draft 3 escondido educators guide

Escondido Creek
Watershed
Educator’s Guide
Produced by: The Escondido Educators Group
For additional information contact: conservationeducation@sandiegozoo.org
Escondido Watershed System
The Escondido Creek watershed
The Escondido Creek Watershed comprises a relatively small, but immensely significant part
of Southern California. Within its approximately 54,000 acres, stretching from the foothills
to the coastline, the last remnants of an imperiled coastal scrub habitat that connects the
northern and southern parts of a globally important ecological region. This coastal scrub
habitat is vital to the integrity of San Diego County’s open space network and to the
persistence of some of Southern California’s most endangered species, many of which occur
nowhere else on the planet. Conservation of these natural lands is key to preserving San
Elijo Lagoon as a jewel of Southern California’s remaining coastal wetlands. Moreover,
conservation of this open space is essential to the sustainability of our natural, economic,
social, cultural, and government systems, which depend on clean water, flood control, clean
air, and scenic and recreational resources.
Text adopted from: www.escondidocreek.org/the-watershed/case-study
For additional information contact: conservationeducation@sandiegozoo.org
A Guide to Leaning about & Enjoying OUR Special Place
The natural lands and biodiversity found within the Escondido Creek Watershed are both
unique and irreplaceable. The natural beauty and opportunity for connection to near-by
nature given by this area is a natural asset and of great community value to the city of
Escondido and beyond.
Together we can protect, preserve, and enjoy this beautiful space.
(c) The Escondido Creek Conservancy (c) The Escondido Creek Conservancy
This guide contains a list of places that teachers and families can visit to learn more about the
watershed and experience all that it has to offer. Key questions are also included to help us
focus our discussions when talking about the importance of this area to our students,
community members, and children.
Key Watershed Questions:
What is a watershed? Where does water in a watershed go?
What are the benefits of wetlands and watersheds from a
human perspective?
What types of plants and animals depend on the watershed
and surrounding wetlands?
What is the impact of contaminating water within the
watershed?
How can the people of Escondido and the greater Escondido
Watershed area come together to protect and preserve this vital
resource?
What can teachers and students do in their own
neighborhoods to keep pollution from flowing to San Elijo Lagoon
and the ocean?
For additional information contact: conservationeducation@sandiegozoo.org
Nature Education Programs
San Elijo Lagoon is one
of San Diego County's lar
gest coastal
wetlands. It provides habit
at for 700 species of plant
s and
animals and miles of publi
c trails. The Lagoon offer
s naturalistguided hikes and interac
tive programs about wetla
nd habitats,
Native American history
and watersheds. San Elijo
Lagoon
Conservancy manages th
e reserve in partnership
with the
County of San Diego and
California Department of
Fish & Game.
www.sanelijo.org/school-prog
rams
(760) 436-3944 x 701
ation Research offers a
The San Diego Zoo Institute for Conserv
vities designed for middle
number of 2 hour hands-on learning acti
viduals to the field of
through college students that connect indi
and San Diego Zoo Safari
conservation biology. The San Diego Zoo
to your fingertips through
Park bring many education opportunities
Zoolittle and Zoo’s zany live
WILD field-trips, animal presentations, Dr
camps, and self-guided tours.
acts, Roar and Snore sleepovers, summer
ation_education/
www.sandiegozooglobal.org/icr/conserv
ips
www.sdzsafaripark.org/education/field_tr
oo.org
Contact: conservationeducation@sandiegoz
Elfin Forest Recreatio
nal Reserve (Operated
by the
Olivenhain Municipal W
ater District) in partne
rship with the
Escondido Creek Cons
ervancy offers hikes, lec
tures and
science activities for gr
oups of all sizes at the
Elfin Forest
Interpretive Center Ho
noring Susan J. Varty.
Whether you
enjoy hiking, riding, bu
gs, birds, animal tracki
ng, the serenity of
the Escondido Creek, or
viewing the world thro
ugh a
microscope this place
has it all !
www.olivenhain.com/e
frr
(760) 632-4212
The Master Gardener As
sociation of San Diego Co
unty
School Garden Committ
ee encourages and assists
teachers in starting and
maintaining gardens at th
eir
respective schools. Colla
borate with Master Gard
eners to
make your gardens GREA
T!
www.mastergardenerssan
diego.org/schools/schools
.php
Master Gardener Hotline:
(858)694-2860
For additional information contact: conservationeducation@sandiegozoo.org
Nature Education Programs
San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum offer
s a wide
variety of hands-on, educational group workshop
s that
immerse students in an engaging environment of
exploration
and experimentation to promote lifelong learning
and
discovery. Bring your class, camp or home scho
ol group to
SDCDM for a one of a kind hands-on learning expe
rience!
