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Outreach and Education<br />

The SVRA offers ATV safety classes and educational materials in both English and<br />

Spanish. Education and outreach programs focus on safe OHV operation, Junior Ranger<br />

activities, and protecting park resources.<br />

At the SVRA, Junior Rangers learn about the importance of nature and their heritage<br />

while participating in fun activities and earning their Junior Ranger badges. For example,<br />

members of the 4H ATV Safety Project play OHV safety-themed games and then challenge<br />

parents, sheriff’s deputies, and park rangers on their knowledge through games and<br />

activities. Interpretive outreach programs take the park to the people whether it is organizing<br />

and leading an after-school Junior Ranger Club or staffing the Heber Dunes SVRA booth<br />

at popular community events like the Heber Annual Car Show, the Mid-Winter Fair and<br />

Fiesta, or the Annual Children’s fair. These outreach efforts introduce current and future<br />

park visitors to Heber Dunes SVRA and all it has to offer to the local off-highway recreation<br />

community.<br />

Heber Dunes SVRA has an oral history project that provides visitors from older generations<br />

who have recreated at the park and remember its history to share their stories. Oral<br />

histories are added to the information gleaned from local newspapers, photograph albums,<br />

and museums. These “voices of the past” helped make Heber Dunes SVRA what is it today<br />

and are being treasured and preserved.<br />

After-School Junior Ranger Club<br />

Heber Dunes SVRA interpretive staff offer an After-School Junior Ranger Club program as<br />

part of existing After-School Education and Safety programs at local schools. This community<br />

outreach program is offered to third and fourth<br />

graders at five El Centro elementary schools. Junior<br />

Ranger Club meetings are 60-90 minutes long and<br />

are held weekly throughout the school year.<br />

The After-School Junior Ranger Club expands<br />

the beloved California State Parks Junior Ranger<br />

program into a series of meetings that follow the<br />

guidelines in the Junior Ranger Handbook. Kids<br />

learn the Junior Ranger promise, play games, make<br />

crafts, explore nature, and have the opportunity to<br />

earn their Junior Ranger badges and certificates. The meetings are also mini-lessons tied to<br />

state common core and science education standards, which are intended to help introduce or<br />

reinforce what is currently being taught in the K-12 classroom.<br />

2017 Program Report 195

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