Slide Ranch

Slide Ranch is located along the Marin coast, on land that has a rich history in connecting people to food. Slide Ranch is part of the territory of the indigenous Coast Miwok people who have traditionally fished and foraged for food at this site. In the late 19th century Portuguese dairy farmers purchased the land and produced milk and butter for residents of San Francisco. In 1969, 134 acres of magnificent coastline were rescued from commercial development and purchased by the Nature Conservancy. The Slide Ranch nonprofit organization was established the following year, becoming one of the first Park Partners in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Slide Ranch is a nonprofit educational farm and environmental preserve, where cultivated lands meet coastal wild lands. Located on the rugged coast just a thirty minute drive north of San Francisco, Slide Ranch is both isolated from and accessible to the urban Bay Area.

For over 40 years, Slide Ranch has been teaching children and families about the sources of food that nourish us and cultivating an environmental awareness of our planet's limited resources. We serve more than 8,000 visitors a year, with a special emphasis on low-income, urban populations who have limited opportunities for nature-based learning. Slide Ranch is committed to providing hands-on opportunities for learning about food, farming, and the environment to people who otherwise would not have the chance.

School and community youth groups from throughout the Bay Area come to Slide Ranch for day or overnight field trips. For many, this is their first encounter with the animals and gardens that are the source of foods they buy at the grocery store and for some, their first opportunity to explore wild ecosystems. More than half of these groups receive scholarships. Slide Ranch also runs a summer day camp, weekend family programs, and special events.

Through the Teacher-in-Residence program, each year Slide Ranch staff selects and trains seven emerging environmental educators through a 10.5 month residential, hands-on, diverse teaching internship that also includes experience with organic gardening, animal husbandry, sustainable building and facilities maintenance. Three additional teachers join for a shorter internship during the summer. In addition to teaching duties, all of these interns actively participate in running the farm.

Teachers-in-Residence customize each program to meet the learning needs of groups of all ages, ethnicities, and cultures. Programs serve preK through adult-aged visitors with the majority elementary school-aged children.

Every bite of food connects us to the soil, sun, water, and air, and to the people who work to feed us. Slide Ranch teaches respect and responsibility for sustaining these connections.