The Hollister Ranch Conservancy Tidepool School program was developed in the early 1990s with the help of other owners by Wendie Kruthers, and she has coordinated its operation since that time. The program introduces a pristine intertidal area, rich with sea life, to third to seventh graders from Orcutt, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara.

The two-hour Tidepool School Program consists of the school children, their parents and their teachers. There is one adult chaperone for every four to five students. For every ten children, the HR Conservancy, with money raised from various fundraisers, including the Oak Group Art Show, hires one docent. It is fortunate that UCSB is so close with such a wonderful marine biology program. Graduate students with very impressive resumes make up the pool of docents from which we draw for the tidepool program. Therefore, for a group of thirty students, three docents are hired. This gives a great ratio of student to docent for a wonderful learning opportunity. The Hollister Ranch Host(s) - volunteer HR owners - greets the school group, gives a lengthy orientation, introduces the docents and generally oversees the rest of the program.

What treasures of plants and animals that are found in the tidepools vary from trip to trip. The group almost always will find mussels, sand castle worms, sea anemones, octopi of various sizes, different kinds of sea stars, sea urchins (which include the sand dollar), crabs, barnacles, snails, kelp (algae), surf grass, whelks, wavy top shells, sea hares, limpets including the owl limpet), chitons and fish. Every once in a while we might find a lobster, abalone, jellyfish or a live swell shark swimming inside its egg case (see photo)! The students also enjoy seeing sea lions, dolphins and various birds including great blue herons, egrets, hawks, cormorants, pelicans and turkey vultures. From time to time, a sea otter might swim by cracking open a shellfish with a rock.

By the end of the program the children have held and touched many critters. The docents have told the students fun facts about what they have seen. For instance, did you know the sea star pushes its stomach out from its body to eat? The children now know how to tell a female crab from a male. The sea hare squirts out a sticky, purple liquid when it’s afraid (a real favorite)! The octopus changes color depending on what color it is sitting. The owl limpet has a particular territory on his flat rock and does not tolerate any other limpets in this area. These are just a few examples of the endless fun facts that they learn. The students also go away with a new appreciation of the fragile balance of the plants and animals in our healthy tidepools teaming with life.

At the end of the program everyone gathers into one big group. The docents go over what the kids have seen and learned and answer any questions. This is now a very different group than those who arrived just a few hours before. They are excited about their experience and some are even talking about becoming marine biologists. As they board their buses to go back to school, they are each given a HR Conservancy paste-on tattoo as a remembrance of their special day.