Rainbow Sandals Foundation in partnership with WildCare is providing access to outings and activities that connect children and families to the natural world in a meaningful and inclusive way. This program continues the inspiring legacy of Zeva Longley, a passionate and renowned environmental educator. It is designed to help under-represented children and families in the Canal District of San Rafael, CA overcome barriers to first-hand experiences in the outdoors and in our region’s parks and open spaces.
The second hike of the summer was held at Deer Island Preserve on Saturday, July 20. Here is a summary of the hike from WildCare’s bilingual (Spanish/English) nature educator, Cecilia:
We had a fantastic time at Deer Island with the families. We had a total of 29 people attending (9 families). We started the deer island loop by thinking about the past of this habitat, and how it used to look more like an island surrounded by water and marsh. We thought of all the animals that might call this place home, and the clues (scat) we would be looking for to find more about them. We were joined by a couple of red-tailed hawks calling each other while flying. We spent a few minutes getting comfortable with the binoculars and admiring these amazing birds of prey. We continued walking and took a break by the shade of a buckeye tree and found a stash of buckeye seeds in the tree's holes. I loved how a parent made a connection of how it is like an animal's refrigerator, keeping it fresh and cool for later. We continued walking, finding interesting things like a coyote's den, a mouse's nest, lichen on trees, spider webs, oak galls and a group of tiny tiny frogs jumping on a puddle! We finally got to a huge old bay tree with long branches where we had lunch and spent an hour climbing it and finding insects near it. It was great seeing all the kids making friends with this beautiful old tree and feeling like a monkey, a koala or a squirrel.
