August Features Moons and Melons

August is National Water Quality Month, a time for us all to re-affirm our promise to keeping our rivers, lakes and beaches free of pollution. So, what better way to commemorate your commitment to clean water this month than by participating in a water friendly event. Between clean-ups, native gardening classes, a watermelon festival and full-moon hikes, there’s bound to be something in August that catches your clean-water fancy!

> Our oceans and our moon are intimately “tide” together.  TreePeople starts off August with their first of two full moon hikes at their Coldwater Canyon campus on Thursday, August 2. The second of these full moon hikes, which is also a blue moon hike, will take place on Friday, August 31. A full moon hike is a great opportunity to explore Coldwater Canyon and learn more about the great work TreePeople is doing to create a sustainable urban forest and improve LA’s water quality.

> August is a great beach month. It’s also a great beach clean-up month. Surfrider kicks off the beach clean-ups this month with their Hands Across the Sand beach clean-up on Saturday, August 4 at Zuma Beach. Two weeks later on August 18, Heal the Bay will host their Nothin’ But Sand monthly beach clean-up event at Will Rogers State Beach.

> But, let’s not forget the importance of keeping those inland creeks and streams clean, too! On Saturday, August 11 Heal the Bay’s Stream Team will partner with Mountains Restoration Trust to keep Malibu Creek State Park and its related watershed healthy by clearing out non-native vegetation.

> So, if water had an official fruit, it would be watermelon, right? The 51^st Annual Watermelon Festival takes place on August 10, 11 and 12 at Sunland Park. From contests to a royal court to rides and games, the 2012 Watermelon Festival offers old-fashioned fun for everything-watermelon!

> Ready to lose your lawn? Interested in learning more about native plants and how you can incorporate them into your home’s landscaping? Native plants are a great way to beautify your home and conserve water – another great way to recognize National Water Quality month. The Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley offers ongoing classes on landscaping with native plants. “Look, Ma! No Lawn!”, “Gardening with the Senses” and “Seeds Please” are just a few of the classes offered in August.

For a full listing of stormwater friendly events happening in LA this month, please visit our calendar. If you have an event you would like to include on our calendar, please e-mail us at lastormwater@lacity.org.

Photo courtesy of Thee DOMASAN.