Trevor Lawson, doing some exploring in the dirt at the Rodman Preserve at the September 2011 nature education program in Lake County, Calif. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Land Trust is continuing its monthly Rodman Explorers children’s nature education program at the Rodman Preserve at 6350 Westlake Road between Lakeport and Upper Lake.

The program starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, at the preserve’s nature center.

With binoculars, buckets and scoops the “Slough Crew,” will look for signs of fall – and the light rain we have received recently could make the soil damp enough to capture animal tracks, notes leader of the program, nature education specialist Elaine Mansell.

Rodman Explorers will also be looking for changes in wildlife behavior and the presence of acorns and noticing plants and trees becoming dormant in preparation for winter hibernation.

Sludge, plants, algae, insects and Bryozoans will be observed and discussion of participants will help them gain an understanding of how living things in nature survive in winter, Mansell explained.

Reservations for the program are encouraged and this can be achieved by calling Elaine Mansell at 707-263-1637.

The program is free and is encouraged for children ages 7 through 12. Parents are welcome to stay if they like, or enjoy a walk at the preserve.

For directions to the Rodman Preserve, go to www.lakecountylandtrust.org and look on the home page. Please note the Rodman Preserve is on Westlake Drive, and is not the county’s Rodman Slough Park near the bridge.

The Lake County Land Trust is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of valuable natural habitats in Lake County. It owns and operates two preserves here, the Rodman Preserve and the Rabbit Hill Park in Middletown.

Down at the water at Rodman Preserve. Courtesy photo.