It is late in the day and still very hot—approaching and possible reaching 100 degrees—and, besides that, it’s a Wednesday, so I think there’s no way anyone’s going to be out looking at trees. But I have underestimated the human ability to disregard nature when trying to commune with it.
Owens Lake in southern California was one of the largest inland bodies of water in the United States. By the mid-1920s, it was gone, drained to provide water to a mushrooming Los Angeles. Over the past 30 years, the city has spent around US$2 billion to undo the damage. It has failed to restore the lake, but in The Spoils of Dust, Alexander Robinson describes how the effort has succeeded in another way: by creating a landscape no less valuable ecologically. By documenting the transitions the lake has undergone, he suggests a way forward for engineers, geologists, ecologists and landscape designers hoping to bring other environments back from the brink.
What: The second annual “Burrowing Owl Festival,” which includes presentations and educational activities. Owls will be observed from a distance with binoculars and spotting scopes. Visitors are also welcome to bring their own binoculars.
When: 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday Dec. 1
Where: Chaffey College Chino campus, 5897 College Park Ave., Chino. The central location of the event will be in building CHHC-202, upstairs in the health sciences building.
https://inlandempire.us/burrowing-owl-festival-dec-1-at-chaffey-college/
