Star Throwers provides Nevada high school students educator-directed, hands-on, environmentally-focused, learning excursions along the northern California coastline.
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Backstory
Around the time that Loren Eiseley first published his seminal story The Star Thrower, my dad happened to be a graduate student at UC Davis. This afforded me the opportunity to accompany him to the Bodega Marine Laboratory and submerge my hands into Pacific Ocean tide pools as we collected sea urchins, sea anemones, and, yes, starfish. Those were magical moments that led to years of northern California coastal experiences, as well as my attendance at the first Earth Day celebration in the Bay Area.
My path to becoming a public school teacher included majoring in Conservation and Resource Studies at UC Berkeley, where I was the co-founder of a Sierra Club sponsored student group that focused on taking city kids into wilderness settings. My life path then took me to the Sierras and then to the high desert of Reno. Over the years, I took my own two boys on wondrous adventures to experience the myriad learning opportunities that only the San Francisco Bay Area coastal environment provides.
Now that my boys are grown, I still feel the itch to share the wonders of these previous journeys. Sure, there are plenty of YouTube videos and web sites that try to convey the experience of visiting, but the only way to truly understand is to make the trek and drop your hands directly into the cool coastal pools. My goal with Star Throwers is to provide educational experiences for students who may not get the chance otherwise, so that they in turn might seek to change the world by learning to value everything about it, including themselves. I also hope to trigger a kind of Grand Canyon moment in these students through the sheer power, grandeur, and beauty they encounter.
-Dave Papke
First Trip, Spring 2025
Exact dates and details are pending, but here’s what we’re planning: 4 days, 3 nights, 12 students, 6 teachers, in 3 vehicles. We’ll visit the Bodega Marine Laboratory, Point Reyes National Seashore, Mount Tamalpais State Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Exploratorium, Alcatraz Island, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Yes, it’s a lot! But it’s so worth the effort. The teachers are donating their time, so we just need funding for transportation, lodging, food, and tickets. If you can help, financially or otherwise, please visit our contact page or simply send us an email by clicking on the “Connect with Dave” link on our home page.