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NEW CHILDREN'S GARDEN OPENS WITH A FREE FAMILY DAY

On Sunday August 30 at the Museum of Ventura County

By Sharon Rosenthal, www.camarillo.macaronikid.com August 23, 2015
The community is invited to experience the Museum’s new learning space on Sunday, August 30, from 1 to 3 pm, as the Museum of Ventura County opens its Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Children’s Garden to the public with a special Family Day.

 This event welcomes children to an area that is permanently dedicated to learning, discovery and preservation. Admission is free to all.

The conversion of this open space was made possible with a generous donation from philanthropist Howard Boroughs, and is named for him and his late wife Evelyn. It comprises new native plants, as well as a new Monarch habitat with pollinator plants, and a Chumash learning center, which is an extension of the museum’s indoor permanent exhibition visited by more than 2,000 Ventura County school children per year.  

In addition the museum will feature a Chumash garden area, made possible with a gift by Museum donor Barbara Meister, in memory of Larry Meister. Each donor, committed to education and history, will be present at the event.   

According to Museum of Ventura County CEO Pattie Mullins:  “This garden represents a true community collaboration, bringing together the expertise of the local Chumash community, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department, our docent volunteer council, a talented, local muralist, Uriel Leon,  and schoolchildren who helped him  paint the mural with their hand prints.  It demonstrates our commitment to hands-on learning and educational experiences.”

Elements of the garden include:  
  • Native and pollinator plants, planted with the intention of restoring the Monarch butterfly habitat to the region under the guidance of Michael Glenn, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office.
  • A Chumash Ap (a traditional Chumash dwelling), built as an Eagle Scout project by Devin Kress, a local Boy Scout from Troop #119, who was guided through the research and construction by local Chumash tribal members.
  • A mural along one garden wall depicts a large tree and oversized butterflies, signifying the habitat that has been planted.  Painted by local artist Uriel Leon, the mural was embellished under his guidance by children from the Harrington Elementary School in Oxnard on a visit to the museum in July.
The day’s events include crafts and other activities for children. Additionally, there will be  informal information stations for each element of the garden, such as Eagle Scout Devin Kress explaining his research and creation of the Chumash Ap, docent tours of the Life Cycle Learning Center and a representative from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife/Office of Ventura on pollinators  and Monarch butterfly migration. The Museum’s director of education Megan Gately will be on hand to speak with teachers and parents about the educational components and their relationship to grade-school curriculum. 

The Museum hours are from 11 am to 5 pm and admission is free to all. The museum is located at 100 E. Main Street in Downtown Ventura.

For more information visit http://venturamuseum.org/