PORTS Programs

Mission Life at San Juan Bautista

Learn about the rich history of mission life at San Juan Bautista State Historic Park with this captivating PORTS program for students of all ages....

Fog Friday

In this program, we will learn about the role of fog in an ecosystem, discuss how the plants and animals in this environment have adapted...

Steelhead Adaptations Challenge

Are you curious about what it takes for both a Steelhead Trout and Coastal Redwood to live long and healthy lives? Do you want to...

Understanding Hydroelectricity at the Folsom Powerhouse

Join us for an electrifying program about the power of the past here at Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park! During this program, we will learn...

Building the California Delta: A Story of Chinese Immigration and Agriculture

Join us as we explore the most complete example of a rural Chinese agricultural community in the United States! In this program, we will explore...

Water: California’s Most Precious Resource

Come along as we explore how agriculture in California’s Central Valley demand for water led to the creation of one of the world’s largest water...

Industrial History of Corral Hollow: From Coal to Clay

Join us for a trip back in time to over 125 years ago to the first coal mines in California and the long lost Brick...

Working Hands: The Labor that Built the California Dream

Explore the work and the workers that created the massive success of the California citrus industry. Follow your guide through the citrus groves and packing...

Discovering The Dunes

Join us at Oceano Dunes SVRA for a 45-minute virtual field trip to learn all about how sand dunes are formed! This program is designed...

The Smallest Superheroes

Students will see live examples of decomposition and participate in an engaging environmental activity focusing on decomposers, producers, and consumers. Decomposers benefit the web of...

Travelers of the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Join a Donner Memorial State Park Interpreter sharing stories of the diversity of people who came through the Donner Lake area in the Sierra Nevada...

Following the Paper Trail

Learn about California’s first paper mill at Samuel P. Taylor State Park! Following a paper trail is about finding and analyzing evidence to understand how...

Help the Kelp!

Dive into kelp forest ecology and conservation at Mendocino Headlands State Park! In this program we will learn all about keystone and endangered species, kelp...

The Gray Whale Road Trip at Point Dume State Beach!

Gray whales migrate along the shores of Malibu every year in an ever-changing environment. This program gives an in depth look at what this migration...

Monterey Custom House: Trade and Government in Alta California

Explore California State Historical Landmark #1 here at Monterey State Historic Park. The Custom House was the center of trade at a time when California...

Kayak Quest: Explore Above and Below the Ocean’s Surface

Join us for an unforgettable kayaking adventure at the “crown jewel of the California State Park System”, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. We will paddle...

Tahoe’s Urban Bears

Come meet Rubi the bear at Sugar Pine Point State Park. In this program we will explore the differences between wildland bears of the Tahoe...

Salmon and Sediment: Fueling the Redwood Forest

Learn about the anadromous life cycle of Salmon living on the north coast of California. These fish, and many other systems, connect the Redwood Forest...

Lighthouse Engineer Challenge

Lighthouses do all kinds of jobs all over the world! This 45 minute program challenges students to become lighthouse engineers. Students will learn about the...

Mysteries of the Octopus: Adaptations and the Life Cycle of a Curious Marine Invertebrate at Crystal Cove State Park

Unlock the mysteries of one of the world’s most fascinating organisms, the octopus! Join Park Interpreter Alex on the California coast for an engaging virtual...

“The Snail and the Whale” Story Time!

Join California State Parks Interpreter Kat at MacKerricher State Park in reading the story book “The Snail and the Whale” by Julia Donaldson! Students will...

Footprints of the Forest

Join us for a high-altitude virtual field trip up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to Mount San Jacinto State PArk and Wilderness! In the first...

Stewards of the Lagoon at Chah-pekw O’-Ket’-toh “Stone Lagoon”

Humboldt Lagoons State Park is beautiful park with a unique ecosystem, culture and history. This program ties together these places with Yurok perspectives on this...

Eel River Escapade

Join us in learning about the Eel River watershed from Richardson Grove State Park! Watersheds are all around us and are made up of so...

The History of Coloma Told Through Trees

Join us at Marshall Gold Discovery SHP as we explore the history of the Coloma Valley before, during and after the Discovery of Gold. During...

Growing Up on a Mexican Rancho

Explore the Mexican Rancho period of California history while learning about the Castro family who were some of the first pioneers in Alta California. You...

A Hard Day’s Work on the Ranch

Living on a dairy ranch in the year 1900 took a lot of hard work and required working together as a team to be successful....

Cultures in Conflict at Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park

Virtually walk through the adobe building at Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park to understand the impacts of the California mission system on the world...

Seafloor to Seashore – Finding Fossils at Seacliff

How did fossils from the seafloor end up in the cliffs at Seacliff State Beach? During this 45-minute virtual program, students (grades 2-4) will become...

Shaping the Coast

Schedule your class for a virtual field trip to the San Mateo coast and visit beautiful Half Moon Bay State Beach. In this program, we’ll...

Animal Habitats and Adaptations

Schedule your class for a virtual field trip to Half Moon Bay State Beach. In this program, we’ll get to know some of the many...

Harbor Seal Adaptations!

