Notes about your surroundingsWild Idea--”Wildlife Awareness Day”...

Notes about your surroundings

Wild Idea--”Wildlife Awareness Day” at Orange Coast College will bring together speakers from the San Diego, Los Angeles and Santa Ana zoos Tuesday. Kent Yamaguchi, curator of education at the Santa Ana Zoo, will start things off with a lecture at 9 a.m. on “Wildlife of South America.” Animals from the San Diego Zoo can be seen from 11 a.m. to noon, along with a slide presentation on animal conservation. Dan Zambrano, assistant curator of education at the Los Angeles Zoo, will discuss “Sharks--Dangerous or Misunderstood?” at 2 p.m. The free event takes place in the Student Center Lounge on campus, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Movies will be shown at 12:30 and 5 p.m. Information: (714) 432-5585.

Harvest Crafts--Make a cornhusk scarecrow, construct a gourd bird feeder and take a native plant walk Nov. 23 at a nature enrichment workshop for children 7 to 12 presented by the Oak Canyon Nature Center. The workshop runs from 1 to 3 p.m. and costs $6.50. The nature center is at 6700 E. Walnut Canyon Road, just off Nohl Ranch Road near Anaheim Hills Golf Course. Information: (714) 998-8380.

Talking Trash--Learn to use recycled materials and throwaways to create fun art in the classroom at a workshop offered Wednesday at the Bowers Kidseum. Hours are 5 to 7 p.m. and the cost is $15. For reservations, call Maria Tinajero at (714) 480-1524. The Kidseum is at 1802 N. Main St., Santa Ana, two blocks south of the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art.

Natural Learners--Students can learn the skills of a naturalist during a five-part program at the San Clemente Community Center, 100 N. Calle Seville. Among the activities planned are investigating owl pellets, identifying bones, making plaster casts of animal tracks, building birdhouses and keeping a nature journal. Hours for children in grades three and four are 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays from Nov. 18 to Dec. 16. Fifth- and sixth-graders meet from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Nov. 19 to Dec. 17. Cost is $55 plus a $10 lab fee. Information: (714) 361-8264.