What's Happening People

How You Can Help

Placer Nature Center welcomes support, memberships and gifts of all kinds, no matter the size. Volunteer opportunities abound for citizens of all age groups. Membership entitles supporter to information on flora, fauna and special events. Gifts may be made in memory of or in honor of a loved one or friend. Gifts can be left for unrestricted Nature Center applications or designated for Native American programming, bat conservation, watershed education, for exhibit development, our bee hive, facility maintenance, Center operations and staff or any number of needs. Donation of stock, life insurance policies, charitable remainder trusts, gift annuities or a charitable bequest in a will or trust can all be accepted.
Placer Nature Center is a nonprofit agency exempt from income tax under Section 501© (3) of the IRS code.


Become a Member of Placer Nature Center

Our community benefits in many ways
when you become a member of Placer Nature Center:

  • High caliber environmental education opportunities for all students
  • Active citizenry committed to ecological stewardship and sustainability
  • Social and economic health for our community and beyond
  • Environmental services and resources disseminated to all age groups
  • Increased scientific literacy among students
  • Interconnectedness between human lives and the lives of all other living and non-living things
  • Experiential learning opportunities for all ages youth through seniors

Invest in Placer Nature Center to:

  • Make environment-based learning available to all students
  • Find your link with nature
  • Receive our newsletter filled with information on regional flora and fauna
  • Enjoy discounts in our Nature Shop and hikes on our nature trails
  • Attend a wide array of special classes, workshops and events
  • Benefit from a tax deductible gift to our non-profit corporation
  • Learn about a wonderful volunteer opportunities

Download the Membership Form


Giving Programs & Opportunities

Leave a Legacy
Placer Nature Center's Development Director, Leslie Warren, sits on the Steering Committee for "Leave a Legacy...Placer County". Leave a Legacy is a community-wide marketing effort with the goal to increase gift planning (deferred gifts) and charitable bequests by the general public. The program encourages people from all walks of life to make gifts from their estates to not-for-profit organizations like Placer Nature Center. By supporting Placer Nature Center Endowment through a legacy gift, you will ensure Placer nature Center's future while enjoying estate tax savings.

Why would anyone want to gift to a charitable organization like PNC?
Because planned gifts allow donors to increase income, save taxes, avoid the management burden of certain assets and leave portions of their wealth to causes they believe in and "make a difference", perhaps in perpetuity.

In the U.S., people over 60 years of age have accumulated as much as $16 trillion collective net worth. In 1997, only 18% of Americans with estates in excess of $600,000 left charitable gifts - 82% of the nations wealthiest individuals left nothing to charity. What a waste to think that all that wealth went to taxes when charitable giving does not break the budget and it often allows donors to realize substantial tax savings!

Deferred gifts qualify as charitable contributions and are deductible under income, gift and estate tax laws. In addition, deferred gifts of assets that have increased in value may offer the opportunity to reduce or eliminate capital gains tax. For some of us, tax benefits may be a significant incentive to making a deferred gift to PNC. Additionally, deferred gifts are the key to maintaining excellence and growth in our science and environmental education programs!

Placer Nature Center maintains an endowment account at Merrill Lynch. Donations of appreciated stock are quite simply accepted via computer transations. Gifts of property, cash or other donation may require assistance of your family attorney. Please check with your attorney or contact Placer Nature Center to discuss giving options and before finalizing any deferred gift.

Leave a Legacy to Placer Nature Center. Help ensure Placer Nature Center's future – support the Placer Nature Center Endowment. Contact Leslie to discuss your dotation
via phone at (530) 878-6053 or e-mail

Greeting Card Program
Community members looking for ways to greet friends and support Placer Nature Center need look no further! Placer Nature Center now offers a wide range of beautiful nature greeting cards some of which come with holiday inscriptions and some blank - and all for nature oriented citizens. The cards are available at stores throughout the area and at the Placer Nature Center. Our catalogue of nature cards includes native and exotic animals, Native American images and seasonal greetings.

The huge inventory of cards was donated to the Center by Vic Maris, a long time Nature Center supporter and former owner of Earthshine Cards Company. Proceeds from card sales support the Placer Nature Center in its mission to inspire stewardship of the earth through environmental education.

The cards are sold in lots of 12 for $9.00. They retail for $2.50-$3.50.

Schools, churches and individuals may buy the cards and resell them at fund raisers! For more information or to see samples, call us!


Volunteer Opportunities

Placer Nature Center offers a range of satisfying volunteer opportunities for community members of all ages. Take our Docent training and become a Docent! Lead school children through our Natural Science programs. Work in our garden. Help us with building maintenance or construction.

Or you might consider serving on our Board of Directors or one of our committees. These committees include:

  • Budget and Finance - Manages personnel, policy and budgetary matters

  • Programming and Education - Develops and monitors educational programs for schools and the community

  • Marketing and Fundraising - Coordinates special events and fund development programming

  • Membership Development - Promotes PNC, community outreach and fund development

Without the Docents, Scouts, Service Groups and citizens that give of their time so generously, PNC could not offer the range of programs that we do. Join the PNC team, make new friends and give to your community! There is an important job for you!

Placer Nature Center offers volunteer service opportunities for hundreds of area adults and children as Docents, maintenance helpers, writers and more. Contact Leslie by to discuss a donation of your time via phone (530) 878-6053 or e-mail to


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Placer Nature Center 2003-2006Last updated May 2006.
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