Please review our hiker info page to familiarize yourself with hiker safety rules and our hike ratings so that you can select hikes that meet your level of fitness. Unless specified otherwise in the activity descriptions below, hikes have a 15 person limit, and they begin in the ABDNHA parking lot.
ABDNHA Library
Events at this venue
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Lecture: Boomer Archaeologist
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: Thomas Levy, Ph.D.
“I had better write my story down before I forget it,” is what world-renowned archaeologist of the deserts of the Holy Land, Professor Thomas Levy, thought to himself when he retired from teaching. There are many layers to the stories that Tom shares with us tonight in his latest book, “The Boomer Archaeologist: A Graphic Memoir of Tribes, Identity, and the Holy Land.” The book is written for many different audiences, with stories woven together for his family, his many students, his professional colleagues, the Boomer, Millennials, and later generations in the USA, the Jewish world, and for those archaeologists now charting the future of archaeology, with new technologies that offer new approaches, and changes in the way the field of archaeology views itself. Join us for this interview-format presentation. The book is a lot of fun to read, with graphic illustrations done by his niece, Lily Almeida, based in London. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase at the end of the presentation at the reception. Location: The ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. Register online at www.abdnha.org or at the nature center, 760-767-3098.Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
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Lecture: Native Baskets – Function and Art
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: Robin TenEyck
Woven baskets have served essential functions in societies worldwide for thousands of years. However, there is also an artistry to creating beautiful baskets, and Robin TenEyck has been weaving exquisite ones for many years. In tonight’s program, Robin displays some of her baskets as well as Kumeyaay & Diegueno baskets from her collection. She also discusses the history of basket making among Southern California’s native people, and how the arrival of the railroads in California led to a significant shift from utilitarian to decorative baskets, prompting the establishment of trading posts and a growing interest in collecting baskets for display as artwork. At the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. Register online or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
Public Presentation of the New Desert Botany Club
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesCoordinator: Don Rideout
If you are interested in being part of this new ABDNHA club or would like to learn more, there are two programs today you’ll want to attend. From 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., there will be an open meeting to discuss the club's activities, such as field trips, hikes, lectures, gardening, and more. From 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. is the first club presentation, “The Plants of the Anza-Borrego Desert” in the ABDNHA Library. (See 6:30 below for more information.) Note: This afternoon's meeting requires no pre-registration. The lecture on Saturday night does require registration and a fee.
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Lecture: Plants of Anza-Borrego Desert
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: Don Rideout, Desert Botany Club
This session in the ABDNHA library will inaugurate ABDNHA's Desert Botany Series with an overview of the plants of the Anza Borrego Desert and adjacent areas. It is intended for beginners and those who want to refresh their botanical knowledge. The most commonly seen species will be highlighted. Subsequent sessions will focus on specific plant families, locations, and topics. In the ABDNHA Library. Registration required. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. Register online at abdnha.org or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
Lecture: The Story of the Salton Sea
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: Dave Blanchet, (ret.) Hydrologist
First there was the geology, and then came the flood. The Salton Sea is located along the San Andreas Fault, and it is geology that repeatedly created and drained a vast natural lake over millions of years, called Lake Cahuilla, in what is now the Imperial Valley. Starting in the 20th century, agriculture began to flourish in California’s Imperial Valley, and diversion canals were dug to divert water from the Colorado River into the dry desert. But the wild nature of the Colorado River soon took the upper hand. Events went horribly awry as record-breaking floodwaters destroyed the manmade dams and canals, and the full flow of the Colorado River flowed unabated into the Salton Trough for two years. Only through immense effort was the flooding finally stopped, and the Colorado River returned to its course, flowing into the Sea of Cortez. Tonight’s speaker, Dave Blanchet, is a retired hydrologist from Anchorage, Alaska, and a lifetime member of ABDNHA. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. Please register at www.abdnha.org or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
Astronomy Lecture: Fossils of the Solar System
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: Dr. Neil Farber
Just as fossils on Earth are remnants of past life forms, there are astronomical fossils in space dating back to the early days of the Solar System that may provide insights into how the Solar System and life itself originated. NASA is conducting a multitude of missions to study asteroids, aiming to enhance our understanding of the Solar System and explore ways to mitigate the threats posed by potential collisions with Earth. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. You can register online at www.abdnhaorg or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098. Held in the ABDNHA Library.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
