Earth Day 2024

Masanga Marimba
Masanga Marimba performs traditional and popular family-friendly music from Africa and Latin America on giant marimbas from Zimbabwe along with vocals, drums, percussion, trumpet and saxophone. The word "Masanga" comes from an African word that means the coming together of rivers or roads representing the meeting of African, Latin, and American traditions in this group. 

Erica Silverman, Author

Erica Silverman is the author of many children’s books, including Big Pumpkin and the Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa series. She lives in Los Angeles with her wife, dog, cats, and - just outside her door -  squirrels, opossums, raccoons, skunks, rabbits, coyotes, bobcats, butterflies, bees, spiders, lizards, ravens, hawks, owls and more!

Website: www.ericasilverman.com

Sarah Helman, Presenter

Sarah is a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA working to understand human impacts on local coyotes. She is a Massachusetts native that grew up wanting to be a wildlife veterinarian. After attending Boston University to study ecology and conservation biology, she went to veterinary school in Scotland and later worked in a small animal practice in Australia for a few years. From there she moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to pursue a career in wildlife health research, and is now very excited to now be collaborating on local coyote research at NHM, the National Park Service, and other local wildlife agencies.

Jackie Childers, Presenter
Jackie Childers (she/her/hers) grew up in southern California in the nearby city of Downey. She holds a BS in Conservation and Resource Studies (2012, UC Berkeley), a MS in Biology (2015, Villanova University, and recently completed her PhD in Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley where her dissertation research focused on the evolution of nest architecture in weaver birds. She has worked on a number of research projects including behavioral ecology of Caribbean lizards, phylogeography and systematics of Namibian herpetofauna, and collections-based research.

Hank Woolley, Presenter
Hank was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, and grew up skiing, building backyard forts, and memorizing dinosaur facts. Hank received a B.A. in Medieval European History and French & Francophone Studies from Bates College, a B.A. in Geology from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Southern California. Paleontological fieldwork has taken Hank to Antarctica, Madagascar, and all over the American West, including Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. Hank's research investigates the quality of biological information in the fossil record of animals that preserve in incomplete, disarticulated parts, such as vertebrates, sea urchins, and corals.

Horticulture Team
The Museum has a dedicated staff of horticulturalists that oversee the care and maintenance of our gardens. The Nature Gardens has over 600 kinds of plants, including California natives and others from around the world, that are home to a variety of birds, butterflies, lizards, squirrels, and more! This amazing team enjoys sharing their love for horticulture and gardens with the local community.
Follow Nature Gardens on Instagram @nhmla_naturegardens

Living Collections
Did you know the museum has a team of professional animal keepers on site 365 days a year? They take excellent care of all animals on exhibit and behind the scenes at the museum, utilizing the natural history expertise of our scientists as well as our veterinarian, who advises on any medical and nutritional needs. Because even a frog needs a doctor sometimes. We have around 15-25 species of vertebrates, and 70-100 species of invertebrates at any given time.  
Follow Living Collections on Instagram @nhmla_liveanimals

Museum Educators

The Museum Educator team at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County are the knowledgeable staff that enhance the visitor experience through personal interaction. Through research and training, Museum Educators create and facilitate educational programs for general museum visitors, for school groups, and for special events, both in-person and virtual.

Performing Arts

The team behind the Performing Arts department at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County creates live theatrical performances based on our exhibits, research, collections, and events. Learn more about this unique program HERE. 

Research and Collections
The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County protect and share more than 35 million specimens and artifacts, the largest natural and cultural history collection in the western United States. The Research and Collections Department is the research institution within the museums. They create new knowledge through academic scholarship in history and science. Visitors can get up close to these fascinating objects and specimens, which are sometimes displayed in exhibitions and during museum events. 

Safe Clean Water Program

The Safe, Clean Water Program works directly with communities, municipalities, agencies, and individuals to create projects that capture and clean stormwater, while also providing quality of life improvements.
The Program is essential, especially as climate change causes unpredictable and destructive weather patterns, such as droughts and historic storms, that pollute our waterways.

Website: safecleanwaterla.org

Facebook

Instagram: @safecleanwaterla

HeadCount

HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. We reach young people and music fans where they already are - at concerts and online - to inform and empower.

Website: headcount.org

Instagram: @headcountorg

Facebook

Twitter

TikTok

TreePeople

TreePeople’s mission is to inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, making it safe, healthy, fun and sustainable and to share our process as a model for the world.

Facebook

Instagram: @treepeople_org

Twitter

YouTube

TikTok