For many of us, our public lands are places we visit to decompress, spend time with family and friends, learn, practice hobbies, or simply to connect with nature. While trails remain open in the Los Padres National Forest, not everyone has the time or access to large open spaces—and those that do are now limited by physical distancing guidelines. With these factors in mind, we’ve put together a list of ideas for nature connection indoors, in your neighborhood, or on the trail.
Bring the Outdoors Inside
Rearrange your home with nature in mind. Creating a space that resembles the outdoors and stimulates the senses can help avoid giving in to “cabin fever.” Decorate the room with houseplants, open the windows, introduce your favorite natural scents, and put on a nature documentary or playlist. There are extensive digital options for nature sounds that include wildlife, roaring rivers, oceans, and so much more. You can also create this environment near a stationary bike or indoor gym to add an element of adventure and get your body moving.
Give nature crafting or indoor play a chance. Leaves or rocks can be great art materials. Look around your house for decorations you may have used as fall or spring decorations. If you don’t have any items, sketching and cutting natural objects and wildlife will work just as well. Here’s a great list of leaf art projects for all ages.
Reimagine The Possibilities Outside Your Door
Go birdwatching in your neighborhood. Birds are everywhere—in your backyard, on city streets, in local parks, and the forest. Exploring your neighborhood with binoculars is a great exercise that can be done alone or with your family. During stressful times like we are living now, birdwatching can be a meditative experience that helps build patience. It’s also been said that birdwatchers develop quicker reflexes as they must always be in a state of readiness.
Build a native plant garden. Bring the forest to your backyard by planting native plants that support the preservation of biodiversity. Restoring habitat is critical to sustaining a balanced landscape for birds and other animals. Each stretch of habitat contributes to the collective effort of protecting our natural places—including the Los Padres. The benefits extend to both people and planet. A native garden can help you use less fertilizer, pesticides, and water while also helping save on maintenance costs.
On the Trail
Become a citizen scientist. The Los Padres is at the center of North America’s only “biodiversity hotspot,” one of the Earth’s biologically richest ecoregions. It provides habitat for 468 species of wildlife and over 1,200 plant species, including over 90 at risk of extinction, more than any other national forest in the state. The inaturalist app can help you identify species as well as contribute to an online social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists across the globe. Every observation helps contribute to biodiversity science.
Visit a new trail in the Los Padres. During the COVID-19 crisis, we are recommending trail users stay local to prevent the spread of infection. There are many trails in the forest that have less traffic and are still accessible from your community. Landscapes can change dramatically, and in the course of a one hour hike you can go through creeks, gorges, open vistas, and dramatic rock formations. Check the U.S. Forest Service website for trails near you.
Stay Safe
While we recommend frequent walks in your neighborhood or on the trail, please make sure to follow the COVID-19 guidelines to keep yourself and others safe. Before you set out for the trail, please take a look at the current closures in place for national forests, parks, monuments, and other public lands in the region. Local city and county closures are changing regularly.
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