DIG INTO NATURE WORKSHOPS: March 8 - June 2 Spring 2019
Meet local experts. Learn new skills in the arts and sciences. Work with researchers and writers. Contribute to the natural world and our local sustainability.
WINTER NATURALIST PROGRAM: Sundays Jan 13-Feb 3 This 4-day training gives you new insights into local landscapes and the skills to share your knowledge with children and friends.
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT FOR KIDSThis holiday season come outside with us and get a fresh new perspective. Meet local experts who will teach you new skills, such as during our Christmas Bird Count for Kids.
2018 ANNUAL REPORTGet Ready. Find Solutions.
Find out how students tackled sustainability issues related to air, water, fire, biodiversity and education.
DIG INTO NATURE: SIGN UP FOR EVENTS & WORKSHOPS Fall 2018Come learn new techniques in the arts and sciencies. Work with researchers and writers to study the natural world. And use your new skills to contribute to sustainability in our region.
FALL 2018 CENTER FUNDING APPLICATION$14,000 is available to faculty from all disciplines to engage students in sustainability challenges and field studies. Deadline for applications has been extended to Friday September 21, 2018.
DIG INTO NATURE: SIGN UP FOR EVENTS & WORKSHOPS Spring 2018Sign up for spring events at the Osborn and Galbreath Preserves. Get outside and learn about insects, technology, and natural history, or attend a theatre performance under the oaks.
JANUARY NEWS 2018Read about the benefits of an outdoor education and how we are creating an environmentally ready society.
2017 ANNUAL REPORTOur 2017 annual report highlights how we work with students and all our partners to solve real-world environmental challenges. Download report or email the Center Director, Dr. Claudia Luke (lukec@sonoma.edu), for a hard copy. Report printed on recycled paper with soy based ink and on solar powered equipment. view 2017 annual report; download 2017 annual report (3.5 Mb).
Inquiry and the North Bay Fires SSU preserve lands were spared during the North Bay fires, although our smallest preserve, Los Guillicos, suffered intensive damage from fire fighting activities. Since the fires, we have begun collaborating with organizations in our community to involve SSU students and faculty in finding solutions the create a resilient future for our communities and ecosystems. Contact Center Director Claudia Luke (lukec@sonoma.edu).
Spend 3 Beautiful Minutes with CEI's PreservesCheck out the new video of our faculty and students charging ahead to grapple with real-world environmental challenges. Learn more about the Center's activities. A beautiful piece of film making from our friends at New Leaf Media and Greenflash Consulting. "What Are We Growing at the Center for Environmental Inquiry" video.
Visit Center News for more
Photo credit: Website images are available at the Center Gallery or Sonoma Preserves Photo Group unless otherwise indicated.
August 2018
Docent Naturalist Training Program
Aug 22-Sept 4: Required informational Meetings for the Osborn Naturalist Training are held Aug 22 (Wed), Aug 23 (Thu), Aug 27 (Mon), Aug 28 (Tue), Aug 29 (Wed), Aug 30 (Thu) and Sept 4 (Tues). All meetings are 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm, Room 101, Darwin Hall, SSU Campus. The training is open to students and community members. Contact Us for more information about how to participate.
September 2018
Docent Naturalist Training Program
Aug 22-Sept 4: Required informational Meetings for the Osborn Naturalist Training are held Aug 22 (Wed), Aug 23 (Thu), Aug 27 (Mon), Aug 28 (Tue), Aug 29 (Wed), Aug 30 (Thu) and Sept 4 (Tues). All meetings are 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm, Room 101, Darwin Hall, SSU Campus. The training is open to students and community members. Contact Us for more information about how to participate.
Sept 6 (Thu): Registration Deadline
Sept 9-Oct 7 (Sundays): Training Days for registered participants occur on five consecutive Sundays (Sept 9, 16, 23, 30, Oct 7) from 9 am to 5 pm at the Osborn Preserve.
Osborn Elementary School Tour Program
Sept 17 (Mon): Applications Due - Elementary schools interested in tours of the Osborn Preserve must register by this date.
Sept 24 (Mon): Notification of lottery results for elementary school applicants to the program.
October 2018
Docent Naturalist Training Program
Sept 9-Oct 7 (Sundays): Training Days for registered participants occur on five consecutive Sundays (Sept 9, 16, 23, 30, Oct 7) from 9 am to 5 pm at the Osborn Preserve.
Osborn Elementary School Tour Program
Oct 18-Nov 30: Elementary School Tours (for lottery winners only) occur Thursdays & Fridays from 9:45 am - 2:00 pm.
Public Hikes at Osborn Preserve
Oct 13-Dec 1 (Saturdays only): The public is welcome to join Saturday tours without a reservation starting Oct 13. Meet at 10:00 am on Saturdays at the Osborn Preserve parking lot.
November 2018
Osborn Elementary School Tour Program
Oct 18-Nov 30: Elementary School Tours (for lottery winners only) occur Thursdays & Fridays from 9:45 am - 2:00 pm.
Public Hikes at Osborn Preserve
Oct 13-Dec 1 (Saturdays only): The public is welcome to join Saturday tours without a reservation starting Oct 13. Meet at 10:00 am on Saturdays at the Osborn Preserve parking lot.
December 2018
Public Hikes at Osborn Preserve
Oct 13-Dec 1 (Saturdays only): The public is welcome to join Saturday tours without a reservation starting Oct 13. Meet at 10:00 am on Saturdays at the Osborn Preserve parking lot.
Welcome to SSU's outdoor classrooms. We welcome visitors of all ages and affiliations engaged in research and education. Explore our preserves, Programs and Projects at each of the links below. If you like what you see and would like to get involved, please consider a donation to the Center. Over 50% of our annual budget is supported by donors.
PreservesLos Guillicos, Osborn and Galbreath Preserves are in the Mayacama, Sonoma, and Inner Coast ranges of California's North Coast and range in size from 40 to 3,600 acres. Each Preserve is a unique blend of environment, culture and economy that create opportunities for teaching, research, and community engagement in the liberal arts and sciences. Reservations are required - see Visit a Preserve for details.
Programs Preserve-sponsored programs engage learners of all ages and focus on environmental education, watersheds, and land management. We prioritize hands-on learning.
Projects At each of our preserves, we collaborate on projects with organizations, students, faculty and community members to address regional environmental challenges. Independent research by persons of any affiliation is encouraged. Resulting data (see Info Hub) are shared with agencies and other stakeholders. To learn more about on-going projects, visit Preserve Project pages: (Osborn Projects, Galbreath Projects).
This year, I learned the term “wicked problem.” The phrase defines a problem that is difficult to solve because of incomplete information, nondefinitive solutions, and complex interdependencies. In a Policy Science journal article in 2012, Levin et al. coined the term "superwicked problem” to characterize the challenge of global climate change. How do we prepare students to grapple with such complex issues?
The Center's preserves are SSU's outdoor classrooms. Preserve programs create the hands-on learning experiences that challenge students to deal with the complexities and inconsistencies that characterize real-world problems. Everything we do at our preserves - operations, management, data, and programs - is an opportunity to seek student involvement and input in finding new solutions. In the past 3 years, we have collaboratively developed projects with students and faculty in the performing arts, business, history, engineering, computer science, geography and the life sciences. (See InfoHub/Projects).
Each of our three preserves provide unlimited opportunities for discovery and learning in economy, culture and environment. These sites can be the inspiration for acquiring skills and motivation needed to embrace multi-disciplinary solutions that will characterize the Century of the Environment.
Dr. Claudia Luke
Director, Center for Environmental Inquiry
