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Gratitude Gathering 2015
July 18, 2015 @ 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Every summer we gather as a Sangha to celebrate, play, perform service, learn . . .
A few years ago, we worked on Trathen Heckman’s inspiring demonstration garden before gathering for potluck delectables and meditation. In 2013, we joined the March on Chevron. Last year, we had a fascinating tour of the Eco House in Berkeley.
This year we are excited to have renowned naturalist and Green Sangha board member Juan-Carlos Solis leading us on a nature walk within Tilden Park’s Botanic Garden, a 10-acre wonderland representing all of the major biomes of California.
“Juan-Carlos is awesome,” said one of the teens at our first Teen Environmental Leadership Academy (TELA). He really knows his stuff.” He helped us find things that we never would have thought to notice: fish in a roadside ditch (pictured above); a hive of wild bees in a tree high over the trail to Tennessee Cove; salmon fingerlings in a shallow stream outside Muir Woods (picture to the right); a praying mantis on the side of Ring Mountain (below).
Juan Carlos Solis has worked as a naturalist and interpretive program manager for 20 years in California. He is a former naturalist for the East Bay Regional Park District, senior program manager for the California Academy of Sciences, and Director of Education for WildCare. He has lectured and led environmental education workshops and natural history expeditions to Canada, Mexico, South and Central America, Canada, Australia, and Antarctica. Currently, he is a Field Associate for the Ornithology and Mammalogy Department at the California Academy of Sciences, and founder of Quetzal Adventures, a new eco-tourism company offering opportunities to experience nature up-close (www.quetzaladventures.com).
GRATITUDE GATHERING PROGRAM
10 am to noon: Nature walk
Noon: Gratitude circle, somatic movement, listening meditation
Optional post-event activities:
12:30: Picnic. BYO everything! No chairs or tables allowed in the Garden, so we will sit on the lawn.
1 to 2 pm: Annual open meeting of the Green Sangha Board of Directors