www.sdcdm.org
Contact: education@sdcdm.org
* Scholarships are also available.
educational
The California Chaparral Institute is a non-profit
munity groups
science organization that gives presentations to com
. Here one
and schools. Field trip opportunities are also provided
Escondido
can learn about the amazing life forms that call the
g chaparral
Creek Watershed home as well as why the remainin
Escondido Creek.
habitat is so important for the continuing health of
www.californiachaparral.org (760) 822-0029
Revealing Escondido Creek aspires to create a new vision
for the creek through increased participation of the local
community via hosted interpretive walks, creek clean-ups
and city beautification projects.
www.revealthecreek.com
Family Adventures in Na
ture (FAN) organizes natu
re walks
and activities for families to
spend time in nature togeth
er.
FAN typically offers 2-3 ou
tdoor adventures permon
th on the
weekends plus a variety of
weekday outings. Adults ar
e
encouraged to follow their
children’s lead in nature, fos
tering
their natural sense of wond
er awe.
www.meetup.com/FamilyA
dventuresinNature
For additional information contact: conservationeducation@sandiegozoo.org
Escondido Watershed
Nature Areas
Grape Day Park
321 North Broadway
Escondido, CA 92025
* Escondido Creek Access
Washington Park
501 North Rose Street
Escondido, Ca 92027
* Escondido Creek Access
San Elijio Lagoon
2710 Manchester Avenue
Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA 92007
* Escondido Creek Access
Daley Ranch
3024 La Honda Drive
Escondido, CA 92027
Lake Wohlford
25453 Lake Wohlford Road
Escondido, CA 92025
Lake Hodges
Off I-15 between
Escondido and Rancho Bernardo
Dixon Lake
1700 North La Honda Drive
Escondido, Ca 92027
Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve
8833 Harmony Grove Road
Escondido, CA 92029
* Escondido Creek Access
Kit Carson Park
3333 Bear Valley Parkway
Escondido, CA, 92025
For additional information contact: conservationeducation@sandiegozoo.org
Escondido Parks
Felicita County Park
742 Clarence Lane
Escondido, CA 92029
Rod McLeod Park
1701 South Iris Lane
Escondido, CA 92026
El Norte Park
1375 East El Norte Parkway
Escondido, Ca 92027
Jesmond Dene Park
2401 North Broadway
Escondido, CA 92026
Grove Park
745 North Ash Street
Escondido, CA 92027
Mountain View Park
1160 South Citrus Avenue
Escondido, CA 92027
Escondido “City of Choice”
More and more people are making Escondido their “City of Choice”. As the heart of San
Diego’s North County, it is one of the few remaining communities where people of all
income levels can enjoy the Southern California lifestyle. We encourage you to go out into
the community and to introduce your students and your children to the outdoor and
recreational places Escondido has to offer. And remember, we as citizens are stewards of
the Escondido Watershed! Together let’s enjoy and protect it!
For additional information contact: conservationeducation@sandiegozoo.org
Additional Resources
Nearby Nature School Field Trips*
This manual is an educator’s guide to teaching in local natural
areas. It is designed to help teachers use local natural areas to
meet their curricular goals. In this guidebook are field trip
procedures, sample lessons, and a list of potential nearby natural
areas to enhance your ability to connect children to nearby nature.
*Produced by: The San Diego Child and Nature Collaborative
Exploring San Diego’s Shrublands*
Exploring San Diego’s Shrublands is a five-lesson interdisciplinary
curriculum anthology that focuses on chaparral and coastal sage scrub
ecosystems. This curriculum integrates local native habitat content into
existing core classroom curriculum. This material is aligned with the
fourth grade California State Content Standards in Science and English
Language Arts.
*Produced by: The San Diego Child and Nature Collaborative
Additional educational materials can be downloaded from the following sites:
San Diego Child and Nature Collaborative: http://www.sdchildrenandnature.org/educators.php
San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy: www.SanElijo.org/school-programs & sanelijo.org/teachers-place
Educators and nature-based organizations along the Escondido Creek Watershed have begun
meeting to increase nature-based education for Escondido’s students and schools. Cooperative
efforts include this guide, exhibits at Escondido Educator’s Night Out on September 27th, 2012, and
an upcoming inventory of nature settings and programs offered in schools in Escondido.
Sponsors of this guide
For additional information contact: conservationeducation@sandiegozoo.org