Here is a story of a visit to the A Rocha Canada Center by another blogger:

http://mattbusby.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/a-rocha/

Reflections on a visit to the A Rocha field study centre near Vancouver, B.C.

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We have been staying on the site of A Rocha Canada in Surrey, B.C. It has been great to see a solid conservation center in action. The center is ten acres and holds a small farm, including a few cows, chickens, and a vegetable garden that helps feed the staff that lives and/or eats on site. A wide variety of expertise comprises the staff - scientists conducting research, educators, administrative staff, community outreach coordinator, volunteers, a cook, graphic designer, media specialist, gardeners (small time farming really) and a few fundraising staff. All is all there is about 20+ staff and additional volunteers make up the team.

It has been encouraging to see how well developed their projects have become and how well this crew works together.

The national director oversees all activities and makes sure that each one of the areas listed below are working in concert in addition to raising funds and working on organizational growth. A site manager, a husband and wife team, live on site and ensure that the facility and the staff that live on-site are functioning in concert and living in a thoughtful and intentional community. An educational coordinator and his staff ensure that visiting school groups, summer camps, and other educational outreach opportunities are meeting needs and functioning to their potential. A community outreach coordinator promotes the organization in the surrounding area and works with the education coordinator and volunteer coordinator to promote community involvement. The volunteer coordinator recruits help for the on site garden/farm, tours of the site’s wetlands, data collection for the staff scientists, and educational outreach. All in all it is amazing how much activity runs through this site each day and how much contact they have with the greater community while still having a core of staff living in intentional community.

This is a great model for us.

We (the Dixons) just arrived in Surrey, B.C. at the home of A Rocha Canada. I’m especially looking forward to learning about their center and community.