Do It Right! LA City Christmas Tree Pickup and Recycling

My friend, Keri Dearborn, over at Animalbytes has pointed out this great information for City of LA residents about Christmas tree pickup, dropoff and recycling.

In the past, many Christmas trees were simply dumped curbside, on lawns or in empty lots. They would often site there for a month or more until someone decided to clean them up.

The best action to take, of course, is to cut up, or chip/shred your tree for use as mulch in your garden or compost pile. While I have the ability to do that here, I realize some other city dwellers might not be equipped for such things.

If you can't mulch or compost your tree, the City of LA has 3 different ways to dispose of your Christmas Tree.

1. Cut it up and place it in your standard green garden bin
   
   
2. Leave it curbside, if it is too big to fit in the bin (or you are unable to dismantle it)
   
   
3. Take your tree to a long list of drop-off sites around the city incuding various Parks and Recreation and Fire Station locations. This is a limited time option, though. You will only be able to do this on Saturday, January 2, 2010 and Sunday, January 3, 2010.

Here is complete information on City of Los Angeles Christmas Tree Recycling Program. Dispose of your Christmas tree properly!

Photo Credit: Flickr picture by Shira Golding

Cooper's Hawk in my garden this morning

This big guy was having his lunch in my back garden this morning and took his time, so I was able to get about 10 minutes of closeup footage.

iPod Ready Video

Previously on WelchWrite.com...

Video: Coopers (not Red-tailed) hawk in the garden this morning

Charmlee Moonlight Hike

Charmlee Moonlight Hike - 07
Originally uploaded by dewelch

The cooler temperatures finally provided and opening to get back into the outdoors yesterday. A few weeks ago I check out the Santa Monica Mountains Outdoors Guide and noted anything interesting in my calendar. The Full Moon is always a busy weekend for outdoor activities and I noticed that Charmlee Wilderness Park in Malibu was having their monthly moonlight hike. We have been to this park many times in the past and it is relatively easy to get to from the Valley.

I gathered up some friends, new and old, and we headed out. Right around sunset we headed out into the main part of the park, looking to arrive at the south bluff just as the sun went down. As you can see from these pictures, our timing ended up working out quite well. We watched the sunset for a while. taking lots of pictures and chatting. (Click the picture for more photos of our trip) Then, as darkness fell, we made our way back to the trailhead. It always amazes me how much light is shed by the full moon. We cast dark shadows on the trail and our eyes adjusted to the point where we could easily make our way.

After our hike I decided to show some new friends a little bit of Malibu proper on our drive home. As we approached the newly refurbished Malibu Pier I remembered I had wanted to stop and check it out on several earlier occasions. This seemed the perfect time for a spur-of-the-moment visit, so we walked the pier, took some more pictures and then had dinner a Ruby's Diner, situated at the very end of the pier.

It was a wonderful night and a perfect re-introduction to the hiking season. I plan on getting out more this Fall and taking my son, and my friends, to some of my favorite spots. In fact, once the Angeles National Forest fully re-opens, I will be one of the first to visit, bringing along my friends to show them how the forest recovers after a large fire.

Join us for a hike sometimes. I will put notices here whenever we have some advance notice of an upcoming hike that I think might interest you. You can also join the WelchWrite Mailing List to get these notices and more. See you on the trail!

Sampler: Autumn in the Garden and more! - October 6, 2007

This is a sampler from another in the WelchWrite Family of shows...

by Douglas E. Welch, agn@welchwrite.com
Reader/Listener Line - 818-804-5049



In this show, I talk about our long, dry summer, an early rain, Autumn beginning and a rat in the compost (Oh, my!)

What's happening in your garden? Let me know by calling the listener line at 818-804-5049 and leaving a message. I just might use it in the podcast.

A Gardener's Notebook Pictures on Flickr
A Gardener's Notebook Photo Sharing Group on Flickr

Listen to the Podcast



Theme Music: The One by The Woodshedders, aka the Hot Club of West Virginia, courtesy of the PodSafe Music Network

Support A Gardener's Notebook:

Join AGN Mailing List | iTunes Review | Digg.com | Podcast Alley | Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049

Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, hobby, california, grow, build, make, DIY, howto, how-to, outdoors, losangeles, 91411

Event: Friends of the Island Fox and Jane Goodall - Sept 23

Friends of the Island Fox and Jane Goodall


Friends of the Island Fox is proud to join our friend Dr. Jane Goodall at the

5th Annual Day of Peace

sponsored by Roots and Shoots and the Jane Goodall Institute

Come Join in the Fun at this FREE event:

Sunday, September 23
at GRIFFITH PARK (by the merry-go-round)
11 AM - 4 PM

There will be:

• Live Music
• Arts & Crafts
• Wildlife Displays
• Pet Adoptions
• and the inspiring Parade of Giant Peace Doves

Hear Jane Goodall speak and help celebrate the community and conservation work accomplished by local Roots and Shoots youth groups.

