August 4, 1997

Salinas resident sponsors children's summer classes at UCSC Arboretum

Participants in this summer's last set of classes

By Robert Irion

Longtime Salinas resident Helen Johnson has sponsored a series of summer nature classes at the UCSC 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 UC Research Expeditions programs. "If any of them are captivated by what they learn, it just may help to change their lives for the better."

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