Natural History Museum Gets Back to Nature

A family of snakes, butterflies, birds, spiders and many others that has moved three times has perhaps finally found a permanent home in Laguna Niguel.

The cast of creatures is part of the Orange County Natural History Museum, which has relocated to a new facility at the county-run Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park. Formerly based in San Juan Capistrano, the 6-year-old museum now is set in a double trailer nestled in the heart of nature.

“Now that we are in a park, we have a lot more possibilities,” said Jacki Hanson, secretary of the Orange County Natural History Assn., which oversees the museum.

The museum’s grand opening is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m., an event to be filled with an assortment of activities for kids. There will be a short bike ride, demonstrations on fossil preparations, displays of indigenous crafts and archeological activities.

If you can’t make it to the grand opening, there are other adventures throughout the year. The museum will continue its series of lectures and field trips and will add a few new programs in coming months.

Ongoing activities include:

* Archeological digs in the park every Saturday through the end of August, 9 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Minimum age for participants, who must be members, is 14.

* The Micropals program allows children to examine tiny fossils under the microscope. The program usually runs every second and fourth Saturday of the month, 10 a.m.-noon.

* Among upcoming thematic lectures are discussions on recent archeological findings in Orange County, a session on bats in the area, and a historical look at the Orange County Zoo.

In the works is a marked nature walk will allow visitors to identify native plants. It will be a self-guided tour, but docents will be available for group visits. Also in the planning stages is a paleontology digging site where fossils are hidden in the park’s grounds.

For more information on the Orange County Natural History Museum, call (949) 487-9155. Or visit its Web site at https://www.ocnha.mus.ca.us.