This UC California Naturalist course offered through Rotary Nature Center Friends explores the natural history of Lake Merritt, a modern urban estuary - its history and ecology, its human interactions, and its relationship to San Francisco Bay and the central California region. It will engage you in citizen science and allow you to share your knowledge with others. The 40-hour course combines a science curriculum with guest lecturers, field trips, and project-based learning to uncover the interconnected ecology, community, and natural history of the inner-city tidal estuary. If you enjoy exploring and learning about our local ecology, engaging in citizen science, and sharing your knowledge with others, this program is for you!

Dates: October 4, 2025 - January 14, 2026

Fees: $475, Sponsor a student to take the course with the Supporting Fee level $500, Scholarships available at a Reduced Fee $237, contact Katie at ktnoon@aol.com 

Delivery Mode: Hybrid (8 In-Person field trips & 8 Zoom lectures)

Contact: Steve Cochrane, vs5001@yahoo.com & Katie Noonan, ktnoon@aol.com 

Course Website & Registration 

Organization Description: Rotary Nature Center Friends (RNCF) was incorporated as a charitable educational nonprofit on July 21, 2021. The Rotary Nature Center Friends develops and supports interpretive environmental education and science programs at Lake Merritt using the estuary and surrounding landscape as the entry point for engagement in a deeper understanding of the relationship between urban people and their natural surroundings.  We serve the people of Oakland and the greater East Bay.  We support the stewardship of Lake Merritt, the nation’s first Wildlife Refuge.