Education

Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve (FFRP) is dedicated to fostering appreciation and understanding of the Ranch’s natural beauty. Throughout the year, FFRP hosts docent-led walks that highlight the unique flora and fauna of the Ranch. Every spring, the organization presents a wildflower show, showcasing hundreds of local plant species gathered by volunteers. The FFRP calendar provides details on upcoming walks and events.

K-12 Education

 

The Friends of Fiscalini Ranch Preserve K-12 Education Program helps students learn
about and take care of the Ranch and its different ecosystems.

The program offers fun, free, guided nature wdks where classes learn about the history,
land, plants, and animals living in the Ranch's coastal and forest areas.

We work with schools to create nature walks that connect to earth science lessons
and meet current educational standards. These walks happen all year long.

  • Fall and winter are when you can see monarch butterflies in the Monterey pine and oak forests. After it rains, you might also find many kinds of mushrooms in the forest.
  • Late fall and early spring are great times to see gray whales traveling to and from Baja California.
  • Spring and early summer are the best times to see many different native plants and flowers growing along the bluff.

During nature walks, we talk about topics like how land and marine animals grow, where they live, what they do, seaweeds, the difference between native and invasive plants, and the original native people-the Salinan and Chumash Tribes. We also organize bird walks with the Morro Coast Audubon Society.

We welcome you to visit the Ranch! We hope to see you soon.

Schools interested in field trips or stewardship walks can contact ranch (at) fiscaliniranch.org for more details.

SELF-GUIDED BLUFF WALK
 

For those who prefer to explore on their own, a Self-Guided Bluff Walk PDF is available. This guide features key points of interest along the Bluff Trail, from harbor seals basking on the rocks to seasonal wildflowers. The guide includes a trail map, images of each stop, and fascinating facts about the Ranch’s ecology. DOWNLOAD TO PRINT

Santa Lucia Middle School Forest Field Guide Project
 

A unique collaboration between Santa Lucia Middle School and FFRP resulted in a Field Guide to the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. Students engaged with the Ranch across three seasons, observing and documenting the plants and animals they encountered. They then translated their experiences into artwork and written descriptions, creating an educational and artistic representation of the Ranch’s biodiversity.

Click on artwork to enlarge images.