Natural History Walk at Taft Nature Preserve

Ojai author-naturalist Lanny Kaufer will lead the last of this year’s monthly Natural History Walks at Taft Gardens and Nature Preserve on Saturday, December 2, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. His group will explore trails through the wild parts of the property, identify and discuss native plants, and observe birds and animal tracks in the context of local ecology.

This event is a perfect fit with Kaufer’s mission to open a space for people to connect with the natural world, starting with the plant kingdom. The diversity of plant communities and native species make Taft Nature Preserve the ideal place. Taft Gardens & Nature Preserve was featured in an L. A. Times article on “The 16 Most Beautiful and Inviting Public Gardens in Southern California.” And it recently was included in the RedBook Magazine list of “The 12 Most Beautiful Botanical Gardens in the United States.”

Kaufer will have his mobile bookshop onsite after the walk, including his book, Medicinal Herbs of California, and Milt McAuley’s classic Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains, which features every plant the group will see.

The $35 cost includes a $10 donation to benefit the Conservation Endowment Fund (CEF), the non-profit steward of Taft Gardens & Nature Preserve. The donation portion of the fee is tax-deductible. This walk is presented by the CEF. They are handling all registrations. To register for the event, please visit https://www.taftgardens.org/events/2023/12/9/natural-history-walk, email taftgardensvisitors@gmail.com, or call (805) 649-2333.

Registrants will receive an email from CEF with detailed directions. Please do not try to find the venue by using other maps or GPS. Allow plenty of time to find the venue and to make your way up the miles-long driveway.

ABOUT LANNY KAUFER

Lanny Kaufer has been leading herb walks and nature hikes, as well as foraging and medicinal plant workshops, since 1976, focusing on ethnobotany, the academic term for the human uses of plants. His website is at HerbWalks.com. He is the author of Medicinal Herbs of California, published by Falcon Guides in December of 2021 and now in its third printing. Kaufer is the founder and director of the Ojai Herbal Symposium, recently held at Krotona Hall on November 11-12, 2023.

Photo of Topa Topa Bluffs as seen from Taft Nature Preserve by Alexandra Nicklin