Docent Trainees Learn to Share Their Love of Nature

A group of people passionate about nature took the first step toward becoming a Topanga Canyon Docent Saturday by attending the first of 10 fall training classes at Trippet Ranch Nature Center.

These 26 trainees are people who love the environment and want to educate others about nature and ecology, according to Lynne Haigh, president of Topanga Canyon Docents.

“As docents, these trainees will have the opportunity to share their love of nature with adults who come to the park for hikes, schoolchildren who come for nature walks, or by volunteering at the nature center,” Haigh said.

But in order to become an expert on Topanga State Park and its 12,000 acres of open space, including a huge diversity of plant and animal life and miles of hiking, biking and horseback trails, the docents-in-training must first complete the rigorous naturalist-education program. In its 37th year, the Topanga Canyon Docents program is considered one of the best in the Santa Monica Mountains area.

“We host it, but the program is open to anybody who wants to volunteer here in the Santa Monica Mountains. The idea is to get people comfortable with teaching others about the mountains,” said Topanga Canyon Docent and Pacific Palisades resident Marc Birenbaum.

The program offers classroom and in-the-field training by highly respected educators and professional naturalists, as well as interpretive walks led by experts. Topics include the Chumash and Tongva cultures fire ecology, and native plants and animals.

Fabienne Melkanoff of Encino enrolled in the training program so she could teach her fourth grade students at Carpenter Community Charter School in Studio City about the park and lead them on field trips.

“We’re learning a lot. The people here are really inspired about the various topics and that is inspiring me to want to learn even more,” Melkanoff said.

Lynne Davlantes thought the classes would help her relate better to her outdoorsy 14-year-old daughter.

“She’s been rock climbing and going to all of these fabulous places, so I thought this would be a good way to show interest in what she’s doing and bond with my daughter more,” said Davlantes, who plans to volunteer at Malibu Creek State Park.

“People come from all over the world to Malibu Creek State Park, so it really intrigued me to learn I could volunteer there. Plus the people there are so nice, it’s kind of like a family,” she said.