Park rangers at McClellan Ranch Preserve and Blackberry Farm hosted the Join-A-Ranger: Night Hike and Flashlight Tour on Friday, Jan. 24 to educate attendees about the flora and fauna found in Cupertino. Join-A-Ranger Night is a guided program led by the Stevens Creek Corridor Rangers, who host frequent guided tours around the Preserve that are available for children, teenagers and adults to participate in.
The hike began with Ranger Austin’s explanation of the different animals and shrubbery present in the Preserve, and continued with an immersive tour of the wildlife and fun facts about the nocturnal animals and glowing insects present that dotted the trails of the Hike. Park Ranger Nia Francis, who currently studies environmental science, joined the Preserve two months ago. This was Francis’ first time on the Night Hike, as she shadowed Ranger Austin as he led the hike.
“Kids learning about their local ecosystem is exactly what I think we need to be doing in order to save the environment,” Francis said. “It is a scary time, as far as the climate and environment goes, so teaching kids at a young age to appreciate what’s around them is so important.”
Sharing Francis’ passion for preserving the environment are Cupertino High School students Clarabelle Wang and Maple Fan, who have worked at Blackberry Farm in the past. They attended the event as a way to learn more about the environment that surrounds their area.
“Conventional media really portrays the environment really badly and it detaches us from the environmental movement,” Wang said. “So events like this really connect us back to Mother Nature.”
