UCI - Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center

06 Jul, 01 PM - 18 Jul, 01 PM

Due to the "stay at home" restrictions due to COVID-19 I have been at my home in Virginia since February which was the last time I was able to be in Borrego to execute my responsibilities on site as the Executive Director of the Borrego Village Association (BVA), a non-profit citizen stakeholder organization, working to create and sustain a thriving and attractive community, surrounded by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. As travel restrictions are easing I will be traveling to Borrego from July 6 - 18. In normal while in Borrego for 10 working days each month I rented a "casita" to stay in. Not knowing when I would be able to return to Borrego I gave up the rental agreement in March. I have not found a new place to rent. For this reason I am requesting the possibility to rent an efficiency room at the UCI Center for a total of 12 nights arriving July 6 departing July 18. Our work in Borrego with the BVA is consistent with the organizations represented by our Board Officers and Directors from Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza-Borrego Foundation, Borrego Art Institute, Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association, Bike Borrego and the Tub Canyon Desert Conservancy. For more information on the BVA, who we are and what we do please see BorregoVillageAssociation.org July is a critical time for us to finalize the certification process for the Borrego Springs High School Interpretation Course that we are implementing in partnership with the National Association for Interpretation. We are proud of the students and happy to report that the 14 juniors and seniors who took the course as a for credit course elective have achieved their Certified Interpretive Host credentials from NAI. As the school year was disrupted due to complications related to the pandemic we will be finalizing the students' certification requirements as NAI Certified Interpretive Guides when I am in Borrego in July. We thank the UCI Center support for your involvement by hosting a class field trip for the students last February. We greatly appreciate the UCI Center's on-going support helping us host workshops and education programs at the facility over the last three years. While in Borrego In July I will also be: • Planning with Borrego Springs High School for the Interpretation Course for the 2020-2021 school year • Present a request to the Borrego Water District at their July 14th meeting to help support the High School course for the coming school year • Coordinating with the Anza-Borrego Foundation on a collaborative strategy to expand outdoor education, environmental sciences and hospitality skills training at the middle and high school levels and community adult education. We will be meeting with the San Diego Foundation to support our grant request to the Opening Outdoors Grant Program to fund our collaborative activities, which include the elementary school level "Camp Borrego" program in 2020-2021 • Meeting with San Diego County Supervisors office on our funding request for a collaborative project with the Acorn Group to develop an Interpretation Plan that ties interpretation of the community of Borrego Springs (culture, history, nature, arts, architecture, etc.) with the ABDSP interpretation plan developed by Acorn to create a seamless interpretive narrative that can be shared with visitors to enhance their Borrego Experience. • Other activities include facilitating the BVA monthly Board of Directors meeting; participation as the BVA representative on the San Diego County Revitalization sub-committees on Marketing and Infrastructure; participating as the BVA representative with the Borrego Valley Stewardship Council.

Visit #67937 @UCI - Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center

Approved

Under Project # 36055 | Housing

Borrego Springs Non-Profits

other - University of California, Irvine

Reservation Members(s)

James Dion Jul 6 - 18, 2020 (13 days)

Reserve Resources(s) | Create Invoice

Efficiency Unit 1 Jul 6 - 18, 2020