Docent & Volunteer Information

 

Volunteering at Placerita Canyon

For information about volunteering at Placerita Canyon Nature Center, call 661-259-7721 and ask for the Volunteer Coordinator or send an email to fhoffman@parks.lacounty.gov

The Placerita Canyon Nature Center Associates

The Placerita Canyon Nature Center Associates (PCNCA) is a 501c3 non-profit volunteer group that assists the County of Los Angeles in the operation and programming of Placerita Canyon Natural Area. The PCNCA administers the Docent Naturalist Program, which requires a 10-week training class. For more information about becoming a Docent, send an email to ron@placerita.org. The next Docent Training program will start January 14, 2025.

 

Docent Enrichment

The PCNCA conducts a monthly in-service training program for docents to improve interpretive skills and to keep informed on current topics related to our mission. Following are links to some of the recent programs.

 

Docent Naturalist Training

Docent Naturalists lead hikes for elementary school groups and conduct other nature center activities. Training for this program is done once a year in January through March. Following are links to the resources and materials used in our 2024 Docent Training Program.

 

Training Manual:

“Windows Into the Wild”

Class 1 — Orientation:

Class 2 — Ecology 1:

Class 3 — Native Plants:

Class 4 — Placerita Canyon History:

Class 5 — County Volunteer Orientation:

Class 6 — Arthropods:

7/ Introduction to Placerita Trails

8/ Herpetology

9/ Mammals

10/ Birds 

11/ Indigenous People

12/ Walker Ranch History Hike

13/ Ethnobotany

14/ Docent Service Opportunities

15/ Interpretive Techniques

16/ Geology

17/ Animal Interpretation

18/ Ecology II

19/ Course Review/Final Exam Preparation/Docent Shared Values