The Central Coast is a wonderful place: sleepy foggy mornings, consummate rolling hills that shelter the voluptuous wine grapes, and sunsets that bleed orange throughout the open skies. And it’s home to the historically and scenically rich Dana Adobe in Nipomo.
The Dana Adobe, also known as Casa de Dana, was a ranch built by the affluent Capt. William Goodwin Dana.
Though the adobe is rich in both nature and history, visitors wouldn’t be able to admire its jaw-dropping entirety without the trained eye of a docent responsible for guiding elementary aged children and adult visitors alike.
After the Dana Adobe received a grant to create a nature program—and organizers researched and consulted with local teachers—a hands-on experience was born. The nature program is open for anyone regardless of age, but focuses more on children in third or fourth grade. The nature program consists of four stops, all 25 minutes long with a 10-minute walk between each one. Dana Adobe docents teach the students the importance nature has held in the past and continues to hold in the present, and how knowledge of the ecosystems will, in return, bring foresight into the future.
“We’re really excited that we have this special program,” said Helen Daurio, leader of the docents. “It shows how life was back in the captain’s life.”
In the nature program, children are given an interactive booklet and learn about everything from the Captain’s Tree, which could be thought of as a natural incarnation of the captain’s ranch during its heyday, to the many types of birds that inhabit the ranch.
“The ranch is home to hundreds of species,” Daurio said. “It spans from small birds like bushtits and sparrows all the way to hawks and redwing blackbirds. What can be seen, though, depends on the season—but right now, there have been a lot of turkey vultures.”
Summoning a docent who can handle a bunch of students may seem like it would cost a fortune, but it doesn’t. A small fee is all that’s required. However, adobe caretakers understand the budget crisis local schools are facing, and also that not all schools can afford such an educational experience for their students. Dana Adobe created a scholarship program that will bypass the price of the bus fee for third and fourth graders, making the experience accessible to more classrooms.
“None of the docents are trained speakers, we’re just folks who love history,” Daurio said. “We’re ambassadors to Dana.”
Think of the Adobe’s docents as the Rough Riders of education: volunteers with diverse backgrounds and occupations, all sharing the passion for history and nature.
Contact intern Henry Houston at intern@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 14-21, 2010.
