Programs

Because a love of nature is a strong force in conservation, we work to connect people and nature. Our programs provide students, volunteers, visitors, and the local community opportunities to understand, engage with and preserve the wild lands on the Lost Coast of Northern California.

In School Lessons

The Lost Coast Environmental Education Resource (LCEER) brings fun, hands-on learning about the environment to local schools. Teaching students about nature in their own back yard encourages the next generation of environmental stewards. On rainy days, large quilts depicting local ecosystems, such as river, soil, redwood canopy, are used as learning tools, bringing the lessons indoors. These quilts are created by a group of dedicated volunteers. Youth Interpreters are high school students we train to teach the lessons to elementary students. The high school students learn from the lessons themselves as well as learn teaching and leadership skills. This program is a partnership with the King Range National Conservation Area.

 

Our in-school environmental education lessons are now available for viewing and use here>>

Summer Adventure Camp

“Summer Adventure Camp is the best camp ever!” said 9 year old Gigi of her camp experience. From tide pools to creeks and ridge tops to meadows, every day our campers see a new adventure. Our day camp serves over 60 kids each year, ages 4 – 13, bringing them outside to hike, create nature inspired crafts, learn about edible and medicinal plants, journal, observe wildlife, swim, play, explore, and learn the value of giving back through service projects. The natural diversity in the Lost Coast area inspires curiosity and keen observation skills in the children, enhancing their perspective of the environment. Our teachers and volunteers love participating in the camp as much as the children do, experiencing together the wonders of the natural world. Scholarships are available.

2024 Camp Schedule:

WEEK 1: June 24 thru 28 - 10am-4pm  10-13 year olds

WEEK 2: July 8 thru 12 - 10am-4pm  7-9 year olds

WEEK 3: July 15 thru 19 - 10am-4pm  4-6 year olds

WEEK 4: July 22 thru 26 - 10am-4pm  4-6 year olds

WEEK 5: July 29 thru August 2 - 10am-4pm  7-9 year olds

WEEK 6: August 5 thru 9 - 10am-4pm  10-13 year olds

To Sign Up Contact

Michele Palazzo, 707-223-0112/[email protected]

The Lost Coast Education Center & Native Plant Garden

With its historic barns, native plant garden and trail to a nearby salmon bearing creek, the Lost Coast Education Center is a perfect place for students of all ages to engage in the natural world, learn about sustainable gardening practices, water conservation and the benefits of mimicking nature in their own landscapes. Volunteers are the driving force in developing the garden, enthusiastically giving to the project to help secure a future in which our local gardens and the larger planetary garden can thrive. The garden features an outdoor classroom for workshops and school field trips and a nursery where people can purchase plants for their own gardens.  Interpretive signs and an indoor classroom inside the barns are planned for the near future. The Lost Coast Education Center is located in Whitethorn at the King Range National Conservation Area office, and is a project in partnership with the King Range National Conservation Area. If you would like to volunteer, please contact us at [email protected].

Shelter Cove Invasive Plant Program

Our newest program, the Shelter Cove Invasive Plant Program (SCiPP) has succeeded in bringing a small community together for a common cause—to remove invasive plants from their own neighborhoods in order to further preserve the natural biodiversity of the King Range National Conservation Area that is literally in their backyards.

With funding from the Conservation Lands Foundation, the Cereus Fund of the Trees Foundation and Shelter Cove Resort Improvement District, FOLC and our SCiPP partners have come up with a three step plan: Community Awareness, Education and Volunteer Projects; Systematic Pampas Grass Eradication Projects; Maintenance of Project Sites and Continued Community Education.

As part of the Community Awareness, SCiPP holds an annual Earth Day Celebration with teams of volunteers from near and far pulling invasive plants and celebrating with a free lunch, beer & wine, live music, kid’s poster contest, softball game, vendors and more!

Our SCiPP partners are the BLM King Range and California Coastal National Monument, Shelter Cove Resort Improvement District, Southern Humboldt Business and Visitor’s Bureau, King Range Alliance, community volunteers and local non-profit organizations.

For more information or to participate, contact us at [email protected].

Hikes & Lectures

Attending our Hikes and Lectures is a fun way for the whole family to learn about and explore the local area. Subjects include tide pools, plants, animals, geology, photography, history and more. Led by experts and enthusiasts in natural science, participants go home with a greater understanding of the natural world around them. We partner with the King Range National Conservation area on our Hikes and Lectures.

Lost Coast Trail Stewards & Trailhead Hosts

The Lost Coast Trail Stewards & Trailhead Hosts program organizes FOLC volunteers to assist BLM with both a backlog of trail maintenance projects and engaging visitors at Black Sands Beach in Shelter Cove on the weekends of highest summer usage - Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. Our Trailhead Hosts answer questions and share information about the King Range, park rules/regulations, and Leave No Trace principles, while our Lost Coast Trail Stewards offer ongoing volunteer opportunities for trail enthusiasts to assist BLM with varied trail maintenance and road cleaning projects in the KRNCA - and we're now offering stipends to local youth ages 12-16! Email [email protected] for more info or to join the next outing!

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