The Ventana Wildlife Society is collaborating with the Andrew Molera State Park in Big Sur to create an educational outdoor recreation space. The non-profit is aiming to build a space for local families who aren’t able to access the Central Coast’s outdoor recreation opportunities because of transportation or economic barriers.
The goal is to open the area, called S’MORE, in the Fall of 2023. “S'MORE is a fun acronym for the space for Meaningful outdoor recreation and education,” said Kelly Sorenson, the Executive Director of the Central Coast-based Ventana Wildlife Society. The non-profit is known for their conservation work around California condors, but they also do outdoor education for local communities.
Sorenson says Ventana is creating S'MORE by teaming up with Andrew Molera State Park to create a meaningful, educational experience for underserved families in the local community. “We feel like that's more of a right, rather than a privilege, and we want to try to make access to the outdoors equal to everyone,” said Sorenson.
In the past, Ventana has invited migrant farmworkers and their families to a summertime youth camp in East Salinas. They reserved a temporary space at a local park for the families to go hiking, learn about nature, see animals they’ve never seen before, and learn about what is happening to the endangered California condors. He says this is how he envisions S’MORE.
“We've always wanted to have a place like this where we could have access year-round, and so it's primarily dedicated for the use of underserved youth and families,” said Sorenson.
Sorenson says he is excited to have a space for families to camp and learn through creative activities. His hope is to create a culture for the next generation, so they want to come back and protect the land. “We want to think long-term. We've got to think about who’s going to be looking after this place when we’re gone,” said Sorenson.
Andrew Molera State Park has already approved Ventana's plans. Sorenson says the next step is to finish the drawings, get permission from local agencies, and raise the funds to support their plans. They have already raised over 29,000 dollars in cash and pledges, but the entire projected cost is $350,000 over the next year and a half.
