NatureTrack

Summer is often a slower season for NatureTrack, the nonprofit organization which was founded with the goal of creating opportunities for people of all ages to foster a lifelong fascination with nature. That’s because the main thrust of NatureTrack’s day-to-day activities is providing K-12 students with outdoor field trips in Santa Barbara County. NatureTrack takes the youngsters – many of whom have never previously been exposed to a true natural environment – to beaches, trails, and open spaces where they interact with their surroundings and learn from docents. These programs are specifically coordinated with their classroom teachers to emphasize, and align with, what students are currently studying in class.

Founded in 2011, NatureTrack has served more than 50,000 K–12 students through the cost-free, curriculum-aligned outdoor field trips.

Of course, school isn’t in session in the summer, so that activity slows down. But now the nonprofit has expanded with an experimental, free, and family-friendly movie screening series at a local state beach. This new program came about through the request of a park ranger who had assisted on previous NatureTrack field trips. It’s an adjunct to the annual NatureTrack Film Festival that takes place in October.

“We show films that are from the archives of the festival; wonderful outdoor adventure, environmental films, all of which falls under the mission of connecting people to the natural world,” explained Sue Eisaguirre, NatureTrack’s founder and Executive Director. “We pull from the award winners and audience favorites over the years.” 

This year the screenings will take place over six Saturday evenings at Refugio Beach on a grassy area by the Education Center. Campers, local residents, and visitors alike are all welcome, and everyone is encouraged to bring blankets and low-back chairs to enjoy the screenings. Not only is admission free as long as you mention the screening at the kiosk when you arrive, but the Education Center will also be open an hour before the screenings start at 7 pm for visitors to enjoy. 

“We didn’t really promote it last year at all, so some nights were rather sparse, but there was one where we had 180 people there,” Eisaguirre said. “It was pretty crazy, but it’s such a nice evening event to watch these films outside under the stars by the beach.”

This summer’s screenings, which take place on June 28, July 19 & 26, August 16 & 30, and September 13, include Two Point Four, featuring an unusual family vacation where the foursome climb Norway’s national mountain, Stetind, by scaling its 2000 foot high vertical face. The kids at the time of filming were 9 and 5 years old. 8000+ chronicles filmmaker Antoine Girard, who is a paraglider, rock climber and high-altitude mountaineer, over a month in Pakistan, where he flew a remote, challenging and groundbreaking 1,250-kilometer solo route through the Karakoram mountain range, reaching 8,157 meters of altitude to view the broad peak from above – setting a world record in the process. By Hand tells the story of Pismo Beach twins Casey and Ryan Higginbotham who travelled 2,200 miles from Alaska to Mexico on custom-built, 18-foot paddle boards carrying nothing more than two bags of gear and a camera, sans paddles, or a support boat. 

NatureTrack will also have one of its special wheelchair devices called Freedom Trax, which adapts manual wheelchairs into battery-powered all-terrain vehicles, enabling users to explore beaches, trails and open spaces across California – places previously difficult to access for wheelchair using adventurers. The organization has sponsored well over 400 Trax-assisted outings over the years, opening new horizons for veterans, seniors, students, and families with disabilities within and beyond Santa Barbara County. 

“People really need to see Freedom Trax in person to understand them and realize that it’s just a small unit that creates this accessibility,” Eisaguirre said. “People realize how easy it is to use and that they can borrow one from us for free.” 

The summer film series also serves as a promo for the main festival, which this year serves as a centerpiece of NatureTrack’s 15th anniversary celebration in October. It’s a shorter festival this year, but the movies will also return to a later screening in Los Olivos (where the festival was founded) and then hit the road in a tour akin to BANFF or the Mountain Film Festival. 

Meanwhile, just last month, NatureTrack Foundation was named the 2025 Organization of the Year by the Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education (AEOE) in recognition of its outstanding work in environmental education and expanding equitable access to nature for all. 

AEOE Executive Director Estrella Risinger, who presented the award, commended NatureTrack for its leadership in making nature more inclusive. “NatureTrack is a model of how environmental education can be both meaningful and accessible,” she said Risinger. “Their programs demonstrate the transformative power of connecting with nature – no matter your background or ability.”

Eisaguirre said that the recognition was incredibly affirming, noting, “Being acknowledged by our peers for advancing access and inclusion in environmental education is both humbling and inspiring.”

For NatureTrack, the annual statewide conference wasn’t merely about accepting accolades – it was also a chance for four of its folks, including Program Director Abby Pickens and two volunteer docents, to mingle with more than 200 outdoor and environmental education professionals from across the state for hands-on workshops, peer learning, and community building under the theme “Rooted in Resilience: Cultivating Connection Through Outdoor Learning.”

“The programming, the conferences, the classes that they put on were just terrific,” Eisaguirre said. “There was a good vibe with all the people, they’re very focused on the environment but don’t want to give in to doom and gloom. You want to lift people up and make sure that they appreciate and respect the environment.”

Which of course is NatureTrack’s mission, one that gears back up in earnest by the end of August, as registrations open on September 2nd for the 2025-2026 school field trips season. 

“We sell all of those out within a matter of days,” Eisaguirre said. “We end up every year with a long waiting list. With more financial support, and more volunteers, we could get all the kids out into nature.”  

Visit https://naturetrack.org