Meet LandPaths - Sharing Our Love Of Nature Every Step Of The Way

This summer IOOBY is experiencing some changes. We welcome a new staff member Jackrabbit Justin, as LandPaths Assistant Education Director. Justin hails from Arkansas, and most recently from Tennessee. He brings years of teaching about the environment to various age groups, from elementary to high school students. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and has enjoyed working with the Hispanic community in Tennessee as an interpreter. We are excited to have him join the LP team, bringing his knowledge and enthusiasm for kids and the outdoors to our beautiful county. Please welcome him to the LandPaths community.

Another change at IOOBY this summer is that Bree Bird is pregnant. Thanks right folks, I’m expecting my first baby in November. If you know me, you know I love kids and I am so excited about becoming a mom. My baby (and belly) are growing steadily and I look forward to introducing the little one to the LandPaths community in winter. My husband, baby-to-be, two joyous dogs, and I will be taking a road trip this summer to check out the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota, the 50th state for yours truly to visit; then I will have been to them all! Wishing you a fantastic summer filled with outdoor adventures.  –Bree Bird

IOOBY Summary 2010-11

Stewardship

IOOBY held 31 stewardship days this year. All kinds of projects were undertaken to help take care of the land. Students removed non-native plants, planted native plants, protected native tree saplings with tree protecting tubes, planted veggies and flowers at our farm, cleaned bird boxes and collected data on what they found inside, created and distributed fliers to neighbors detailing their stewardship project, created and hung up beautiful creek flags about their stewardship projects for neighbors to see.

Total results for the year from IOOBY students, parents, teachers, and volunteer stewardship include:

• 658 natives planted
• 200 farm veggies and flowers planted
• 140 education fliers distributed
• 91 Creek flags created and displayed
• 65 Native saplings protected
• 56 Bird boxes cleaned
• 55 Non-natives removed including fennel plants, dozens of teasel,
• 2 cubic yards each of lemon balm, English Ivy, and Himalayan Blackberry removed
• 1 cubic yard of French broom removed
• 1 new IOOBY staff member!

• Alexander Valley students pulled a cubic yard of broom, removed 20 fennel plants and roots, dug out dozens of teasel roots, and distributed over 60 fliers to the neighbors informing them of their experiences at Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve.
• Two classes of Brook Hill 6th graders planted 39 native riparian plants along Matanzas Creek across from their school and created more than a dozen creek flags to let neighbors know about the project.
• With Windsor High’s help Cali Calemecac 6th graders planted 150 native redwood understory plants and removed two cubic yards of non-native, invasive Lemon balm at Riverfront Park.
• Doyle Park planted 38 native plants, removed 2 cubic yards of English ivy, and created two dozen creek flags to let neighbors know about the project along Matanzas Creek.
• Flowery planted 199 native grass plugs at Glen Oaks Ranch!
• Helen Lehman cleaned out and recorded data on many of the 33 bird boxes at the Doerksen’s Ranchero Mark West. They also protected more than 35 native saplings on the property. While protecting the trees, they also took time to name them.
• Hidden Valley cleaned out and recorded data on many of the 33 bird boxes at the Doerksen’s Ranchero Mark West. They also protected more than 30 native saplings on the property. While protecting the trees, they also took time to name them.
• Kawana removed 35 non-native fennel plants along Colgan Creek. They also planted 8 native riparian plants and created 10 creek flags.
• Lincoln 3rd graders planted 50 redwood sorrel at the Doerksen’s Ranchero Mark West.
• Lincoln 4th graders removed 1 cubic yard of non-native blackberries and planted 21 native plants at Poppy Creek.
• Live Oak planted 60 native plants at Ellis Creek/Petaluma Marsh.
• River Montessori planted 40 native plants at Ellis Creek/Petaluma Marsh.
• Roseland and Sheppard stewarded Bayer Farm, planting hundreds of veggies, flowers and native plants, tending the compost, harvesting ripe food, and creating delicious farm cooked meals. “I hauled 22 wheelbarrows full of mulch. Now I’m tired and I want to take a nap.” –Jon Jay
• Steele Lane 3rd graders distributed more than 80 fliers to neighbors telling them about Poppy Creek and their planting project. They planted 23 native plants and removed 1 cubic yard of non-native blackberry. They also created 30 creek flags to share with the neighbors about their efforts to steward Poppy Creek.
• SunRidge 5th graders cleaned out 23 bird boxes at the Laguna Uplands and recorded data
• on what they found inside. They also created 15 creek flags to share with their school the work they did to help take care of the Laguna Uplands.

