Riekes Nature

Take a moment to appreciate the small things in life 💚 #riekesnatureprogram #riekes #mycology #exploreoutdoors #outdooreducation Photo by @artnsoulbysarah

Anyone can engage with nature! Whether it's out in the field with Riekes or in your own backyard, you are a part of it all. Share your newest nature explorations by using or tag us

Anyone can engage with nature! Whether it's out in the field with Riekes or in your own backyard, you are a part of it all. Share your newest nature explorations by using #riekesnatureprogram or tag us @riekesnature

In Menlo Park, California, USA, the Riekes Center nature department has been bringing youth and adults outside to experience and learn about natural history, bushcraft and survival skills, wildlife tracking, bird language, edible and medicinal plants, awareness skills, scout games, community and stewardship, backpacking, and knowledge of place for over two decades.

We are currently hiring for summer camp counselors! The summer season is 11 weeks long, including a staff training week at the beginning of the summer. The season runs from June 5th-August 19th, 2022.

As a Riekes Nature summer camp counselor, you will work with and assist a lead instructor to safely lead activities, lessons, skills projects, on and off-trail wanders, immersive experiences (such as getting fully camouflaged with mud, or dunking in the creek), harvesting of natural materials, the safe use of whittling knives and other tools, group songs, and group games.

Must have: CPR/First Aid, be at least 18 years old, be able to pass a background check, have own vehicle for transportation.

Desired qualities:

Knowledge of California hazards, mammals, tracking, edible/medicinal plants, navigation with and without map/compass, natural history, field ecology, trees, bushcraft and survival skills, birds/birdsong/bird language, backpacking skills, and rural skills.

Experience as a naturalist instructor working with youth ages 4-17 in the outdoors.

Is confident leading off-trail adventures and being hands-on with nature.

Plays a musical instrument or sings and is confident in and willing to lead youth in song.

Has a passion for storytelling, engaging youth in improve, and leading large group games

Full-time employment: There may be opportunities to work as a full-time nature instructor in our homeschool and youth programs after the summer season.

Application: If you would like to apply for this job, please contact Kate Peters at [Email hidden] AND [Email hidden] and include a cover letter and resume.

Sharing food by the campfire is one of the best feelings in the world! See what other exciting adventures we're getting up to with Riekes Center Nature program by following us on social media or visiting our website.
Summer programs will be available for sign up on February 1st. Send us a message for more details!

The nature staff recently worked on learning how to make Paiute traps at a staff training! The Paiute trap is a type of deadfall trap used to trap small animals for food! Great survival skill to have, and one that we teach to students in our programs and summer camps!

The wonders of wandering! Our teen program recently took some time to explore along the intermittent redwood streams after this week of heavy rainfall. We were able to find all kinds of interesting life enjoying the wet and cool temperatures with us.

The beautiful emerald green coloring on the yellow spotted milipede warns potential predators of the hydrogen cyanide it produces. But also gives it the decicious scent of almond extract!

The wonders of wandering! Our teen program recently took some time to explore along the intermittent redwood streams after this week of heavy rainfall. We were able to find all kinds of interesting life enjoying the wet and cool temperatures with us.

Turret spiders burrow into the soil and build their nest with silk lined debris near moist stream beds. They can be aggressive and bite if harassed but are not dangerous to humans. They are nocturnal animals that can live up to 16 years!

With every hike we can always find something new and fascinating, just by slowing down and noticing the small things that catch our eye.

On a recent wander into a deep redwood canyon, we discovered oyster mushrooms, bird's nest fungi, and fetid adders tongue lily!

After an exciting plunge under a frigid waterfall, the students warmed themselves by a small fire atop a mossy boulder!

Welcome to a brand new year of Riekes Nature! We can't wait to go hiking, tracking, foraging and exploring again. We're glad to see everyone out and enjoying the outdoors. Tag us in any photos or memories you have with the Riekes Nature program or just of you enjoying nature.

Riekes Nature has had an absolutely fabulous summer out on the land with all of the amazing summer campers who joined us this year for fun and adventure! Take a look at some of the photos from this year's summer camps!

Some highlights from the season:

Juggling and Sneaking games at our Nature Ninja Circus Camp were a big hit!

At several camps, some very patient campers made gorge fish hooks out of deer bones using sand paper!

We had to be careful out in some of the parks after a few sightings of baby rattlesnakes. We also got to experience the magic of holding a young gopher snake!

A few young bird watchers were excited when we found the nesting hole of a Downy Woodpecker! We all got to see the chicks through the binoculars.

We are looking forward to our January session of our Youth Wildlife Tracking Program! During our last session we trailed deer and found where they had nipped off sprigs of Sea Rocket (a plant in the mustard family).

If you know of a child who might be enchanted by tracking animals, please pass this program information on! We still have space in the class!

Youth Wildlife Tracking — The Riekes Center Do you want to learn how to find where the gray fox is hiding out during the late summer? Do you want to know who the bobcat ate for dinner? Do you want to follow the footprints of a deer all the way to where it is resting in the shade? These are all possible through studying the art of tracking.