iPads, iPhones or Android devices) we will return to Heron Hall to review, share, and discuss. As a husband-and-wife team, Susan & Neil Silverman have been “captured” with photography for over 25 years – teaching, leading workshops and working professionally in many venues. They have taught for the  Kelby Photo Conferences, Gualala Arts Center, Santa Rosa Junior College, Pacific Northwest Art School, Point Reyes Field Institute, Great American Photography Workshop (GAPW), and Better Photo, as well as many photo clubs and organizations. Their work has been published both nationally and internationally. Sharing knowledge, experiences and camaraderie is as important as “getting the shot.” Philosophy: The arrival of the phone cameras has brought photography to an all-new playing field. Creating memories, art, visual adventures can now be experienced by the most inexperienced photographer. We believe that quality dominates over quantity and by understanding both the technical choices and the artistic compositional elements will bring your phone photos to a STANDING OVATION. PLEASE NOTE: All in-person outings follow current Sonoma County health orders and guidelines for group activities to keep everyone safe during COVID-19. Please let us know in advance if you can no longer attend so we can offer a spot to someone on the waitlist. Heavy smoke, excessive heat, or heavy rain cancels.

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July
With Spring in full swing and Summer around the corner we wanted to take a moment to let you know that we will be taking a short break from our community education events during the month of July. We will be hosting our annual Summer Camp program, Camp Tule, and our team will be fully focused on providing an amazing experience for our young campers. We are excited to offer this program, and we hope it will be a highlight of the summer for many families in our community! But don't worry, we will be back in August, with a great lineup of community education events that we know you will enjoy. Keep an eye out for our announcements so you don't miss out on any of the fun! Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you at the next event!

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August
COMING SOON!

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September
	Join the Laguna de Santa Rosa Education Team — Become a Laguna Guide this Fall! 10-hour Training Course Begins Thursday, September 14, 2023 $45. Pre-registration Required by September 1. Location: Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA Help the Laguna Foundation community events thrive! We offer a wide range of presentations, outings and workshops all year long to deepen our appreciation for the Laguna de Santa Rosa, connect with nature, and inspire a vibrant community dedicated to lifelong learning. These educational and outreach events are not possible without volunteer support! At each event, Laguna Guides are needed to help with a variety of tasks including: engaging participants and sharing about the Laguna, program set-up of tables and chairs, direct parking, take merchandise sales, clean-up, and help build enthusiasm and appreciation for the Laguna de Santa Rosa, a Wetland of International Importance. Guides not only help support the events, but they have the opportunity to attend those events for free. 2023 Training schedule (10 hour commitment): - Meet the Laguna Watershed training on Thursday, September 14, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm. - Training inside Great Blue Heron Hall on Saturday, September 23, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. - Training outside at Irwin Creek on Saturday, September 30, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. Lunch is provided. Training course fee covers your lunch on 9/30, a training binder, name tag, and t-shirt. If cost is a barrier, please email: volunteer@lagunafoundation.org. Upon completion of the training course, a minimum commitment of 3 volunteer hours each month is requested. Laguna Guides volunteer year-round, primarily on evenings and weekends. Guides are part of the Laguna Education Team and includes fun opportunities for continuing education, special outings and social events with fellow education volunteers. Pre-registration is requested by Sept. 1 so training supplies can be prepared in advance.

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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

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