Education
The Gold Ridge RCD’s educational programs aim to increase residents’ ecological literacy, understanding of our district’s unique natural resources, familiarity with best conservation practices, as well as foster a relationship between working lands and a healthy environment. Youth programs offer innovative hands-on learning experiences at local farms.
The Agricultural Heritage public outings series highlights local protected agricultural properties and the importance of conservation as a tool in working landscapes. Public workshops are designed to deliver cutting edge information and resources about land management techniques available through the RCD and partner programs; topics include water management and conservation, fish and wildlife habitat enhancement, erosion control, soil health, and carbon sequestration.
Frequently served: Farmers, ranchers, rural landowners, schools children grades K-12, college students
LandSmart® Workshops
These unique workshops are targeted to support landowners and managers with natural resource conservation practices and cutting edge land management techniques. Expert practitioners offer insights and resources to participants through detailed presentations and field tour sessions. Collaboration with other local and regional stakeholders to design and execute these informative workshops provides an invaluable opportunity for agriculturalists to gain tangible tools to support the efficiency and sustainability of their operation.
Project examples:
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- Cover Crops, Tillage and Vineyard Soil Health Tailgate!
- Climate Beneficial Vineyard Management Symposium
Resources: https://landsmart.org/
Agricultural Heritage Series
Agricultural Heritage outings take adults and families to protected open space and agricultural properties to spend time with professional land managers, conservationists, scientists, historians, and more to explore natural resource conservation and sustainable agriculture. Sponsored by and in partnership with the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, our Agricultural Heritage series of hikes, workshops, and trainings highlight Sonoma County’s agricultural traditions and the conservation priorities of the RCD. All this while exploring lands that have been protected forever by the Open Space District and Sonoma County voters who fund the District’s work with a quarter-cent sales tax. There is no cost to participate in these tours.
Ways to Participate: Ag Heritage Outing: Birds and Farms of the Estero Americano – Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District (goldridgercd.org)
TEAM Field Trips
The TEAM (Teaching Environmental and Agricultural Memories) field trip program is a unique environmental education program offered to elementary youth countywide in partnership with the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District (RCD). The content of the TEAM program incorporates the significant role that Sonoma County’s characteristic agricultural landscape plays in environmental stewardship. Funded by the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space), the program invites elementary students to experience our diverse agricultural heritage of Sonoma County on a number of properties to learn about: the importance of maintaining bee populations for apple production, how ranchers protect salmon habitat on a working cattle ranch, experience fresh picked blueberries on a sheep ranch and play with local fiber, what “CSA” truly means to our community, and how all life is connected to the health of our soils. TEAM field trips emphasize the importance of partnership among diverse stakeholders in protecting our natural resources and the renowned agricultural landscape of Sonoma County.
Project examples:
- 3rd grade – Dutton Apple Orchard, Graton – Spring field trips
- 4th grade – NEW Duckworth Farm, Sebastopol – Spring field trips
- 5th grade – Open Field Farm, Petaluma – Fall field trips
- View the Program’s 2010 – 2019 stats on the Project Tracker
Ways to participate: This program is currently operated by Sonoma RCD
Resources: https://sonomarcd.org/programs/education/team-program/
