PLACERITA LAUNCHES POST-BLAZE COMEBACK.Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer NEWHALL - As Karli Bouck, 5, scooted next to her friend, Austin Slusher, 9, for a picture, both looked nervously over their left shoulders. Assured that Graham was in place, they turned back toward the camera. After all, it isn't every day that you get your picture taken with a 50- pound Burmese python The Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus) is the larger subspecies of the Indian Python and one of the 6 biggest snakes in the world, native to rain forest areas of Southeast Asia. . ``I like him,'' Austin said. ``I've been petting him.'' The snake photo op was one of several new activities added to the annual Open House at the Placerita Nature Center, which was held Saturday. ``We're trying to make the event more kid-friendly,'' said Ian Swift, the ranger in charge of the park. ``We have things like watermelon-eating contests and rubber ducky races in the creek. Last year, we had a lot of exhibits, but not much for the kids.'' Saturday's event was the first since a devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. fire swept through the canyon in July 2004, burning everything but the park structures, followed by nearly 50 inches of rain in January. Volunteers have worked to restore trails, but some storm damage remains to be remedied. Swift said nearly 45 volunteers were out in force to put on the event that also included gold panning, face painting, badge making, and reptile and wildlife shows. A fire crew from the U.S. Forest Service was on hand to show off its 500-gallon tanker truck, offering children a chance to hoist 45-pound hose packs onto their backs for a true firefighter experience. Vincente Agricourt, 9, of Van Nuys, wore a California condor visor as he rapidly swirled water around a sluice pan, hoping for a few gold nuggets. ``Put just a little more water in the pan and let the gold fall down to the bottom,'' advised volunteer Bill Webber as the young boy stared at the pan. Soon, about a dozen pebbles of gold-colored metal surfaced, which Vincente proudly showed to his mother, Regina. Holding court in the breezeway breeze·way n. A roofed, open-sided passageway connecting two structures, such as a house and a garage. was the center's mascot O.J., a 25-year- old great horned owl great horned owl Horned owl species (Bubo virginianus) that ranges from Arctic tree limits south to the Strait of Magellan. A powerful, mottled-brown predator, it is often more than 2 ft (60 cm) long, with a wingspan often approaching 80 in. (200 cm). perched on the hand of naturalist Roger McClure. O.J. kept a watchful eye on the children, who marveled at his 360-degree vision. A new addition to the park near the historic Walker Cabin is a butterfly garden, planted by volunteer Donna Lauber. ``I wanted an interactive garden for children and the handicapped and elderly, and butterflies can't really hurt anyone,'' she said, flipping through a scrapbook A Macintosh disk file that holds frequently used text and graphics objects, such as a company letterhead. Contrast with "clipboard," which is reserved memory that holds data only for the current session. showing the garden's planting in January 2004, the first ``customer,'' a Western swallowtail butterfly swallowtail butterfly Any of more than 500 species (genus Papilio, family Papilionidae) of butterflies found worldwide except in the Arctic. Some have tail-like extensions of the hind wing. eating purple flowers in May of 2004 and the effect of the summer fires on the garden. On Saturday, the garden was filled with blossoms of several species, including yerba santa, milkweed milkweed, common name for members of the Asclepiadaceae, a family of mostly perennial herbs and shrubs characterized by milky sap, a tuft of silky hairs attached to the seed (for wind distribution), and (usually) a climbing habit. , buckwheat buckwheat, common name for certain members of the Polygonaceae, a family of herbs and shrubs found chiefly in north temperate areas and having a characteristic pungent juice containing oxalic acid. Species native to the United States are most common in the West. , lupine lupine or lupin (l  `pĭn), any species of the genus Lupinus, annual or perennial herbs or shrubs of the family Leguminosae (pulse family). and California poppies, some with stems four feet tall. ``After the fire, I weeded and watered, but didn't reseed Verb 1. reseed - seed again or anew farming, husbandry, agriculture - the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock seed - go to seed; shed seeds; "The dandelions went to seed" 2. ,'' Lauber said. ``And it all came back. This is the perfect example of a fire-ecology garden - it's regenerated within itself and is spreading all over the park.'' Swift said he hoped new volunteers would come from the event. Budget cutbacks have affected the center's ability to give school tours and hold special events. The center is now holding volunteer orientation at 10 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month in hopes of recruiting new members who might not have the time or inclination to be naturalists. Training for volunteer naturalists is in September. Help is needed in the areas of docenting, trail repair, library, information counter and gift shop and the native plant nursery. For information on the center or the volunteer program, call (661) 259-7721. Carol Rock, (661) 257-5252 carol.rock(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- 3) Ian Seeley, 4, holds his arms out, above, among grownups holding an albino albino (ălbī`nō) [Port.,=white], animal or plant lacking normal pigmentation. The absence of pigment is observed in the body covering (skin, hair, and feathers) and in the iris of the eye. Burmese python at Saturday's open house at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center. Jacob Jarkow, 7, eyes the competition during a watermelon-eating contest, left. Below, Ron Ferguson, left, of Valencia shows his grandchildren Zoey, 10, Stone, 7, and Tyler, 18, how to pan for gold. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer |
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