Saddle up! It's Ranch Time!

Send your kids to Elkus Ranch this summer

By Anjali Ashtaputre

eaashtaputre@ucanr.edu

           Trying to send your kid to a fun yet educational summer camp? Try Elkus Ranch Environmental Education Center located in Half Moon Bay! This center aims to provide hands-on learning opportunities for kids in the areas of the environment, the relationship between animals and plants, gardening, and food production.

            In 1976, Mr. Richard Elkus donated the ranch to the University of California. Ever since then, Elkus Ranch has had 9,000 visitors annually. The Ranch provides learning experiences in animal sciences, environmental studies, and leadership development that are life-long skills. One of the camp's philosophies is that the children learn the best and retain the most when they “learn by doing” which is a great place for children to do some of their students or community service. Many kids enjoy Elkus Ranch because they can work with animals and in the garden.  

            As summer kicks off many parents are eager to put their children in summer camps. For almost 40 years, Elkus Ranch has hosted events year round. This summer, kids from up and down California came to Half Moon Bay to partake in Elkus Ranch's two big programs: Sheep to Shawl and Range Camp.

            Sheep to Shawl is a fun hands-on event that consisted of sheering sheep, weaving wool, and dying the wool.

            A few weeks ago, Elkus Ranch had Range Camp, which kicked off the summer programs going on this year. When I was down in Half Moon Bay, I got the privilege to go and see for myself what exactly Elkus does.

            I walked around for a little bit watching the kids do various activities such as build fences to keep the animals in and learn how to vaccinate and care for animals. While I was there I took the opportunity to interview a couple of the staff and kids.

            All the kids seemed to love the camp but for different reasons and had different work experience on farms. The kids that participated in this year's Range Camp were from California but from different parts. Before coming to camp Sage, 15, wasn't aware of the job opportunities related to agriculture and as aware of the natural surroundings. Sage is from San Diego and heard of the camp through her agriculture/biology teacher. Some of the opportunities she said that were available, that helped her become more aware of the environment and jobs, were lectures from professionals and professors (UC Berkley, Humboldt State, Chico State, and Cal Poly), hikes in the redwoods, learning how to identify plants, and care for the animals. Travis, another student at camp, learned about this program through his father. Travis decided to partake in Range Camp because he thought it would be “a good opportunity to learn stuff that's outside of what [he] learns on his ranch.” One thing that surprised Travis was “the way other people can think on different subjects and have different viewpoints.” He has “learned the different steps to become what [he] want's” and how to apply what he learned at Range Camp on his ranch.

            After interviewing the kids, I interviewed Mark Nolan. Mark has been running Elkus Ranch for almost 15 years. His background is in the 4-H programs to help educate kids and parents about animal management and environmental resources. Elkus is constantly learning how to effectively teach the public but he found that hands-on activities were more influential in the learning process. Elkus is trying to have the professors and professionals go to hands-on learning instead of sticking to PowerPoint because it enforces what they just said to real-life situations. Mark's goal is to get more people to come down to Elkus as well as have the curriculum, which is drawn from 4-H programs, available to high school teachers. The curriculum is supposed to give high school teachers the ability to properly reproduce practical and applied natural resource actions.

            The audience is not just from rural places but also urban/suburban. The mix of different backgrounds allows for different knowledge and experiences to coincide. Mark wants students who are “not familiar with environmental sciences of management of places, experience to see what these places are like. Especially urban/sub-urban kids, they main learn about natural resources by watching T.V. and going to school but they don't have the contact” that Range Camp provides. “Experience of learning is different when its learning on the T.V., on the couch, or in the classroom verses being in a new place where you're exposed to the smells, sounds, and wind, where you can become part of the environment.”

            Just like Sage and Travis who had fun memorable camp experience, you can send your kids to Elkus. To register with Elkus go to http://ucanr.edu/sites/elkus_ranch/Upcoming_Events/ or the UC San Francisco/San Mateo Counties website at http://ucanr.edu/sites/cesanmateo/ to find out more.

Savanna holds a needle in her hand as she prepares to demonstrate how to vaccinate a sheep.