Community Education
Walks, Talks & Classes

FEBRUARY | MARCH

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.

February
In partnership with:	This event is sold out. We welcome you to join the wait-list. World Wetlands Day: Moon Rise Walk Saturday, February 4, 2023. 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm FREE. Pre-registration required. Location: Laguna Uplands Preserve, 6700 Palm Ave, Sebastopol, CA Celebrate World Wetlands Day by walking through the landscape and watching the moon rise over the Mayacama Mountains! Experience the landscape of Sonoma County in a unique way on the weekend of this month’s Full Moon. Each Full Moon has a name that was used by the Algonquin tribes that lived in regions from New England to Lake Superior. These were later translated and adopted by early colonials and are still used today. With the Snow Moon of February as our guide we will be able to observe the landscape and search for evidence of the nocturnal animals that call this place home. Join us as we celebrate World Wetlands Day by wandering through the trails of this hidden gem in Sebastopol. Learn about the natural landscape and the animals that call Sonoma County home. We will begin with a brief refresher on the natural history of the moon and its phases; and with that in mind, explore the oak grasslands and open space at the Uplands Preserve. Please note this is an in-person event. All in-person events 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 wait-list. 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.
In partnership with:	Loving the Uplands: Stewardship Day with Laguna Foundation and Ag + Open Space Saturday, February 11, 2023. 9:00 am – 12:00 pm FREE. Pre-registration required. Location: Laguna Uplands Preserve, 6700 Palm Ave, Sebastopol, CA The Laguna Uplands have come a long way thanks to you! Come out to continue the 20 years of care on Valentine's Weekend! Build community and learn about plants and wildlife during our hands-on stewardship day at the Laguna Uplands Preserve. It has been 20 years since the restoration of the Uplands began and this beautiful site has come a long way! It is finally returning to its natural beauty and is becoming a significant place for both humans and wildlife. The area has incredible views of the Laguna Watershed along with a young forest of native trees, a more diverse under-story, and plenty of growing shrubs. Join us as we continue our ongoing stewardship and maintenance work, learn about the site’s history and become part of its thriving future. Come be a part of the next 20 years of ecological restoration work at the Uplands! All ages and abilities are welcomed. PLEASE NOTE: Minors must be accompanied by an adult. No experience is necessary; tools and training are provided. We will be walking about three quarters of a mile off-trail on flat but uneven ground to the project site. Please let us know in advance if you can no longer attend so we can offer a spot to someone on the wait-list. Heavy rain cancels. There is no charge for this event, which is made possible by the voters of Sonoma County who fund the work of Ag + Open Space with a quarter-cent sales tax.
	Fresh Pressed Flowers Workshop with Jan Lochner Saturday, February 11, 2023. 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm $35 (100% of proceeds benefit the Laguna Foundation). Pre-registration required. Location: Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 In this make-and-take workshop, local gardener, Jan Lochner, will share the simplicity and beauty of the art of pressed flowers. Experimenting and creating with pressed flowers is wonderful way to make thoughtful gifts for Valentine's Day and get ready for Spring! Local gardener and Laguna Foundation volunteer, Jan Lochner, will demonstrate techniques she uses to press and use flowers. We will make various useful items, from bookmarks and cards to window ornaments and refrigerator magnets. All workshop materials and supplies, including flowers, are provided. Participants need only bring an open creative spirit and a smile. Suitable for eight years old and up (minors must be accompanied by an adult). Join us for this fun , hands-on and informative workshop as Jan shares her secrets of pressing flowers in hopes that you will continue to enjoy this easy and enjoyable art process on your own. Jan Lochner has been creating note cards from pressed flowers as a hobby for 25 years. She uses color, shape, and texture on fine quality paper, making each hand-made card unique. Her home in Sebastopol is her workshop with the dining room table seldom clear and kitchen cupboards filled with bags and boxes of flowers that she collects from her garden and other local sources.
	Under the Surface: Birds, Bones & Skeletons Presentation with Naturalist, David Lukas Friday, February 24, 2023. 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm $10-$35 (sliding scale). Pre-registration required. Location: This is an ONLINE event. You will receive information on how to join the webinar shortly before the event begins. In part one of a four-part series of talks on bird biology, naturalist David Lukas will introduce us to bird bones and skeletons. We will learn about skulls, beaks, eyes, wings, legs and feet, and the unique features of a bird skeleton, while discussing how each feature helps birds adapt to and move in their environments. This is a fascinating topic because most of these features are hidden under feathers, yet bird bones and skeletons shape every aspect of what we see when we watch birds.  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.
	Coiled Straw Basket Workshop with Charlie Kennard Sunday, February 26, 2023. 9:30 am – 3:30 pm $120. Pre-registration required. Location: Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 Join us as we learn how to use native grasses to create baskets! We will use native deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens), or rush (Juncus), as the foundation for the beginning of a bowl-shaped basket suitable for holding fruit or for dough-rising. As binder, we will use peeled willow. Participants with strong hands and who wish to start a skep (beehive) will have the option of using a roadside grass and binding cane. Charlie Kennard of San Anselmo is a long-time basket weaver and student of California Indian and other traditional basketry techniques of the world, and believes that through knowledge of, and love for localized ecology and cultures, we will safeguard all. He has taught for the Point Reyes Field Institute, East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Fibershed in Point Reyes Station, and for continuing private groups. Tule boats made in his workshops can be seen at the Bay Model in Sausalito, Lake County Museum, and another is in the collection of the Oakland Museum. You can also visit a basketry plant garden Charlie has created at the Marin Art and Garden Center in Ross. Charlie is active in wildlife habitat restoration in Marin, managing several projects for Friends of Corte Madera Creek Watershed.

