The Outdoor School Staff
Top Row: Bullfrog, Fox Feet, Coyote, Bluejay, Sage, Rain, Buzzard.
Bottom Row: Hojita, Kestrel, Fern, Leaf.
Education Director
Buzzard, Paul Grafton, is the Education Director at The Outdoor School. Buzzard, named after the local Turkey Vulture that roams the sky playing on the spiraling thermals and sniffing for tasty carrion (dead rotting animal meat), has worked at Outdoor School since 1999. Buzzy grew up on the beaches on Santa Monica , playing in the sea. The ocean was the first place he noticed the beauty of the natural world. Buzzy loves working out in nature, especially exploring it with a group of enthusiastic students. His favorite part of the natural world is the relationship between plants and butterflies. An old Native American belief is that butterflies themselves were flying flowers. His other favorite pastime is going out at night to look up into the stars -- looking for constellations, local planets, and shooting stars. Plus he likes listening for the hoots of owls and leaf crunching footsteps of our many nocturnal mammals like the fox, skunk, or bobcat. He has a degree in Biology from Humboldt State University where the big redwoods stand and the waves break with sharky influence from below.
Email Buzzard
Assistant Education Director
Kestrel, is the Assistant Education Director. During her time at The Outdoor School she has realized a few things. First, kids are hilarious – just consider all the variations of her name – Cholesterol, Casserole, Castor Oil! Second, she has discovered that Santa Barbara is warmer than her hometown of Minneapolis in January. And finally she has learned the importance of teaching kids about the natural world. Kids leave here with a respect for the world around them that can only be gained at an amazing place like The Outdoor School.
Naturalists
 Bullfrog is in his tenth year as a naturalist at The Outdoor School and his sixth career. Educated at the University of Idaho and the University of California with degrees in Forestry and in Systems Managements. He loves photography, NASCAR, hiking and working outdoors with kids. He also lives a second life at home in Santa Maria when The Outdoor School is not in session. |
 Blue Jay was reared in southern California but spent many years in Northern California. His education at Humboldt State and in the redwoods surrounding Arcata led him to become a naturalist. Blue Jay loves learning about the Chumash Indians. His other passions is birds – hence his name. Blue Jay can be often found standing still listening to the birds talking in the trees. |
 Rain grew up in one of the upstate New York counties where cows outnumber people 3-1. He worked as a naturalist in seven different states and earned a Masters in Environmental Education from Prescott College before signing on at The Outdoor School in 2003. Favorite activities at the Outdoor School include rock hopping and teaching the science of hot air balloons. On his off-hours, Rain indulges in the fine art of tree climbing and plays flute music on the Santa Barbara County open mic circuit. |
 Coyote was a Naturalist at The Outdoor School from 1999 until 2001, then left to direct an Outdoor Education program at Colgate University in New York. The siren song of the Santa Ynez Valley finally drew him back in the fall of 2006. He loves walking on East Ridge in the dark, eating Lizard’s food, and teaching children through a good natured but often devious trickery. If the other naturalists let him, Coyote would do the 9 mile ridge hike every Thursday. Free time usually finds him climbing or biking on West Camino Cielo, or making a pilgrimage to Joshua Tree to climb his tips raw. |
 Fox Feet grew up in the High Sierra town of Graeagle, California with a supportive community of family, friends, mule deer and Jeffery Pine trees. Thereafter, he trotted over to the University of California Santa Cruz and received a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy. Fox Feet's favorite time at school took place outside of the lecture halls with a small tracking class that focused on exploring and discovering the natural history of the redwood coast. Fox Feet spent a year as a naturalist at Foothill Horizons in the Sierras before joining the pack at Rancho Alegre. Fox Feet enjoys walking quietly through the woods, listening to bird language, keeping a field journal and hiking to the Outdoor School's waterfall. |
 Hojita (Spanish for “little leaf”) is thrilled to return to The Outdoor School as a full-time naturalist, after being an Intern in 2006. Since then, she has also worked at Point Reyes Summer Camp and Foothill Horizons Outdoor School. Hojita grew up in the Great Central Valley town of Modesto. Her love for nature grew from playing in her parents’ backyard garden, riding her bike along the creek and weekend trips to the mountains and coast. She earned her B.A. in Inter-disciplinary Studies from the Friends’ World Program at Long Island University while studying in six different countries. Through playful exploration, Hojita hopes to inspire wonder, responsibility and an appreciation for nature in her students that will affect their communities. |
 Sage lived his first 18 years hiking and running through hills and forests and along creeks, lakes, and the ocean in Marin County. He graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in Ecology, a love for the ocean, and an appreciation for the open space that he grew up with. Sage spent his next few years traveling the world to Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America, as well as the western half of the United States – all of which increased his appreciation for the dynamic natural world. He has spent the last few years studying and teaching Environmental Education. When Sage isn’t sharing the joys of nature at work, he’s doing so with his friends and family, gardening, tracking, surfing, cooking, or exploring indigenous instruments (especially the didgeridoo and Native American flute) and spiritual philosophies from around the world. He is glad to be living close to the ocean and even closer to the wilderness he calls home at Rancho Alegre. |
 Fern is originally from Michigan and received her B.S. from Michigan State University in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Resources. During summer breaks from Michigan State, she studied natural resources in Australia, volunteered in Costa Rica, and worked as a counselor and tennis instructor at summer camps in northern Michigan. Before joining The Outdoor School, Leah was the outreach and education intern at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in San Francisco, teaching local school groups about natural resources and leading volunteers in habitat restoration work in the parks. |
 Leaf grew up in Los Angeles, eagerly retreating to the beach or mountains on weekends where new discoveries were always waiting. Throughout college at UC San Diego, Leaf worked with children in the classroom setting both during and after school, and took kids on day hikes throughout San Diego on weekends. After graduation and months of traveling around the world and living another passion – learning about and from different cultures and ways of life – Leaf began on her path as a naturalist, studying and teaching environmental education. She has landed happily at Rancho Alegre, where she enjoys learning about the plants and animals that she gets to call neighbors, constantly being awed by new discoveries each week. |
 Aloe - I grew up in Santa Barbara, CA in the beautiful foothills. Since my early childhood, I spent much of my time in the outdoors, going on hikes, chasing butterflies, collecting rocks, stargazing, and exploring all that nature had to offer. In 2002 I moved to Santa Cruz and attended the UC, where I majored in Literature and minored in Theater Arts. I also spent much of my time in beautiful redwood forests and walking on the infinite beaches along the northern coastline. I recently moved back to Santa Barbara to do my first internship as a Naturalist at Rancho Allegre. I love the many sounds, smells, and colors of the natural world. I look forward to expanding my knowledge and being able to share it. |
 Wombat - Jessica is an Oregon native who recently traded in her rain jacket and galoshes to live in the sunny, beautiful state of California. She studied Psychology at Green Mountain State, and is now in pursuit of a degree in Adventure Education at Prescott College. Jessica has also worked at the Boojum Institute for Experiential Education, and at Outward Bound in Mazama, Washington. She enjoys identifying plants, climbing rocks, and hiking in this inspiring country. |
Kitchen Staff
Cabin leaders/ parent chaperones
- Reside in the cabins with the students
- Assist Naturalists during curriculum hikes, special activities, meals, and campfire
- Positive role model