Nature Walk, Led by Santa Barbara Botanic Garden — April 2024

Free Nature Walk About Lichens at Elings Park on Saturday, April 13, 9 to 10 a.m. 

NOTE: For this walk only, please park and meet at the east end of the Hendry’s Beach overflow parking lot off Cliff Drive (nearest the roundabout) before walking over to the Park. More information at www.sbbotanicgarden.org/classes-events/nature-walks-at-elings-park.

Discover lichens! Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s lichenologist Rikke Reese Naesborg explores a far corner of Elings Park in search of this fascinating living form — which is neither plant nor animal, and not even a single organism.

The walks are part of a collaborative effort between Elings Park, Botanic Garden, and the public to transform a section of the Park from invasive to native plants and document the effects.

Meet at the parking lot adjacent to the Elings Park administration building by 9 a.m. No reservations are necessary.

Volunteer to Help with Landscape Restoration with Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

Volunteers are needed to help restore a one-acre site on Elings Park’s South Bluffs using California-native plants. Restoration Work Parties are held following this Nature Walk and at various other dates and times in coming months.

Volunteers are needed to help restore a one-acre site on Elings Park’s South Bluffs using California-native plants. Restoration Work Parties are held following this Nature Walk and at various other dates and times in coming months.

The restoration project and science experiences concentrate California’s native plants in this area and will compare the abundance, diversity, and composition of plant and animal life both before and after the transformation. The first phase of the project involved installing black plastic and cardboard to discourage weeds, and assembling gopher cages to protect new plantings. Now, a variety of California-native plants have been planted and volunteers help with their care, weeding, and more.

Please visit the Elings Park Transformation Project website and to sign up to volunteer:  https://sbbotanicgarden.org/conservation/our-impact/restoring-habitats/elings-park-transformation.