The estuary and the green valley tucked away beside it are teeming with birds, deer, seals, giant ferns, towering trees—and sixth graders.

Every year, Pacific Union College’s Albion Field Station, on the stunning Mendocino coast, offers its Science Camp outdoor education program. And every week it is filled to capacity with young students eager to take in the wealth of adventures and knowledge offered at the station.

“Albion is such an ideal setting and has been a real hit with our students,” says Rudy Melashenko, sixth-grade teacher at Paradise Adventist Academy. “After 31 years of teaching, it’s been one of those rejuvenating activities that makes learning exciting and fun.”

These youngsters are the most common guests during the spring, but weekends and summers bring a stream of other people enjoying the sea air and rustic cabins. The station gets a thorough workout from art classes, PUC clubs, weddings and scores of other groups. There are even prison ministries volunteers who bring children with one or more parents in prison to Albion for a weekend of learning more about nature and the Creator.

With its wealth of flora and fauna, Albion serves as a valuable base for the biological experiments and experiences of many groups, including PUC biology students, groups of mycologists (people who study mushrooms), and a UC Davis rainbow trout study. The field station is also currently sponsoring a wood duck restoration project.

The experiences available at Albion, from the thrill of sea spray and whales’ tales to the absorbing beauty of the ultimate Artist’s work, make it an amazing place of peace and discovery.

“I’ve seen kids in tears at the end of the week because they’ve discovered things about God, themselves, and their friends that they never realized before,” says Monte Fisher, fifth- and sixth-grade teacher at Pacific Union College Elementary. “Many have told me that it was the best time they’ve had in their lives.”

Upcoming Albion events (open to the public) include whale watching in March and bird watching in May. For more information, go to www.puc.edu/albion or call 707-937-5440.