About the Center

CEI mobilizes students, faculty and communities to work together on North Bay environmental challenges. Our mission is two-fold:  

1. To give SSU students across all disciplines the knowledge, skills and experience to take on complex environmental challenges
2. To mobilize the resources of a 4-year university to help communities identify, study, and implement solutions to environmental challenges

CEI's mission serves a central role in supporting Sonoma State's core values (diversity and social justice, sustainability and environmental inquiry, connectivity and community engagement, and adaptability and responsiveness) and academic identity (preparing students of all backgrounds for meaningful and impactful careers by emphasizing learning experiences addressing the challenges of our time and enriched by our unique location in Sonoma County).

How We Work

CEI manages SSU preserves and gardens as outdoor classrooms and laboratories and creates programs that enhance connections to nature, build environmental skills, and help people find solutions to environmental challenges. Because environmental challenges are intimately tied to social and economic activities, CEI engages people across all disciplines and sectors of society.

CEI programs are made possible by partnering with faculty and organizations, agencies and businesses. Diversity and inclusivity are central to how we work.  It is only through open and inclusive conversation among people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and disciplines that innovative ideas and practical solutions can be developed. CEI actively recruits participation from marginalized groups, helps people discover how their skills and interests are integral to advancing environmental initiatives, and creates neutral spaces for discourse and collaboration. 

SSU Preserves and Gardens

CEI administers 4,160 acres of SSU lands (Galbreath Wildlands Preserve, Fairfield Osborn Preserve, Los Guilicos Preserve and Stocking Native Plant Garden) for the purposes of enhancing environmental education, research, and creative inquiry. Preserves and gardens are open to anyone interested in engaging in these activities (see Visit a Preserve), either through independent activity or through CEI programs.  

Land stewardship focuses on enhancing native biodiversity and increasing ecosystem resilience. Projects include control of invasive species, habitat improvement for special status species, carbon sequestration, and risk reduction of catastrophic disturbance, such as firestorms or disease. All projects are integrated with education and research programs to engage students, faculty and community members.  Land management activities are made possible through grants, donations and volunteer support.  

Facilities, such as CEI's learning centers, outdoor gathering areas, and environmental sensor networks, are the foundation for research and education support. CEI is devoted to providing safe, accessible, low-impact facilities that enhance connection to nature, communication, skill-building and inquiry.     

CEI Programs

CEI secures external funding to create programs that enhance connections to nature, build environmental skills, and give participants experience working collaboratively on local environmental challenges. Critical to the success of CEI programs are partnerships with local organizations, agencies, and businesses and faculty who work collaboratively with CEI to identify emerging environmental challenges, engage students in studying these issues, and design pilot implementation projects. 

CEI Programs engage students at all stages of their academic careers and are open to the public where feasible:  

• Student Recruitment: CEI actively participates in SSU student recruitment by providing information, tours and activities to prospective students and their families at SSU events. The K-12 environmental education program (Osborn Tours) establishes rapport between undergraduates and elementary school students, encouraging over 1,000 young learners each year to consider a college degree.
• Curriculum Support: CEI sponsors faculty to engage students in environmental projects as part of existing course work (Eco Edge, CEI Grants) and to teach courses that would otherwise not be available (WATERS Collaborative). Through The Virtual Field program, CEI makes learning modules available to faculty across all disciplines interested in enhancing environmental observation, communication and critical thinking skills.
• Leadership Trainings: With CEI's in-depth trainings, students and community members learn environmental skills and then practice applying these skills working within the community on local projects. 
• Faculty & Student Inquiry: CEI engages students in environmental research and creative inquiry through independent projects (CEI Grants), service-learning projects tied to management and operations of SSU preserves (Earth Inquiry), and community-engaged research (Education into Action). 
• Student Life / Community Outreach: CEI’s multidisciplinary series Dig into Nature connects students and community members to local environmental challenges. Over 40 events each year get students connected to local landscapes, teach them new skills, and provide information on how to get involved in regional issues. Events are led by guest experts including SSU faculty and students. All events are additionally open to community members. Sustainability Pledge
• Student Financial Support: The Santa Rosa Garden Club Horticultural Scholarship is offered annually to students in any discipline interested in incorporating horticulture into their professional career.   
• Green Jobs: CEI gives students professional experience through paid internships and staff positions. Additional information and training is provided for graduates interested in transitioning into green careers. (see Jobs and Masters in Forestry).

CEI History

CEI began as a series of property donations and state surplus land transfers. Between 1960 and 2010, three preserves were transferred to SSU/CSU Board of Trustees ownership: the 40-acre Los Guilicos Preserve was transferred to SSU as surplus state property in the mid-1960s; the 450-acre Fairfield Osborn Preserve was donated by The Nature Conservancy and Roth Family between 1997 and 2010; and the 3,640-acre Galbreath Wildlands Preserve in by the Fred Galbreath Living Trust in 2006.  These properties were managed by the School of Science and Technology, primarily with support from the Biology Department. In 2007, SSU hired the first full-time director to manage all three preserves. The new director worked with faculty and community partners to re-imagine the role of the preserves as central to an SSU academic career across all disciplines. Since that time, CEI has founded a series of programs dedicated to fulfilling SSU's strategic plan goals and academic identity, including Education into Action and Dig into Nature. As a campus-wide resource, CEI is administered through Academic Affairs, Division of Academic Resources.  

Current CEI Levels of Engagement (see Annual Reports for Details)

• 1,200 Students
• 300 Faculty
• 70 Departments
• 400 Organizations
• 3,400 Community Members (including 1,300 K-12)