There's Still Time! Sign up for Tuleyome's Certified California Naturalist Course

Nate Lillge • December 5, 2024

Tuleyome, the expert organization on the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, is offering a Certified California Naturalist course in early 2025. Instruction focuses on the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument region while providing participants with skills and resources that are applicable anywhere to increase their knowledge, understanding, and enjoyment of the natural world.


The Certified California Naturalist course is presented by Tuleyome in partnership with the University of California extension program. This 10-week course is offered from January to March in 2025, with classes occurring on ten consecutive Fridays plus at least three field trips. Friday classes will be held at the University of California – Davis campus.


No advanced degrees or previous naturalist experience is required.


The UC California Naturalist Program introduces Californians to the wonders of our unique ecology and engages the public in study and stewardship of California’s natural communities. The program uses a science curriculum, hands-on learning, problem-solving, citizen science, and community service to instill a deep appreciation for the natural communities of the state and to inspire individuals to become stewards of their local resources.


In addition to in-person instruction, students are required to attend field trips in the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument region. Field trips consist of low-impact walking trips and auto-tours, so they are suitable for all fitness levels. Impromptu walks are also often provided by the instructors as time permits to give participants even more experience in the field.


Questions about the course should be directed to Nate Lillge at nlillge@tuleyome.org.

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By Bryan Pride November 3, 2025
It’s been a decade since the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument was designated in 2015, and just last year we celebrated the expansion of the Monument to include Molok Luyuk. Now we’re in an exciting new phase: working alongside our community to shape how this incredible landscape will be protected for generations to come. Throughout 2025, Tuleyome has been collaborating with the Bureau of Land Management to submit detailed information about the many “objects of interest” that make our National Monument so special, from unique soils, to native plants, breathtaking geology and the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous people who have called this plan home for thousands of years. This information will help BLM develop the Monument’s resource management plan. But we’re not stopping there. We’re doing something that reflects the very best of what public lands protection can be: we’re creating a Community Alternative Management Plan (CAMP). What makes the CAMP different? The Berryessa Snow Mountain coalition brings together people who know the landscape intimately: climate scientists, geologists, botanists, hydrologists, recreationists, conservationists, community members and representatives from tribal nations. These aren’t just experts, they’re our neighbors, the people who hike these trails, study these ecosystems, and carry forward traditional knowledge passed down through generations. By bringing diverse expertise and perspectives to the table, we’re creating a management plan that is inclusive, and reflective of what the Monument means to all of us. The CAMP follows models like the Bears Ears National Monument and the Mojave Trails National Monument , where community-driven planning has shown that the best way to protect public lands is to partner with the people who care and know the landscapes the best. This is a co-stewardship in action, a real commitment to ensuring that local experts and tribal knowledge shape how we care for these lands. Once complete, we will present the CAMP to BLM to help inform their final Monument management plan. It is one of the many ways Tuleyome is making sure that those of us who visit, recreate, live near and hold cultural connections to the Monument have our voices heard in the decisions that affect these places we love. The work continues and we’re grateful to be doing it alongside a community that cares as deeply about Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument as we do. Want to get involved or learn more? Contact Bryan Pride, bpride@tuleyome.org , Tuleyome’s Policy Director
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