Placer Nature Center
3700 Christian Valley Rd.
Auburn, CA 95602
(530) 878-6053  Phone/Fax

Organized by community volunteers in 1991 on a beautiful woodland site near Auburn, Placer Nature Center presents environmental-based education programs for all ages.

Our Exhibit Halls, Discovery Laboratory, history gardens and nature trails annually attract 8,000 school children and community members for school field trips, summer nature camps and classes, geology and flower walks, art and astronomy classes, live theatre and much more.

Placer Nature Center offers environmental education programs designed to promote an understanding and awareness of the natural environment, cultivate scientific literacy and stimulate stewardship attitudes toward the earth. Environmental education focuses on environmental "literacy": learning about and caring for the total environment, understanding how humans interact with and are dependent on natural ecosystems and developing critical-thinking skills to resolve environmental issues.

The education we provide at Placer Nature Center focuses on using the environment to engage students in science learning through: awareness and sensitivity to the total environment and its problems; experience in and understanding of the environment; establishing a sense of connection to the immediate environment and the student so that they understand that the nature of our lives and our environment are inseparable.

Why Environmental Education?
Environmental education is necessary to build attitudes of stewardship toward the maintenance of the quality of our common environment and to enable all citizens to use wisely and not destructively, the resources at their disposal.

Children apply environment-based education to real life problems – gaining analytic skills that are indispensable in any academic study. Children are challenged to work in teams, analyze and interpret data, to make decisions, become critical thinkers and skilled communicators. Environmental education plays a critical role in creating individuals with experiences that build personal assets within a rigorous educational science-based curriculum.

At Placer Nature Center, the focus is on environmental literacy: learning about and caring for the total environment, understanding how humans interact with and are dependent on natural ecosystems and developing critical thinking skills to resolve environmental issues. Explore our exhibit halls to discover your place in the watershed or your place in a changing world. Hike the nature trails and enjoy the wonders of the foothill environment. Wander through the garden and discover Placer County's history. Picnic at the pond and watch wildlife in abundance.

Visit the Calendar of Events!

• Sat. 13th 11am-2pm
  Oak Tree Walks
• Sat. 13th 11am-1pm
  Geology Walk
• Sat. 20th 9:30am-11:30am
  Following the American River
• Fri. 26th 7pm-9:30pm
  4th Friday Lecture: "Tomorrow's Table"

New programs and ideas for Teachers!

Ever thought of having a friend in Africa?

Drawn by a spirit of adventure, Placer Nature Center (PNC) has established a partnership with the National Heritage Conservation Commission of Zambia (NHCC) to improve education and environmental awareness for children in beautiful Luangwa Valley. We invite all Placer County residents to join us in this exciting project. Under the auspices of NHCC, we will raise funds for Chipembele* Wildlife Education Centre (www.chipembele.org) and the Mfuwe Heritage Center. We will also create friendships between Placer County children and the children of Mfuwe and the Luanga Valley, Zambia. Contact PNC or visit our PNC web site link "African Friends" for additional information on how to donate, get a pen pal and about specific funding objectives for the Centers.

*Chipembele means rhinoceros!

Nature is Dynamic!

And so are Placer Nature Center's Watershed and Cultural & Natural History Programs.

We have an exhibit hall and curriculum dedicated to each! Make full use of the seasons and our programs by booking your Cultural & Natural History Program in the Fall when we search for seeds and explore the changes in leaves. Then, book a Watershed Learning Program in the Spring when our streams are flowing and wildflowers color the landscape. Each season and each curriculum bring new discoveries and learning opportunities!

Have You Taken the Pledge?

Download the Stop Global Warming Pledge and make it part of your annual curriculum! It's a wonderful way to focus young minds and young habits on behaviors that support ecological sustainability – at home, in the classroom, the community, and around the world!