California Naturalist Course with UC Hopland Research and Extension Center
About the Event
The 40 hour course combines a science curriculum with guest lecturers, field trips and project-based learning to explore the unique ecology and natural history of inland Mendocino County. This course will cover basic ecology, watershed concepts, geology, wildlife, plants, and global environmental issues, as well as tools for collaborative conservation and communication.
Dates: February 21-May 2, 2026
Fees: $490 (includes certification, instruction, some materials, and facility costs). If you are unable to pay this amount due to low income or extenuating circumstances, please use our income guide and sliding scale to adjust your course cost. Minimum payment is $320.
Delivery Mode: In-Person
Contact: Hannah Bird, hbird@ucanr.edu, 707-744-1424 x 1642
About the Instructor: Jennifer Riddell, PhD (jenariddell@gmail.com) is a plant biologist focusing on biological monitoring of environmental health, including air quality and forest health; land use management support; and agro-ecology. Her background also includes policy for conservation and environmental sustainability.
Organization Description: The Hopland Research and Extension Center (HREC) is the University of California's principal field research facility for agriculture and natural resources in the North Coast region. A diversity of soils, plant and animal communities, and elevations makes HREC representative of many parts of the Coast Range in northwestern California. Celebrating their 60th anniversary during 2011, HREC stewards more than 5,300 acres of oak woodland, grassland, chaparral, and riparian environments. The HREC mission is through science to find better ways to manage our natural resources and conduct sustainable agricultural practices, for the benefit of California’s citizens. Field experiments and demonstrations conducted since 1951 have led to more than 1,400 publications in animal science, entomology, plant ecology, public health, watershed management, and wildlife biology.