Leaders Needed for Whale Programs

Have you ever wondered how the leaders on whale-watching trips learn all that information about marine mammals? One way is to become a volunteer with the Cabrillo Whalewatchprogram. The program needs adult volunteers to narrate on whale-watching boats and give lectures to school groups from January through March. Training classes will be held Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. in the John M. Olguin Auditorium at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro. Call (310) 548-7563.

ENVIRONMENT

* A caravan of four-wheel-drive vehicles will explore the environment of the old Mojave Road, which evolved from the Mojave Indian Trail to become the forerunner of the National Old Trails Road, U.S. 66 and Interstate 40. The trip is part of a class offered Friday through Sunday by Cal State San Bernardino’s Desert Studies Center. Call (909) 880-5981.

* The Friends of Soka University will host an oak tree walk at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Calabasas campus. The area’s geologic history and native plants and animals will also be discussed. Call (818) 880-4649.

SCIENCE FOR FAMILIES

* Swashbuckling pirates, a living sand sculpture and nearly two dozen marine displays will be featured at the annual Autumn Sea Fair at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The daylong event will include the dedication of the facility’s name change from the Cabrillo Marine Museum. Call (310) 548-7563.

* Preschool-age children can learn about animals in “The Call of the Wild,” a class offered by the Los Angeles Zoo beginning Monday. Preregistration is required. Call (213) 666-1100, Ext. 3.

BIOLOGY

* UCLA Professor Jared Diamond, an expert on ecology and evolutionary biology, will discuss “The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal,” at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Call (213) 744-3534 for reservations.

ASTRONOMY

* The thin crescent moon, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and the stars of the autumn desert sky will be the subject of a weekend stargazing class, “The Desert Sky,” offered by Cal State San Bernardino’s Desert Studies Center Friday through Sunday. Call (909) 880-5975.

HEALTH/MEDICINE

* Dr. Thomas X. Cuyegkeng, a USC gerontologist, will discuss “An Emerging Social Definition of Death and Termination of Treatment,” at noon Thursday at the University of Southern California’s Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, Room 224. Call (213) 740-5156.

* The Chemical Dependency Center of St. John’s Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica will host an educational program on “Impaired Professionals” at 7:45 p.m. Monday in the 7th floor auditorium. Call (310) 829-8905.

* As part of Breast Health Awareness Month, St. John’s Hospital and Health Center will offer a forum on breast cancer issues at 7:30 tonight in the 7th floor auditorium. Reservations are recommended. Call (310) 829-8453.