Volunteers

This year IOOBY had 516 volunteers come out on IOOBY field days. These volunteers donated more than 3,096 hours of their time to the IOOBY program, mentoring Sonoma County students about nature. This is 528 more volunteer hours for IOOBY than last year! We are so grateful to you all for your dedication to teaching students the wonders of the outdoors!  We would especially like to recognize our ever dedicated volunteers: Johnny Junco, Duck Dave, Dragonfly Dave, Lizard Liz, Kathy Caterpillar, Randy Raccoon, Matt Madrone, Mary Manzanita, Peregrine Pat, Laura Flora, Cougar Kyle, Puma Pat, Mountain Lion Marta, Ginger George, Dani Dirt, Eva Evergreen, Lani Leaf and Sean Scorpion! Thank you thank you thank you!

Quotes
“Thank you for taking us to Ranchero Mark West. It was so fun I though I was going to blow up. I like the parts when we went looking for fish and other lake animals and lizards”. Your friend, Jesse, IOOBY 3rd grader

“I’m really glad I chose to join LandPaths because I was able to learn about and see a variety of habitats I would have never known about.  I also think it’s really rewarding to see our new plants thriving and taking back the riparian habitat at Riverfront Park.  After working with and teaching younger students, I feel a lot better about public speaking and am more comfortable giving presentations.  Joining LandPaths was a very beneficial experience, and I can’t help but look after the environment more than ever.”
–Kevin Kingsnake, IOOBY high school student

‘This year in LandPaths was awesome.  Working with the kids was really fun.  I remember doing the same thing when I went to Cali.  Coming to Riverfront Park every other Friday was soothing, even if it was pouring rain outside.  I have learned a lot about the outdoors and this makes me want to travel and be outdoors all of the time.  This park is beautiful!”  -Tyler Tarantula, IOOBY high school student


Partners

IOOBY would like to thank our many partners, who make IOOBY possible. Partners include: the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, the Sonoma County Community Foundation, the Dean Witter Foundation, the Medtronic Foundation, the Sonoma Valley Fund, Calpine, Save the Redwoods League, donations from individual LandPaths supporters, the City of Santa Rosa Creek Stewardship Program, Sonoma County Regional Parks, Sonoma Land Trust, the City of Petaluma and the Ellis Creek Treatment Facility, STRAW of PRBO, the Laguna Foundation, the Doerksens, and all of the Sonoma County teachers and staff we work with.

"I had so much fun today, I brought my Grandma and Grandpa back to see the work we did to take care of the Earth!" –William, Park Side 5th-grader and Laguna Uplands restoration steward. 

The Dean Witter Foundation, inspired by In Our Own Backyard's success in getting kids outside to experience, learn about, and take care of our natural environment, awarded LandPaths a $15,000 Challenge.   program.  We need YOUR match to meet this challenge. 

Please donate today!

Thanks to those of you who have already donated!  We need to meet our goal by May 15. Donate now and know that every dollar you donate will be matched.  LandPaths raises $15,000 and Sonoma County students receive $30,000 toward getting outdoors and learning in and about nature.

What is LandPaths' In Our Own BackYard?

"In Our Own BackYard is an amazing program that goes beyond other top-rate environmental education opportunities I've experienced. As a teacher who has witnessed this program and the changes it's wrought in my students time and time again, I could go on and on about the benefits that this program brings into the lives of the students and teachers it touches. IOOBY is an educational, yet life-affirming, life-changing program." ~ 6th grade teacher

LandPaths In Our Own Backyard builds Sonoma County student's "nature awareness" creating a generation interested, confident and informed about nature and the environment. The program offers an in-depth experience with repeated time in nature, averaging 18-20 hours of field time per student, at the same site with the same mentors. This model, with repeated exposure and a consistent mentor is documented to have the most long-lasting impact on childrens relationship to nature.

In addition to the emphasis on nature awareness, IOOBY curriculum correlates to State and Federal science, math, language arts and physical education standards, helping to increase students' understanding of content and applied knowledge through experience. LandPaths works directly with teachers to coordinate the IOOBY curriculum with their in-class lesson plans increasing the impact and relevancy of the field experiences to classroom learning.

With your support ...

• 850 Sonoma County students-the majority of which come from schools serving low-income communities, where field trips are few if any, and access to the outdoors is often limited-participate in four full-day field trips throughout the school year.
• LandPaths is able to provide transportation, one of the biggest hurdles for schools, for all 4 theme-based field days,
• two professional ed ucators visit the classroom twice in addition to the 4 field days, establishing a "mentor-like" relationship with students,
• all students participate in a hands-on stewardship project; this year 32 stewardship projects were implemented: 279 native plants planted, over 15 cubic yards of non-native invasive plants removed, 8 new cavity nesting bird boxes installed, over 60 bird boxes cleaned, more than 80 native saplings protected with tree protecting tubes, and over 200 native grass plugs planted!
• professional educators and over a dozen trained volunteers maintain 4:1 student adult ratio.

What others say...

