Events & Outings
Accessible Nature Experiences
Child in the Wild
Free Event
Sunday, May 31, 12pm-4pm
Child in the Wild is a multicultural family celebration in nature to raise awareness of and participation in the creation of the future Santa Rosa Southeast Greenway park. Enjoy over a dozen booths with nature activities, a bounce house, face painting, hula hoops, and more! There are performances by the Sonoma County Pomo Dancers, Quercus Quire, Redwood Empire Chinese Association Lion and Dragon Dancers, Wu Academy Martial Arts, Grita Marimba! Ensemble, Grupo Folklóric Quetzalén, and Danza Xantotl. We hope to see you!
Performance Schedule
12:00pm Sonoma County Pomo Dancers
12:45pm Classroom Safari
1:15pm Quercus Quire
1:45pm Redwood Empire Chinese Association Lion & Dragon Dancers
2:15pm Wu Academy Martial Arts
2:30pm Grita Marimba! Ensemble
3:00pm Grupo Folkórico Quetzalén
3:30pm Danza Xantotl
presented by
thank you to our sponsors
Bancroft Foundation
Maria Cardamone & Paul Matthews
Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation
Saba Foundation
Thank you to our participating partners
Thank you to our food vendors
Mommy’s Yummys Mediterranean food
Aunty’s Frybread Indian tacos
Kona Ice shaved ice
Preformers
Sonoma County Pomo Dancers
The Sonoma County Pomo Dancers are a community-based group dedicated to sharing and preserving Pomo culture through traditional Native American dance. Based in Santa Rosa, they bring together youth and adult members to perform at cultural events, ceremonies, and community gatherings across Northern California. Through intergenerational teaching and public performances, the group supports cultural continuity, education, and the celebration of Indigenous heritage.
Grita Marimba! Ensemble
Luther Burbank’s marimba ensemble brings free, culturally grounded music education to 4-6th graders. Through weekly instruction on handcrafted Zimbabwean-style marimbas, students learn complex rhythms and melodies from Latin American and African traditions, developing musicianship, confidence, and community alongside their peers. Taught through traditional call-and-response instruction on four sizes of instruments—bass, baritone, tenor, and soprano—the program is offered at no cost to families, with instruments and materials provided. Founded in 2016, the countywide Play Marimba! program now serves over 1,500 students annually across 9 Sonoma County schools.
Redwood Empire Chinese Association (RECA) Dragon Dancers
The Redwood Empire Chinese Association (RECA) Dragon Dancers are a vibrant community group dedicated to preserving and sharing Chinese cultural traditions. Through dynamic dragon dance performances—often accompanied by music and other cultural arts—they bring energy and excitement to festivals, celebrations, and community events throughout Northern California.
Grupo Folklórico Quetzalén
Grupo Folklórico Quetzalén was founded in May of 2008. Currently under the direction of Victor Ferrer and Vanessa Carrillo, the group started as a senior project at the Sonoma Valley High School and later became the community’s first Mexican folk ensemble. The group’s mission is to educate, preserve and promote the splendor of Mexico’s traditional dance, music and costumes. Quetzalén’s commitment is making arts accessible for every child, teen, and young adult regardless of his or her financial circumstances to help provide a path for them to follow their passions through dance. Here, they will be presenting traditional dances from the Mexican states of Jalisco, Michoacán, and Sinaloa. If you want to know more about them please visit their website.
Wu Academy
Wu Academy is a professional Chinese martial arts school and wellness center specializing in Kung Fu, Tai Chi, and Qigong, offering year-round instruction for all ages and levels. The academy is active in both local and global communities, providing after-school programs, camps, workshops, competition training, and opportunities for students to travel to China for immersive experiences. With a focus on physical health, mental development, and stress relief, Wu Academy helps students build strength, discipline, and confidence through traditional martial arts practice.
Danza Xantotl
Danza Xantotl is a community-centered Aztec (Mexica) dance group dedicated to honoring Indigenous traditions through ceremonial dance, drumming, and cultural performance. Rooted in pre-Columbian Mexica practices, their work integrates movement, music, and ritual to honor ancestors, the natural world, and the elements while fostering spiritual and cultural connection. The group regularly performs at community events, cultural festivals, libraries, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrations throughout Sonoma County. Comprised of local students, educators, and community members, Danza Xantotl helps preserve and pass on Indigenous knowledge and traditions to future generations.
Quercus Quire
The Quercus Quire is a dedicated group of nature docents and other volunteers (including many former teachers), from the Bouverie Preserve of local non-profit organization All Hands Ecology (formerly Audubon Canyon Ranch). They love to engage and delight children with songs about science and nature. Typical songs include those about the food, water, and air cycles, the environment, and the various plants and animals that share our planet. To help keep the students engaged, all of their songs are interactive, and include singing parts for the audience, as well as hand movements and visual aids (such as informative, colorful posters; puppets; and vocabulary signs).
Classroom Safari
Classroom Safari offers engaging, hands-on educational experiences featuring live “animal ambassadors” that help audiences understand the natural world. Through interactive presentations, they share facts about each animal’s diet, predators, and unique adaptations for survival, bringing these programs to classrooms, parties, and community events to create a fun and memorable learning experience.
There is no charge for this event, which is made possible by the voters of Sonoma County who fund the work of Ag + Open Space with a quarter-cent sales tax.
Our Programming
Sonoma Land Trust’s Events & Outings connect people with our protected lands through hands-on learning, recreation, and exploration. Our goal is to share Sonoma County’s beauty, inspire future conservationists, and make nature accessible to all.
Outings made possible by people like you
There is no charge for this event, which is made possible by the voters of Sonoma County who fund the work of Ag + Open Space with a quarter-cent sales tax.
Our Programming
Sonoma Land Trust’s Events & Outings connect people with our protected lands through hands-on learning, recreation, and exploration. Our goal is to share Sonoma County’s beauty, inspire future conservationists, and make nature accessible to all.