Company Outings with Green Foothills
Green Foothills Is Offering Company Outings
Want to get outside with your work colleagues? Green Foothills is offering special docent-led walks in local open space preserves to company groups of 10 or more. We’ll have fun and learn something new together. Please fill out the form below to express your interest in a company outing.
Potential Outings
Together with your team we will develop a fun, informative outing. Your key role as host will be to get your colleagues involved. Below is a menu of potential activities to choose from, or we can develop a customized outing together.
Full Moon Mystery Hike with nature guide and night owl Craige Edgerton! Hiking at night under a full moon is a unique experience. If you have never hiked under a full moon, don’t miss this chance! The hike is a moderate 4 miles (700’ elevation climb) through open grasslands, oak savannah, oak woodland and riparian habitats. We will practice seeing in the dark, listening for night sounds and participate in night time story telling much like our ancestors did prior to ubiquitous electric lighting.
Coyote Ridge has one of the most spectacular wildflower displays in the entire Bay Area and possibly all of California. The unique serpentine grassland holds over 12% of all the native endemic forbs in California yet only 1% of the landmass. Craige Edgerton will talk not only about the show stopping wildflowers, but also the birds, animals, geology and human history of Coyote Ridge. Possible sightings are tule elk, coyote, both Golden and Bald eagles, Peregrine Falcon and the critter responsible for the preservation of Coyote Ridge, the federally threatened Bay checkerspot butterfly. This will be a 3 mile easy hike lasting about 4 hours with a lunch spot overlooking Coyote Valley, one of Green Foothills major initiatives since its inception.
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve Join nature guide Craige Edgerton and a small group of nature lovers at Stanford University’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, about five miles southwest of the main campus. The preserve encompasses remarkable geologic, topographic and biotic diversity within its 1,193 acres and provides a natural laboratory for researchers from all over the world, educational experiences to students and docent-led visitors and refuge to native plants and animals. This 4-hour hike will be a moderate walk through multiple plant communities, including oak woodland, wetland, broad-leaf evergreen, riparian, chaparral and serpentine.
Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve Join us for a moderate 3-mile hike at beautiful Edgewood County Park and Nature Preserve in Redwood City. During the hike, you’ll trek through the 467-acre protected area of native grasslands, oak woodlands, and chaparral habitats. Experience its unique biodiversity and spectacular views of Skyline Ridge, Huddart Park, the San Andreas Fault Zone, Crystal Springs Reservoir, and the San Francisco Bay.
Birding on the Bay Explore the San Francisco Bay, on an easy, flat, mostly paved Bay Trail and walk through salt marsh habitat with the guidance of a docent. It’s a great chance to see birds stop along the Pacific Flyway, so bring your binoculars and a spotting scope if you have them. We can explore a few different locations along the Bay including the Palo Alto Baylands, Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, or Shoreline Lake.
Meet Your Docents
Craige Edgerton started leading hikes in 1985 with the Santa Cruz Natural History Association. He is passionate about leading folks into nature and telling stories that are both educational and entertaining. Craig currently leads hikes and outings with the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, The Land Trust of Santa Clara Valley, and of course, Green Foothills. In addition, he volunteers with many other community organizations through his 39-year membership with the West San Jose Kiwanis Club, currently serving as President.