RVOEP
In the face of accelerating environmental change, and with a growing number of children spending much of their time indoors and “connected to” various electronic devices, it is becoming more and more important for children to have the opportunity to learn about their relationship to and their place in the natural world. Every year, hundreds of Ukiah Unified School District students participate in the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Program and begin to build a better understanding of that essential connection.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
-Albert Einstein
The RVOEP is located on a 45-acre parcel owned by the Ukiah Unified School District on Pinecrest Drive in Redwood Valley, California. Bordered on one side by the West Fork of the Russian River, the property is mostly covered with tall trees, a mixture of oaks, madrone, bay, and Douglas fir shading a thick understory.
This is a woodland providing habitat to many plant and animal species, a great place to see interactions in a forest ecosystem. The property has been developed to include about three miles of hiking trails, group gathering areas, picnic tables, storage sheds, a covered gazebo, solar panels, drinking water, and state-of-the-art composting toilets. Property and trail maintenance is ongoing. Access is through a gated driveway from Pinecrest Drive leading to a large parking lot by the main gathering areas.