"My son and a few of his friends have already requested and made plans to go back to Healdsburg Ridge this summer to visit their sit spots!"
-Hally Swan, parent of Alexander Valley 3rd grader

"I really appreciate the quality of the instructors and the good role models they are. I wish every school day could be like this."
- parent volunteer

"Students said the experience had a measurable impact on their plans for the future. Tyler Conners, a senior at WHS, was once a Cali sixth grader who participated in the LandPaths program, which led him to select the WISE Academy when he got to high school. "I plan on moving into a career in environmental studies," he said. " ~ Windsor Times article, January 20, 2011-January 26, 2011

"Dear IOOBY,
The best field trip I ever went on was when we went hiking solo because it was so quiet and relaxing. Thank you for letting us go to Glen Oaks Ranch."
Sincerely, Daniela Daisy-IOOBY 3rd grader

Click here to read article at The Windsor Times

Windsor students celebrate 10 years of green thumbs

Environmental partnership helps shape students' futures
by Robin Hug - staff Writer at Windsor Times

For the past decade, Windsor students have been gaining hands on experience in environmental studies thanks to an ongoing partnership between the Windsor Unified School District and LandPaths of Sonoma County.

This project, In Our Own Backyard (IOOBY), is part of the youth education program that the non-profit organization has been providing students in the Windsor District for ten years. The program is designed to teach the students discovery, watershed, and wildlife habitat.

Students finish off the year in a stewardship project like the plant-restoration project recently completed at River Front by a group of WHS and Cali students

"We have been doing this for a long time and it's been really great for everyone involved," said Lansia Jipson who the students call ‘Lansia Larva' following her instruction that each person in the project use their first name attached to an animal name.

Windsor High School students from the WISE Academy, a core program that focuses on environmental studies, along with a sixth grade class from Cali Calmécac rode the bus to Windsor's River Front Park on Jan. 14 to meet with representatives from LandPaths and learn about restoring native habitat along the riverbanks.

The students started off the morning by joining Jipson in a circle near the redwood grove to review the concepts they learned from their last meeting. They discussed the benefits of removing invasive non-native plants and restoring the area with native plants.

WHS students are also taught about erosion prevention and how to provide a native habitat for animals in the park. They learn how to plant native bushes, trim-back redwood suckers, and remove invasive plants. Each high school student then mentors two Cali Calmécac students to teach them what they have learned.

Students said the experience had a measurable impact on their plans for the future.

Tyler Conners, a senior at WHS, was once a Cali sixth grader who participated in the Land Paths program, which led him to select the WISE Academy when he got to high school. "I plan on moving into a career in environmental studies," he said. "I am not sure exactly what I want to do yet but I am applying to Cal Poly."

"This program is a good learning experience because I don't want to work in an office, I want to be outdoors," said Bella Montez, an eleventh grader who wants to own an organic winery and study at UC Davis.

By the end of the morning the collaboration of students planted 30 new native plants and removed the non-native invasive plant, lemon balm, from the riverbank. They cleared away sucker limbs around the redwood groves at the entrance of the park and dug holes for a new split rail fence that will protect the new plants.

"I really liked the smell of the lemon balm," said Rigo Barragan, 11, a sixth grader at Cali Calmécac when asked at the end of the morning what his favorite part of the day was.

"I really liked learning how to plant plants," said Mari Cruz, also 11 and a student at Cali.

Staff Writer Robin Hug can be reached at robin@hbgtrib.com

Click here to read article at The Windsor Times 

LandPaths' In Our Own Backyard (IOOBY) program is sponsored in part by the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District.  

Our goal: To provide all 700+ In Our Own Backyard (IOOBY) students with a new IOOBY tshirt for the 2009-2010 school year. With IOOBY tshirts, we hope to deepen the students' relationship to the outdoors by providing a tangible, take home reminder of their IOOBY experience. Every time they see and wear their IOOBY tshirt, it will bring back memories of their IOOBY fieldtrips and hopefully remind them how much they like to be outdoors.

We hope to raise a total of $15,000 for IOOBY to cover the cost of all the IOOBY tshirts and sponsor 2 classes (60 students) to participate in the IOOBY experience.

To sponsor an IOOBY student, class, or school you can:

Buy an IOOBY tshirt (click here to purchase online)

• for yourself - $25
• for one IOOBY student - $25
• for yourself and an IOOBY student - $40 ($20 each)
• for an entire IOOBY class (30 students) - $500 ($16.67 each)
• for an entire school (3 classes) - $1200 ($13.33 each)

To pay by credit card, click here for our secure online donation page.  If you prefer to pay by check, send mail to LandPaths c/o IOOBY T-shirts, PO Box 4648, Santa Rosa, CA  95402.  For questions or to specify adult t-shirt size, contact us at education@LandPaths.org.