Get to Know Program Launches on Public Lands Day With LA and San Diego Events

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Robert Bateman Get to know contest.

National Public Lands Day events are taking place throughout California, many of them featuring information on the Get to Know contest and how to participate.

Take a look at some of the activities near you or contact your local forest for more details on getting outdoors and experiencing nature.

Two signature events in Los Angeles and San Diego will celebrate National Public Lands Day and the launch of the Get to Know program. On September 26, students from the LA area will have the opportunity to visit the LA Zoo where they will receive fun and engaging instructions, materials and information on their wild neighbors in California from Zoo staff members. Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl and Ranger Rick will be on hand to greet them. Among the dignitaries will be Chief of the Forest Service, Tom Tidwell, Deputy Regional Forester, Jim Peña, Get to Know Program Director Mary Krupa Clark, LA Councilman Tom LaBonge and representatives from Southern California Edison and the Toyota Foundation.

In the afternoon, approximately 150 volunteers and many of the dignitaries will travel to Big Tunjunga Canyon on the Angeles National Forest near the site of the Station Fire where the volunteers will clean trash, rehabilitate trails, recreation sites and riparian areas while learning about natural resource and fire management as they take a tour of the recent burned area and learn about recovery efforts. This event is being sponsored by the Forest Service and the National Environmental Education Foundation.

San Diego Event

On September 28, a Public Lands Day and Get to Know launch will be held at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Renowned artist Robert Wyland will be on hand to spend time with local students as they work on Get to Know contest entries. He will be teaching them various techniques for drawing wildlife and other subjects. He will also deliver the keynote speech on the importance of getting to know neighbors of other species, and how art plays a crucial role in this learning process. Children’s author Cynthia Jenson-Elliott will assist students with the writing group entry.

Forest Service Deputy Chief Joel Holtrop will speak about this historic bi-national (Get to Know originated in Canada) partnership and the Forest Service’s aim to provide new environmental learning opportunities for California youth through the Get to Know contest. Tyree Dillingham, representative for Governor Schwarzenegger in Southern California will speak about the Governor’s endorsement of the Get to Know program and the importance of youth connecting with nature. Mary Krupa Clark Director will provide more information on the G2K program and explain why the program is essential for California with emphasis on the bi-national nature of the philosophy behind the program. She will also talk about the new commemorative print from world renowned artist Robert Bateman, which he designed specifically for the California launch of the program.