Skip to content

Dangermond Preserve and Point Conception Institute

Public Access Programs

A man stands and speaks in front of a group of sitting students in a grassy meadow with ocean in the background.
Nature Bridge Educator at JLDP A Nature Bridge Educator talks to students about conservation at TNC’s Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve. © Jinsu Elhance

Public Access Programs

We offer enriching public programming on the Dangermond Preserve that welcomes all to experience this last-of-its-kind coastal wilderness. Through expert-led tours, volunteer days, local partnerships, and environmental education, we strive to connect people with nature, share TNC's vision for a protected wild coast, and inspire community-led conservation.

Person Visiting Dangermond A scenic landscape photo with lupin in focus in the foreground and clouds and foothills out of focus in the background. In the shrubs, you can see the silhouette of a person. © Chelsea Nielsen/TNC

Expert-led Tours

Visit and learn about the ecology of the Preserve, the value of conserving wild places, and our team’s wide-ranging initiatives. Tours are fun, family-friendly, and welcoming to all ages and abilities. We release dates every quarter on this page. Email l.butterwick@tnc.org with any questions or requests.

Tour Details And Sign Ups

Upcoming

  • 9am-1pm

    Join local birding experts, Guy Tingos and Rebecca Coulter, to view and learn about the diverse range of birds that call the Preserve home or a temporary home during their migrations. This opportunity is open to all ages and birding experience levels. Upon registering, you will receive additional details and expectations about the event.

    Sign Up Here

  • 9am - 1pm

    Join Naturalist Joel Robinson for an educational walk on the Dangermond Preserve. Learn about the plants and animals around you, stop to observe birds flying overhead or insects crawling across the path, and immerse your senses in the coastal sagebrush. You never know what exciting experiences will emerge during a Naturalist Walk! This opportunity is open to all ages and consists of walking a flat, 1-mile coastal trail with adjacent bluffs. Upon registering, you will receive additional details and expectations about the event. 

    Sign Up Here

Past

  • Join Naturalist Joel Robinson for an educational walk on the Dangermond Preserve. Learn about the plants and animals around you, stop to observe birds flying overhead or insects crawling across the path, and immerse your senses in the coastal sagebrush. You never know what exciting experiences will emerge during a Naturalist Walk! This opportunity is open to all ages and consists of walking a flat, 1-mile coastal trail with adjacent bluffs. Upon registering, you will receive additional details and expectations about the event. 

  • Join Naturalist Joel Robinson for an educational walk on the Dangermond Preserve. Learn about the plants and animals around you, stop to observe birds flying overhead or insects crawling across the path, and immerse your senses in the coastal sagebrush. You never know what exciting experiences will emerge during a Naturalist Walk! This opportunity is open to all ages and consists of walking a flat, 1-mile coastal trail with adjacent bluffs. Upon registering, you will receive additional details and expectations about the event. 

  • Join Restoration Manager and Marine Biology Buff, Laura Riege, for a walk along the beautiful Preserve bluffs to look for whales and other marine mammals. During their annual migrations, Gray whales, Humpback whales, Fin whales, and Blue whales like to rest around Point Conception to recharge and feed on the plentiful food sources. The Preserve bluffs are an ideal place to witness these magnificent beings in their natural habitat. While whales are usually abundant this time of year and easily seen from the bluffs, unfortunately, we cannot guarantee a whale sighting. The walk along the bluffs will be about 1 mile and is categorized as an easy hike with no elevation changes.  

Oregon Volunteer Naturalist A volunteer naturalist at Cascade Head Preserve. © Molly Dougherty/TNC

Volunteer Days

Do you feel a pull to California’s wild coast ecosystems? Are you passionate about restoring critical ecosystems and protecting biodiversity? Do you want to cultivate a deeper connection between people and nature? Are you looking for opportunities to get outside and get your hands into the earth? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, the Dangermond Preserve’s Wild Coast Steward program is calling your name. Become a Steward today!

Join Our Wild Coast Steward Community

We are building a community of Stewards that can help us care for and conserve the Preserve’s abundant biodiversity and cultural significance, and advocate for the preservation of California’s wild coast ecosystems.

Join Us!
Families engage in hands-on nature education on a nature preserve.
Local Partner Program Families engage in hands-on nature education during the Creative Connection with Nature Program at the Dangermond Preserve. Led in partnership with Explore Ecology and YMCA. © TNC

Local Partners

We are proud to partner with local organizations, Explore Ecology and the Lompoc YMCA, to offer a unique and approachable nature-based program at the Dangermond Preserve, the Creative Connection with Nature Program. This program is offered seasonally to YMCA campers, engaging kids in hands-on and creative outdoor activites that inspire a deeper interest and connection to the natural world. 

Students in the field Students out in nature at the Dangermond Preserve. © Jess Bolton/TNC

Environmental Education

Our environmental education program is cultivating the next generation of leaders to solve the world’s increasingly complex environmental challenges. We are partnering with the Lompoc School District and Kids in Nature to bring middle school and high school students to the Preserve for educational field trips. These field trips focus on the ecology and conservation at the Preserve.

Environmental Education Join Diego Ortiz, Environmental Education Program Manager at the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve. Walk along with students in the field and find out just how wild a classroom can be.
EE Students Hiking Uphill Environmental education program participants hike up Long Canyon Road. © Brea Jones/TNC

Higher Education trips

To promote science and conservation in higher education, we support field trips to the Dangermond Preserve. The Preserve’s diversity of habitats and conservation efforts creates a range of topics to highlight in course curriculum and enhance learning through experiential lessons. Faculty interested in bringing their class to the Preserve should check back soon for more information as this program continues to develop.

DP Wildlife Camera set up L-R: Sara Beery (CalTech-Google), Nathaniel Rindlaub (TNC), Jinsu Elhance (TNC) and Kelly Easterday (TNC) set up wireless live-streaming wildlife cameras at Dangermond. © Elizabeth Hiroyasu/TNC

Research

The Preserve is closely aligned with the Point Conception Institute to leverage science and technology in this rare stretch of Southern California, to better understand and conserve cultural and natural resources at the Preserve and throughout the world. Researchers interested in working or partnering with the Preserve can find more information on the Point Conception Institute page.

Coastal Access

The public can access the coast via Jalama Road, which passes through the middle of the Preserve, and visit the beach at the Jalama County Beach Park for surfing, fishing, beach walks, and camping.

During the acquisition of the property in 2017, The Nature Conservancy transferred 36 acres to the county park, doubling the size of the park and increasing coastal public access.

Point Conception Lighthouse

The Point Conception Lighthouse is owned by the U.S. military, and only authorized personnel are permitted—despite what you might see on hiking trail apps. We ask the public to please respect all posted signs and not trespass.