California Naturalist Course with Effie Yeaw Nature Center

The Effie Yeaw Nature Center offers the California Naturalist certification class in Carmichael (Sacramento County). 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 California, with an emphasis on the greater Sacramento region. The course covers basic ecology, watershed concepts, geology, wildlife, plants, and global environmental issues, as well as tools for collaborative conservation and communication.

Dates: March 10-May 19, 2025

Fees: $450

Delivery Mode: In-Person

Contact: Brena Seck, brenas@sacnaturecenter.net, (916) 876-4918

Course Website

Organization Description: A natural wildlife oasis in an urban area, the Effie Yeaw Nature Center is set among 100 acres of oak woodland along the American River Parkway in Carmichael, California. Here visitors learn about our region’s natural history plus the importance of conserving and protecting our most precious natural resources. Over the last 40 years the Center has provided programs and quiet respite from urban life to more than 1.6 million visitors.

The American River Natural History Association (ARNHA) operates the Effie Yeaw Nature Center within a 100-acre Nature Study Area in the middle of the 23-mile American River Parkway, one of the largest riverside parkways in the United States. ARNHA offers nature programs to K-6 grades, adults and weekend family adventures, reaching over 15,000 students per year. The Nature Study Area is a mature oak woodland featuring valley and live oaks, cottonwoods and over 100 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and other creatures. The Lower American River runs along the edge of the Nature Study Area, including gravel bars for spawning steelhead and salmon. The Nature Study Area is protected from dogs, horses and bicycles so nature experiences can be close and rich.