Nature journaling activities have been the focus of the Junior Land Stewards field trips this month. Such activities have included Sound Mapping, My Secret Plant, I notice/I wonder/It reminds me of, and Ecosystem Inspections. El Granada students hiked to Quarry Park while sharing in a history lesson with special guest (and CLT Stewardship Advisory Board member) Barbara Dye. They learned about their neighborhood, the Ocean Shore railroad, and Quarry Park itself. Farallone View students hiked through their neighboring Golden Gate National Recreation Area with Eric Zepeda, of the Golden Gate National Conservancy. They learned a great deal about the park and the local endangered species.

Thanks to a grant from the Land Trust Alliance, this year the Coaststide Land Trust has been offering nature journal training for the CUSD 4th grade teachers and the JLS high school field guides. Teachers are completing a three part series, of which they have already concluded two sessions. The goal of these workshops is to provide the tools and enrich instructional practices for teaching nature journaling within the classroom. Haley Paterson, Junior Land Stewards program manager shares, “It's also been wonderful for teachers to share their successes and challenges in nature journaling with each other and the CLT staff. Teachers have enjoyed meeting each other and participating in these relaxing and enriching development workshops.”