A five-session docent training program begins Tuesday, March 12 at two of Santa Cruz’s most beautiful locations: the historic Alan Chadwick farm and UCSC Farm on the UC Santa Cruz campus. There is no charge.
Docents lead visitor tours at the 30-acre organic farm and three-acre Chadwick Garden. Both sites host education, research and community programs, and are open to the public daily. If you enjoy gardening, learning about food and farming issues, and sharing your enthusiasm and knowledge with others, this is a wonderful chance to join our team of volunteers.
The 2013 Farm & Garden docent training program will take place on the UCSC Farm on five Tuesday afternoons from 4 to 5:30 p.m., beginning March 12 and ending April 9. During the training sessions, participants will learn about organic farming and gardening practices, the history of the Alan Chadwick Garden and UCSC Farm, on-farm research to improve organic farming methods, and other issues related to sustainable agriculture and food systems. There is no pre-requisite to become a docent—just a willingness to learn and share.
After completing the training, docents are asked to lead a minimum of six tours a year and are encouraged to help with public education events, plants sales and other efforts that support the Farm & Garden’s community outreach work and the work of the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS), which manages the Farm & Garden facilities. Docents will also enjoy ongoing, free enrichment workshops on a variety of topics.
Active docents also receive a complimentary membership to the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden, which includes discounts at plant sales and local nurseries as well as free entry to many of the Friends’ gardening and fruit tree care workshops.
For more details and to arrange for parking during the training, please contact Amy Bolton at 831-459-3240, or abolton@ucsc.edu by Tuesday, March 5. The training is sponsored by the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz. More information about the UCSC Farm & Garden and CASFS is available at http://casfs.ucsc.edu.
