Science / Medicine : Sierra Club Plans 3-Day Nature Camp

A resident camp on the Santa Ana River in the San Bernardino Mountains will be the site of the Sierra Club Natural Science Section’s annual Nature Knowledge Workshop May 17-19.

Field sessions taught by professional naturalists feature hands-on activities in such areas as geology, botany, herpetology and entomology.

Distinct habitats of the area, including stream-side, chaparral and forest habitats, provide opportunities to learn about the ecological diversity in the mountainous setting.

The weekend workshops are designed to provide participants with a deeper understanding of environmental relationships and an awareness of environmental problem solving.

Spaces are limited and early registration is recommended. Call (213) 429-6953 or (714) 650-0654.

SCIENCE FOR KIDS

Children and their families can join in turning the Westside Arts Center into a Yosemite installation and learn about the flora and fauna of the area on Sunday at 2 p.m. On May 4 at 1 p.m., children ages 6 to 12 can learn about the laws of gravity and motion in a workshop at the center at the Santa Monica Pier. Preregistration is required. Call (213) 395-1443.

The family “Whales Tales” program at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will feature live tarantulas, centipedes and other insects on May 4 at 1:30 p.m. Call (213) 744-3335.

Children ages 7 to 10 can learn about wolves in a series of classes at the El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach beginning May 7. Call (213) 421-9431, Ext. 3415.

MARINE SCIENCE

Cabrillo Marine Museum naturalists will introduce participants to local tide pool animals in the popular “Weekend Tide Pool Walk” on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Call (213) 548-7562.

BOTANY

Members of the Santa Monica chapter of the Native Plant Society will lead a day trip to the Santa Monica Mountains to learn about wildflowers on Saturday at 9 a.m. Call (818) 348-5910.

A field tour of the Fullerton Arboretum led by internationally renowned botanist Mildred Mathias will highlight a one-day program offered by UCLA Extension on May 4 at 9 a.m. Call (213) 825-7093.

ASTRONOMY

The Griffith Observatory’s eclipse lecture series continues tonight at 7:30 with a talk on “Chasing Eclipses” by Stephen Edberg, of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who has witnessed seven total solar eclipses. Call (213) 664-1191.

Visitors can get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Moorpark College Charles Temple Observatory on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. Galaxies will be the topic of the astronomy program on May 5 at 8:30 p.m. Call (805) 378-1400.

“Stellar Nurseries,” the birthplaces of stars and planets, will be featured at the Santa Monica College Planetarium program on Friday at 8 p.m., after the “Night Sky Show” at 7 p.m. Call (213) 452-9223.

COMPUTING

Caltech professor Charles L. Seitz will discuss “The World’s Most Powerful Computers” at the E.C. Watson Caltech Centennial Lecture on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Beckman Auditorium on campus. Call (818) 356-4652 or (800) 423-8849.

ORNITHOLOGY

Harold Bond, of the Los Angeles chapter of the Audubon Society, will lead a trip to explore the birds and environment of the Mojave Narrows near Victorville on Saturday at 8 a.m. Call (213) 876-0202.