I’m sure we can all agree a volunteer is somebody who does a job without being paid. But what’s the difference between a volunteer and a docent?

Docents also do a job without being paid, but they undergo an intensive training process to serve as guides and educators. The English word “docent” comes from the Latin docere, meaning to teach and lecture.

Education about the environment is one of the goals of the docent organization at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center. Our mission statement is “To inspire a passion, awareness and respect for the environment, and to preserve and protect for future generations the history and ecosystem of Placerita Canyon.”

How are docents utilized at Placerita?

The docents are in charge of the core program. Four mornings each week, school groups come on trips to Placerita. They are greeted by docents who give them a presentation inside our classroom about the circle of life, explaining the interactions between plants, animals and why the food web is so important. The elements of sun, water and air are the start, providing building blocks for all life on this planet. The children are provided a simple as well as vivid explanation about how all living organisms depend on each other.

Photos: Evelyne Vandersande / Placerita Canyon Nature Center Associates

A presentation with live animals is also done, and there is always enough time for questions and answers. Then the children are divided into groups to walk on different trails, each group led by a docent. A parent or a teacher walks at the end of the group to make sure all of the children are accounted for.

This is a weekly job for a docent at Placerita. Beyond that, the possibilities of getting involved with other projects are nearly endless: doing outreach, patrolling the trails, fighting the never-ending battle against non-native plants, organizing special projects, fundraisers, parties, food supplies, taking part in educational programs, planning crafts for children, helping with animal care, organizing the docent room, planning trips for the docents, scheduling school trips, writing articles, documenting the plants that grow in Placerita or updating bird lists … If there is nothing interesting to you in that list, present your ideas to the board. They have been known to get pretty excited by all kinds of new projects.

Life changer

What would make you interested in becoming a docent? The answer might start in a simple way – “I would like to work with children and Nature.” That sounds appealing enough. What you might not understand at first is that you are going to learn so much yourself, and it is going to be so interesting, that this new thirst for knowledge is not going to be stopped so easily.

You are going to change the choice of books you read or the movies you watch, and you are going to look at different destinations for your vacations. The other docents at the Nature Center are going to become your friends and allies, helping to find answers to your questions or raise even more questions. You will suddenly have a great group of friends sharing so much with you. Ego disappears at Placerita; there is no competition because we are all trying to do our best with each other’s help and support.

Docent training starts Tuesday, Jan. 13. Classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

We call our docents “volunteer naturalists,” and they attend these classes for a 9-week training program. Topics include native plants, ecology, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, geology, history and interpretive techniques. Instructors include noted professionals in the various fields. The cost of the training is $45, which includes all training materials (instruction manual, field guide, T-shirt and related items). Visit our website – www.placerita.org – for further information regarding the Volunteer Naturalist program.

Other volunteering opportunities are available at Placerita Canyon Nature Center that don’t require the 9-week training program, such as office helper and trail maintenance team member. Bilingual (English-Spanish) volunteers are especially needed.

Quite a program, right? What’s not said directly but is apparent immediately is that we also have a good time working together; plus, teaching little kids is a lot of fun.

Let me share one letter we received from a class, and you will better understand why the kids’ programs are always the most gratifying: “Hi Ron, I received so many great compliments yesterday about Placerita Canyon Nature Center school trip. The moms and the children loved the docents. The kids were still talking about the animals, plants and yes, even the rocks that they saw and touched. All of you do such a great job. Thank you again for a great day, and thanks to all the docents who made it such a fun experience.”

Think about it and come give it a try. I can tell you honestly that it will change your life … and I have been a docent for 28 years.

For further information call or visit:

Placertia Canyon Nature Center

19152 Placerita Canyon Road Newhall 91321

661-259-7721

Email: info@placerita.org

Evelyne Vandersande has been a docent at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center for 28 years. She lives in Newhall.