Our Programs
Children are the heart and soul of our future, and nurturing their connection with nature is essential for fostering a generation that values and protects the environment. At Las Piedras Environmental Education Center, we are dedicated to providing a transformative experience for young minds.
Our little ones first come in pre-school: pulling a carrot out of the family garden, making a rainbow colored salad and eating edible flowers; they learn about phytonutrients and how plants grow and feed us. They return throughout elementary school on field trips, becoming friends with our chapparal ecosystem. Learning how we breathe with our plant kin, how soil is made, how animals adapt to our long dry summers. And they slip into Las Piedras and feel the cool tunnels and shimmering colors of this magical classroom. They imagine being something small, a scarab beetle or a stink bug in the vast network of lives that live unseen and unnoticed in the city.
The Park
Named after Prof. Edmond Szekely, co-founder of Rancho La Puerta, Parque del Profesor is a 28-acre community oasis attracting 100,000 annual visitors. It’s a unique venue in Tecate, providing a natural environment for families to connect. The park features intimate classrooms and a plaza for events, plus a mile-long trail offering views of Mt. Kuchuma and an intact chaparral ecosystem. Workshops and programs inspire and educate in this beautiful setting. The park’s mission is to provide Tecate with a safe space that enhances community engagement through recreational, cultural, and health-promoting activities, improving quality of life for all.
Community
Watershed education • Citizen action • Advocacy and urban planning