Notes about your surroundingsNature Study--Applications for a...

Notes about your surroundings

Nature Study--Applications for a scholarship to the National Audubon Society’s Ecology Camp of the West are now being accepted by the South Coast chapter. The Mayme Carver Memorial Scholarship covers the $695 tuition for a one-week session of field trips and natural history treks in a secluded valley in Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains during the summer of 1997.

Applicants must be over 18 years of age and preference is usually given to those whose work or study, whether paid or volunteer, influences the attitude of a large number of people in Orange County toward the environment and nature. Past scholarship winners have been science teachers and educators, college students, park rangers and volunteer docents for local wilderness areas. The recipient must provide his or her own transportation to the Wyoming camp.

The deadline for submitting applications is Nov. 30. For information, call Nona Reimer at (714) 661-2553 or write the chapter at P.O. Box 4059, San Clemente, CA 92674-4059.

License Date--The annual Coastal Cleanup Day was yesterday, but those who want to continue helping can purchase Coastal Protection license plates. State law requires that 5,000 be sold by Dec. 31 in order for the plate program to be formally approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Cost is $50 in addition to the usual DMV registration charges. In addition to supporting Coastal Cleanup Day, the fee will help fund the Coastal Commission’s school environmental education programs and the State Coastal Conservancy’s beach access and coastal restoration programs. For information on how to buy a plate, call (800) 262-7848.

Fireside Chat--Amphibians and reptiles of Orange County will be discussed at a campfire Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the amphitheater on Shellmaker Island off Backbay Drive in Newport Beach. Bring warm clothes and a blanket; marshmallows and roasting sticks are provided. For information, call (714) 640-6746.