Audubon Canyon Ranch, Inc.
Audubon Canyon Ranch Ranch Guide Training Program is so comprehensive and engaging it makes one feel a part of the beautiful surroundings.The Ranch is famous as a sanctuary for the beautiful and graceful egrets and herons that nest in the Redwood trees, but the training which includes geology, aquatic ecology, botany and ornithology is so holistic that when I had completed it I felt a part of the whole wondrous landscape of the Ranch. Being a Ranch Guide made feel the a strong desire to share this knowledge and this love of place with visitors.The staff's enthusiasm and interest in natural processes is contagious. My first day as a Ranch Guide it was raining, but the energy and connection was there and shared with each visitor.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
The faces of visitors when they are engaged in opening their minds, eyes and hearts to the beauty and mystery of natural processes at the Ranch.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Try to get a grant to study the fire ecology of the landscape so changed by Sudden Oak Death. Then create a fuel mitigation program to reduce ladder fuels before a major conflagration begins.
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What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
The energy, knowledge and connection to the landscape that is imparted by the Audubon Canyon Ranch Staff
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
All wonderfully interested and enthusiastic about sharing their passion for the Audubon Canyon Ranch
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
Begin to address the serious effects that Sudden Oak Death is having on its landscape
Ways to make it better...
There is nothing I would do to change how organization is run. It has excellent goals and its staff is fantastic.
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
Increased Fire Potential due to Sudden Oak Death
One thing I'd also say is that...
Thank you Audubon Canyon Ranch Staff and Volunteers
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
I've wandered a bit on my own and have been taken on private tours by Cassie G. They have an incredibly loyal, engaged community and do an amazing job of conveying how important it is to preserve areas of great natural beauty and vital wildlife. I love being able to hike and visit viewing platforms, to watch the egrets nest.
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What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
being able to visit a relaxing, beautiful preserve with informative, friendly staff and volunteers to guide me.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2008
ACR fills a unique place in the education both scietific and in connecting with "nature" for both adults and school children. The staff provides solid scientific information for the docents for their own intellectual growth and to pass on to the children they accompany to the Ranch. It is unique because the emphasis is on the children's bonding with the natural world and becoming joyful amateur naturalists. Many of the children who come to the Ranch have very minimal exposure to natural settings. The place is a revelation to them. A not infrequent response is, "I want to live here."
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
the happy reactions of children.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
not substantially change anything.
More feedback...
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
both my own learning experience and the learning I could pass on.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
first rate and loved what they were doing.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
restore much of the land that has been damaged by human greed (top soil removal)and by water damage through the lack of proper channeling.
Ways to make it better...
the necessary sign in procedures were reduced.
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
getting more people to experience the place without too much wear and tear on the natural setting.
One thing I'd also say is that...
it is a special place for people, animals and plants.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
Shortly after becoming a docent at ACR's Bouverie Preserve, I volunteered to help staff their outreach table at an event. As people approached, I would ask if they knew about Bouverie. When more than 90% of the responses were in the affirmative, I realized that Bouverie touches the entire county via its mission of working with 3rd and 4th graders. We are reaching children and families with our message of preservation. I'm so grateful to be a part of such a caring, powerful organization.
Photos
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
our community.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Preserve its beautiful balance and seek to expand it.
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What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
The people. The other docents, the children, their teachers and parents, our wonderful staff and other volunteers.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
Warm, open, giving, organized, dedicated..... I have had an opportunity to work with staff at all organizational levels and have been impressed. I have worked with the volunteers at Bouverie for three and a half years and and have never seen greater love and commitment.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
Duplicate this ideal program in other places.
Ways to make it better...
I had become a volunteer as soon as I heard about Bouverie.
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
Probably financial. Preserving resources is another. Maintenance of facilities must be high on the list.
One thing I'd also say is that...
The community might be responsive to needs.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
When I first started volunteering at Audubon Canyon Ranch about 16 years ago, Ray Peterson was the biologist at the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. When Ray saw a particularly exciting display of nature, which to his eyes occurred about every 5 minutes, Ray would exclaim "Five Star!!". Well, that sums up my experience with ACR, where my wife has been a docent for almost 30 years. ACR has an expansive mission (Preservation, Education, Research), a talented and enthusiastic staff, and a system of preserves in Marin and Sonoma that will knock your socks off. Five Star indeed!
Photos
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What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
seeing visitors both young and old getting their spirits renewed by soaking in the natural beauty of ACR's preserves.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
top drawer in every respect.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
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