Garden Tours
The schedule for garden tours on Saturday, April 6, and Sunday, April 7, includes several notable locations. At 9:00 am, visitors can meet at the front of Australian Adventures and Ethnobotanical Garden for the Tribute Garden tour or at Madagascar Garden Pathway and Chaiken Nutrition Center for the Africa Acacia Tour.
At 10:00 am, tours will be available at Upper Colorado and Mojave Gardens from the front of Australian Adventures and Ethnobotanical Garden or near the Desert Plant Conservation Center for the Native Bee Garden.
At 11:00 am, Baja Garden tours will commence near the Desert Plant Conservation Center, while Eastern African and Madagascar Gardens tours will start at Madagascar Garden Pathway and Chaiken Nutrition Center.
At noon, visitors can explore Chihuahuan Garden near the Desert Plant Conservation Center or Rhino Savanna at Madagascar Garden Pathway and Chaiken Nutrition Center.
Finally, at 1:00 pm, there will be a tour of Sonoran Foothills/Jaguar Habitat near the Desert Plant Conservation Center and Palm Garden starting from Madagascar Garden Pathway and Chaiken Nutrition Center.
Speakers
A series of talks will be held at the Conservation Station on Rhino Savanna. The schedule is subject to change. On Saturday, April 6:
- At 9:00 am, Dr. Kaleigh Vitchez-Russell from College of the Desert Biology Professor will speak about "Desert Pollinators."
- At 10:00 am, Jennifer Hudson, a desert naturalist, will discuss "Getting to Know Our Native Plants."
- At 11:00 am Katie Barrows from California Native Plant Society’s Riverside-San Bernardino Chapter will present "Saving Nature’s Most Precious: Rare Plants of the Colorado Desert."
- At noon Dr. Luis Ramirez from The Living Desert will cover "Habitat Restoration." Concurrently Jared Moeller from The Living Desert will talk about "Desert Plants and Black Rhinos: Feeding a Megaherbivore."
- Shanna Winters from The Living Desert will discuss "Composting" at 12:30 pm.
- At 1:00 pm David Paisley from Oswit Land Trust presents "Oswit Land Trust: Saving Wildlife One Acre at a Time."
On Sunday, April 7:
- At 9:00 am Vanessa Encinias along with Susan Forgrave, Susan Krings, and Rose Morisoli from DiHG Eco-Prise will discuss "Permaculture for Xerophilous Gardens."
- Lisha Astorga of Desert Straw House Native Plant Nursery & AirBnB presents "The Four Plants Every Desert Garden Should Have" at 10:00 am.
- Dr. Cameron Barrows from University of California Riverside's Center for Conservation Biology speaks on "Not a Barren Wasteland; The Incredible Biodiversity of California Deserts" at 11:00 am.
- Brad Hardison from UCCE Master Gardener of Riverside County discusses “Choose Native Plants; Create Wildlife Habitat in Your Yard” at 1:00 pm.