A series of free, monthly Nature Walks that explore the biodiversity of Santa Barbara’s Elings Park return for a second year, led by Santa Barbara Botanic Garden experts. Each walk has a different natural history focus, including plants, birds, bugs, and their interrelationships in the ecosystem. The series of walks are part of collaboration between the Garden and the 230-acre park, which also includes a one-acre California-native plant restoration project currently being planted in the park’s South Park area. Nature Walks begin on Saturday, January 13 and continue monthly through December 2024. For more information, visit www.SBBotanicGarden.org/calendar.
“We discover the biodiversity of Elings Park together on these walks, and the plants, animals, and other organisms that currently live here,” says Denise Knapp, Ph.D., the Garden’s director of conservation and research. “We also look at how transforming even a small area from a sea of weeds to a diversity of native plants can support the web of life. Ultimately, we hope participants leave inspired and begin transformations in their own backyards, throughout Santa Barbara County, and beyond.”
“Even though Elings Park is adjacent to residential areas and has thousands of visitors annually, a large portion is undeveloped. Many people who play in sports or attend concerts here have never visited South Park. These walks are the perfect introduction to the scenic landscape,” said Elings Park Executive Director Dean Noble.
2024 Nature Walks
Most of the Nature Walks are held on the second Saturday of the month, start at 9 a.m., and meet at the Elings Park Office parking lot; there are some exceptions (see below).
January 13, 9 to 10 a.m. – Soils and Restoration in Elings Park, led by the Garden’s Director of Conservation and Research Denise Knapp, Ph.D., and Habitat Restoration Manager Caroline Shepherd
February 10, 9 to 10:30 a.m. – Oak Woodland Ecosystem, led by the Garden’s Herbarium Technician Annie Ayers, and Invertebrate Biodiversity Technician José Flores
Saturday, March 9, 9 to 10:30 a.m. – Elings Park Nature Walk, led by the Garden’s Director of Conservation and Research Denise Knapp, Ph.D., and Director of Education and Engagement Scot Pipkin
April 13, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Intro to iNaturalist/Plants of Elings Park, Note: 10 a.m. start time. Led by the Garden’s Invertebrate Biodiversity Technician José Flores, and Tucker Plant Systematist and Curator of the Clifton Smith Herbarium Matt Guilliams, Ph.D.
May 11, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – Birds of Elings Park, led by Garden’s Terrestrial Invertebrate Conservation Ecologist Zach Phillips, Ph.D., and local bird expert Hugh Ranson
June 8, 9 to 10:30 a.m. – Plants & Bugs of Elings Park, led by the Garden’s Conservation Technician Kylie Etter, and Director of Conservation and Research Denise Knapp, Ph.D.
July 13, 9 to 10:30 a.m. – Coastal Scrub Ecosystem in Elings Park, led by the Garden’s Herbarium Technician Annie Ayers, and Terrestrial Invertebrate Conservation Ecologist Sarah Cusser, Ph.D.
August 10, 9 to 10:30 a.m. – Nature Journaling, led by the Garden’s Director of Education and Engagement Scot Pipkin
September 14, 9 to 10:30 a.m. – Nature Walk in Elings Park’s Mini Dune, led by the Garden’s Director of Conservation and Research Denise Knapp, Ph.D., and Terrestrial Invertebrate Conservation Ecologist Zach Phillips, Ph.D.
October 18, 10 a.m. to noon – Practice Uses for Weeds, Note: 10 a.m. start time, held on third Saturday of the month. Led by the Garden’s Restoration Technician Neda Brehm, and Habitat Restoration Manager Caroline Shepherd
November 9, 9 to 10 a.m. – Lichens of Elings Park, Note: Meet at Humanitarian Garden parking lot via the Cliff Drive entrance to Elings Park. Led by Garden’s Tucker Lichenologist and Curator of the Lichenarium Rikke Næsborg, Ph.D.
December 14, 9 to 10:30 a.m. – Birds of Elings Park, led by the Garden’s Terrestrial Invertebrate Conservation Ecologist Zach Phillips, Ph.D., Director of Education and Engagement Scot Pipkin
About the Landscape Transformation at Elings Park
Nearly a century ago, farmers plowed under (what is now) Elings Park’s South Park area and planted beans. Later, the land became overgrown with invasive, non-native plants. This project restores a one-acre site to allows park visitors to see first-hand how California’s native plants can transform a landscape. For more information, visit https://sbbotanicgarden.org/conservation/our-impact/restoring-habitats/elings-park-transformation
The site is currently being planted, but the project began in Spring 2023 when Garden staff began to monitor plants, birds, pollinators, and other bugs to gather data on the site’s vitality. Monitoring and scientific experiments will continue throughout the three-year project. Data before and after the transformation will be compared, and both will be compared to an adjacent invaded area.
Elings Park opened in 1985 as the result of a community campaign to turn the former landfill into a public park. First encompassing 90 acres, the Park expanded to 230 acres in 1994 with the purchase of an adjacent property. Currently, approximately 75% is undeveloped – much of it in the South Park area addressed in this project.
Over the past two years, many invasive plants have been removed from the Park’s most visited areas and over 250 California-native oaks, plus thousands of native grasses and shrubs, have been planted.
Another project partner is nonprofit contractor Channel Island Restoration (CIR), which works on the islands and locally to restore habitat through invasive plant management, native plant propagation, and native plant installation. CIR participates in the Botanic Garden project and other ongoing restoration activities at Elings Park.
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