An Educational Expedition is a simple, four step planning process that parents can use to help leverage outdoor recreation and adventure to create learning experiences.  This post provides a template for creating an animal watching and wildlife viewing expedition in the Sacramento area.  If you don’t live near Sacramento you can still use the template, just replace the location information with your own.

You can download instructions about how to build an Educational Expedition here, but the Cliff’s Notes version is that you 1) select and activity, 2) choose a location, 3) set a goal, and 4) share your adventure.

Step 1:  Select an Activity.
In this case we are building an educational expedition around wildlife viewing.

Step 2:  Select a location.
Below (in the resources section of this post) is a list of twelve places where you can watch animals and view wildlife in the Sacramento Region.  Use the Google map to the right so see these locations on a map, or visit our Google map page here.  Scroll to the end of this post for additional information, descriptions, contact info, and wildlife viewing opportunities at each location.

Step 3:  Set a goal.
The key to building a good Educational Expedition is balancing adventure and learning in a way that is integrated.  The goal setting step is the most important part.  Here are four ideas that you can use to set your educational expedition goal.

• Look for animal tracks and sign, identify the mystery animals
• Find and photograph an animal native to your area, create a photojournal
• See how many birds you can find using Sacramento Audubon’s checklists.
• Many of the wildlife viewing destinations listed here offer guided nature walks.  Take a walk with a naturalist to expand your knowledge.

Note:  download our free Educational Expeditions ebook for a tutorial on setting SMART Goals.

Step 4:  Share Your Adventure:
Leave us a comment and tell us about your goal, what you saw, and what you learned!

Resources:

The list below provides additional information about 12 Wildlife Viewing locations in the Sacramento area.  Some of the birds and animals listed here are seasonal, use the contact information to learn more.

Mather Regional Park
Contact (916) 875-6672
Web: http://www.msa2.saccounty.net/parks/Pages/default.aspx
Habitat: Wooded lake, creeks, and grassland.  Mather Regional Park is best known for its display of springtime vernal pools and wildflowers.
What to See: Deer, owls, lizards, meadowlark, hawks, pheasants, magpies, quail, wild turkey, coyotes, and jays.
Guided Activities: Be sure to check out Sacramento Splash and their Nature in the Neighborhood programs where you can learn about Mather Regional Park wildlife and vernal pool habitat.

Effie Yeaw Nature Center and the American River Parkway
Contact: (916) 489-4918
Web: http://www.effieyeaw.org
Habitat: Oak woodland, cottonwoods, and riparian habitat along the American River.
What to See: Animals that you might see include wild turkey, deer, wood ducks, hawks, quail, hummingbirds, swallowtail butterflies, acorn woodpeckers, gulls, raccoon, otter.  Effie Yeaw nature center has guided tours and exhibits with live animals inside of their discovery store.

Nimbus and American River Hatcheries
Contact: (916) 355-2884
Web: http://www.yelp.com/biz/nimbus-fish-hatchery-gold-river
What to See: Here you will find salmon and trout in the raceways, hawks, gulls, kingfisher, osprey, waterfowl, and egrets.

Folsom Lake State Recreation Area
Contact: (916) 988-0205 ext 273
Web: http://folsom.parks.ca.us
Habitat: Shoreline, open woodlands and wetlands.
What to See: Kites, deer, turkey, quail, herons, hawks, white pelican, geese, lizards, beaver, muskrat.

Isenberg Crane Reserve
Contact: (916) 358-2353
Web: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regions/3/cranetour/
Habitat: Freshwater marsh, grassland, flooded pasture
What to See: Sand Hill Cranes (fall/winter), barn owls, herons, pelicans, bibs, hawks, shrikes

Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary
Contact: (916) 481-5332
Web: http://www.sacramentoaudubon.org/bobelainesanctuary.html
Habitat: lush woodlands along the Feather River
What to See: herons, great horned owls, wood ducks, quail, egrets, bald eagles

Stone Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Contact: (916) 775-4420
Web: http://www.stonelakes.org/
Habitat: Grassland, wetland, vernal pools
What to See: herons, egrets, owls, otter, beaver, shrikes, vernal pool flowers, ibis, pheasant, hawks, coyote, rabbits, white pelicans, sandhill cranes, geese, eagles

Laguna Creek Parkway
Contact: (916) 775-4420
Web: http://www.lagunacreek.org/
Habitat: grassland, marsh, vernal pools, creek
What to See: frogs, turtles, egrets, otter, songbitds, red-wing blackbird, muskrats, hawks, deer, magpies, opossum, kingfisher
Trail Map (pdf): http://www.yourcsd.com/parks/pdf/trail_map.pdf

Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area
Contact: (530) 758-1018
Web: http://www.yolobasin.org/
Habitat: Wetland
What to See: black crowned night herons, owls, ibis, muskrat, avocets, hawks, orioles, blackbirds, heron, egrets, finches, kites, snow geese, kingfisher, raccoon, white pelicans, swans, ducks, bald eagle

