Connecting the Outdoor School Experience to Students' Lives
AEOE Spring Conference
April 16, 2005
Dan
Webster, Head Naturalist
Foothill
Horizons Outdoor School
By The Numbers:
450 miles
long; 40 – 70 miles wide
Encompasses
18 counties, 42,000 square miles
6,500,000
people (population growth exceeds CA as a whole)
Median
Home price is far lower that CA as a whole
Percentage
of wetlands loss >90%
3 watersheds:
Sacramento
River watershed (which includes the Pit, Feather, Yuba, American,
and others)
San
Joaquin River watershed (which includes the Kern, Kings, Merced and
Tuolumne, Consumnes and Mokelumne
Rivers, among others)
Tulare
Lake watershed
47 endangered
animal species; 44 endangered plant species (1997)
Delivers
25% of food that US consumes
Biggest
Industry: agriculture. Annually revenues (27 billion in '01) exceed that
of all gold extracted
from CA from Gold Rush to present day
Pesticide
use accounts for 1/3 of all pesticides sold in US
50 – 90%
of CV farm laborers are illegal immigrants
Poverty
and unemployment numbers far exceed CA as a whole
CV Residents are...
more
populous than 36 US states.
ethnically
diverse. Non-Hispanic whites account for just over half of the CV's population
(2002). Latinos are the largest minority group.
poorer
than the rest of CA. Outside of Sacramento 1 in 5 live in poverty compared to
13% in CA overall.
less
educated that CA overall. Only 14% of SJV adults were college graduates
(28% - CA)
more
politically conservative than the rest of the state. In 2004 all CV
regions went for
Bush over Kerry by well over 10% (except Sacramento Metro which went Bush
by 9%). The rest of CA voted for Kerry over Bush by 57% to 42%.
History:
Rich concentration of Native Americans (From North – South: Maidu,
Wintun, Miwok, Yokut).
1772 – 1st Spaniards enter Valley.
1828 – Mexican government sends military expeditions
to control Indians.
1841 – Bidwell Party is the first wagon train to
cross the Sierra to the Valley.
1870 – Most Mexican Land Grants taken over (by now)
by Americans.
1849 – Gold Rush brought many people through and
to the Valley.
1911 – Ishi surrenders near Oroville in Sacramento
Valley.
1920's – California surpasses Iowa as leading agricultural
state.
1930's – Dust Bowl emigrants flood into CV.
1970 – 2000 – number of immigrants in CA increases
from 1.8 million to 8.9 million.
2005 – University of California, Merced begins first
on-campus classes.
Many
outdoor schools in California host a significant number of students from
CV communities. Many field instructors, however, are relatively new to
California and/or may have little knowledge of their students' communities
demographics and environment. Instruction, while often high quality,
may lack connections with students' prior knowledge and life experience.
This
workshop will explore ways that instructors may increase their knowledge
of CV communities and issues, and how to empower CV students to appreciate
and learn more about their local environment.
The Great Valley Center is pleased to announce
its eighth annual Great Valley Regional Conference, to be held May 11 & 12,
2005, at the Radisson Hotel, Sacramento.
The conference theme, Growing a Community, refers
to the Central Valley's agricultural roots and to the belief that intentional,
informed decisions made by the region's citizens will mature into communities
that work—in short, a region boasting a diverse economy with good
jobs, healthy families, an effective education system and balanced use
of our natural and social resources.
The Heartland Festival. A Celebration of Food, Farming, and Healthy
Living in the Central Valley. May 21 & 22, 2005, Double T Acres
Ranch, Stevinson, CA (Merced County).
The Heartland Festival is a place to enjoy, enhance and sustain the special
features of the San Joaquin Valley. The San Joaquin Valley is one of the
most significant food and watersheds in the U.S., growing much of the fresh
fruits and vegetables people eat across the nation and around the world.
The Heartland Festival draws on the poetry, productivity and natural beauty
of the San Joaquin Valley. A region rich with soil, weather, water, history,
and heart, which combine to sustain and nourish us and our nation.
Valley
Wild Kern River Valley Preserve, Weldon, CA - This preserve
hosts several festivals annually:
Valley
Wild Bioregions Festival: The weekend closest to
May 1 in April or May, the Kern Valley celebrates its unique bioregions and
all that live within them. Check
out the Valley Wild Bioregions Festival and all of its activities. This event
is held in Kernville and at the Kern River Preserve in Weldon.
California Amphibian & Reptile
Celebration: In June the
California Amphibian & Reptile celebration is held on the
Kern River Preserve in Weldon. Sponsored by HERP-ECOLOGY, and Audubon California's
Kern River Preserve.
A Hummingbird Celebration runs
the entire migration with special events the last weekend in July and the
first weekend in August.
The migration of hummingbirds
is a yearly phenomenon that delights all who witness the event. Dozens
of hummingbird feeders are placed around the Kern River Preserve from late
July
through early October.
Turkey Vulture Festival: From September 14 through October 14, tens of
thousands of Turkey Vultures migrate through the Kern River Valley. Valley
Wild
and the Kern River Research
Center sponsor an annual count during this time. The weekend closest
to October 1 in September or October is the annual Turkey Vulture Festival
at the Kern River Preserve.
