The UC Climate Stewards Program

The UC California Naturalist Climate Stewards Course introduces Californians to how climate is changing both natural and social systems; it also empowers them to discover ways to improve ecosystem and community resilience. UCR Palm Desert launched a 10-week pilot program in fall 2020, and now offers the program annually each fall. The course uses an interdisciplinary curriculum that consists of online and hands-on learning in the field, experience sharing, and volunteer service to build community connections and encourage action.

Instructors Katie Barrows and Tamara Hedges lead the class, along with a panel of expert guest speakers, including Dr. Cameron Barrows, Conservation Ecologist, Emeritus, UCR Center for Conservation Biology. The course covers topics that include: climate and earth science; communication and education skills; actions being taken by local communities to combat climate change; and tools for engaging communities in action.

We understand when people have the chance to engage in hands-on discovery of the world around them, they develop a greater sense of science identity. This is true of inquiry into the natural world (e.g., recording temperature measurements) and into the social systems that surround us (e.g., assessing accessibility of cooling centers during extreme heat events). Additionally, professional scientists are increasingly using data gathered by community scientists to aid in local research. Our belief is that community science plays an important role as a research technique, providing teaching and learning opportunities, and applied participation in community problem solving.

Interested? The Fall 2024 program runs 10 weeks. This fall, the course will meet on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The course runs from Oct. 30 to Dec. 11, 2024, (no class Nov. 27), takes a holiday break, then picks up again Jan. 8 to Feb. 5, 2025. The course will consist of a combination of class meetings held via Zoom with two in-person Saturday field trips. Please see the steps below to get started.

1. Click here to create a new student account (required for all students)

2. Then, go to the Climate Stewards' page here

3. Scroll down and click on the ENROLL button to checkout and pay for your course

*If you need to setup a payment plan or need financial assistance, click here to apply