P ROGRAM R EVIEW F OR C ENTERS AND I NSTITUTES
Center/Institute: Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary
Director/Administrator : Karon Cornell
College/Academic unit : Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Contact Information: 2932 Modjeska Canyon Rd., Modjeska, CA 92676
714 649-2760 http://nsm.fullerton.edut/tucker/
Date: April 8, 2009
Name of primary authors if different
From Director/Administrator:
Self-Study
1. Mission
The primary mission of Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS) is to support science and environmental education. TWS promotes collaborative and exchanges with other educational institutions at various levels. It provides tours and class activities for CSUF students, 9 community colleges and K-12 students throughout out the area. In addition TWS supports faculty research and grant activity and has partnered with faculty on several successful grant applications.
2. Goals and Activities
The main goal of TWS for the last three years has been to add educational and research value to the facility and raise visibility in the community. To support its value as a research center TWS is building base-line databases for bird counts and plant recovery and a water quality database for future research projects. Last year TWS provided field experience for more than 2,000 students from CSUF and 9 community colleges. The Natural Science Center has been upgraded with new displays, a new children’s activity center, an upgraded gift shop, interactive computer games for children and other hands-on activities. An improvement in marketing has resulted in more tours especially from the K-12 sector which has boosted revenues.
3. Resources and Sustainability

TWS is owned by the CSUF Auxiliary Corporation but receives no funding from them. It is operated by the college of Natural Sciences and Mathematics – the college provides the Director and Site Manager’s salaries and support funding for operations and personnel. All other funding comes from tours, donations, memberships, sales and grants. Staff includes a part-time Director, a full-time Site Manager and 6 part-time employees. TWS is operating in the black and has established an account of approximately 50K with the CSUF Philanthropic Foundation. TWS is located on 12 acres in Modjeska Canyon, approximately 24 miles form the CSUF campus.
4.
Organizational Structure and Governance
As stated above TWS is owned by CSUF Auxiliary Services Corporation and is operated by the
College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The Director reports to the Dean. There is an
Advisory Board composed of representatives from CSUF, the Modjeska/Silverado Canyon area and at-large community members. The Advisory Board meets 3-4 times a year with subcommittees meeting on an as-needs basis. The Advisory Board provides input in planning, issue resolution and resource development.
5. Highlights and Accomplishments
TWS cites its growth as an educational facility and financial stability as its major accomplishment since the Santiago Canyon Fire of 2007. Since that time an amphitheater/outdoor classroom has been completed with support from the Izaak Walton
Conservation League, Office of Vice President of Administration and Finance and the College of
Natural Sciences and Mathematics. TWS has received several grants since 2007 including from
Disney, Southern California Water Restoration Project and the Orange County Community
Foundation. The Site-Manager was awarded the Titan Excellence Award and was late awarded campus-wide Staff Excellence Award. More than a thousand volunteers have helped in the post fire re-development including Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and CSUF Student Service Center. And last year TWS was named “The Best Bird-Watching Spot” in Orange County by the Orange
Coast Magazine.
6. Planning and Strategic Outlook
A strategic plan derived from the leadership team, NSM and the Advisory Board includes the following goals for the next three years – formalize the K-12 tours to align with the new
California Environmental Initiative, add hands on activities, 4-6 grade summer camp, 9-12 grade lab experiences, teacher workshop series and guest lecture series.
7.
Viability
The self-study indicates that TWS is a viable entity and views its outlook as very positive.
8 . Appendices
Financial Statements

Summary and Recommendation(s)
Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS) is dedicated to promoting environmental education. It is located on 12 acres of land in Modjeska Canyon approximately 24 miles from CSUF campus. Though owned by the CSUF Auxiliary Services
Corporation it is operated by the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics where it receives most of its operating funding. Other funds are derived from tours, donations, memberships, sales and an increasingly grant procurement effort.
There is a part-time director and full-time site manager and six part-time employees. TWS has made excellent progress in achieving financial stability and growth as an educational facility, this despite the devastating Santiago Canyon Fire of 2007. An Advisory Board assists in planning and the development of resources for the center. The Site Manager was awarded the Titan Excellence Award last year and the campus-wide Staff Excellence Award. Last September an
Amphitheater/Outdoor Classroom was completed and dedicated. Last year TWS provided field experience for more than 2,000 CSUF students and students from 9 community colleges. TWS was named “The Best Bird-Watching Spot” in Orange
County by Orange County Magazine. The self-study concludes and the evidence supports the perspective that “the future looks more promising than ever and the unique facility is a more valuable CSUF asset every day”.
Reviewed by the Council of Deans
May 5, 2010
Action taken: Continuation
Gerald W. Patton
Director of Assessment and Educational Effectiveness