Things to do in Sacramento CA

I have lived in Sacramento, CA for nearly twenty years and it was not until last year that I discovered the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Ancil Hoffman Park. This wonderful retreat, within the city, for city weary people is a great place to take the kids for a day of fun and exploartion. It is located just off Fair Oaks Blvd at 2850 San Lorenzo Way, Carmichael, CA. Their phone number is 916-489-4918, extension 229. The center is open daily every day except major holidays and it is free to enter the nature center and the preserve. There is a fee to enter the park that depends on the size of your vehicle.

As one arrives at the center and begins the short trek from the parking lot to the center, one has the opportunity to explore a small Native American village replication, that includes a grinding rock. There is also a small pond at the entrance that shows the diverse life abundant in California's fresh water streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes. The center is surrounded by trees that provide ample shade from the hot northern California sun. Under many of these trees are picnic tables that provide the chance for a nice outing in a shady spot.

Like most tourist/educational centers the visitor is greeted with the gift shop upon entrance to the center's main building. This gift shop is small and well run with educational as well as entertaining gifts relating to nature and the preserve. The center, though is much more than a place to spend money. They maintain several animals in the center that have been injured and are unable to return to the wild. Among these are an owl and a possum, that children just fall in love with.

Further back in the center is a museum type room with educational displays on the diverse creatures and habitats found throughout California. The interactive displays show visitors what a large mouth bass can eat versus what a frog can eat. There is also a condor nest in a tower located in a corner of the room that is easily accessed by stairs. Once in the nest visitors can listen to the mother condor tell her young ones how to live in and survive in the wild. At the base of the nest is a place where people can put on condor wings and experience the actual wingspan of an adult condor.

Out the back door of the center is a wooden observation deck that has a map showing the American River Parkway and trails through Sacramento to Folosom, CA. Immediately off the deck, the trails through the nature preserve begin.

The trails are well marked and easily distinguishable from the animal trails through the preserve. It is important to remain on the human trails and to avoid venturing into sensitive areas inhabited by the animals of the preserve. It seems that all the trails eventually lead to the banks of the American River as it slowly meanders its way through the Sacramento Area.

On our first trip to the center we were fortunate enough to encounter deer on the trails surrounding the center. Unfortuantely I had forgotten my camera that day and missed some opportunities for some wonderful shots. I learned my lesson though and brought my equipment on our second trip.

On our second trip to the center, while we saw no deer, we were fortunate enough to have an encounter with a red-tailed and a red-shouldered hawk. The hawks had been taken outside by center staff for some fresh air. Both animals had been injured and would spend their lives in captivity. While it was initially sad to gaze upon these majestic birds of prey tethered to the arms of their handlers when the possibilities of their existence in the wild are examined the impression of sadness turns to one of gratitude and relief. Gratitude to those who dedicate their lives to helping these beautiful animals and relief that the animals will not meet with a horrible fate that ends in starvation from the inability to hunt.

It seems that this second trip to the center was to be an avian experience for the family as all the animals we encountered were birds, save for two lizards. We first were able to observe several red-headed woodpeckers working diligently to create holes in a tree. My children were fascinated by the sound these birds made as their beaks worked tirelessly against the hardwood of the trees.

A little further down the aptly named Observation Trail, brought an encounter with a herd of turkeys. This herd was small and only numbered around ten birds, but it was still fascinating to observe these animals interacting with their natural habitat. My children were amazed at how the turkeys moved throughout the area and seemed to have guards on the look out as others ate.

That was the end of our animal encounters until we reached the river banks. There we were fortunate enough to observe a mother duck and her ducklings swimming in the shallows. It was fascinating to observe the ducklings as they swam around their mother and took turns diving for food in the shallow water. It also provided me with an opportunity to point out to my children that even baby ducks stay close to their mothers and listen to her as she guides them through life.

On the hike back to the center we encountered what appeared to be the same herd of turkeys in a different area of the preserve. These turkeys provided me with the opportunity to reflect on how fast these birds were able to move across the ground in their search for sustenance.

I encourage anyone, with or without children, to visit the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Ancil Hoffman Park. It offers a welcome break from the everyday rat race that is modern city life and gives one the opportunity to reflect on their place in the world. For the educators in the audience, remember the center for your next field trip. Your class will leave with a greater respect for the natural world we all so dearly appreciate. This inexpensive activity, available on a daily basis, is a great way to introduce children to the importance of nature preservation. It also serves as a reminder to adults about our obligation to ensure areas like this are well managed and relatively undisturbed for our future generations to appreciate and enjoy.