Lecture: Hunting Herps in Cambodia
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: Lee Grismer, Ph.D., Herpetologist
Join world-class herpetologist Lee Grismer as he takes us along on his most recent exploration to find new reptiles and amphibians in Cambodia's jungles. It became a scientific journey of discovery that placed him right in the middle of an unexpected war between Thailand and Cambodia. As always, the photography will be award-winning, as will the stories that go with it. In the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. You can register online or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
Lecture: Where it All Began, El Presidio of San Diego
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: Author and Historian Richard Carrico
Join Richard Carrico as he explores Alta California’s first Spanish settlement at Presidio Hill in San Diego. Founded in 1769, the ruins of the mission and fort are now beneath the landscaped hills in Presidio Park. Carrico’s newly released book tells the stories of those who lived at the presidio, including the Kumeyaay people. One highlighted story is of Sinusin, a Kumeyaay woman who married a Spanish soldier and raised her family at the presidio. Carrico's extensive research draws from Spanish archives, Kumeyaay oral traditions, and nearly a decade of archaeological work at the site. In the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. Register online or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
Lecture: Flash Floods in Semi-Arid Landscapes
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpecial Earth Sciences Weekend
Speaker: Suzanne Walther, Ph.D., University of San Diego
It has been said that the two most common ways to die in the desert are from thirst and from drowning. Flash floods are the leading weather-related cause of death in the U.S. and many parts of the world, and cause billions of dollars in damage. Dr. Suzanne Walther is a fluvial geomorphologist. She studies rivers, streams, floods, sediment movement, and how the natural flow of water shapes the landscape, interacts with ecosystems, and significantly impacts human development. The focus tonight is on flash floods in semi-arid areas, such as Borrego Springs, where they can occur, the conditions that lead to their formation, the powerful forces they unleash, their effects on water supply and drought, and what can be done to mitigate their destructive impact on human development. In the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. You can register online at abdnha.org or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
Lecture: Geology of San Diego County’s Peninsular Ranges
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpecial Earth Science Series
Speaker: Geologist Don Barrie
Please join Mesa College geology professor and ABDNHA board member, Don Barrie, for this lecture on San Diego County’s Peninsular Ranges, with emphasis on the Laguna Mountains west of Borrego Springs. Don’s lecture will focus on how plate tectonic processes have created the complex collage of igneous and metamorphic rocks exposed both regionally, throughout southeastern California, and locally, in the Lagunas. In the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. A related field trip is scheduled for Sun., Jan. 25.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
Hawkwatch Training Session 1
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesFirst training session in preparation for the 2026 Borrego Springs Hawkwatch that will begin on Feb. 20. We will begin inside at the ABDNHA Library, followed by a visit to the viewing sites. All are welcome—those interested in finding out more, as well as new and returning volunteers. Please sign up at hawkwatchborregosprings@gmail.com and abdnha2@att.net. Eyes to the sky!
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Lecture: The Urban Ecosystem
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: Rachel Larsen, Ph.D.
As cities around the world continue to grow, they are increasingly recognized for their potential to incorporate wildlife habitats into the urban environment. Wildlife in cities offers city dwellers a better quality of life by connecting them with nature. Our speaker, Dr. Rachel Larson, is a scientist at the San Diego Natural History Museum and an urban ecologist. She will share insights from her research on what makes cities unique ecosystems, how wild animals are trying to make a living alongside us, and what it will take better to incorporate nature into the world’s concrete jungles. In the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. You can register online at abdnha.org or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
Lecture: The Birds of the Salton Sea
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: Kurt Leuschner, Natural Sciences Professor, College of the Desert
Join expert birder Kurt Leuschner as he tells the fascinating story of the diverse species of resident and migratory birds that live and visit the Salton Sea. In the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. You can register online or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
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Full Moon Walk: South Palm Wash (Easy)
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesLeader: Mike McElhatton, ABDNHA Education Director
Join ABDNHA’s Program Director Mike McElhatton on this month’s Full Moon Walk in South Palm Wash. Experience the unique and serene beauty of moonlight on the canyon walls as we take a 1.5-mile walk through South Palm Wash. Mostly a fairly easy walk, with a few moderate areas that require “big steps” on inclines. We meet at the ABDNHA Library and carpool from there. A flashlight, water, and good hiking shoes are required. Limit 22. Activity cancels if cloud cover limits the moonlight. No charge. Call the Nature Center at 760-767-3098 to reserve.
