2022 Education Program Year in Review
Our education program is growing!
In 2022, SOLC facilitated 1,676 student-days of programming, up from 1,245 in 2021. Programs were mostly hosted on lands conserved with SOLC. At the Rogue River Preserve, we welcomed students from Eagle Point School District for the first time, and we continued to serve students from Central Point School District. We also piloted our nature journaling programming in Josephine County at Alder Creek Community Forest and Sourdough Gulch Ranch, and we facilitated a week of exploration for participants in the Jacksonville Community Center’s first-ever summer camp in the Jacksonville Woodlands. We also welcomed middle school students from Talent’s Spanish immersion program – many of whom are children of migrant farmworkers – to Oredson-Todd Woods.
Student participants in the Jacksonville Community Center’s first-ever summer camp enjoy a view in the conserved Jacksonville Woodlands.
Students enjoy a day on the land at the conserved Sourdough Gulch.
Beyond SOLC’s conserved lands, we supported community programs like Salmon Watch, Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District’s summer camp, Southern Oregon Regional Envirothon, and the Ashland School Foundation’s Monster Dash fundraiser race with conservation-related activities and lessons. We also served educators directly through professional development workshops facilitated by SOLC in collaboration with agency partners and the Oregon Natural Resources Education Program.
Students practicing nature journaling in the public accessible Oredson-Todd Woods.
Educators participated in a partner led professional development workshop hosted by SOLC at the Rogue River Preserve. Photo by Sarah Red-Laird.
In 2023, we look forward to offering additional field trip opportunities in our publicly accessible conserved areas and establishing a low-volume flow of students at Pompadour Bluff, while nurturing relationships with the schools and districts who already know and love our conservation and education work. We are honored and excited to be sharing SOLC’s land, work, and vision with the next generation!
If you, your group, or organization would like to learn about how to partner or participate in SOLC’s education program, visit our Education Program webpage and email our Education Program Manager Tara Laidlaw.
