By Jason KUROSU

Docents for the Rosemont Preserve will conduct their first hike of the summer on Saturday morning, July 27. The preserve was purchased a year ago by the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy with the aim of preserving the 7.75 acres of open space and preventing it from being developed.

In addition to preserving the land, the Friends of the Rosemont Preserve, a volunteer organization of the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy, sought to utilize the preserve for educational purposes. Mountain Avenue Elementary parents helped organize trips to the preserve for the third grade class and developed a curriculum to complement the hikes that emphasizes adaptation in nature.

The preserve will feature similar docent-led hikes that serve to enrich the experience of being on the land. Experts trained in various disciplines will guide hikers along the trails built through the preserve, discussing the native plants and how they adapted to the landscape.

Saturday’s hiking tour will be led by associate professor of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences at USC, James Adams. Adams, whose research has explored the medicinal properties of plants, including treatments for victims of strokes and Parkinson’s disease, will explain how plants were used by the canyon’s early inhabitants.

According to Adams, the hike “will focus on the medicinal uses and food uses of the plants.”

The hike is free to the public and will begin at 9 a.m. The Friends of the Rosemont Preserve recommend that participants wear sturdy shoes and long pants.

  Jason Kurosu