Visit Friends of the Island Fox at our booth. We will selling “Friends of the Island Fox” T-shirts and offering stuffed toy foxes for a $10 donation.

We’ll be raising funds for fox radio collars and looking for schools willing to meet the conservation challenge of becoming Fox Ambassadors.

Come by and say “Hi.”

For more information: rootsandshootsla@aol.com
or www.janegoodall.org/peace-day

(Via Friends of the Island Fox.)

Technorati Tags: animals, art, california, children, communitybuilding, cool, crafts, environment, event, events, free, fun, losangeles, outdoors

A Gardener's Notebook Promo

Have you heard about one of my other podcasts, A Gardener's Notebook? Would you like to share it with others?

Here is a promo that you can share with your friends or place in your own podcast.

Play -- A Gardener's Notebook Promo

Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, hobby, california, grow, podcast, podcasting, outdoors, losangeles

Western Family Fun Day - May 12 - Eagle Rock

Western Family Fun Day

Date: May 12, 2007
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM; Doors open at 12:30, Carnival Games 1:00 - 2:00, Live Musical Performance 2:00 to 3:00 pm

Location: SW Hill Country Western Store and Museum
Address: 1412 Colorado Blvd , Eagle Rock , 90041

Cross Streets: Colorado / Mt. Helena

Region: Downtown LA

Phone: (323) 256-2500

Admission: Free For Kids; $2 for Adults

Kid Friendly: Carnival Games and Live Western Music for Kids

Food Services: Drinks and snacks for sale to benefit local equestrian group

Accessibility: Wheel Chair Access

Website: www.swhillcountry.com

Description: Western Family Fun Day. Includes Carnival Games from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM; Musical Performance: The Hollow Trees from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM. Adults are $2 and children are free.

(Via ExperienceLA.com)

---

Do you find WelchEvents useful? Please consider a donation using Paypal.

Visit the WelchEvents Site

Technorati Tags: california, outdoors, events, losangeles, eaglerock

Event: Free trees in Sherman Oaks this Saturday - April 21

The gang over at LAist clued us in to this event. If you have a need for a tree in your landscaping, be sure to stop by.

---

Million Trees program comes to Sherman Oaks

Contributed by: GM Communications on 4/13/2007

What: The Fashion Square Car Wash, in association with the Million Trees program, will give away free trees to the public from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, April 21, at the car wash.

The program, created by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, distributes trees to all areas of the city. People who pick up a five-gallon tree are asked to plant the tree on their home or business property.

No car wash sale is required to participate in the program. The car wash plans to give away 200 trees during the Saturday program.

Where: Fashion Square Car Wash, 4625 Woodman Ave., Sherman Oaks

When: 8 a.m.- 2 p.m.

Event Dates: This event takes place on 4/21/2007.

Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, hobby, california, grow, outdoors, events, losangeles

Event: “Q”ing at the Autry - April 14

“Q”ing at the Autry

Who makes the best barbecue in Los Angeles? Join us for the premiere barbeque festival in Southern California. Come see a barbecue champion crowned and learn some tricks of the trade as you enjoy food, music, and family fun.

WHEN: April 14, call for times

SITE: Autry National Center, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles

COST: Free

SPONSOR: Autry National Center

INFO: 323-667-2000, www.autrynationalcenter.org

From the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department Festival Guide

Technorati Tags: california, outdoors, parks, events, losangeles

Event: Birdwatching -- Outdoor Adventures 2007

Date: Fourth Thursday, of every month, March 22, 2007 - June 28, 2007

Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM; March 22 at 4:00pm; April 26 at 9:00am; May 24 at 4:00pm; June 28 at 9:00pm. Allow about 2 to 3 hours.

Location: Burton Chace Park: Meeting place is the Community Room

Address: 13650 Mindanao Way , Marina del Rey , 90292

Cross Streets: Lincoln Blvd. / Mindanao Way

Transit Tips: A 15 passenger van will transport the group to the wetlands.

Region: North Beach Area

Phone: (310) 822-8530

Admission: The Birdwatching is free but you must pre-register.

