School Programs

Mission:
Provide opportunities for young people to gain an understanding and appreciation of the natural world that carries through into action of behalf of the environment

Purpose and Need:
San Bruno Mountain is sizeable remnant of the last entire Franciscan ecosystems left in the world. Preservation of this natural resource depends not only on  present stewardship and land acquisition efforts, but also on education of youth, who are the stewards of the future.

Methods: 
The first goal in environmental education programs is to build appreciation of nature -- people work to protect what they love.  SBMW leads hikes and gives slide shows to introduce students to the wonders of San Bruno Mountain.

Learning about the mountain’s habitats, flora, fauna, and struggles follows naturally from the direct outdoor experience. San Bruno Mountain Watch offers curriculum assistance to teachers so that the outdoor experiences are followed up with related classroom learning.  Many teachers find that one fruitful avenue of follow up in the classroom is creative expression.

Stewardship is a third component of our program.  Once students gain some appreciation and knowledge about San Bruno Mountain, we offer an opportunity for positive action through habitat restoration activities such as removing invasive species and planting native plants.

Programs:
We work with elementary, middle school and high school classes.

Working with individual teachers, we tailor outdoor experiences to their curriculum needs.  We encourage 2 or 3 visits to the mountain per year so that lessons in seasons, weather, and life cycles can be experienced.

We now have a native plant nursery, the Mission Blue Nursery, which can also be used as a resource in meeting curriculum needs.