Outdoor Equity

TreePeople’s Outdoor Equity programs support the connection of youth and their families to local natural and wildland areas. Through field trips, participants share experiences of their community and explore ways to steward and sustain their neighborhood’s natural resources while they have fun through hands-on learning.

Eco-Tours

Take your students on a field trip to TreePeople’s Coldwater Canyon Park!

TreePeople’s Eco-Tours are fun, educational, age-appropriate learning adventures that take school groups on a journey to discover the forest that exists within our city. Led by our wonderful Eco-Educators, these field trips are a great way to get SoCal students outside and immerse them in a beautiful natural space. During the tour, students learn about trees, water, mulch, natural resources, native plants and more through hands-on exploration. Bring your lunches with you to enjoy a picnic in the park after the tour!

Eco-Tours are offered at $10 per attendee. There is a 10 student minimum and 100 students maximum. TreePeople’s chaperone policy is 1 adult for every 10 students.

View available dates and request an Eco-Tour through our calendar.

Our three different Eco-Tours offer outdoor experiential learning opportunities for grades K-12.

RIDDLES OF THE CITY FOREST

For kindergarten and 1st grade students

This 1.5-hour program takes students on a gentle hike to solve riddles about the city forest and learn how they can help it thrive. They'll visit the Dirt Doctor’s laboratory, receive a message from Water Drop, discover nature’s treasures in disguise, and plant seeds to take home after their trip!

TREASURES OF THE CITY FOREST

For 2nd - 5th grade students

This 2-hour program takes students on a quest to earn treasure rings that symbolize nature’s cycles in the city forest. They’ll visit the Compost Gourmet Kitchen, see it rain at our Urban Watershed Garden, have a ball playing the Air Exchange game, discover nature’s treasures in disguise, and plant seeds to take home and care for. The experience results in a better understanding of the city forest and how we can help it thrive!

BASIC FOREST PRINCIPLES

For 6th - 12th grade students

This 2-hour program takes students on a moderate hike through Coldwater Canyon Park including stops at our native plant nursery, Parking Grove, Urban Watershed Garden, and LEED Platinum-certified conference center. Students observe the Basic Forest Principles at work through a variety of sustainable solutions and earn medallions along the way. The tour also includes a visit to the Environmental Learning Center, where the students will plant a seed to take home with them!

Dates: Eco-Tours are available Monday through Friday with a maximum capacity of 100 students per day. You can view available dates in green on our calendar.

Time: 10 a.m.
Please arrive at 9:30 a.m. if your class is having a snack prior to the tour.

Location: 12601 Mulholland Drive.
Bus parking is available. TreePeople’s Parking Grove is limited in space, so you must arrive by bus.

Cost: $10 per attendee, including parent chaperones. No charge for teachers.
There is a 10 student minimum. TreePeople’s chaperone policy is 1 adult for every 10 students.

TEACHER RESOURCES

With inspiration from what they learned during their Eco-Tour to Coldwater Canyon Park along with classroom lessons and schoolyard investigations, students can choose a service learning project to help their school or neighborhood become more of a functioning community forest – a magical city forest! Educators, please explore this free resource for additional classroom lessons and schoolyard investigations: A Teacher’s Guide to the Urban Forest (Grades K-5).

Questions? Please contact ecotours@treepeople.org.

If you would like to Adopt-a-Class and provide financial support for schools to attend an Eco-Tour, please make a donation here.

Natural Connections Tours

Free field trips for elementary, middle, and high school students from the city of San Fernando, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Lynwood, and South Gate, Carson, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Wilmington, and Torrance.

TreePeople’s Natural Connections Tours are an offshoot of our award winning Eco-Tours program. Where Eco-Tours brings students to Coldwater Canyon Park, Natural Connections takes young people to seek the natural cycles and resources within their community as well as Coldwater Canyon Park.

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO K-12

In Partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation, TreePeople is offering FREE guided outdoor field trips for students from the City of San Fernando. K-1 groups qualify for a FREE Eco-Tour to Coldwater Canyon Park. 2-5th grade groups qualify for a FREE Eco-Tour to Coldwater Canyon Park followed by a FREE trip to Pacoima Wash Natural Park, where students can make connections with nature in their community. Sixth-12th grade groups qualify for a FREE Eco-Tour to Coldwater Canyon Park followed by a community planting or mountain restoration service day.

FREE bus transportation is provided for all destinations!

View available dates and request a field trip through our calendar.

Please reach out to fieldtrips@treepeole.org with questions about capacity and start time.

HUNTINGTON PARK K-12

In Partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation, TreePeople is offering FREE guided outdoor field trips for students from Huntington Park. K-1 groups qualify for a FREE Eco-Tour to Coldwater Canyon Park. 2-5th grade groups qualify for a FREE Eco -Tour to Coldwater Canyon Park followed by a FREE trip to Salt Lake Park, where students can make connections with nature in their community. Sixth-12th grade groups qualify for a FREE Eco-Tour to Coldwater Canyon Park followed by a community planting or mountain restoration service learning day.

FREE bus transportation is provided for all destinations!

View available dates and request a field trip through our calendar.

Please reach out to fieldtrips@treepeole.org with questions about capacity and start time.

SOUTHEAST LOS ANGELES 6-12

In partnership with the Regional Parks and Open Space District, TreePeople is offering FREE guided outdoor field trips for 6-12th grade students from SouthEast Los Angeles communities (Lynwood, Cudahy, South Gate, and Huntington Park). Bring your students to the beautiful Audubon Center at Debs Park (4700 Griffin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 9003) for a 2-hour program, where our Eco-Educators guide your young people on a nature walk to observe the Basic Forest Principles at work through a variety of sustainable solutions, including renewable energy sources, water conservation, recycled building materials, and native landscaping.

FREE bus transportation and lunches will be provided!

Debs Park Eco-Tours are available Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. for a maximum of 50 students. View available dates and request a tour through our calendar.

SOUTH BAY K-12

In Partnership with AES, TreePeople is offering FREE guided outdoor field trips and in-classroom lessons led by TreePeople’s Eco-Educators for students from the following South Bay cities: Carson, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Wilmington, and Torrance.

Through this program, schools in the Los Angeles South Bay area are invited to participate in the Natural Connections program exploring the watershed they live in, including the issues that exist – such as stormwater runoff – and their impact on ocean health. Students critically think about the issues and, through hands-on inquiry, confirm facts for themselves and explore solutions they can implement in their community watershed.

Field trips to Coldwater Canyon Park, Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy, and Bolsa Chica Conservancy are available Monday - Friday with various start times depending on field trip destination and availability.

FREE bus transportation included to all destinations!

View available dates and request a tour through our calendar.

Traveling Dirt Doctor

Can’t make it up to TreePeople’s Coldwater Canyon Park? Our Traveling Dirt Doctor can come to you!

Help TreePeople’s Dirt Doctor heal our sick city soil through the magic of mulch medicine. During this interactive, on-campus presentation at your school or library, students will learn about the importance of healthy soil, hear a story about trash-reducing items in a special treasure chest, and plant an Italian Stone Pine seedling to take home and care for. This 1-hour experience is engaging, educational, and fun.

Cost: $250 per presentation, up to 25 participants.

Questions? Please contact ecotours@treepeople.org.