February
WDCP Best of L.A.
Calendar of Events
Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain - Henry David Thoreau / Photo by Ilana Gustafson Turner
As the winter takes her final bow and the spring flowers begin to peek through the earth so does the nature programming begin to blossom! This month you will find plenty of outdoor revelry, from a “faery hunt” in Griffith Park to a nation-wide event dedicated to the birds. The Great Backyard Birdcount begins on Friday the 13th so get those binoculars ready! We wish your family a happy transition out of the winter hibernation with plenty of choices below to help you on your way.
Weekend
Saturday 2/7 Franklin Canyon Nature Center will be hosting their on-going series “Speak for the Trees” from 3pm – 5pm. This is a fun, interactive program where your child can learn what trees need and why we need trees. “Build a tree and learn teamwork and trace the history of Franklin Canyon as told by its arboreal silent giants.” Ages 8 and up.
Sunday 2/8 your family can help celebrate the Jewish holiday, Tu B’Shvat, referred to as the “New Year for Trees”, by planting seedlings in a Sylmar park with the Treepeople from 9am – 12pm. REGISTER BEFORE THURSDAY by contacting Lisa Sotelo at lsotelo@treepeople.org or (818) 623-4879.
Later, from 5pm – 6:30pm, bring your instrument of choice and continue the celebrating with a little “Music in the Mountains” at the Sooky Goldman Nature Center.
Week of Monday 2/9 through Friday 2/13
Tuesday 2/10 Tykes will be taking over the trails in Calabasas! Your 2-4 year-old can join the other “Tykes on Trails” at Headwaters Corner from 9:30am – 11:30am, but you have to register him or her first by calling 818-591-1701 x181. There is a fee.
On Friday the 13th even the Munsters can be found counting birds in their backyard. This typically spooky day marks the beginning of the four day-long Great Backyard Birdcount! From 2/13 – 2/16 the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology need your help tracking the birds in your neighborhood. Every one can participate as much or as little as one likes with as much or little birdwatching experience as one may have. You can find birdwatching tips for adults and children and instructions on how to register your findings at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc . You can also check our weekend events for public bird-counting opportunities.
Weekend
Saturday 2/14 your toddler (ages 3-5) can join the Critter Club at the Natural History Museum and explore this week’s topic of animal babies with crafts and games. From 10:15 -11:15am, free with museum admission.
Don’t worry, if it is a pre-teen (ages 8-12) you have on your hands you can saunter them on over to Headwater’s Corner where they can take part in this month’s Youth Naturalist Program. The topic will be Threatened and Endangered Species. You must register them ahead of time by calling (818)591-1701 x181. From 9:30am – 12:30pm.
And for all of our other Valentine cherubs out there, head over to the L.A. County Arboretum from 1 -3pm where your family can learn to make Valentine’s Day cards, starting with making the paper itself out of plant materials! Register by contacting Colleen Biles at 616-821-4623 or emailing colleen.biles@arboretum.org . There is a fee. Afterward you can go check out the Root’s and Shoot’s Children’s Discovery Node in their gardens!
Sunday 2/15 the Great Backyard Birdcount will be in full swing at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens! Adults and three to twelve year-old children can come participate in their “Winter Birdfest” from 10am – 4pm. Fee.
Headwater’s Corner will also be hosting a Great Backyard Birdcount event from 8am-10am. Pre-registration is required; 818-591-1701.
Week of Monday 2/16 through Friday 2/20
I offer two suggestions of places to take your family this week.
First, Chavez Ravine Arboretum in Elysian park is an informal arboretum of sorts. Lacking a clear boundary this arboretum founded in 1893 by the Los Angeles Horticultural Society is set between the Grace E. Simmons Lodge and picnic areas. Don’t worry, with the help of a tree identification map (found at the above link), you and your child will know where to uncover over a thousand species of trees planted in this arbor oasis.*
Second, there is a little known place called the Devil’s Punchbowl, set along the San Andreas Fault just on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The “punchbowl” consists of a range of elevations from a canyon floor set at only 300 feet above sea level to peak reaching the great height of 8,000 feet. Along with much geological wonder there is also a nature center, open Monday through Saturday from 8am – 4pm and Sunday 10am – 4pm, hiking trails, rock climbing, flora and fauna galore, telescope programs, meteor shower viewing parties, fault tours, school programs, and more, all set on over 1,300 acres in Pearblossom, California. Have you ever been there? Well then, it’s time you go!*
Weekend
Saturday 2/21 your child can put on those wings and let their imagination soar through the lush canyon known as Ferndell in Griffith park as they search for the Faery Queen. It is time for another Griffith Park Faery Hunt from 10am – 2pm! You can finish the day off with a slice of incredible home-made pie or a vegan tart at (my absolute favorite cafe in Los Angeles) Trails Cafe set at the northern edge of Ferndell.*
For those with older children (ages 10 and up) there is Cause for Creativity at the Santa Monica Museum of Art. This installation of their on-going series linking arts and activism will be an exploration water color techniques with professional artists as they also learn more about what they can do to help with the global water crisis. $15; $10 SMMoA members. For more information: asuka.hisa@smmoa.org or 310-586-6488 x 118. Tickets available at http://www.smmoa.org
Week of Monday 2/23 through Friday 2/27
UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens and The Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Preserve are two mid-city gems I suggest for your week. The Botanical Gardens are open from 8am – 4pm daily. The Wildlife Preserve is open from sunrise to sunset. On my last visit to the Sepulveda basin I caught sight of several ducks, geese, a red-winged black-bird, a snowy egret, rabbits, and much more! Go see what flora and fauna your child can find!*
Weekend
Saturday 2/28 have “Fun with Nature” at the Malibu Creek State Park from 12:30- 2:30pm. Spend the afternoon creating crafts and playing games while enjoying the surrounding beauty of the park. *
Sunday 3/1 your family can celebrate the on-coming spring with your choice of two equinox-themed nature walks. There is a “Wildflower Hike” in Charmlee Wilderness Park from 10am – 12pm. Reserve a spot by calling 310-317-1364. $4parking fee. Meet at upper parking lot. Or you can enjoy an “Early Spring Walk” in Topanga State Park from 1pm – 3pm. Meet at the kiosk.*
*FREE
-Ilana Gustafson Turner
nature p.L.A.y. 