Deadline to register: August 5th
Catalina Island (September 10-11)
This is an overnight trip to and tour of Santa Catalina Island, hosted by the Catalina Island Conservancy . Participants will tour the Conservancy properties and facilities, learning about the various programs in rare plant protection, invasive plants, non-native animal management, endangered species recovery, fire management, and more. The group will visit the Nature Center at Avalon Canyon, the Wrigley Memorial Botanic Garden, the James H. Ackerman Native Plant Nursery and the Airport In The Sky facilities. Tour includes on-site presentations on the Catalina Island fox recovery program, the native plant nursery restoration programs, the bison management program and more.
A one-day extension to the trip (a second night) is available for those interested in spending more time enjoying the amenities that the City of Avalon has to offer, including the Eco-Zip line, glass-bottom tours, ocean kayaking, parasailing, snorkeling and scuba diving, and the broad selection of fine restaurants and shops.
Cost: The cost for this 2 day/1-night guided trip is $225 per person with shared room (add $50 for a single room). This includes roundtrip transportation to San Pedro and the Catalina Express ferry (one hour ride), on-Island transportation, lunch both days, 1 night accommodations in a double occupancy room and packet of information. Additional costs include breakfast and dinner.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks – Sierra Nevada (September 10-12)
This is a guided 3-day/2-night trip to visit the famous Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The first day would travel by bus, stopping at Three Rivers at the park entrance for lunch. Following a visit to the park visitor center and a discussion of ongoing climate change research, the group will continue on up a remarkable elevational change in foothill communities to reach the Giant Forest and its iconic grove of giant sequoias. There will be a short hike within the Giant Forest to see montane meadows and mixed conifer forest associated with the giant sequoias. The first night will be spent at the comfortable Wuksachi Lodge in the park. The second day will allow an introduction to diverse montane habitats of Sequoia National Park, Sequoia National Forest, and Kings Canyon National Park, with an opportunity to see ongoing management work on prescribed burning and forest restoration. The night will be spent in a mountain lodge in Sequoia National Forest, with more time on the third day to see additional areas of montane forest communities and active resource management programs before returning to UCLA.
Cost: The cost for this 3-day/2-night guided trip is $525 per person with shared room (add $60/per night for a single room). This includes roundtrip bus transportation, accommodations in double occupancy rooms, all meals beginning with lunch of the first day through lunch of the third day, and packet of information.
Irvine Ranch National Natural Landmark (September 5)
This is a single-day trip to tour the Irvine Ranch National Natural Landmark, an area with superb examples of both pristine and restored communities of chaparral and sage scrub in an area designated as a National Natural Landmark by the US National Park Service. This area of nearly 20,000 ha of permanently protected mediterranean shrublands lies a 90-minute drive south of UCLA. It is managed by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, a non-profit conservation organization. The organization works with its partners to enhance the public’s appreciation, understanding and connection to the land, while helping other land owners and managers with all aspects of stewardship. Conservancy staff will provide a guided tour of the Irvine Ranch Reserve, highlighting their management and restoration work. There will be an opportunity for several short hikes.
Cost: $60 per person, including all transportation and lunch.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (September 5)
This is a single-day guided trip to the Santa Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA), located just to the west of Los Angeles. The Santa Monica Mountains represent one of the largest protected areas of the mediterranean-type shrublands in California. The 60,000 ha of the SMNRA includes a mix of parklands administered by the US National Park Service, California State Parks, and other public and private agencies, as well as extensive private lands including the entire city of Malibu. The range extends approximately 65 km in an east to west direction from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. It reaches its high point of 948 m. The tour will allow an introduction to the species richness and habitat diversity of the mountains, and an opportunity to view the broad range of resource management activities.
Cost: $60 per person, including all transportation and lunch