Go ahead, take a guess where I shot this footage of a Great Blue Heron…
Ballona Wetlands?
wrong
Oh… I know…Galapagos Islands?
nope, sorry, wrong again.
Did anyone guess South Central Los Angeles? If so, you’d be correct my friend.
Augustus F. Hawkins Natural Park is a beautiful oasis discreetly situated on 8.5 acres behind a vine-covered gate on busy Compton Boulevard in South Los Angeles… and home to our featured feathered friend.
As I drove into the park last Friday afternoon I was stunned to find a full lot of cars and a buzz of activity . There were maintenance people tending the gardens, families riding their bicycles, couples picnicking on the grass or walking hand in hand along a winding trail. All of this in a park designed to imitate the habitats one might find in the Santa Monica Mountains for a neighborhood of families who don’t happen to have access to such a landscape. Included within it’s native plant gardens is a wetland marsh where my Great Blue Heron friend was spending his day.
*TIP* Before you head to the park teach your child about the importance of wetlands with this Young Scientist workbook!
Not only does Hawkins serve as a “museum” of native plant and animal species but it also houses the Evan Frankel Discovery Center (located adjacent to the parking lot) which has interactive educational displays and offers classes, camps, an after-school program, clubs, bird watching hikes, overnight camp outs, as well as field trips to the Santa Monica Mountains and various wildlife sanctuaries.
It is a Los Angeles treasure connecting inner-city youth to nature! I highly recommend a visit to the park with your family.
Augustus F Hawkins Natural Park
5790 Compton Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90011
323-581-4498
Environmental Classes
Pet Ownership – Thursdays 4:30 pm, Free, all ages
Backyard Habitat – Wednesdays 4pm, Free, ages 8 – 12
Gardening – Mondays (Seniors), Wednesdays (All ages) 10 am, Free * They will provide a gardening box for participants’ use.
Environmental Interpretation – Thursdays 3:30 pm, Free, ages 12 and above
Aerobics (outdoors!) – Mon through Friday 7:30 am, $20/month, ages 18 and above
Capoiera – Saturdays1:30pm – 3:00 pm, Free, ages 8 and above *beginning level
After-school Environmental Club
Monday through Friday, 2:00pm – 6:00pm $10/month
“It includes activity classes, character building and socializing with the theme of animals and the environment in passive recreation Children will experience the park as a wildlife habitat and incorporate environmental awareness into their home.”
Bird Watching Hikes
Last Sunday of the Month, 8am-9am
Who is the park’s namesake you ask: Augustus F Hawkins was the first African American from California to be elected into Congress. He was a Democrat who represented South Los Angeles first in the State Legislature and then in Congress.
Center Hours of Operation
Mon & Tues 10 am – 6pm, Wed 10 am – 7pm, Th & Fri 10 am – 6pm, Sat 10am – 5pm, Sun 12pm – 5pm
Park opens daily at 6am
*Sign up to receive WDCPLA email updates*
- Ilana Gustafson Turner
