Explorit seeks help in meeting nature’s “challenge”

Each spring and fall, about 3,000 children explore Mace Ranch Park and discover nature’s riches in our “Nature Safari” programs. Then they head indoors for a companion program of lab work.

“Learning more about the environment and our connection to it promotes responsible stewardship of our important natural resources,” says Jonathan Bell, an Explorit staff member who developed the program in 2007 with help from a UC Davis postdoctoral researcher.

Now, Explorit needs the Davis community’s help in sustaining this terrific set of nature programs.

The Dean Witter Foundation will donate $5,000 to support the safaris and labs if we can raise a matching amount in gifts from community members and businesses by June 5. We invite you to help meet this challenge grant.

Tax-deductible gifts from individuals and grants from businesses and foundations keep these programs alive. The small amount we charge schools –just $4 a child – isn’t enough to make the programs self-sustaining.

“We welcome gifts of any size from people who share our convictions about the importance of science education,” says Lou Ziskind, executive director. “The safaris and labs have dramatic impacts on students, many of whom haven’t much exposure to the wonders of nature up close.”

To help Explorit raise $5,000 to receive the challenge grant, visit www.explorit.org, where you can make a secure donation with a credit card, or send a check to us at P.O. Box 1288, Davis CA 95617.

“Kids are awed by these programs – by the Kildeer bird that they saw who was feigning a broken wing (it’s a male survival tactic to draw attention away from the nesting female) or the worm they uncovered as it made compost,” Ziskind said. “They’ll carry that excitement about nature and science with them long after they leave here.”

We know that these are tough times, and there are many worthy causes seeking charitable dollars, but we also know that it is critical to educate the next generation about our environment.

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Explorit Science Center has two exhibitions running: “The Energy Story” and “Move It! Science in Action.” Admission is $4 general, free for age 3 and under. For more information: (530) 756-0191 or www.explorit.org