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ABDNHA Travel Series: Romania Travelogue – Beautiful Landscapes and Complex Identities
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: Don Barrie, ABDNHA Board Member
Join Geologist, traveler, and photographer Don Barrie for this fascinating recap of his recent trip to Romania. Last summer, Don traveled to Romania for two weeks as a photographer for the Global Neighborhood Project, a San Diego-based organization dedicated to citizen diplomacy. During the trip, he met with students and faculty at a Hungarian-language school in Romania’s Transylvania region. He also photographed locals in a remote farming village outside Brasov, Romania, as they shared their stories and explained their way of life. For this informal talk, Don will share his photographs and his overall first impressions of this land of striking beauty and rich history. In the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. Register online at abdnha.org or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
Lecture: Applied Earth Science – The Rare Earth Elements
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: Manhukar (Maud) Rao, Ph.D.
Rare earth elements have been very much in the news recently, but what exactly are they? What are they used for? Why are they so uniquely essential? Where do they come from? How are they processed? And, why does the U.S. import about 80 percent of them, despite their importance? Dr. Rao is a retired Chemical Engineer and currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer for Workforce Development at Innovation Impact Partners, LLC. He has more than 36 years of industrial R&D experience with major chemical and semiconductor materials companies. Maud volunteers as a math and science teacher and as a docent at the San Diego Air and Space Museum, and enjoys engineering, history, and teaching. In the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, ABDNHA Volunteers: $8. Register at abdnha.org or the Nature Center at 760-767-3098.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
SPECIAL ROCK ART WEEKEND: Dr. Whitley’s Lecture, Part 1 – Understanding Native Californian Rock Art
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: David Whitley, Ph.D.
The meanings of pictographs and petroglyphs have long been a mystery to most people, including archaeologists. The result has been a series of supposedly common-sense guesses, like “hunting magic” or “maps to water,” that were offered because people claimed Native Americans themselves did not know why these sites were made or how they were used. But the unpublished field notes of the state’s Native American tribes — the ethnographic record — some dating back to the 1870s, together with extensive published research, paint a different picture. With substantial research to identify and compile this widely scattered information, Dr. Whitley will explain how a clear understanding of the origins, meanings, and uses of the sites results, providing a better understanding and appreciation of the remarkable artistic and intellectual record of California rock art. In the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, ABDNHA Volunteers: $8. Register at abdnha.org or the Nature Center at 760-767-3098.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00 -
SPECIAL ROCK ART WEEKEND: Dr. Whitley’s Lecture, Part 2 – European Cave Paintings and the Origins of Art and Religion
ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United StatesSpeaker: David Whitley, Ph.D.
Few aspects of our archaeological past are more intriguing than the ancient cave paintings and engravings of France and Spain. These are exemplified by the remarkable murals in sites such as Lascaux, Altamira, and Chauvet caves, which date from roughly 14,000 to 35,000 years ago. They, and similar sites, are widely regarded as signaling both the first “creative explosion” in human history, as indicated by the earliest true masterpieces of art, as well as the origins of religious beliefs and practices.
In tonight’s presentation, Dr. Whitley will discuss his extensive research into cave art and how he has brought two distinct sciences together to find answers. The first part begins with archaeological data that suggest when, where, and why this phenomenon may have first emerged in human history. The second part involves investigating the cognitive sciences to understand why religious beliefs are found in every culture, at all time periods. This is not to determine the veracity of religious belief, which is a matter of personal faith, but to explain why religious and spiritual beliefs are universal to the human experience. Whether it is the result of biology or divine inspiration, aspects of human cognition have caused us to believe in gods, spirits, and spirit worlds from the earliest days of humanity. In the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, ABDNHA Volunteers: $8. Register at abdnha.org or the Nature Center at 760-767-3098.
Get Tickets $8.00 – $12.00