Students will virtually visit MacKerricher State Park to explore the similarities and differences between humans and marine mammals, specifically the Harbor Seal! Students will observe...

Allensworth: A California African American Town

Welcome to Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, a town founded, financed and governed by African Americans. In 1908, Colonel Allen Allensworth and four other settlers...

Built to Last: Coast Redwood Adaptations

Rooted in Survival is an exciting virtual field trip that brings the wonders of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park straight to your classroom or learning...

Tule Elk: One of California’s Largest Land Mammals

The Tule Elk State Natural Reserve protects a small herd of tule elk, an endemic California subspecies of elk once hunted nearly to extinction. Tule...

Explore Our Shore

Join us as we learn about the diverse organisms that inhabit our shore and coastal environments at Carpinteria State Beach. Habitats may include tidepools, estuaries,...

Elephant Seals of Hearst San Simeon State Park

Join us for a deep dive into the fascinating lives of Northern Elephants Seals from Hearst San Simeon State Park. Together, we will observe elephant...

Connecting with Ancient Civilizations at Hearst Castle

During this 45-60 min program, your students will explore the mythology, the art, and the architecture of ancient civilizations. Statues such as the Egyptian goddess...

Step Back in Time at La Purisima Mission

Participate in a historical journey at La Purísima Mission State Historic Park to learn about the history of California missions and the hardships endured by...

Eelgrass Habitat in the San Diego Bay: An Underwater Wonder

Explore the unique eelgrass habitat at Silver Strand State Beach! In this program, students will learn about how eelgrass in the San Diego Bay provides...

Days of Alta California at San Juan Bautista State Historic Park (English or Spanish)

Bienvenidos! This program explores Mexican Alta California and its people in a 40-minute discovery of San Juan Bautista State Historic Park. Students learn about aspects...

Sharks: Fact or Fiction?

Through a fun and interactive program, students will identify facts from misconceptions about one of the ocean’s most interesting predators, sharks! During the program, we...

Voices of the Gold Rush Past

Six miles west of Redding a row of old, half-ruined, brick buildings remind passing motorists that Shasta City, the lusty “Queen City” of California’s northern...

Tar, Not Just a Nuisance!

Let’s discover the active tar seeps at Carpinteria State Beach! Students will learn about why and how tar continues to seep on our coast. We...

Stop! Hammer Time!: Blacksmithing in 19th Century San Diego

Step into the past as you follow us on an awesome adventure through an 1800 blacksmith shop at Old Town Old town San Diego State...

Birds of Prey at Millerton Lake

Birds of prey have adapted over generations to become the premier hunters at Millerton Lake State Recreation Area. For thousands of years, predator birds have...

Prairie City Physics Detectives

Join us as we explore off-highway vehicles and apply physics concepts at Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area! In this program we will learn about...

Explore Life in 1850s California at a Frontier Army Post

This program at Fort Tejon State Historic Park provides a glimpse of life in frontier California in the 1850s through the lens of a remote...

Story Time at Hearst Castle with ‘How a House is Built” by G. Gibbons

Are your students curious about building? It took a team of skilled workers 28 years to build Hearst Castle. Together with an interpretive guide, your...

Underwater Creatures of the Marine Protected Areas

Join us along the Gaviota Coast to discover the importance of marine protected areas (MPA’s)! Throughout our program, we will examine a number of species...

Redwood Resilience: Forged by Fire and Fog

Join a state parks interpreter from Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park for a virtual field trip to the redwoods! Nestled on California’s north coast, Prairie...

All About Acorns: A California Staple

Join us for an exploration into the Traditional Food staple of California Native Peoples, pre-contact. Here we will learn about the traditional ways of gathering...

Redwoods, Earth Cycles and Climate Change

As the keepers of a complex ecosystem, the coast redwoods interact with our Earth cycles in many ways. Even as resilient as the redwoods are,...

Experience the Art and Architecture of Hearst Castle

Newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst acquired a vast art collection for his estate in San Simeon, Ca. Students will go on a journey exploring the...

Redwood Anatomy and Adaptations

Towering above all else that grows in nature, the coast redwood is a marvel among trees. Able to survive for over 2,000 years, these gentle...

The Yurok People Are Still Here

Jellies: Sensational Stinging Survivalists

Jellies (aka jellyfish) have amazing adaptations that allow them to thrive throughout our world’s ocean. From surface waters to the deepest depths, from the warm...

Hearst Castle Architect Julia Morgan and STEAM

Explore Hearst Castle and learn why it was built on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Simeon, Ca. Uncover the engineering challenges of...

California Citrus: The Groves and Beyond

During this 45 min virtual program, students will learn how California’s second gold rush (the citrus industry) helped shape and develop California today. They will...

Immigration Stories told from Angel Island State Park

Bring your group virtually to the historic immigration station at Angel Island State Park for a free guided experience. Learn about the under-told history of...

Flat Stanley Discovers Pioneer Living at William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park

Travel back in time with Flat Stanley to experience life in 1850s pioneer California at William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park. Students will learn...

Your Life as a Columbia Gold Miner

Students will create a gold miner character, with a name, picture, and background, before taking on the role of that character to write journal entries...