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March
	Creative Landscape Photography: Two-Day Workshop with Jerry Dodrill Friday, March 3, 9:00 am - Sunset (approx 5pm) AND Saturday, March 4, 7:00 am - 3:00 pm $250. Pre-registration required. Location: Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 Take your landscape photography to the next level using the Laguna landscape as inspiration with professional local photographer Jerry Dodrill. During this in-depth photography workshop you will learn the tools, strategies and techniques that Jerry uses for creating evocative images which tell the story of our natural world. Starting with the basics, he will help you take control of the creative process and become more expressive with your DSLR or mirrorless camera. The course incorporates demonstrations and presentations on technique and creativity, guided early morning & evening field sessions in the Laguna de Santa Rosa area, and finally a group review session where we’ll go through the participant’s images and process them using the latest photo editing software. BIO: Jerry Dodrill is a professional landscape and adventure photographer from Sonoma County. In addition to leading photo workshops across the Western United States and around the world, he is an accomplished fine art photographer whose work has been used widely to support conservation efforts, document mountain adventures, and for commercial clients. His images have been featured in countless books and publications including National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Orion, Smithsonian, Rock & Ice, and many others. Early in his career, he was a protégé of famed National Geographic photographer Galen Rowell. From Galen, Jerry learned that the photographer should be an active participant within the dynamic landscape, rather than just an outside observer. He utilizes what he calls a “story-forward” approach to creative image making. Jerry was a co-founder of the Santa Rosa based camera bag company MindShift Gear. He is on the boards of the B-Rad Foundation and Rock Ice & Mountain Club and leads trips for photo travel company Visionary Wild. Recently he has led adventure photo expeditions down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, Sailing in Northeast Greenland, and overland tours in Kyrgyzstan. CANCELLATION POLICY: If you need to cancel, please notify us as soon as possible so that others on the wait-list may attend. Cancellations received more than 30 days in advance of the event date will receive a refund minus a $10.00 processing fee. Cancellations made between 30-7 days in advance will receive a 50% refund. We are sorry but refunds cannot be given on cancellations made less than 7 days in advance. Please also note that we need a minimum number of participants to conduct this workshop. If the Laguna Foundation needs to cancel the event for any reason, we will notify you as soon as possible (at least 1 day prior to the event) and you will receive a full refund. Please note this is an in-person event. All in-person events 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 wait-list.

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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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