Guided Walnut Creek Watershed Walks can be scheduled for your group of 10 or more by contacting info@lifegarden.org. The two hour walks will highlight the cultural and natural history of the creeks of Walnut Creek and foster an understanding of watershed management and storm drain issues. We recommend the purchase of one of LifeGarden's new City Creeks Journals to use as a resource during the walks.

Sustainable Trails Initiative Restoration Events

LifeGarden is the initiator and first sponsor of Contra Costa County's Adopt-A-Corridor Program.

Our November 4th restoration event in Walnut Creek was attended by 35 enthusiastic girl and boy scouts and their families. We mulched 60 cubic yards of material, removed trash and planted hundreds of acorns and buckeye seeds along trail edges where no easements existed. We even began a small experiment to see if certain native plants could outcompete Bermuda grass and thereby provide a nontoxic remedy for its management.

An Evening with Richard Louv, Author of Last Child in the Woods - May 1

On May 1st 2008, the Environmental Education Council of Marin (EECOM) (www.eecom.net) is hosting internationally acclaimed author and journalist Richard Louv.

Richard Louv captures the new body of scientific evidence demonstrating how important direct contact with nature is to healthy child development, touching on rising health issues such as ADHD, child obesity, stress, and depression in a way that no one has before. Louv's book will be available for sale at the event.

Richard Louv has drawn the world's attention to the transformation in the relationship between children and nature, how society is teaching young people to avoid direct experience in nature. To stimulate a "Leave No Child Inside" movement, he offers practical suggestions for action by parents, grandparents, government agencies, conservationists, urban planners, educators and others concerned about the future of childhood and the earth itself.

Richard Louv will be speaking at the Mill Valley Community Center on May 1st between 7:30-9:00 pm. Tickets are $18 per person. Tickets can be purchsed online at www.eecom.net and are also available by either sending a check to EECOM at 42 Bolinas Ave, Suite G, Fairfax CA 94930 or by purchasing tickets in person at REI Corte Madera, REI San Francisco and REI Berkeley.

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour

Sunday, May 4, 2008, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Alameda and Contra Costa Counties

The fourth annual, free, self-guided Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour offers a collection of 60 beautiful native plant gardens around the East Bay. Garden styles run the gamut from restoration gardens containing locally native plants to those encompassing the horticulturally available suite of natives from throughout California. There are gardens designed and installed by owners as well as those created by professionals.

Two companion features will be offered as part of this year's Bringing Back the Natives program:

• Select Tours are garden visits guided by a local native plant expert for a limited number of registered participants to some of the East Bay's most inspiring native plant gardens. These will be held over several weekends in April and May
  
  
• The "Native Plant Sale Extravaganza" on May 3 and 4 is an opportunity to visit a number of native plant nurseries, including many not normally open to the general public.

The Moraga Community Fair - Saturday, May 10th

LifeGarden will be represented at this year's Moraga Community Fair - an annual event sponsored by the Town of Moraga, the Moraga Chamber of Commerce and Sustainable Moraga. The event will be at the Rheem Shopping Center (Moraga Road and Rheem Blvd.) from 11 AM to 4 PM. Non-profit groups and for-profit vendors will present sustainable information and product solutions.

For more information contact Bill Durkin at sustainablemoraga@yahoo.com

Creek Botany Class - Gardens at Heather Farms

This is a hands-on introduction to the important trees and shrubs of local riparian areas by LifeGarden board president and environmental educator, Judy Adler.

Date: May 24th

For specifics on hours, meeting place, fees and other details pertaining to the class visit: www.gardenshf.org