University of California, Merced Foundation

Series of outdoor experiences to expose university students and local youth to outdoor spaces near them and to foster a sense of responsibility for these spaces. They will engage several cohorts of students in a series of 8 service projects, recreation experiences, and retreats in various state parks. The project will also include a capstone project of the course of the academic year that engages a group of local youth in environmental education at a local state park. Participants impacted by these programs will represent the diversity of the central valley and the greater California population. The participants will also be selected from a wide array of academic disciplines found at the University of California, Merced.
State Parks: Parks will vary but will include Wassama Round House State Historic Park, McConnel State Park, San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area, Great Valley Grassland State Park