Website: www.labeaches.info

Description: Burton Chace Park is offering a birdwatching experience in
various sites of the Ballona Wetlands. Outings begin with a brief lecture;
then the group will get the opportunity to observe various bird species
compete for resources in the shoreline and vegetations habitat. You may also
be taken to nesting sites of the Great Blue Heron and Black Crowned Night
Heron.

This activity is planned for adults but older children (not requiring a car
seat or stroller) will be allowed to participate if accompanied by an adult.

Recommended items to bring are: water, snack, sunscreen, appropriate attire
and binoculars. Meeting place is the Burton Chace Park Community Room, were
a 15-passenger van driven by a California commercial license driven will
take the group to the wetlands.

Free Walking Tour

Submitted By: Marina del Rey Convention & Visitors Bureau

Source: ExperienceLA.com

Tags: event losangeles birds birdwatching outdoor california marinadelrey

Event: Pt. Vicente on top of the world

Cybele over at blogging.la points out an event that is new to me and I want to share it with you. Not only that, now I have to arrange to get down there sometime. (SMILE)

Pt. Vicente on top of the world

Cybele: Every second Saturday the Pt. Vicente Lighthouse is open to the public. Not only is it free of charge, it's like stepping back in time.

It's just three flights of stairs and a little ladder climb up to the top.

The light room itself is pretty hot ... seriously. The rotating 1000 watt lamp plus the widows is like a heater in a greehouse.

(Continues at original site)

(Via Blogging.LA.)

Technorati Tags: california, outdoors, parks, events, losangeles

What I'm Reading....

Readymade is from the folks over at Readymade magazine, a great monthly available via subscription or on the newstand.



Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, grow, build, make, DIY, howto, how-to, creativity, outdoors, hints, tips, books, learning, education, read, reading, business

Elsewhere Online: Google Maps Adds Metro Stations & Video

I have been paying more attention to blogs which discuss public transportation in Los Angeles, and the item below popped up today. While it is good news to see this Metro info appearing in Google Maps, another link at the bottom was even more interesting. It links to a video on the Metro system both present and future, produced by the blog, TMIV and the Dude.

Here is a sample of one of the videos. Check out their web site for more.

Google Maps Adds Metro Stations

I found out via Lifehacker that Google Maps quietly updated their New York City maps to include prominent buildings and subway stations, and apparently they’ve done the same for Los Angeles! Now all we need is Google Transit support and we’re all good.

Don’t forget: TMIV’s Google Earth KML files for Metro Rail

(Via MetroRiderLA.)

Technorati Tags: california, outdoors, losangeles, tour, mass transit, transportation, video

Podcast: Metro Destinations for your iPod

Did you know that the Los Angeles MTA had a podcast.?

Neither did I until tonight when I was poking around on their web site.

Available in both audio and video formats.

I have one small correction for their podcast page. They say "Video Podcast - m4v format, Apple iPod Video model required". That's not quite true. You can view these podcasts directly on any computer with Apple's free iTunes software.

Link: Metro Destinations for your iPod

metro.net | Riding Metro - Metro Destinations for your iPod

Metro's video catalog showcases fun places to visit throughout Los Angeles County via public transportation, avoiding the hassle of traffic, parking and high gas prices.

The videos spotlight numerous venues such as Universal City, Hollywood, Pasadena, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Long Beach, Santa Monica, downtown Los Angeles, Latino LA, Koreatown, the newly refurbished Griffith Observatory, Farmers Market, Fashion District, Aquarium of the Pacific, Staples Center, Asian LA and more.

(Via MTA.net.)

Technorati Tags: california, podcast, outdoors, events, losangeles, tour, travel, mass transit, transportation

Old Book: The Jack of All Trades - FREE from Google Book Search

I love old books like this one mentioned in Make Magazine's blog, The Jack of All Trades. It takes us back to a simpler time when kids were allowed, even encouraged, to make things on their own. Sure, there is some anachronistic material within, but there are also some very cool ideas.

Even better, this book is available, in PDF format, directly from Google Book Search. Go take a look and let me know your favorite project.

The Jack of All Trades: fair weather ideas on Google Book search

Shawn writes - "This is a great book that is no longer in print that shows how to build everything from a log cabin to a wooden bugle. Even if you can't build some of the things in this book it still can flood the imagination with great ideas." - Link.

(Via MAKE: Blog.)

Technorati Tags: hobby, grow, build, make, DIY, howto, how-to, outdoors, crafts, free, book