Nature Center

Robert Blechl HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- Burbank's Retired Senior Volunteer Program is looking for adults 55 and older to fill positions at Stough Canyon Nature Center. The nature center, scheduled to open in spring, needs people to work the information desk -- answering phones and taking questions from the public -- and for general office work. Cashiers and bookkeepers are needed in the gift shop and docents are needed to lead hikes and workshops.

Gary Moskowitz HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- Patrick Dougherty is proud to say his 8-year-old son, Matthew, designed and cut the family pumpkin almost all by himself, and that the scary-faced jack-o'-lantern will sit ominously on the Doughertys' front porch until Halloween. The Dougherty family was one of several who attended a pumpkin-carving event at Stough Canyon Nature Center Saturday afternoon during which pumpkins were designed and cut for Halloween with the help of the nature center's staff.

Molly Shore HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- Children 6 to 10 can enjoy a three-day Winter in the Wild nature camp today through Friday at the Stough Canyon Nature Center at 2300 Walnut Ave. The camp, sponsored by the Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services Dept., will teach children about the different wild animals that live in the Verdugo Mountains, and how everything fits into the web of life. Campers will participate in hikes, crafts and nature activities, and each child will receive a visor.

TODAY Starlight Bowl will offer an evening of music, patriotism and fireworks from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.starlightbowl.com. ? MONDAY The Stough Canyon Nature Center is hosting a full moon evening hike at 6:30 p.m. starting at the nature center, 2300 Walnut Ave., Burbank. Call (818) 238-5440. ? Monday Moonlight Line Dance Madness for adults 55 and older begins at 6:30 every Monday through Aug. 31 at the Joslyn Adult Center, 1301 W. Olive Ave., Burbank.

Laura Sturza Burbank Cub Scout Pack 225 members showed their respect for nature by gathering trash in Wildwood Canyon as part of the city's Earth Day activities. "The boys were really savvy," Cubmaster John Dlugolecki said. "They were separating the recyclables." The group hikes in the canyon, and Dlugolecki said he wants the boys "to learn to leave places cleaner than when they first got there." Another 40 volunteers tidied the trails at the Stough Canyon Nature Center as part of events Saturday that included a hike and displays of reptiles and frogs native to the area.

"Somebody's gon'er get kilt." One of the guys in my Burbank Senior Golf Club group said that the other day as the subject, as usual, got around to the really serious traffic problem we have where Walnut crosses the DeBell Golf Course parking lot entrance across from the clubhouse and pro shop. Since the opening of the great nature center about a mile up Walnut -- where it dead-ends at the trail heads leading into our beautiful canyons -- visitor car and mountain bike traffic has tremendously increased.

Gary Moskowitz HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- Burbank's Park, Recreation and Community Services Dept. will celebrate the passing of another year Monday by hosting a full moon hike in the Verdugo Mountains. The hike will be from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at the Stough Canyon Nature Center, 2300 Walnut Ave. in Burbank. Reservations to participate in the hike must be made by today. The cost of the event is $5 per person. The event will include a hike, noisemaker crafts and other activities for the whole family.

Molly Shore Grungy old sneakers have a new life awaiting them. During the city's Earth Day celebration Saturday, and through the end of May, the Burbank Recycle Center is accepting old shoes in conjunction with Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe Program, Recycling Specialist Hope McAloon said. "We're trying to collect 5,000 pair of sneakers or tennis shoes before June 1," McAloon said. "Nike has a program in which 25 cities across the country are doing this."

Plant invaders were the target Sunday for Yeva Mirzakhanyan, who was roaming the trails of Stough Canyon armed with a hand-held satellite mapping system and a list of species. The 16-year-old junior at Clark Magnet High School is part of a team of students who have been using global-positioning-system coordinates to mark the locations of invasive plants — species that are not native to the region and hurt local ecosystems, her teacher, Dominique Evans-Bye, said. “This is Spanish broom,” said Yeva, pointing out a green shrub of pointy stems after having already identified several mustard plants and tobacco trees, which are also invasive plants.

BURBANK — Plant invaders were the target Sunday for Yeva Mirzakhanyan, who was roaming the trails of Stough Canyon armed with a hand-held satellite mapping system and a list of species. The 16-year-old junior at Clark Magnet High School is part of a team of students who have been using global-positioning-system coordinates to mark the locations of invasive plants — species that are not native to the region and hurt local ecosystems, her teacher, Dominique Evans-Bye, said.

BURBANK — For Burbank High School freshman Ryan Magowan, the Stough Canyon Nature Center is a welcome escape from daily life. “You can get away from technology and get outdoors,” said Ryan, who said his love of nature and interest in science motivated him to begin volunteering at the center to help him rack up community-service hours. The high school student was one of many residents who made their way to the center, tucked in the hills of Burbank's Stough Canyon, to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Stough Canyon Nature Center is transforming from educational center into a ?Haunted Adventure? for two nights of frightful, fun thrills that officials hope will leave guests screaming for more. The scary tour is planned by the Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services Department on Friday and Saturday and pays homage to tinsel town with its ?Haunted Hollywood? theme. The nature center?s docents are conjuring up the spooky ambience that features paparazzi, a re-creation of Grauman?

TODAY The Stough Canyon Nature Center is hosting a moderate fitness hike at 6:30 p.m. starting at the nature center, 2300 Walnut Ave., Burbank. For more information, call (818) 238-5440. ? The Joslyn Adult Center will be hosting Square Dance Classes for beginners at 7 p.m. every Wednesday in July. The center is at 1301 W. Olive Ave. Burbank. Dress is casual. The fee is $6 ($5 with Burbank Senior Activity Card); first session is free. For more information, call (818)

Plant invaders were the target Sunday for Yeva Mirzakhanyan, who was roaming the trails of Stough Canyon armed with a hand-held satellite mapping system and a list of species. The 16-year-old junior at Clark Magnet High School is part of a team of students who have been using global-positioning-system coordinates to mark the locations of invasive plants — species that are not native to the region and hurt local ecosystems, her teacher, Dominique Evans-Bye, said. “This is Spanish broom,” said Yeva, pointing out a green shrub of pointy stems after having already identified several mustard plants and tobacco trees, which are also invasive plants.

BURBANK — Plant invaders were the target Sunday for Yeva Mirzakhanyan, who was roaming the trails of Stough Canyon armed with a hand-held satellite mapping system and a list of species. The 16-year-old junior at Clark Magnet High School is part of a team of students who have been using global-positioning-system coordinates to mark the locations of invasive plants — species that are not native to the region and hurt local ecosystems, her teacher, Dominique Evans-Bye, said.

Cary Michel huffed and puffed Saturday morning all the way back down from Fire Warden’s Grove, a 3.6-mile hike one way. It was the Glendale resident’s first time hiking in the Verdugo Hills, and after Saturday’s hike, she couldn’t explain why. She only knew she’d be back soon. “It was great,” Michel said in between heavy breaths near the bottom of the fire road off La Tuna Canyon Road. “So beautiful . . . and everyone on the trail was great.

Jeffrey Maxim held on tightly to his mother’s hip. The 10-year-old didn’t want to meet the creatures of the night, lurking in the bushes, waiting to hear his footsteps so they could pounce. He and his mother waited in line Friday to hitch a ride up the hill to the Stough Canyon Nature Center, where laboratory animals had supposedly taken over the grounds. Jeffrey, a Burbank resident, had been to haunted houses in the past and said he can sense when the enraged animals will stay silent or scream, or when they’re creeping through the bushes.