Notes about your surroundings

Fire Plan--The California Department of Parks and Recreation and the Nature Conservancy have scheduled a controlled burn Tuesday within Crystal Cove State Park and Irvine Co. open space reserve lands along the Newport Coast unincorporated area. The burn is part of an ongoing effort to control invasive weeds within grassland habitat areas, and is planned for lands next to coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats recovering from the 1993 Laguna Beach fire.

Two separate sites totaling 53 acres will be burned. Crystal Cove State Park back country will be closed during the operation. The exact time and day of the burn will depend on weather conditions. For information, call the Nature Conservancy, (714) 832-7478 or the Parks and Recreation Department, (714) 366-8505. On the burn day, call Crystal Cove State Park, (714) 494-3539.

Whale Watch--”The Leviathans of the Sea” will be the focus of a slide presentation Tuesday at the meeting of the Sierra Sage chapter of the Sierra Club. Jim Serpa, marine biologist and ranger in charge of the tide pool aquariums and interpretive center at Doheny State Beach, will be the guest speaker. His topics will include what whales eat, what species are threatened, how intelligent they are and how they communicate. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at REI, 25732 El Paseo, Mission Viejo. Free. (714) 494-3268.

Do for the Zoo--The Santa Ana Zoo is looking for volunteers for its annual “Done in a Day” program Jan. 18. Projects planned include: trimming and planting the zoo’s butterfly garden; cleaning, trimming and re-perching the aracari exhibit; adding new drainage to the children’s zoo; restaining animal enclosures; and a variety of painting, planting and cleaning activities. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old. Contact Leslie Perovich, (714) 953-8555.