July 28, 1997 Contact: Robert Irion (408) 459-2495; irion@ua.ucsc.edu

SALINAS RESIDENT SPONSORS CHILDREN'S SUMMER CLASSES AT THE UC SANTA CRUZ ARBORETUM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--Longtime Salinas resident Helen Johnson has sponsored a series of summer nature classes at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum for schoolchildren from the Salinas, Watsonville, and Santa Cruz areas.

Johnson also has donated $1,000 to the Arboretum as seed money to start the Helen Johnson UCSC Arboretum Junior Nature Education Fund, which will allow the Arboretum to offer additional children's classes in the future.

Fourteen students from Salinas rode a bus, chartered by Johnson, to the first of the weeklong sets of classes in early July. Johnson's donations also paid for the instructor and for supplies. Participants toured the internationally renowned Arboretum, planted their own small gardens, made paper, and learned about the area's rich natural history, among other activities.

"I really want to help these children get interested in nature," said Johnson, who recalled that she was active in Earthwatch and the University of California Research Expeditions programs. "If any of them are captivated by what they learn, it just may help to change their lives for the better."

Pictured are the participants in the last set of classes, which ended July 17. Front row, from left: Matthew Custer, age 8, Santa Cruz; Helen Johnson; and Sabrina Roesner, age 9, Santa Cruz. Middle row: Chris Coronado, age 11, Watsonville; Kelsey Olson, age 10, Santa Cruz; Katie Merrill, age 9, Santa Cruz; and Lindsay Magranet, age 9, Soquel. Rear: UC Extension instructor Edy Cassell and her assistant, Susan Cooke. (See photo next week in Currents online, issue of August 4: http://www.ucsc.edu/oncampus/currents)

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