Nature in the City

The Imperial Beach Nature in the City Program will ensure that residents have access to a variety of nature experiences close to where they live, work and play. Nature in the City will be working with a variety of partners to implement programs that ensure all residents can easily access nature through recreation and community services programs while also creating new opportunities for youth in Imperial Beach to be connected with the outdoors.

Programs (Connecting with Nature)

Nature Tot Program

4th Thursday of each month

10:30 - 11:30 am @ Imperial Beach Library

Nature Tots is an exciting, interactive, and fun-filled educational program catered towards children ages 2- 5 and their caregivers. Through a partnership between the Imperial Beach Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, the Imperial Beach Library and U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the Nature Tot program is sure to connect nature-loving families together through wildlife discovery, story time, sensory play, and nature related crafts. Join us every 4th Thursday of the month at the Imperial Beach Library 10:30-11:30AM and explore a wide variety of nature topics with your little ones. No registration required.

Mobile Rec Nature Play

2nd Thursday of each month

3:30 - 5:00 pm @ Veterans Park

The City of Imperial Beach Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department has partnered with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Imperial Beach Library to bring youth and families of all ages the opportunity to participate in Mobile Rec Nature Play. Visit Veteran’s Park every 2nd Thursday of the month and enjoy interactive games provided by the Mobile Rec Crew as well as nature inspired arts and crafts with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ranger.

Nature Backpack

The City of Imperial Beach Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department has partnered with San Diego Children and Nature to bring nature backpacks to the community. Available to check out, the nature backpacks help families learn about nature in their backyard or at one of Imperial Beach's beautiful parks.

Nature Backpacks can be checked out for up to 2 weeks (14 calendar days) for a refundable deposit of $20.00 per backpack. Deposits will not be refunded for any lost, stolen, or damaged nature backpacks.

Nature Backpacks may include:

First aid kit
Pedometer
Flashlight
Compass
Binoculars
Magnifying Glass
6-inch ruler
Bug observer
Informational recreation guides and maps

Adult Nature Book Club

4th Saturday of each month

10:00 - 11:00 am @ Tijuana Estuary Training Center | 301 Caspian Way, Imperial Beach, CA 91932

Join us and our partners at the Tijuana Estuary as we host a monthly Adult Nature Book Club facilitated by Imperial Beach County Library. Registration will be open monthly for all new and returning participants.

Below are the books that will be discussed at each month's session.

May 27, 2023: Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

June 24, 2023: The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

July 22, 2023: A Murder of Crows by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett

August 26, 2023: 1491 by Charles C. Mann

September 23, 2023: Grandma Gatewood’s Walk by Ben Montgomery

October 28, 2023: Will to Wild by Shelby Stanger

November 25, 2023: The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

December 23, 2023: Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy

January 27, 2024: World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

February 24, 2024: Wild by Cheryl Strayed

March 23, 2024: Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau

April 27, 2024: Two in the Far North by Margaret E. Murie

Current Initiatives

Cities Connecting Children to Nature

An ongoing partnership between the Children & Nature Network and the National League of Cities, called Cities Connecting Children to Nature is breaking down that barrier by bringing nature to children, regardless of where they live. The Imperial Beach Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department is one of 15 new cities in 2022 that will “join a national peer network of 32 other cities working to increase access to nature for all children while helping them learn, play and grow with nature as a key part of their daily lives."

When cities become places of nearby nature connection, children, families and the environment thrive. - Children and Nature Network