ENVIRONMENT / Notes about your surroundings.

Work Detail--Pitch in to plant native oak, sycamore and elderberry trees in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park on Saturday and Nov. 21, beginning at 8 a.m. A shuttle will take volunteers from the parking lot near the intersection of El Toro and Laguna Canyon roads to planting sites. Bring a shovel if you have one, hat, sunscreen, sturdy shoes and gloves. Snacks, lunch and a T-shirt will be provided. Community groups and company teams are welcome. Information: (949) 855-7275.

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Good Heavens--Take an eye-opening tour of the night skies at the Rancho Mission Viejo Land Conservancy on Saturday, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Learn the constellations and discover star clusters, nebulae and the craters of the moon through a telescope. Cost is $8 for adults; $6 for children 8 and older. The event is not recommended for those younger. Reservations: (949) 489-9778. The conservancy manages a wilderness reserve in the coastal foothills east of San Juan Capistrano.

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Bay Trip--Ducks, sandpipers, plovers, egrets, great blue herons and hawks are gathered now at the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve and can be viewed during a free walking tour Saturday offered by the Friends of Newport Bay. Information will be provided on the bay’s history and variety of wildlife and plants. Tours begin at the intersection of Eastbluff and Backbay drives, departing between 9 and 10:15 a.m. The two-hour walks are slightly less than a mile along a paved route. Information: Dick Kust, (949) 786-8878.

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Web Site--Spiders are the focus of a free lecture Tuesday presented by the Orange County Natural History Assn. It begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Sea Country Community Center, 24602 Aliso Creek Road, Laguna Niguel. Information: (949) 831-3287.

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* Send items for consideration to Vicky Clepper, The Times Orange County, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Fax: (714) 966-7711.