Free Nature Walk, Led by Santa Barbara Botanic Garden — September 2024

Nature Walk in Elings Park’s Mini Dune

Saturday, September 14, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Led by the Garden’s Director of Conservation and Research Denise Knapp, Ph.D., and Terrestrial Invertebrate Conservation Ecologist Zach Phillips, Ph.D.

Join us on a free Nature Walk to explore Elings Park’s biodiversity!  Each one-hour walk has a different natural history focus, such as plants, pollinators, or birds, and is led by experts from the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

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.

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.