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.

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  • Lecture: Leeches, Land Mines, and Lizards; The Nature of Researching Nature in Cambodia

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

    Speaker: 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.

    $8 – $12

  • 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.

    $8 – $12

  • Lecture: Mojave Desert Tortoises

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

    Speaker: Melissa Merrick, Ph.D, Researcher, San Diego Zoo and Wildlife Alliance
    Dr. Merrick will present an update of her presentation last year about her research of the Desert Tortoise Recovery Program at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, highlighting a partnership with The Living Desert Zoo to raise larger, less vulnerable juvenile tortoises for release. The research focuses on various aspects of juvenile tortoises, including personality, anti-predator trainability, thermal ecology, and the impact of release-site selection on predation risk. In the ABDNHA library. GP $12, M $10, V $8. Register online or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.

    Register here for the program.

  • ABDNHA Desert Lecture Series: Pursued by a Mountain Lion

    Featured
    Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center 590 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United States

    Speaker: James W. Cornett, Desert Ecologist, Author

    While hiking alone in the Baboquivari Mountains of southern Arizona, Jim Cornett came face to face with a mountain lion that had stalked him down a mountainside. The confrontation lasted nearly forty-five minutes, with the cougar lunging at Jim several times, in an attempt to get him to turn and run. Join Jim as he recounts the frightening experience and explains what he did right and what he did wrong in his encounter with the largest of resident American felines. Along the way, Jim will describe the natural history of mountain lions, the threat they pose to humans (real and imagined), and their future in an increasingly urban world. Free for ABDNHA members, all others $10 at the door of the Performing Arts Center. Seating is first-come, first-served.

  • Lecture: Native Bats of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

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

    Speaker: Don Endicott
    Don is a volunteer naturalist with a special interest in bats and bat research. He records bat echolocation sounds and submits them to the San Diego Natural History Museum's acoustics collection, as well as for research and analysis in commercial bat software. Don began conducting this acoustic research on the park's bat population in early 2020, following a fire in Borrego Palm Canyon. If time and conditions permit, he will lead the group outdoors after the lecture to see if he can detect the calls of active bats. At the ABDNHA Library. GP $12, M $10, V $8. Register online, or call the Nature Center at 760-767-3098.

    Register here for the program.

  • Lecture: Swainson’s Hawk Incredible Migration

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

    Speaker: Hal Cohen, Hawkwatch founder
    Learn about the Swainson's Hawk and its incredible 6,000-mile migration from Argentina to the skies above Borrego Springs, on its way to Alaska. Hal will share highlights of this migration, hawk natural history, hawkwatch history, and invite your participation in the hawkwatch. Following the talk, interested participants are invited to attend the evening watch (one hour before sunset to dark). ABDNHA Library. GP $12, M $10, V $8. Register at abdnha.org or call us at 760-767-3098.

    Register here for the program.

  • Lecture: What’s Up with the Hawkwatch?

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

    Speakers: Tracee Geernaert and Candice Hess, Hawkwatch Leaders
    Come to the ABDNHA Library to see and hear what’s new in 2026 for the Swainson’s Hawkwatch. Hear about peak counts, which occur mid-March, and we are hoping for a great year. Our early bloom bodes well for lots of insects, also known as “hawk food.” We will bring photos, anecdotes, and lots of laughs from the field!

    The Hawkwatch update will also include a talk by visiting wildlife biologist Lizzi Weisman who is part of one of the longest-running raptor studies in North America, the Butte Valley Swainson’s Hawk project. She will discuss their study of the ecology of Swainsons hawks in Butte Valley to determine how their reproductive success is related to the quality of the habitat they choose for their nests. Register online or call 760-767-3098. GP $12, M $10, V $8.

    Register here for the program.

  • Lecture: Burrowing Owls Acoustic Research

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

    Speaker: Samantha Lima, Ph.D.
    Sam is a postdoc at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, where she conducts research on burrowing owls. Tonight, she will introduce bioacoustics and its application in species monitoring and explain the work of SDZWA to monitor these charismatic birds using passive acoustic methods. Additionally, she will include a demonstration of the equipment and engage in discussions about acoustic fieldwork. GP $12, M $10, V $8. Register online or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.

    Register here for the program.

  • ABDNHA Desert Lecture Series: Bobcats in the Neighborhood

    Featured
    Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center 590 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA, United States

    Speaker: Andy Blue
    Andy Blue discusses a fascinating animal, the bobcat, found both in the wild and in our semi-rural community of Borrego Springs. Although bobcats are more numerous than many realize, they are more secretive than their fellow upper-tier predator, the coyote.

    Andy has been a powerhouse in the zoological community for many years, working in Russia, Ukraine, Iraq, Cuba, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. He started at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park at age 16 and became a curator. He has served as Zoological Manager at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and as director of the Ramona Wildlife Center. Currently, he is the Campus Director at the San Diego Humane Society. The highlight of his job is returning rehabilitated animals to the wild. General Public: $10 at the door; Members: no charge. Seating is first-come, first-served.

  • Webinar: Rattlesnakes of Anza-Borrego

    Zoom

    Eric Dugan, Herpetologist
    In this webinar, Eric Dugan will describe the rattlesnakes found in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, with information about the habitats where each of them exists. He will also talk about a dietary study he has been working on for the past ten years. No charge, but donations are welcome.

    Register here for the webinar.

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