Environmental Explorers

Are you interested in exploring the outdoors and investigating the science of the natural world? Join us for a week of naturalist discovery as we visit the Marin Headlands to study the San Francisco Bay Watershed, conduct water and soil experiments in the lab, and examine ways to take care of the environment responsibly. We will explore urban ecology on Mt. Sutro as we learn about the importance of California native plants and ways to protect the environment in urban areas! We will collect water samples in the field to test in the lab, create our own biochar to learn about carbon sequestration, and visit city rain gardens to dig into climate resiliency! We’ll supply the nature journals and the outdoor experiences and all you have to bring is your sunhat and positive attitude! 

Cost: $450 Early Bird. $525 after April 11, 2025
Ages: Rising 5th & 6th Graders

Lunch is included!

Instructor: Carri & Tess Pollizotti

Tess is originally from Marin County, CA, and currently works as a restoration technician with Point Blue Conservation Science's STRAW Program in Sonoma County. STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed) engages K-12 students, teachers, and young adults in integrated watershed science education and hands-on, professional habitat restoration opportunities.

Before joining STRAW in September 2024, Tess graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a B.S. in Environmental Science in 2022. After college, she returned home to Marin County, where she cultivated a deep appreciation for the unique ecology of the Bay Area. Tess began her career in Sonoma County as an AmeriCorps fellow with the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District, where she developed her conservation knowledge and skills. Following her AmeriCorps fellowship, she moved back to the Midwest to work as a live-in intern at the Eco-Justice Center in Racine, Wisconsin, further honing her land stewardship skills and fieldwork experience.

A career highlight for Tess has been sharing her passion for plants and the environment with students of all ages. 

Carri Cupp Polizzotti has been a middle school and high school science educator in the Bay Area for thirty-two years. She is currently teaching Honors and Advanced Placement Chemistry at SHCP. Carri has a lifelong passion for learning about science and recently has been learning about California native plants, water policy and environmental chemistry. One of her goals in the classroom is to learn something new from her students every single day!