Spirits take flight

Smack in the middle of our smoggy metropolis, within the roar of the Pasadena Freeway, sits the humble nature center: a sandy courtyard, a gurgling waterfall, a cool pond where lilies and wiggling minnows pull your mind away. Giggling children scan for red-tailed hawks and plant vegetables in a tiny garden patch. This, I’m reminded, is what matters. When did I forget that?

The Audubon Center at Debs Park, 10 minutes from downtown Los Angeles near Highland Park, has been soothing the spirit for about a year now. It’s set amid hillside trails winding through almost 300 acres, past the homes of 137 bird species. Exhibits -- and the building itself -- are full of hope and progress. Audubon says the center is one of the most environmentally advanced structures in the country -- powered, heated and cooled entirely by the sun. Recycled rainwater irrigates plants. The building’s rebar, used to reinforce concrete, is made of melted handguns. In the most urban of settings, it’s a place where the environment is cherished, where signs invite visitors to touch, smell and observe nature.

Wait, was that a squirrel or a cottontail darting past? And above, hawks -- two of them -- are gliding over a retreat of their own.

-- Zan Dubin Scott