Environmental Education
The RCD of the Santa Monica Mountains has been a leader in environmental education since 1964. Our award-winning environmental education programs have offered the message of environmental stewardship to thousands of students every year for decades and our robust library of virtual lessons offers quality nature-based education able to meet many classroom needs.
Our science-based programs are rooted in exploring and connecting with the natural world while supporting California State science, Common Core and NGSS standards.
Our Education Department is made up of a professional staff of Environmental Educators who are trained to deliver outdoor, on-campus and virtual education programs to students (K-12) through a Social-Emotional Learning lens in order to meet the needs of today’s learners.
Our programs offer students the opportunity to experience the beauty and wonder of local landscapes and embark on a lifelong journey of connection to the nature to which they have always belonged.
Click the images below to find out more about our programs and fees.
Questions? Contact our Director of Education via email or call/ text 818.514.4860
Other Opportunities
Empower Youth Through the Roots & Shoots Program: A Partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute
The RCD is excited to announce its new partnership with Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots, a remarkable youth action program. Roots & Shoots, founded by Dr. Jane Goodall in 1991, empowers young people to become community leaders by developing service projects that benefit people, animals, or the environment.
WiLD CiTY – an outdoor workshop series by your RCD
Check out our unique community workshop series, WiLD CiTY – a set of hands-on immersive experiences within some of LA’s most scenic wildspaces! Local experts will help you discover incredible landscapes and reconnect with nature in new and meaningful ways.
Read more about this workshop series and start your adventure today!
Thank You to our Partners
RCDSMM’s Education Programs thrive thanks to competitive grants, generous donations, and collaborative partnerships.
We extend our gratitude to California State Parks (Angeles District) for providing access to our local parks, to the National Parks Service and SAMO Fund for generously providing transportation opportunities for RCD participants in recent years.
San Fernando Valley Audubon Society for their longstanding partnership, entrusting us for years to conduct outdoor programs at the Sepulveda Basin, and City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation & Parks for granting us access to this site.
We also thank the Safe Clean Water Program for funding our watershed stewardship initiatives at Malibu Lagoon and Tapia Park, and The City of Malibu for enabling us to further serve their students through outdoor education for the 2025-2026 season. Finally, we are thrilled about our new partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots program, which we anticipate will provide opportunities for local youth-led projects for many years to come.
