Laguna De Santa Rosa Foundation

Education Program

Become a Docent

Laguna Docents lead school groups in the Learning Laguna program as well as leading community groups on field trips and hikes in the Laguna. Our docents work with school districts in Sonoma County to bring 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students into the Laguna to learn about the wonders of this wetlands treasure in our own backyard.

Expert Training Program

Experts in biology, hydrology, natural history, cultural history and environmental education train docents in 10 lively sessions held on Mondays from March 12 through May 21. For the past 12 years, the classes have been held at the City of Santa Rosa's wastewater treatment plant classroom on Llano Road. However, with the construction of the Laguna Learning Center we hope to conduct the 2012 training on-site. Each meeting includes presentations, discussion, and hands-on practice with the Learning Laguna activities, plus a fieldtrip to special Laguna locations. Classes generally run from 9:30 am - 2:30 pm. Docents receive a binder with reading and reference material that is closely tied with the theme of each classroom session. There is $145 fee to cover the cost of the materials. Payments can be arranged and partial scholarships are available.

After training, docents are asked to make a two-year, minimum 40 hour per year volunteer commitment to the Laguna Foundation. During that time, docents are expected to participate in elementary school classroom and fieldtrips each school season, Fall and Spring. Because the program is focused around the classroom, and school year, it requires that docents be able to schedule during school hours (7:30-2:30), Tuesday through Friday. Once trained, some docents are interested in leading community hikes and additional training is provided for those education events. Other volunteer opportunities are also available.

We invite you to join us!

Docent training for the Learning Laguna program is offered once a year from March through May. The 2012 training class is now forming! The training application can be viewed here. To see the 2012 training schedule click here.

Orientation Events ...

are a great way to see if the training program is right for you. Plan to join us on Wednesday, February 29th from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Central Santa Rosa Library for a fun and informative evening. Contact Christine Fontaine, Director of Education Programs, at 527-9277 x102 or christine@lagunafoundation.org with any questions.

If you would like to receive the Docent Brochure and the training application via US mail, please email the Education Program Director with your name and address.  Be sure to put "Docent Information Request" in the subject line. Once the application is fully completed, please mail to:

Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, Attn: Christine Fontaine
900 Sanford Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95401