Youth Boot Bank Office Hours and Donation Drive

Geoff Benn • January 9, 2025

Kids getting new boots for upcoming school trips at our December Boot Bank office hours


Hoping to get the family outside more in 2025? If your kids are in need of new hiking boots, stop by Tuleyome’s Youth Boot Bank office hours to pick up a pair for free!


The Youth Boot Bank provides free six-month loans of hiking boots to kids ages 0 – 18. Community members are invited to come to the Boot Bank office hours if they would like to borrow a pair of boots, return a pair of boots that has previously been borrowed from the Boot Bank, or if they would like to donate a new or gently used pair of boots to the program.


Office hours are typically on the first Wednesday of each month, however this month’s office hours will take place on Wednesday 1/8, from 2:30 – 5:30pm, due to New Year’s Day falling on a Wednesday. Our February office hours will take place on Wednesday 2/5 from 2:30 - 5:30pm. Tuleyome's office is located at 622 Main Street in Woodland, on the second floor.

Donation bin at the ready in the Concord REI


Did you score some sweet new outdoor gear over the holidays? Consider donating your old gear to Tuleyome’s Youth Boot Bank. Our holiday donation drive is continuing through the end of January!


We are looking for donations of new or used hiking boots and shoes (all sizes), backpacks, trekking poles, tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and other hiking and camping gear. If you have items you would like to donate, we have five donation bin locations – at the Tuleyome office in Woodland and at the Concord, Folsom, Roseville, and Sacramento REI stores.


If you have any questions about the Youth Boot Bank program or donation drive, please contact Geoff at gbenn@tuleyome.org.

RECENT ARTICLES

By Kristie Ehrhardt August 26, 2026
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution - granting women the right to vote - was certified on August 26, 1920. In commemoration of this, in 1973 Congress designated August 26 as "Women's Equality Day" to remind us of the heroic women who advanced the Women's Suffrage movement. In recognition of Women's Equality Day, Tuleyome is highlighting three women who are dedicated to conservation: Sheila Pratt (Cache Creek Conservancy), Corky Quirk (NorCal Bats and Yolo Basin Foundation), and Cathy Little (Yolo Habitat Conservancy). Please share in a round of applause for our friends for their passion and dedication to conservation.
By Kristie Ehrhardt August 25, 2026
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution - granting women the right to vote - was certified on August 26, 1920. In commemoration of this, in 1973 Congress designated August 26 as "Women's Equality Day" to remind us of the heroic women who advanced the Women's Suffrage movement. In recognition of Women's Equality Day, Tuleyome is highlighting three women who are dedicated to conservation: Corky Quirk (NorCal Bats and Yolo Basin Foundation), Sheila Pratt (Cache Creek Conservancy) and Cathy Little (Yolo Habitat Conservancy). Hear about Cathy's journey below and learn about Sheila here and Corky here. Please share in a round of applause for our friends for their passion and dedication to conservation. I received my Bachelor’s Degree at UC Davis in Plant Biology and immediately moved into environmental consulting when I graduated. For the next few years, I had the opportunity to botanize and see lands throughout California. I was working on large river projects and became interested in restoration of riparian habitat and decided to go back to school and get my master’s degree at Chico State. I continued working on restoration projects and started to be more interested in conservation work. I spent the last 16 years working for the Center of Natural Lands Management where I directly managed and acquired lands with listed species and sensitive habitats and led the northern California group. Recently I made a career move to the Yolo Habitat Conservancy where I am now contributing to conservation work in my local County. Through growing up in California I have been able to spend a large amount of time in vast beautiful wilderness areas, but have also witnessed conversion of many lands to development. I have always had a draw to natural lands and observing the amazing intricate ecosystems that they support. When I was working in environmental consulting on designing, building, and monitoring restoration sites, I saw these lands being transferred to entities that managed them in perpetuity, and I knew that I wanted to be part of the effort. I have spent most of my career now doing just that. Throughout my time working in conservation, I have had so many long-term field ecologists inspire me to continue doing this work. Watching others work tirelessly over many years to manage and protect natural lands, and collaborate and share their knowledge, has been so motivating. There is nothing more enjoyable than spending a day in the field with other ecologists and sharing enthusiasm about some small moment of observation, and always learning some new tidbit of information about a certain species or behavior or management tool. My advice to young women starting their career in the environmental/conservation/non-profit sector would be to just get out there and start gaining experience in whatever seems interesting and then collaborate and talk to as many people to learn about all the different opportunities. There are so many aspects of conservation and environmental work and the more time you spend working in it, the more you will be able to figure out how you want to contribute to the community as a whole. I would suggest taking as many opportunities as you can and working with as many different people as possible. Listening to people’s backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can be valuable in navigating your path. I would recommend always advocating for yourself, being open and honest about your abilities, and committing to and communicating your beliefs regarding your work.
By Kristie Ehrhardt August 25, 2026
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution - granting women the right to vote - was certified on August 26, 1920. In commemoration of this, in 1973 Congress designated August 26 as "Women's Equality Day" to remind us of the heroic women who advanced the Women's Suffrage movement. In recognition of Women's Equality Day, Tuleyome is highlighting three women who are dedicated to conservation: Corky Quirk (NorCal Bats and Yolo Basin Foundation), Sheila Pratt (Cache Creek Conservancy) and Cathy Little (Yolo Habitat Conservancy). Hear about Corky's journey below and learn about Cathy here and Sheila here. Please share in a round of applause for our friends for their passion and dedication to conservation. I came to bats late. I have been involved with outdoor recreation and environmental education most of my life. I have a BS in Natural Resources with an emphasis in Environmental Education from Humboldt State. But, it was learning about them at the Yolo Basin Foundation (YBF) where I found my love for bats. When I started at YBF, there was a woman who we contracted to do 3 programs a summer and I started volunteering for her organization in 2004. I was inspired to work in the conservation/preservation/ecology sector because my parents loved nature. We did many trips to State and National Parks where we camped and hiked. Over the years I have met many people who work in the conservation field and have encouraged me. I greatly enjoy sharing knowledge with the various bat biologists from environmental consultants, to the State to the US government agencies. There are two projects that I am most proud of. I started NorCal Bats in 2006 and now see almost 40,000 people each year to educate them about bats from schools, libraries, garden clubs, festivals, campgrounds and more. I'm also very proud of how popular the Yolo Basin Foundation Bat Talk and Tour program has become. When I took over the program in 2006 we did about 3 nights a summer, now we are conducting about 70. Some of the most profound moments and memories for me are of all the people who have learned about bats both through the Yolo Basin Foundation's Bat Talk and Tour programs and the presentations through NorCal Bats. I don’t have a specific favorite memory but I am proud of the number of times people come to me and say that they were hesitant or afraid of bats, and no longer are due to the presentation. Periodically, when I take the bats to schools through NorCal Bats, I'll have a student who is very fearful. Sometimes they hide under a desk or sit very close to the teacher. I'm most proud when they overcome that fear, ask questions and especially if they say that the bat is cute.