Treehuggers International » Balboa Park

Los Angeles County Trails with Jerry Schad

daley — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:11:29 +0000

Looking north into the Mojave Desert from the Devil's Punchbowl.

Making a return appearance to Treehuggers International, veteran outdoor writer, Mesa College science professor and astronomy photographer Jerry Schad talks about the revised, third edition of Afoot and Afield In Los Angeles County, due in bookstores later this year from Wilderness Press.

Jerry talks about the trail revisions in the new edition of his Los Angeles County guide, his favorite L.A.-area trails, the geology and topography of the San Gabirel Mountains and Santa Monica Mountains and how they have become a hiker’s delight, and the best places to hike in Southern California’s hot summer months, where even a trip up Zuma or Solstice Canyon in otherwise ocean-cooled Malibu can be a scorching proposition.

Jerry also talks about his current work on new trail systems in San Diego’s Balboa Park, the environmental benefits of living in the city in multi-story dwellings, and some of the best places in Southern California to combine camping and stargazing.

While best known for Afoot and Afield In San Diego County, the definitive guide on San Diego County trails and the outdoors, as well as an Afoot and Afield entry for Orange County, Jerry has written dozens of books on the outdoors in California, including hiking, bicycling, and trail running, plus he’s the author of a collegiate physical sciences textbook and serves as the Chair of Mesa College’s Physical Sciences Department.

A longtime astronomical photographer with dozens of publication credits to his name, Jerry has hosted KPBS-TV documentaries about San Diego’s nighttime sky and a multi-part show based his own Afoot and Afield In San Diego County.

An occasional contributor to the Los Angeles Times, Jerry is approaching his 800th (!) weekly Roam-A-Rama column for the San Diego Reader!

Needless to say, we’re very happy to have Jerry Schad back on Treehuggers International.

Thousand-year old limber pines near the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell.

Spring wildflowers bloom along the San Andreas Fault at Tejon Pass.

Bio Blitz with the San Diego Natural History Museum

daley — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:06:47 +0000

Fresh off work from the coolest job in the world, the Curator of Entomology at the San Diego Natural History Museum, Dr. Michael Wall, stops by to talk about the museum’s second annual Bio Blitz, being held this year at Mission Trails Regional Park.

San Diego County is one of the most biologically diverse areas of the U.S., but how do you determine how many species are in any given area, and how are plants and animals identified and counted? Bio Blitz condenses a typcially placid academic approach into a 24-hour blitz of discovery and categorization, acknowledging the speed with which species are coming to an early end because of climate change and habitat destruction.

San Diego Natural History Museum Canyoneers

daley — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:43:05 +0000

Cara Furio and Bill Howell from the San Diego Natural History Museum Canyoneers stop by Treehuggers International to talk about the Canyoneers’ mission and history, and the Canyoneers’ ties to their original stomping grounds in San Diego’s Florida Canyon. Tommy also geeks out on oak trees as Cara discusses handling rattlesnakes and other critters creepy enough to stop teenage boys in their tracks and place them “into the palm” of Cara’s hand.

Treehuggers International » Balboa Park

Los Angeles County Trails with Jerry Schad

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Bio Blitz with the San Diego Natural History Museum

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San Diego Natural History Museum Canyoneers

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