For Immediate UseContact: Garrison Frost
June 6, 2008(323) 951-9620

Highland Park, CA – In an effort to connect urban, non-English speaking communities to nature and environmental issues, the Audubon Center at Debs Park has begun hosting birdwatching walks in Spanish at the Center. A Pajarear en Familia is just one of many programs at the Center designed to serve the surrounding communities of Northeast Los Angeles.

“This Center really belongs to the community,” said Elva Yañez, Director of the Audubon Center at Debs Park. “We’re doing everything we can to create a comfortable environment for local adults, children and families, and providing services in Spanish is an important part of that.”

Last summer, hundreds of nearby residents attended the Center’s outdoor film series featuring films in both English and Spanish – and plans are underway for this summer’s series. Many local children take part in the Center’s Arroyo Adventure Summer Camp, and still many others come to the Center on school field trips.

The Audubon Center at Debs Park opened in 2003 with a mission to offer urban communities opportunities for outdoor recreation and environmental education that these residents often miss. Since then, thousands of people have come through the doors of the Center and enjoyed a rare interaction with nature right in the middle of Los Angeles.

“It’s magical to see people who have lived in the city their whole lives come here and enjoy the landscape, birds and wildlife,” said Yañez. “It’s a whole new world, right in their backyards.”

Many visitors are surprised to learn that there are more than 136 bird species that either dwell in Debs Park’s urban habitat on a permanent basis or make a rest stop here as they migrate along the Pacific Flyway, the major north-south route of travel for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia in South America.

Teacher Naturalist Gabriela Castañeda leads the walks, and provides informal instruction on the natural history of Debs Park, as well as what to look for when identifying birds. Before heading out on one of the park’s many trails, participants learn how to use the binoculars and field guides supplied by the Center. Each walk focuses on a special theme such as bird adaptation and the importance of habitat.

“A Pajarear en Familia gives local families with children a unique opportunity to spend quality time together and make new friends in a beautiful outdoor setting in their own community,” said Castañeda.

About Audubon California

Audubon California is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. With more than 50,000 members in California and an affiliated 48 local Audubon chapters, Audubon California is a field program of Audubon. This relationship links Audubon California to a national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engaging millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation.

More information is available at www.ca.audubon.org.