Rush Ranch Open Space
Since 1994, the Rush Ranch Educational Council (RREC), an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that provides education and public outreach at Rush Ranch, has run the Rush Ranch docent program effectively. The docents primarily administer the Native American Patwin Program, which serves about 1,500 third-graders and 350 adults each year. On Tuesday mornings, docents lead children through a series of stations to teach how the Patwins lived on the land. Children learn how Solano County’s Native American communities used marsh and grassland plants for food and medicine, what tools they used for hunting and fishing, how they built their shelters and cooked their food, and what kinds of games their children played. The program is taught near the edge of the Suisun Marsh in a re-created Patwin Village, complete with tule hut. For more information about the program visit the Rush Ranch Educational Council Website at www.rushranch.net.
Requirements
Docents must learn a minimum of one teaching station and be available on most Tuesday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the spring and fall.
Contact
Teri Engbring, Volunteer and Education Coordinator, x200, teri@solanolandtrust.org.
Rush Ranch Activities & Events
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Jepson Prairie Preserve
Launched in the mid-1980s, the Jepson Prairie Preserve docent program has grown to become an active and devoted group of about 50 people, many of whom participate year after year. Docents at the prairie are required to take part in a training program that begins in early February and includes five Tuesday evenings and four weekend field trips with regional experts knowledgeable about vernal pools, vernal pool invertebrates, and the flora, fauna, and human history at Jepson Prairie. When the prairie starts to bloom, docents lead tours from mid-March through Mother’s Day.
Requirements
New docents must attend the docent training classes and field trips starting in early February and commit to lead a minimum of three tours during the spring tour season.
Contact
Teri Engbring, Volunteer and Education Coordinator, x200, teri@solanolandtrust.org.
Jepson Prairie Activities & Events
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