CNI's trained Volunteer Walk Leaders donate their time to lead nature walks. They decide when and where to lead. As soon as they tell us when they plan to lead, this calendar is automatically updated from our database. If you do not see a walk on a particular date, that indicates a walk has not yet been scheduled for that date, but check back later because walks may be scheduled with as little as two weeks notice.
Please do not show up at a Family Nature Walk unless you have made a reservation and have spoken to the Volunteer Walk Leader. The leader will call you the day before the walk to confirm your attendance. Please make reservations by clicking one of the walks you see in the calendar below.
Age: Leaders are trained to educate newborns to eight-year-olds. Older siblings are welcome to come and act as helpers for their younger siblings.
Day of the Walk: You will need to sign a release form at the beginning and sign out at the end of the walk. Stay on the trail and with the group. No pets. No plant, animal, or rock collecting. No littering. No smoking. Thank you!
Parents' Role
Parents are expected to participate by helping children focus and do the activities. CNI Leaders are responsible for the nature walk and each parent is responsible for his/her child. The required adult to child ratio is:
one adult per mobile child under 3 and a second adult for every 2 children 3-10 years. The idea is that you must be able to prevent all of your children from running off, if necessary, by holding their hands or keeping them in the stroller. Walks proceed at the pace of the children, and safety is always a priority. Click
here to learn more about trail safety.
Price
We suggest a donation of $7 per family, but nobody will be turned away. Donations help cover the cost of the Family Walk program and the rest helps us provide nature walks and workshops to 8,000 underprivileged children a year. Please bring exact change or a check to the walk.
About the Volunteer Walk Leaders
CNI Leaders (aka Docents) have graduated from the CNI Walk Leader Training. They are versed in the basics of the flora and fauna of the Santa Monica Mountains, how to interpret for young children, and safety. Their goals are to get children excited about nature, to model respectful behavior, to give children direct hands-on experiences with nature, and to help parents bond with their children in the outdoors. They are usually not expert naturalists; they probably won’t know the name of every plant and animal and that’s OK because little kids just want to have fun! Every leader brings different styles, interests, and talents to bear and your children will have a wonderful experience. Find out how you can volunteer.
Don't See the Walk You Want?
Our trained Volunteer Walk Leaders schedule walks in their free time anywhere from two weeks to two months in advance. Walks may be scheduled for any day of the week. To increase the number of walks and variety of walk locations, we need to train additional walk leaders; if you or anyone you know is interested in training, please click
here.
