In 1972, when awareness of threats to the San Francisco Bay ecosystem began to grow, a group of women concerned about preserving the estuary for future generations created a small, hands-on program for local children, including a field trip to the Bay so they could experience it, know it, enjoy it, and grow to take care of it. This was the birth of the Environmental Volunteers.

Since then, more than 300,000 children and adults have explored local ecosystems with the Environmental Volunteers. Our 130 volunteers-- supported by a small, dedicated staff and the leadership of the Board of Trustees-- teach over 12,000 K-8 students and their 400 teachers each year in classrooms throughout 80 schools in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

Today, two strengths make the Environmental Volunteers a very distinctive local organization. It is fundamentally volunteer-driven, with core programs being delivered solely by well-trained docents-- volunteer natural science educators-- rather than paid staff. In addition, the Environmental Volunteers is committed to exclusively small-group, interactive programs in both the classroom and on field trips. The EV models successful volunteerism in our community as well as a commitment to lifelong learning-- both valuable principles to share with our children.

As a leading natural science educator, the Environmental Volunteers is filling a large and ever-increasing need for school-based natural science education on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. We continuously receive more requests from teachers for classroom and field trip services than we can currently accommodate and we are working to reach new students and teachers in creative ways.