Landscape Expert Shares Guidelines for Gardening with Natives—and Why. See the Recording Here

Erik Oberg, owner of native-plant landscape design company Acorn Design Studios and chair of the Conejo Valley Audubon Society’s Conservation Committee, gave a talk in December 2023 about native plant gardening to a group of COSF open space enthusiasts. He walked the audience through his “Top 10 Reasons to Go Native,” as Read more…

Water expert Jennifer Lancaster explains ‘weather whiplash’ phenomena –plus a recording of the presentation.

On June 28, Jennifer Lancaster, MS, appeared as COSF’s second guest in the 2023 Speaker Series as part of our special “Sustainability” theme. In “Water: Where it comes from, how we use it, where it goes—and why it matters” Lancaster, who is the principal resource specialist at the Calleguas Municipal Water District, Read more…

Athens Service waste bin

How to do your garbage right: Tips from our Speaker Series “Trash Talk” experts, and the RECORDING of the presentation

If you took away nothing else from COSF’s March 29 Speaker Series panel “Talkin’ Trash: How to Do Your Garbage Right,” we hope you at least memorized these three numbers: 1-2-5. Those represent the types of single-use plastics that actually are recyclable. If you see a 1, 2 or 5 Read more…

Board members at the COSF booth at Native Plantpalooza & Eco Fest

Inaugural Native Plantpalooza & Eco Fest Draws Crowds of Plant Enthusiasts

On Saturday, October 1, COSF launched a live event as part of its popular Speaker Series: Native Plantpalooza & Eco Fest at Conejo Creek North Park. The first-year, free event, which was blessed with mild, sunny weather, featured beekeepers, butterfly experts, master gardeners, naturalists, and others.  Attendees enjoyed presentations from Read more…

View the recording of Betina Loudermilk’s talk about the plight of the Western monarch butterflies and what you can do to help them survive

For COSF’s summer 2022 Speaker Series virtual presentation on June 8, butterfly educator Betina Loudermilk of Betina’s Little Farm & Butterfly Garden gave a fact-filled presentation about the East and West Coast monarch migrations and lifecycles. She discussed the mysterious resurgence of the Western monarchs and the grave threats they Read more…

View Dr. Sean Anderson’s talk about the impact of ‘global weirding’ in the Conejo Valley and what you can do to slow it

For COSF’s first 2022 Speaker Series virtual presentation on March 2, conservation ecologist Dr. Sean Anderson examined the multiple threats posed to the Conejo Valley by global warming—or “global weirding,” as he calls it because of the bizarre weather events it causes. Dr. Anderson, who chairs the Environmental Science and Read more…

Wildlife-friendly tips from the California Wildlife Center and the video “Wildlife in Our Neighborhood” presented by Jenn Guess

Jenn Guess gave her COSF audience a very enthusiastic and spirited talk to address common ways wild animals get injured and end up at the California Wildlife Center for rehabilitation, where she works. The CWC receives 30,000 phone calls a year about injured wildlife, and takes in 4,300 animals annually, Read more…

Read the synopsis, then watch the recording of the “Native Plants Demystified” Speaker Series event from October 14, 2021

Native-plant experts Laura Pasetta, Jenn Rodriguez,  Antonio Sanchez and COSCA Administrator Brian Stark spoke from their extensive knowledge and experience of developing a garden of native Southern California plants. The video recording and a photo gallery can be found below this brief synopsis of their presentations. Laura Pasetta (Clinical herbalist, Read more…

Watch the recording of the talk: Changes in Bird Populations due to Urbanization over 25 Years

Dr. Daniel Cooper, who spoke to us via Zoom on Thursday evening June 10th, gave a scholarly presentation of his research into the changes of bird populations over the past few decades due to expanding urban areas. He finds that some species thrive in cities, some avoid them, and others Read more…