Tabernacle Ranch
Nature-based education, urban conservation, workforce development, and community gardening — a new context for youth growth in the outdoors.
HBC Expansion
Into the Outdoors
Tabernacle Ranch represents the expansion of Highlanders Boxing Club & HBC Iron Youth Services (HBC) into nature-based programming — bringing the same positive youth development principles that drive our other programs into the outdoors. Located in the Inland Empire, the ranch provides youth with experiences many have never had: planting a garden, cleaning up a creek bed, learning to identify native plants, or navigating a trail.
The mission is the same as our other programs: build resilient, capable young people through structured programming and genuine mentorship. But the context is different. At Tabernacle Ranch, growth comes through environmental stewardship, hands-on labor, and the unique calm that comes from working in nature. For urban youth who've only known concrete, the ranch is a revelation.
Tabernacle Ranch also addresses a critical gap: workforce development. Through the Urban Conservation Corps and career-readiness programming, youth build the practical skills and professional habits that lead to real employment — in conservation, agriculture, landscaping, outdoor recreation, and beyond.
When We Meet
Twice a month, plus every Saturday — and some Sundays — for youth, adults, and families. Schedules vary by season; reach out to confirm the next ranch day.
What Happens Here
Programs at the Ranch
Five interconnected programs — each building different skills, all grounded in positive youth development.
Nature-Based Education
Environmental science, ecology, and nature exploration. Youth learn about ecosystems, wildlife, and their own connection to the natural world through hands-on outdoor instruction.
Phytology & Community Garden
Plant science, organic gardening, nutrition education, and food sustainability. Youth grow vegetables and herbs, learning patience, responsibility, and the science of living systems.
Urban Conservation Corps
Environmental cleanup, trail maintenance, habitat restoration, and conservation projects. Youth build job-readiness skills — teamwork, punctuality, physical labor, project management — while caring for their community.
Workforce Development
Job skills training, resume building, interview preparation, and workplace communication. Tabernacle Ranch partnerships connect youth to real employment pathways in conservation, agriculture, and outdoor recreation.
Critical Thinking Adventures
Scavenger hunts, problem-solving challenges, navigation exercises, and team-based outdoor adventures. These activities build the analytical and collaborative skills that complement HBC's PYD-based programming.
A Day at the Ranch
What to Expect
A typical visit to Tabernacle Ranch combines physical outdoor work with guided learning and group reflection. Youth might spend the morning clearing brush and identifying native plants, break for a lesson on soil science or nutrition at the community garden, and finish with a team scavenger hunt that reinforces the day's learning.
Coaches and mentors are present throughout — the same relationship-first approach that defines HBC's other programs. Group discussions at the end of each session connect the day's activities to the PYD framework: "What initiative did you show today? How did teamwork make the cleanup go faster? What problem did your team solve?"
No outdoor experience is needed. Most of our youth are encountering nature programming for the first time. We provide all supplies, equipment, and instruction. Just come ready to work and learn.
In Partnership With
Lowe's Home Improvement
Lowe's partnered with HBC to build out a workforce-development room at Tabernacle Ranch — turning a corner of the property into a hands-on training space for youth pursuing careers in skilled trades.
The build day brought Lowe's volunteers and the HBC community together for a single-day project that's still paying dividends every week. The new space hosts career-readiness workshops, tool training, and the Urban Conservation Corps' equipment. It's also part of a longer story — featured by Lowe's in their Hometowns series.
See the Ranch
Photo Gallery
Cleanups, gardens, adventures, and community. Here's what Tabernacle Ranch looks like in action.
Visit Tabernacle Ranch
Interested in bringing a group, volunteering at the ranch, or enrolling youth in nature programming? Get in touch.