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.

In-Person Lecture

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  • Lecture: Where it All Began, El Presidio of San Diego

    ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United States

    Speaker: 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 and Stargazing: Winter Star Clusters

    ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United States

    Speaker: Randolph Baron

    In the winter our night sky is graced by the winter Milky Way and the sky is packed with beautiful star clusters. We will first talk about how these star clusters form and evolve and then head on out to look at some splendid examples. 30-minute lecture followed by stargazing in the ABDNHA garden. In the ABDNHA Library and ABDNHA garden. 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: Flash Floods in Semi-Arid Landscapes – FULL (waitlist)

    ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United States

    Special Earth Sciences Weekend!

    Speaker: Suzanne Walther, Ph.D., University of San Diego

    PROGRAM IS FULL - PLEASE CALL ABDNHA at 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist.

    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.

    Sold Out $8.00 – $12.00

  • Lecture: Geology of San Diego County’s Peninsular Ranges

    ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United States

    Special 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

  • Lecture: The Urban Ecosystem

    ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United States

    Speaker: 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 States

    Speaker: 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

  • ABDNHA Travel Series: Romania Travelogue – Beautiful Landscapes and Complex Identities

    ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United States

    Speaker: 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

  • Plants of Anza-Borrego – FULL (waitlist)

    ABDNHA Parking Lot 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United States

    Leader: Don Rideout, Coordinator, Desert Botany Club

    PROGRAM IS FULL - PLEASE CALL ABDNHA at 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist

    Short Lecture and Field Trip (Easy walk, okay for all vehicles)

    An offering of the new Botany Club, these walks will focus on the plants of Anza-Borrego Desert, with locations varying depending on where we find the most interesting plants. Our pace will be generally slow, allowing plenty of time for plant identification, questions, discussion, and photography.  All levels of knowledge are welcome, including children. Meet at ABDNHA; carpool as best we can, as we head to the field trip site. No Charge. Space is limited. Register at the Nature Center or call 760-767-3098.

  • Lecture: Applied Earth Science – The Rare Earth Elements

    ABDNHA Library 652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United States

    Speaker: 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 States

    Speaker: 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 States

    Speaker: 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
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