Grizzly Island Wildlife Area
Contact: (707) 425-3828
Web: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/wa/region3/grizzlyisland/index.html
Habitat: salt/freshwater marsh
What to See: river otter, tule elk, kites, hawks, skunk, otter, hummingbirds, egrets, rails, teals, shorebirds, songbirds, muskrat, peregrine falcons

Gray Lodge Wildlife Area
Contact: (530) 846-5176
Web: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/wa/region2/graylodge/index.html
Habitat: Wetland
What to See: herons, teals, egrets, hawks, grebes, avocets, stilts, kingbirds, finches, muskrat, orioles, pelicans, marsh wrens, coots, bitterns, sandhill cranes, ducks, kites, pheasant, snow geese, ibis, deer, swans

Cosumnes River Preserve
Contact: (916) 683-1700
Web: http://www.cosumnes.org/
Habitat: marsh and riparian along the Cosumnes River
What to See: herons, hawks, otter, deer, owls, songbirds, turtles, blackbirds, avocets, bluebirds, pheasant, muskrat, sandhill cranes, stilts, geese, swans, ducks

Sacramento National Wildlife Reserve
Contact: (530) 934-2801
Web: http://www.fws.gov/sacramentovalleyrefuges/r_sac.html
Habitat: Seasonal marsh, permanent ponds, and uplands in the heart of the Sacramento Valley.
What to See: One of California’s premier waterfowl refuges. Waterfowl are present from September through March. View hundreds of thousands of geese and ducks from November through January. Many other birds and mammals provide year-round viewing.

Are owls really wise?  Can they swivel their heads 360-degrees around?  Do all owls hoot?  Owls have fascinated humans for centuries.  You can find several species of owls right around the Mather area.

Photo Credit: David Rosen/Wildside Photography

On Saturday, January 16th, from 3:00-6:00pm Sacramento Splash will host a program called “It’s a Hoot! – Owls of the Sacramento Region.”

Join Christine Adams and Sally Reynolds of the California Raptor Center as they bring several live owls from their facility for this presentation!  You can get up close and personal with spectacular live owls, including a Great-horned Owl, Barn Owl, Burrowing Owl, and a cute little Northern Saw-whet Owl!

In addition to meeting these live owls, you’ll see a brief slide show that features the calls of our local owls so you can find out “whoo’s” calling outside your window at night.  Then the kids can be nature detectives and investigate what owls like to eat by dissecting sterilized owl pellets!

Following the indoor portion of the program, you’ll have the option to join us for a guided walk to observe wild owls hunting in the grasslands of Mather Regional Park.

Wear good walking shoes if you plan to stay for the outdoor portion of this program.  Reserve your spot early – this program is a real hoot!

Important Information

• For more information visit www.sacsplash.org and click on “Nature in the Neighborhood”
• You may reserve a spot for this program (strongly recommended) on our website or by calling Splash at 916-364-2437.
• The Splash Education Center is located at 4426 Excelsior Rd., Mather, CA 95655.  For directions, visit our website and click on “Contact Us.”
• Suggested donations are $10.00/adult and $5.00/child (5-18).  Children must be accompanied by an adult.

If there is a single idea that Trailmix.Net stands for, it’s this:  Children (and their parents) need adventure.

That’s why we created Educational Expeditions, our free e-book.  First published on the Trailmix.Net blog in 2006, the Educational Expedition has been tested, revised, and simplified.  It’s a three step process for planning outdoor adventures with kids by helping parents tap into the educational potential of backyards, state parks, national parks, and other public lands.

Download your free copy today, and feel free to share it with friends.  When you use it, please consider sending us an note.  Whether you have text, photos, or just scratched a map on the back of a napkin at Denny’s, we don’t mind.  It’s the adventure and results, not the format , that matter and we would love to hear about it.

Last night I attended the annual meeting of the American River Natural History Association (ARNHA) and had the good fortune to meet Luna the owl (pictured below).  Luna has a cool job.  She helps the staff at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center present the outdoor world of the American River Parkway to children and adults.  You can visit her too….

Visit Luna the Owl at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center

If you live in or are visiting the Sacramento area and you haven’t visited the 77-acre nature preserve along the American River, you are missing out on a treat.  It is the perfect place to launch an educational expedition.  Each month they host free guided programs that range from evening beaver walks to exploring a Maidu Village.  If you prefer self guided walks you can hike their trails and in the heart of the Sac-Metro area your children will see deer, coyotes, migratory songbirds and wild turkeys in the preserve’s lush oak woodlands.

As Sacramento County works to fund critical programs such as police, fire, and child protective services, the county parks budget is facing severe cuts.  In the long term the Nature Center will need to learn to become fully self sufficient.  In the short term they are facing a rough time and have had to make some hard decisions including reduction of staff and educational programs.

