Stewards’ docent-led tours and hikes in Armstrong Redwoods SNR and Austin Creek SRA cater to school groups and the public. With thousands of students visiting the parks every year, Armstrong Docents help provide invaluable educational experiences in a unique natural environment. Roving Docent Volunteers patrol the park answering the questions of park visitors from around the world. Often Roving Naturalists will station themselves near the iconic locations in the park such as the Colonel Armstrong Tree, Parson Jones Tree and the Redwood Forest Theater to increase their effectiveness.
Tasks: Armstrong Tour Docents typically lead tours of 1-2 hours in length. Students are from all grades TK-College, but most are in grades K through 5th. Docents lead Redwood Education Programming for groups which average about 1 docent per 15 students. Accompanied by parent or teacher chaperones, Docents take the students on a 1-2 mile walk from the main front parking lot to the back picnic area, interpreting the park’s cultural and natural features from redwood ecology, mycology, botany, history, wildlife, climate change impacts, and more. Read the Armstrong Tour Guide duty statement for a complete description.
Roving Docents interpret the same topics to the general public, stationed at a key landmark of your choice or walking the trails and answering questions and providing interpretive information about the park. New roving docents must shadow/support the scheduled tour docent program at least twenty hours before becoming a roving docent. Read the Roving Docent duty statement for a complete description. Both volunteer roles involve the use of our interpretive materials.
Meeting times: School Tours are scheduled Monday through Friday, generally starting at 9 or 10 AM. Public tours and private group tours can occur anytime during the week. Roving Docents self-schedule themselves in the Armstrong Redwoods SNR for shifts of variable lengths.
Training and requirements: New volunteers are required to attend one General Orientation, and encouraged to attend our affordable seminars to further their education. All new volunteers are required to complete and turn in a hard copy of the New Volunteer Onboarding Packet and Duty Statement of Armstrong Redwoods Tour Docent. New volunteers will train shadow experienced volunteers until they feel comfortable leading tours and/or roving on their own by completing the Armstrong Docent Volunteer Training Checklist.
Read our Volunteer Handbook for more information about becoming a volunteer.
More Information
Contact Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods via email or phone at (707) 869-9177.