Photo ©
WBC
As one of our 2015 mini-grant winners, the WorldBeat Center put on a series of events that took place at their very own Ethno-Botany Peace Garden at Balboa Park in San Diego, CA. These NatureFest events introduced the urban and suburban community to nature through bird observation, gardening, and the arts. Many people in the area did not know much about birds, their migration patterns, and how to help them locally. Activities were specially planned to observe some of these migratory birds and learn about ways to help them around the San Diego neighborhoods. The NatureFest activities were fun, interactive, and celebrated both Balboa Park’s and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s centennial anniversaries.
The Ethno-Botany Peace Garden was the perfect classroom space for many of the activities. Before the bird observation took place, Celebrate Urban Birds kits were distributed among participants to introduce some of the local birds. A bird call device was used to help introduce the different sounds the thirteen selected focal species make. With a little bit of teamwork, everyone was able to participate in the activity! The children had a chance to use binoculars to observe all the birds that could be heard around them.
After discovering and enjoying the local birds, there were fantastic performances that got everyone movin’ and groovin’ to the beat. The children were invited up on stage to sing along and play the drums! The next group on stage performed wonderful African nature songs.
There was tons of involvement from the San Diego community at the NatureFest activities! From local vendors with Native American gifts for sale, to art workshops with tons of arts and crafts activities for the children, there was a little bit of the community everywhere you looked! Youth and regular visitors of the park installed bird feeders in the brand new California Native Garden at the park. To wrap it all up, all the participants and staff members came together to take part in an amazing, collective canvas to remember NatureFest by! It was a fantastic event!
While still with a fresh memory of the NatureFest activities, the WorldBeat Center is busy helping their community and the surrounding wildlife. As many of you may know, the state of California is currently facing a huge water shortage crisis. This drought not only affects humans but it also impacts the surrounding ecosystems. Some bird habitats are slowly decreasing in size and in number! The WorldBeat Center has acquired two atmospheric water generators that make 7 gallons of water a day just by using the humidity in the air. The WorldBeat Center has taken an active local role in conservation, sustainability, and wildlife. Currently, they have plans to create additional habitat for birds within the area of the WorldBeat Center’s Children’s Peace Garden. Wonderful work and fantastic community!
Video
Check out all the wonderful outdoor activities at WBC in this awesome thank you video they made for Celebrate Urban Birds!
Thank you WorldBeat Cultural Center. You are fantastic!