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As a child, Marianne Bird loved going to camp. As a 4-H youth development advisor for University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, she parlayed that love of camp into a career educating Sacramento County youth about science, the environment, water issues and cooking through a variety of hands-on UC Cooperative Extension programs. 

In an effort to expand 4-H’s science programming, Bird created 4-H On The Wild Side and 4-H Water Wizards, and adapted Youth Experiences in Science (YES) Project and Cooking Academy for local children. These programs serve nearly 2,000 youth in Sacramento County annually, primarily in afterschool programs.

“Even as a teenager I loved planning programs for younger youth at day camp or leading hikes or telling star stories under the night sky at resident camp,” Bird said. “So what I experienced as a young person I wanted to pass on.”

Bird’s programs not only have given kids opportunities to learn outside of the classroom, but trained teens to teach and develop life and workforce skills. 

Jeffrey Wells met Bird through the 4-H On the Wild Side program – which allows children to explore nature and sleep under the stars – during his freshman year of high school in 2016. 

“I ended up working with the program throughout high school and came back as an adult volunteer when COVID hit,” Wells said. “Working with On the Wild Side had a formative impact for me, boosting my confidence at a time when I felt very unsure of myself and showing me that I could contribute to great things as part of a team.”

Wells, now a graduate student studying English at UC Davis, said, “It also inspired me to seek other camp counseling positions, and eventually earn a teaching credential, as working with kids makes me feel fulfilled. I genuinely feel that I would be a different person today if it wasn't for my experiences with On the Wild Side.”

After 27 years of planning and providing educational programs for youngsters, Bird retired from University of California Cooperative Extension in Sacramento County on July 1.  “I’ve been blessed to have a career doing something I really love,” she said.

From third grade through high school, Bird participated in Camp Fire, which set her on a track to work with youth.  

“I loved being part of a club and had an amazing Camp Fire leader – Mrs. Williams – who taught me everything from how to pitch a tent to how to lead a meeting to the importance of serving others,” Bird said. “As I grew, I was given authentic responsibility and leadership opportunities which I gravitated to. But what I really loved was camp.”

Growing up in Corte Madera, the Marin County native never imagined she would make her home in Sacramento.  

“It was always just a stop on the bus on my way to summer camp from San Francisco to Sierra City,” she recalled.  “You would get out of the air-conditioned bus at Arden Fair Mall and hit a wall of 100-degree heat and think, ‘Boy, why would anyone live here?’”  

Bird moved closer to Sacramento while earning her bachelor’s degree in human development at UC Davis and working as a camp counselor during summers.

“After I graduated, I got a job working for the Sacramento-Yolo Council of Camp Fire Boys and Girls,” Bird said. “I lived in Davis for a few more years before I purchased my home in Sacramento and I’ve been here ever since.”

She worked for Camp Fire for 14 years before returning to UC Davis to earn a master’s degree in community development.

Prior to joining UCCE in 1998, she worked as a site director for an afterschool program just as the afterschool movement was budding. “This led to multiple 4-H projects, as I saw a natural fit between afterschool’s need for engaging, educational programs and our UCCE mission.”

Enid Gonzalez-Orta, professor of biology at Sacramento State University, has collaborated with Bird for many years to provide environmental education to elementary school students. 

“I worked directly with Marianne from 2006 to 2022 on the On the Wild Side Program,” said Gonzalez-Orta, who leads the Science Education Equity Program at Sacramento State.  “As a volunteer, I worked closely with Marianne to plan and deliver a program that provided hands-on environmental science and stewardship lessons to fourth- through sixth-grade Sacramento youth in a camp setting.” 

“Camp lessons are developed and delivered by local high school youth with the guidance of adult coaches from the community,” Gonzalez-Orta explained. “Thousands of young people have benefited from this program, including both grade school participants and high school teen teachers.”  

“Throughout the years, I have seen the direct impact the program has had on all who participated,” Gonzalez-Orta said. “In particular, Marianne's talent for creating vibrant teams of youth and adults who work in true partnership with one another is more than impressive. It is inspiring.”

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Bird has also been a leader among her peers. UCCE colleagues adapted her Water Wizards program for schoolchildren in the Bay Area. 

Recognizing the need to ensure 4-H camps follow state mandates and provide quality youth development programming, UC ANR leadership asked Bird to lead the California 4-H Camping Task Force in 2003. This launched her work with UC ANR’s Risk and Safety Services team to ensure youth safety. Other outcomes from this group included multiyear studies to document camp impacts and better understand the camp experience, presentations to improve 4-H camps statewide, two books and numerous articles. She has also been invited by the American Camp Association to speak to national and international audiences. She was recognized with the Excellence in Camping Award from the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals and the Eleanor P. Eells Award for Excellence in Research in Practice from the American Camp Association.

Though in decline, 4-H clubs remain a cornerstone of 4-H. Bird has researched how to strengthen the quality of the 4-H club experience for youth, increase membership and secure sustainable funding for the youth activities. Since 2009, she has secured over $1 million in grants and donations to support her 4-H projects.

Bird also collaborated in the national 4-H Youth Retention Study, which analyzed the perceptions of parents and first-year members of their 4-H club experience. She helped define the study’s methods and tools, analyzed the data, co-authored peer-reviewed articles about the study, and presented findings locally, statewide and nationally.  For her contributions to the project, Bird shared the Susan Barkman Award for Research and Evaluation from the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals in 2020 and the Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Research from UC ANR in 2018.

Looking back on her career, Bird said: “I’m proud of many things: my publications, the research and education I’ve led in the California 4-H camp community, and long-standing partnerships that have expanded 4-H programming to more youth, especially in underserved parts of our community. The most gratifying part of my job has been the people I’ve worked with, especially youth and volunteers who care deeply and give unselfishly of themselves.” 

She recently explored how a collaboration between UC ANR and the California Department of Education might benefit both organizations. Bird has received the prestigious emeritus status from UC ANR and hopes to create a partnership between UC Cooperative Extension and the state to educate youth outside the classroom. 

“Extension has been a wonderful fit and perfect place to plant my flag,” Bird said. “Great colleagues, continual learning, the chance to work with others envisioning and creating programming that makes a difference.”