In May 2026, 15 students will spend 10 days exploring the rich natural and cultural history of California while living at the Santa Rosa Island Research Station (SRIRS), located within Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Geology, ecology, history, botany, marine biology, land management, stewardship, and more.

Experience the rich rewards and challenges of living at a remote field station and conducting your coursework “in situ.” Content will be presented outdoors and will prioritize hands-on, inquiry-driven, team-based activities. After two days of orientation and preparation at CSUCI’s mainland campus, students will travel to the Islands for 7 nights at the SRIRS.

Students enroll in “Natural History and Resource Management of the California Channel Islands” (ESRM/ANTH 365; 3 units). This upper division elective course is cross-listed in CSUCI’s departments of Anthropology and Environmental Science & Resource Management. [N.B., Pre-requisites will not be enforced.]

Course Learning Outcomes

Participating students will:

• Be able to identify and describe key fauna, flora, and ecological complexity of the California Channel Islands.

• Understand how geology, geography, climatology, and human history shape the distribution and abundance of organisms.

• Develop a comprehensive, place-based knowledge of evolving natural and human landscapes across the California Channel Islands that is transferable to mainland systems and processes.

• Have a really awesome adventure!

"This program made me smarter, stronger, happier, and more grounded.” – Natalie, 2025

ALL NON-TUITION COURSE EXPENSES ARE COVERED thanks to a generous grant from the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation. Students pay $0 for room, board, island-travel, and materials (but must provide their own personal gear, like hiking boots). Students are responsible for tuition only: 3 units ~ $1095 ($365/unit in 2025; set by CSUCI's Open University Fee Schedule).

HOW THIS COURSE WORKS

This course will provide a broad overview of the history, ecosystems, and management of the Channel Islands and in so doing will explore systems, processes, and histories that have significant relevance to mainland California and to social-ecological challenges we presently face. Our lessons will be taught in situ: our classroom will be the islands themselves, our materials the tangible stories of Channel Islands National Park and National Marine Sanctuary. For reference, each student will receive a comprehensive reader, but this is not a course about memorizing stuff and there is no textbook. This is a course about improving your ability to understand and engage with the Place you are in, and we will be on Santa Rosa Island! Days will start early and run long, and consist of hikes, fieldwork, forests, tidepools, discussions, meals, and the occasional lecture.

“You don’t need to be a scientist or a STEM major to belong here, you just need to be eager to learn.” – McKai, 2025

LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITY

Besides the islands themselves, the highlight of this course will be the community we build together, both through learning AND through living at the Santa Rosa Island Research Station. We will be 16 people inhabiting a rustic bunkhouse on a remote island: we will cook together, we will clean together, we will work together, we will relax together, and we will learn together. If anyone needs some "me time," we will respect that, but we will all commit to respecting each other and to the common endeavor of working together to make the course a success.

“We built a community of learners with similar interests that will last a long time.” – Dustin, 2025

TO SUCCEED IN THIS EXPERIENCE

• Participate Fully by committing to the experience: show up, pitch in, help out, ask questions, volunteer, seek help, be involved.

• Engage With Your Whole Self by giving your complete attention: Watch. Listen. Smell. Breathe. Try things. Share. Contribute. Support each other.

• Be Prepared by reviewing materials in advance, asking questions, breaking in your hiking boots, and getting excited.

"Be prepared and willing to be changed after the experience (and trust that it’s in the best way possible)!” – Maddy, 2025

TEACHING TEAM

INFORMATION & TIMELINE

Application

Admission to the program is by application only; students enrolled at the college or university level are eligible. The application consists of a short questionnaire and submission of a personal statement, résumé, and names of several references. Applications will be reviewed by the teaching team, SRIRS staff, and other faculty. Successful applicants will be notified and have a brief window to accept their offer and confirm their spot by paying the course tuition.

Overview

Students must arrive at the CSUCI campus in Camarillo, CA to check in between 1-3pm on/around May 25 (exact dates TBA); we will spend ~2 nights on campus and then travel together by ferry to the SRIRS in Channel Islands National Park, where we'll spend ~7 nights; the program will end at approximately 6pm June 3 when we return to the mainland. Students will have limited connectivity while at the SRIRS. Students should be prepared to hike from 2-14 miles per day carrying water, notebooks, binoculars, and clothing layers. We are not camping: the SRIRS has indoor bunks (2-6 per room), running water, flush toilets, electricity, and a great kitchen.

Expenses

Tuition & Fees are set by Open University and will total approximately $365 per unit (2025 rate; 3 units = $1095 total; exact tuition depends on student's home campus). All non-tuition-related course expenses (including housing, meals, materials, parking, and island-transportation) are included at zero cost to students. Students will be required to provide their own personal gear.

Personal Gear Pack List

Students will need to bring, ideally in a medium sized duffel: a sleeping bag (or sheet/blankets), clothes for 3-4 days outside, including layers for varied conditions, plus PJs (laundry can be done the old-fashioned way), a watch and flashlight, and personal hygiene items. In a daypack: 3L worth of water bottles, a notebook and pencil, hat, bandana, sunscreen, chapstick. The complete packing list is available from SRIRS. NO DRUGS, ALCOHOL, OR WEAPONS ARE ALLOWED.

Program Timeline (to be finalized)

• Jan 1 Application Window Opens

• Mar 8 Application Window Closes

• Apr 1 Application Decisions Announced (15 acceptances and 10 waitlisted)

• Apr 14 Commitment Deadline (for accepted students)

• Apr 28 Tuition Payment Deadline

• May 8 Waitlist Notification

• May 25 1-4pm Arrival and Check In at CSUCI

• May 27 8AM Depart mainland for SRI

• Jun 3 6PM Return from SRI, program ends.

HOW TO GET THE SUPPORT YOU NEED

Ask me! My goal is to make sure you have what you need to succeed in this course. Before we leave for SRI, you can reach me at:

dan (dot) reineman (at) csuci (dot) edu

After we get to SRI, you can knock on my door, chat on a hike, or find me at the beach.