ENVIRONMENT : Notes about your surroundings

Cruise On In--A free preview slide show of the Santa Ana Zoo’s 10-day trip to the Galapagos Islands will be given Wednesday. Travelers on the cruise in June will visit six islands and view such wildlife as sea lions, lava lizards, fur seals, penguins, flamingos and the giant tortoises that give the islands their name. The preview begins at 7:30 p.m. in the zoo’s education classroom, 1801 E. Chestnut Ave. A second program will be given at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Ave., Costa Mesa. Cost of the tour is $3895 per person, including air fare from Los Angeles. For more information or reservations, call Ron Glazier at (714) 647-6598.

Friendly Walk--Discover the plants and wildlife of the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve on a free tour provided by the Friends of Newport Bay on Saturday. The two-hour walk covers about a mile of the upper bay, with stops to explain the area’s history and the birds, fish and mammals that make their home there. Tour groups will leave from Eastbluff and Backbay drives from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Comfortable shoes, a bird book and binoculars are recommended. The group’s last tour of the season is scheduled for March 14. Information: Dick Kust, (714) 786-8878.

Scrubbing Up--The campus of UC Irvine and surrounding area were once the site of wetlands and large stands of coastal sage scrub. At the next meeting of the county chapter of the California Native Plant Society, Peter Bowler, professor of ecological and evolutionary biology at UCI, will report on efforts to restore some of the area’s native habitat. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Irvine Ranch Water District headquarters, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine. Information: Celia Kutcher, (714) 278-4795.

Fair Prey--Orange County’s birds of prey will be the topic of the monthly meeting of the Sierra Club, Orange County chapter. It begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at REI, 1411 S. Village Way, Santa Ana. The meeting is free and open to the public.