Fullerton Arboretum hosts free online workshops related to nature

The Fullerton Arboretum is offering free online workshops in June.

Jie Tan will host “Explore Living Colors: The Ecology in Book Arts” on June 15 and 17. In the workshop, participants will be able to create bookmarks, cards, collages, books and bookbinding using leaves, flowers, paper and thread.

In another workshop on June 19, led by Steve Kaye, participants can learn tips and practical techniques to capture hummingbirds on camera.

Debbie Vengco, associate director of marketing and communications for Extension and International Programs at Cal State Fullerton, said via email that the workshops are a result of staff thinking of ways to engage their audience while closed.

The 26-acre arboretum has remained closed to the public since last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Most of the staff was furloughed at the beginning of the pandemic and later a team of horticulturists were brought back full time to take care of the plant collections.

Since its closure, the area that was once a community garden became a sunflower field tied to a fundraising project, and the arboretum’s annual vegetable sale Veggiepalooza took place online in the spring. Proceeds from the sale went toward helping the arboretum keep its full-time staff, care for the plants on site and conservation efforts.

The arboretum is set to reopen in the beginning of July, according to Vengco.

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