Events
Interpretive Walks of the Reserve
Join us on the second and third Sunday of each month, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., for a free interpretive nature walk. You have the opportunity to hear about the amazing plants and wildlife at Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve. Walks are moderately paced on the lower Creek Trail and begin in front of Elfin Forest Interpretive Center Honoring Susan J. Varty.
Al Bates leads walks on the second Sunday of the month, and Sabina Kurz-Sherman leads walks on the third Sunday of the month.
AL BATES
Retired from law enforcement, Al is a native San Diegan and an avid outdoorsman. Al has been trained as an interpretive guide, is a Master Educator for the Leave No Trace Center For Outdoor Ethics and Chaparral Naturalist, and has been a guest speaker for the Sierra Club on the topics of outdoor ethics, backpacking, hiking, and camping. AI currently volunteers on the Reserve’s Trail Patrol and education teams. His talks include local plant and wildlife, how Native Americans and early pioneers used them, and how they still benefit us and provide habitat. Join Al on the second Sunday of every month and witness a rare testimony of EFRR’s life and beauty.
2026 Walks
- January 11
- February 8
- March 8
- April 12
- May 10
- June 14
- July 12
- August 9
- September 13
- October 11
- November 8
- December 13
As a professor of biology at San Diego City College for 20 years, Sabina has been guiding her students on field trips through a variety of habitats including chaparral, coastal sage scrub and oak riparian woodland. During her Elfin Forest walks, Sabina takes you on an experiential journey into sensory engagement, ecological knowledge, indigenous uses of plants, making music with a native California percussion instrument, forest bathing, and the joy of nature drawing. She invites you to walk with her on the third Sunday of each month, opening your mind and heart to the natural world.
2026 Walks
- January 18
- February 15
- March 15
- April 19
- May 17
- June 21
- July 19
- August 16
- September 20
- October 18
- November 15
- December 20
