The Nature Education Foundation (TNEF) has been providing nature education programs at no cost to students, schools and the community for 23 years. Our mission is to educate and empower youth to appreciate, preserve and protect nature. We envision a generation of bold explorers, naturalists, community scientists and stewards that not only have deep connections to, and understanding, of nature but also to community and self.

Our office is at the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve in Murrieta. However, we serve 10 school districts plus private, charter and home schools in Southwest Riverside County. Our work is implemented in the field at the Reserve, in the classroom and in other protected open space areas. TNEF also conducts a Small Grant Program every year to support classroom teachers engaged in nature, environmental, outdoor and science education projects.

The next generation of environmental stewards we serve are in grades 3-12, approximately 8,000 per school year. Our programs are:

• Third Grade Outdoor
• Elementary and Middle School Trout-in-the-Classroom
• Elementary, Middle and High School Junior Ranger
• High School Phenology Studies
• High School Air Quality Studies
• Family Wildlife Day
• Nature Education Resource Forum