Calendar

Standing dead and dying trees called "snags" are important for wildlife in both natural and landscaped settings. They are vital to the survival of many wildlife species, they increase habitat value, and encourage protection of the natural world. Gillian Martin will be sharing her knowledge on The Cavity Conservation Initiative, which aims to restore and conserve sustainable habitats for all organisms that are ecologically dependent on tree cavities. You will learn about the many animals that use dead and dying trees such as woodpeckers, owls and other bird species, squirrels, bats, insects, raccoons, and lizards, just to name a few. Gillian will share with you how dead trees can live on as excellent natural habitats for all types of organisms!

Ages: 8 and up

Participants must be registered or on the wait list by 2:00 pm, July 30.

Bats are one of the many mysteries of nature.  What kinds of bats live at in Orange County? Take an evening walk with bat biologist Stephanie Remington to find out! Ms. Remington has surveyed Orange County bats in habitats ranging from suburban neighborhoods to the local wildlands. You will experience "bat detectors" which convert ultrasonic bat sounds to frequencies audible to humans, as you learn more about the natural history of local bats.

Interpretation Level: High
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 10 and up

Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Friday, August 1.

Join in on this Saturday family walk where participants will learn what a dead tree would say if it could talk! Did you know that trees can actually provide more habitats for wildlife dead than when they are alive?   Do you know what a snag is? A snag refers to a standing, dead or dying tree. Come learn about the importance of tree snags and all the wildlife that uses them.   This special walk will be led by Gillian Martin who is developing a project called “The Cavity Conservation Initiative”.   She will share with you how dead trees can live on as excellent natural habitats for all types of organisms! So start your day out with an interpretive walk in nature and enjoy the fantastic sights, sounds, and smells of the wildlands.

Interpretation Level: High
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 8 and up

Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Friday, August 1.

Reservations are not necessary for this event.
This nature-themed lecture is held in association with the monthly meeting of Caspers Park Foundation (CPF) volunteers.

Subject: OC Fossils

This event is presented by the Caspers Park Foundation. For information regarding this event, please contact the Caspers Park Foundation. For more info, email: CaspersParkFoundation@nullgmail.com or call 949-923-2210.

FREE: At the entrance kiosk, mention that you are attending a CPF meeting.

Grab yer boots and mosey on down to The Reserve.  Enjoy a sunset hike, as you listen to stories of Orange County’s wild west.  Hear tales of outlaws, hidden treasure and even grizzly bears!

Interpretation Level: High
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 8 and up

Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Thursday, August 7.

Experience summer in the quiet wilds of The Reserve.   Summertime is full of sweet smells, bird calls, rustling trees, animal tracks, butterflies, insect songs and wild flowers. We will take advantage of the cool early summer morning on this walk down Gato Road on The Reserve.   We will pass through grasslands, coastal sage, and oak woodlands.   Start your day with the peace and beauty of nature.

Interpretation Level: Medium
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 8 and up

Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Friday, August 8.

Come hear how what was once known as  "California's Greatest Rancho" has become a habitat reserve dedicated to the conservation of native species.  Learn the colorful history of Rancho Mission Viejo and the handshake that started it all.  See how we are growing to become a habitat reserve of nearly 21,000 acres.

Ages: 8 and up

Participants must be registered or on the wait list by 2:00 pm, August 13.

Did you know that in the evenings, male tarantulas wander around in search of food and females? They only live for about 1 year. Female tarantulas dig deep burrows in the ground and remain there, waiting for crickets and other insects to walk by and become dinner. They live for 20 years! Their relatives, the trap-door spiders, live in burrows in the ground. Some species build a hinged door over their burrow, and spring up when an insect walks across it. Black widow spiders mostly come out at night. When an insect gets stuck in its web, the spider rolls it up in silk, waits for it to quiet down, then bites and injects its venom. Soon after, the spider feeds on its dinner.

Aren’t you glad that you are too big to become dinner for a spider?!

Join us with guest speaker, Bob Allen, for an evening of photographs, stories, and specimens of tarantulas, other spiders, and night-time insects of Orange County.

The following evening, Saturday, August 16th we’ll meet on the Reserve to search for tarantulas, trap-door spiders, and other critters. Join us!

Interpretation Level: High
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ages: 8 and up

Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 2:00 pm on Friday, August 15.

Join guest leader Bob Allen to get up close and personal with Tarantulas and other arthropods! We'll be on the lookout for male tarantulas making their annual late summer search for females.  We will also look for trap-door spiders and other critters of the evening.

Interpretation Level: High
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 8 and up

Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Friday, August 15.

Celebrate National Grandparents Day with some family time in nature!  We'll take an easy hike on The Reserve to learn about about the importance of both the "young' and the "old" found in nature.  Grab your grandparent or grandkid to enjoy a morning walk, build a family tree together and make some memories.

Interpretation Level: High
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ages: 6 and up

Participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm, September 6.

From the Jurassic to the Pleistocene, join geologist Aron Taylor on a journey through Orange County’s spectacular geologic history.

Ages: 8 and up

Participants must be registered or on the wait list by 2:00 pm, September 10.

Enjoy a morning of fun on an interactive Geology Walk on Reserve trails where we’ll stop along the way at four hands-on stations. We’ll learn about the rocks, minerals and fossils of Orange County.   Everyone will get to dig for their own shark tooth, participate in a scavenger hunt, start a rock collection to take home, and learn about soil types and how the local plants and animals use them. Geared toward children but all ages welcome!

Interpretation Level: Medium
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ages: 6 and up

Participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm, September 12.

Orange County Stars

Visitors traveling to sparsely populated areas are usually delighted to discover how many more stars are visible than at home. If you’ve not yet caught a glimpse of the Milky Way, come out to The Reserve for Astronomy Night where you can still view many more celestial phenomena than elsewhere in urbanized Orange County!

Enjoy an evening outdoors, as you gaze into the heavens, learn the constellations, and peer through the telescopes of our volunteer astronomers.  Reserve astronomers are all volunteers who enthusiastically share their telescopes and expert sky knowledge with you. (BRING: Warm clothing, Red cellophaned flashlight, binoculars, optional beach chair.)

Interpretation Level: High
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ages: 8 and up

Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Friday, September 19.