California Naturalist Course with Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum
The Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum is proud to offer the UC California Naturalist certification course. Learn about Southern California’s South Bay area and become part of the volunteer naturalists and citizen scientists ready to take an active role in the local area’s natural resource conservation, education and preservation.
Classes will be held at the museum, which is part of the 1st Spanish land grant in California dating back to 1784, which was 75,000 acres. The museum is California landmark number 152 and on the national registry of historic places. Its 13 acres represents what the South Bay area looked like back in the 18th and 19th centuries.
These classes cover the natural and cultural history of California, with an in-depth look at our South Bay ecology. Through field trips, classroom instruction and hands-on exercises, participants will observe and learn about the variety of plant and animal communities of our region. Through the course, participants will learn tools to hone their observation skills and will improve their communication skills by sharing knowledge with other participants and by working on a group project.
Dates: August 23 - November 22, 2025
Fees: $325
Delivery Mode: In-Person
Contact: Celeste Calabrisi, celeste.calabrisi@dominguezrancho.org, (310) 603-0088
About the Instructor: Professor Lauren Chroman, MS is a biology professor and California Naturalist. She studies animal behavior, focusing on social behavior and behavioral adaptations to ecology. Her background also includes botany, mammology, ornithology, fire ecology, marine biology, evolutionary biology, and conservation biology.
Organization Description: Placed on the National Register of Historic places, the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum is California Landmark number 152. The museum is situated on 17 acres of lush gardens and green space on the Rancho San Pedro, which was part of the first Spanish land grant in California by King Carlos III of Spain. King Carlos III granted the land to Juan Jose Dominguez, a retired Spanish soldier. The original adobe ranch home was completed in 1826 and is now the site of the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum, which is operated by the Friends of Rancho San Pedro.