By: Jasmine Regaldo, Volunteer Coordinator

This season California Wildlife Center participated in 14 outreach events! These were a combination of educational presentations for schools and clubs, partnering with other non-profits, and hosting educational and interactive booths at events open to the public. As CWC is not open to the public or able to provide tours to school groups or camps, one of the most effective ways that we can increase exposure for the organization is to be present in the communities that we serve.

These in-person educational booths have fun animal related activities for children but also real feathers from previous patients, skull replicas of marine mammals, and cast moldings of the footprints of terrestrial mammals. For many folks, this is their first time seeing any of these items and being able to physically touch or hold them. For children and adults alike, the excitement and awe are unparalleled when they feel the softness of a Great Horned Owl Feather, see the vibrant rust color of the Red-Tailed Hawk tail feathers, compare their hands to the paw prints of a coyote or skunk, or hold a replica skull of an adult California Sea Lion or Bottlenose Dolphin for the first time. The more exposure and education the public has to these magnificent native species, the more likely they are to care about their wellbeing in the future and become their advocate.

In 2023 alone CWC has participated in events in in Agoura Hills, Chatsworth, Simi Valley, Macarthur Park, Calabasas, Lake Balboa, Sherman Oaks, Glendora, Malibu, Thousand Oaks, Watts, and Burbank. This is only a fraction of the myriad of communities and smaller neighborhoods that comprise L.A. County, but these are 11 more cities with people who may not have known about CWC prior to the event they attended. The people we contacted are now equipped with more knowledge on California native animal species and can share that information and knowledge with others in the community. In total our outreach education and activities reached 1400 people.

We look forward to being able to reach even more members of the community in 2024!