The ARNHA was formed in 1981 to promote and support the Effie Yeaw Nature Center.  This year their support came through training of staff, providing volunteers, granting funds for volunteer coordination and community outreach, kiosk repair, and providing support for the discovery shop.

In short the ARNHA is a great cause that supports a fruitful program.  If you have any doubts, you can visit Effie Yeaw Nature Center and see for yourself.

 Here are five very inexpensive ways that you can support Effie Yeaw Nature Center:

• Visit the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Sacramento, CA
• Join the American River Natural History Association
• Make a Donation and ask your employer to match it
• Buy a book online and learn about the Natural History of the American River
• Encourage a friend to take one of these steps!

Mather Field is one of the best places in the Sacramento area to view birds of prey, also known as raptors. From tiny American Kestrels to majestic  Golden Eagles, nearly a dozen different species of raptors can be seen at Mather.

This makes Mather Field an exceptional place for an educational expedition….

American Kestrel - Photo Credit Stefan Willoughby

Saturday, September 26  will be an especially good day to see raptors at Mather because falconer and raptor rehabilitator Bill Corbett will bring several live birds of prey to a presentation in the Sacramento Splash center on Excelsior road.  Attendees will  have the chance to get “up close and personal” with spectacular live raptors, including Tesla, a huge Golden Eagle, and Bob, an adorable little Western Screech Owl.

The first part of this program will take place in the Splash Education Center, where Bill will show his birds, tell the stories of how he obtained each one, and discuss the sport of falconry. You’ll get a close look at the unique and amazing adaptations that make raptors some of nature’s most efficient hunters.

Following the indoor portion of the program, we’ll venture into the field to watch Bill fly one of his trained birds and to look for wild raptors in their favorite habitats!

Binoculars provided or BYOB (bring your own binoculars) and wear good walking shoes for the field portion of this program. Reserve your spot early!

How to Sign Up:

You may reserve a spot for this program (required) ONLINE or by calling Splash at 916-364-2437.

The Splash Education Center is located at 4426 Excelsior Rd., Mather, CA 95655. For directions, click here.

Suggested donations are $10.00/adult and $5.00/child (5-18). Children must be accompanied by an adult.

If the bird world had a rock star, it would be the hummingbird.  If you were into [Tag]birding with kids[/Tag] and wanted to see a bunch of these rock stars in one big show, you could visit the Hummingbird Celebration at the Kern River Nature Preserve.

Sponsored by Audubon California, Friends of the Kern River Preserve, Herp Ecology, and the United States Post Office, the Hummingbird Celebration takes place on August 1-4, 2009 at the Kern River Nature Preserve.  The festival is free, but a $10 donation per adult is suggested.  Proceeds go toward the care and maintenance of the Kern River Preserve.  

Dubbed “The Hummingbird Capital of California”, the [Tag]Kern River Preserve[/Tag] is owned and managed by [Tag]Audubon California[/Tag].   Directions to the Kern River Preserve can be found here.

 [Tag]Hummingbird[/Tag] species that you might see include….

Black Chinned (photo:  Peter Baer via Flickr):

Anna’s (Photo Credit:  Peasap, via Flickr):

Costa’s (Photo Credit:  chdwckvnstrsslhm via Flickr)

Calliope (Photo Credit:  Michael Woodruff via Flickr)

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Rufous (Photo Credit:  Steve Berardi via Flickr)

During college I worked on campus as a research assistant.  A couple of us spent days and weeks gathering and archiving water samples for analysis.  The process was tedious and it always amazed me how much effort went into maintaining a modest library of samples.  This was before the internet, of course.  Now we have citizen science.

Citizen science harnesses the power of the internet and dedication of volunteers to capture massive numbers of samples, data, measurements, or computer resources.  If this intrigues you, read on because one of the biggest citizen science events is scheduled to start over presidents day weekend:  The Great backyard Bird Count (GBBC).

The GBBC is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society.  It’s a great opportunity for families, students, and people of all ages to discover the wonders of nature in backyards, schoolyards, and local parks, and, at the same time make an important contribution to bird conservation.  The concept is pretty simple.  Participants count birds and report their sightings online at www.birdcount.org.

Data that the “citizen scientists” collect helps researchers understand bird population trends, information that is critical for effective conservation.  Their efforts enable everyone to see what would otherwise be impossible:  a comprehensive picture of where birds are in late winter and how their numbers and distribution compare with previous years.  In 2008, participants submitted more than 85,000 checklists.

Can’t tell a robin from a finch?  No worries, in many areas you can get some free training from your local Audubon Society.  Simply contact them and ask if you can join one of their free GBBC workshops for an orientation presentation.

The GBBC is a great outdoor activity for kids and families.  Visit www.birdcount.org to learn more.