Delphinus School of Natural History Outdoor Education Programs
Delphinus School of Natural History, 20 State Park Road, Los Osos, CA 93402
About
Delphinus School of Natural History Outdoor Education Programs offer outdoor education programs that focus on hands-on experiences, exploration, and nature hikes. Participants receive instruction in Natural History, Animal Behavior, Estuary Science, Coastal Geology, and Freshwater Ecosystems.
• Ages: 8–13 years old
Delphinus School of Natural History was founded in 2011 as a regional summer science program for elementary and middle school students. The outdoor education programs expose young scientists to the natural world through hands-on experiences and exploration and are described as engaging, interactive, and student driven. Explorations and adventures engage all the senses and allow each explorer to create personal relationships with nature based on their own interests. The camps are often unstructured but have a scientific undertone that informs and instructs in ways that encourage individual investigation and facilitate retention of scientific knowledge related to natural processes among plants and animals. The organization states that it firmly believes that students who develop a deep personal relationship with nature become environmental stewards of nature instead of casual observers of nature.
Founder and Director John L. Sanders began his career as an outdoor educator while a graduate student at UC Santa Cruz, where he collaborated with UCSC's Dean of Summer School, KTEH, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Superintendent of Schools for Monterey County to create the UCSC summer residential science program for 6th–8th-grade students from Monterey County. From 2002–2023, he worked as an outdoor science naturalist with the Kern Environmental Education Program (Camp KEEP), interacting with thousands of 5th, 6th, and 7th graders, and he founded Delphinus School of Natural History in 2011 as a regional summer science program for elementary and middle school students. Lead Naturalist Richard “Octopus” Hernandez has been leading students on nature hikes since 2017, has a BS in environmental science earned in 2017, and has experience as a research assistant for a local environmental consulting firm conducting intertidal and subtidal biological surveys. Richard Hernandez has participated in local outdoor programs such as Camp KEEP, Rancho el Chorro, and Delphinus School of Natural History, and has been the Lead Naturalist for Delphinus School since 2021. It is stated that Richard Hernandez has made it a personal mission to increase environmental literacy among youth to promote behaviors that help protect ocean ecosystems.
The program’s philosophy mirrors that of ancient indigenous cultures, which held that “nature awareness” involved understanding the natural cycle and its interconnections and referred to “Original Instructions” that guided interactions with the natural world. The organization states that its explorations promote further exploration and that it believes students who develop a deep personal relationship with nature become environmental stewards. A related statement shared by the program is, “Nature powerfully fosters self expression, because nature itself is so powerfully expressed,” attributed to Warren Moon.
Last updated March 15, 2026.
• Ages: 8–13 years old
Delphinus School of Natural History was founded in 2011 as a regional summer science program for elementary and middle school students. The outdoor education programs expose young scientists to the natural world through hands-on experiences and exploration and are described as engaging, interactive, and student driven. Explorations and adventures engage all the senses and allow each explorer to create personal relationships with nature based on their own interests. The camps are often unstructured but have a scientific undertone that informs and instructs in ways that encourage individual investigation and facilitate retention of scientific knowledge related to natural processes among plants and animals. The organization states that it firmly believes that students who develop a deep personal relationship with nature become environmental stewards of nature instead of casual observers of nature.
Founder and Director John L. Sanders began his career as an outdoor educator while a graduate student at UC Santa Cruz, where he collaborated with UCSC's Dean of Summer School, KTEH, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Superintendent of Schools for Monterey County to create the UCSC summer residential science program for 6th–8th-grade students from Monterey County. From 2002–2023, he worked as an outdoor science naturalist with the Kern Environmental Education Program (Camp KEEP), interacting with thousands of 5th, 6th, and 7th graders, and he founded Delphinus School of Natural History in 2011 as a regional summer science program for elementary and middle school students. Lead Naturalist Richard “Octopus” Hernandez has been leading students on nature hikes since 2017, has a BS in environmental science earned in 2017, and has experience as a research assistant for a local environmental consulting firm conducting intertidal and subtidal biological surveys. Richard Hernandez has participated in local outdoor programs such as Camp KEEP, Rancho el Chorro, and Delphinus School of Natural History, and has been the Lead Naturalist for Delphinus School since 2021. It is stated that Richard Hernandez has made it a personal mission to increase environmental literacy among youth to promote behaviors that help protect ocean ecosystems.
The program’s philosophy mirrors that of ancient indigenous cultures, which held that “nature awareness” involved understanding the natural cycle and its interconnections and referred to “Original Instructions” that guided interactions with the natural world. The organization states that its explorations promote further exploration and that it believes students who develop a deep personal relationship with nature become environmental stewards. A related statement shared by the program is, “Nature powerfully fosters self expression, because nature itself is so powerfully expressed,” attributed to Warren Moon.
Last updated March 15, 2026.
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