Registration for the 2026 California Naturalist Course at Sierra Streams Institute is now OPEN! Sierra Streams Institute partners with the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources to teach California Naturalist, a comprehensive course on the natural history of our local landscape. California Naturalist fosters stewardship of the natural world by training a group of citizen scientists and naturalists each year. Register today to be part of this amazing course! This is a 10 week certificated course and is the adopted naturalist course for California. For a small fee general UC credits are available. For more information go to our website.

The course will take place every Wednesday evening from March 11-May 13, 2026 from 6-8:30 pm. The course will also feature three Saturday field trips throughout the course that highlight the outstanding natural history of our Sierra Nevada Foothills region.

Lectures and field trips led by Sierra Streams Institute staff and local guest speakers will give participants the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to engage with environmental science topics and local environmental issues. Classes will focus on local geology, hydrology, forest ecology, and wildlife ecology as well as make connections to global environmental issues. During field trips, students will learn field methods for phenology studies, birding, wildlife surveys, and forest management. At the end of the course, participants will complete a capstone project on a topic of their interest, guided by Sierra Streams scientists or other science experts at local organizations. Through these connections, California Naturalist provides excellent opportunities to volunteer for the many environmental non-profit organizations in the area.

Early bird registration is $450 from now until Jan 31st and $500 from February 1st- March 10th. Sliding scale options are available for those needing tuition support.

California Naturalist is part of a state-wide initiative to encourage environmental stewardship across the state. The program is headquartered with the University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources. Here is the website.

Space in the course is limited and often fills up quickly, so register today by visiting https://sierrastreamsinstitute.org/calnat, For more information, contact cnssi@sierrastreams.org or 530 210-0509.