About East Bay LORe
In this age of information downpour, when knowledge of Nature is accessible from every corner of our world and environmental concerns are of global scale, Earth is summarized, edited and flattened into textbooks, films and internet sites to be readily downloaded into our minds. But when we close our book or log out of our computer and go outside we see the rolling East Bay hills, hear the cry of Canada Geese flying above us and enjoy the temperate weather of the Northern California Coast. Watching a documentary about tigers in India may broaden our horizons of Nature, but it is watching the egrets wading in Alameda Creek that deepens our appreciation of her. And while global climate change does concern us, it is the local draught that weighs on our minds.
East Bay LORe’s working paradigm is that knowing and understanding Nature around us bears a deeper, familiar meaning to our lives and daily routine. That it is the appreciation of our immediate environment that enables us to become more responsible citizens of Earth. That books and documentaries, while being excellent supplements, are not sufficient, and that true learning of Nature comes from active experience.
Following this vision, East Bay LORe offers Nature education for groups through hiking field trips and indoor classes and presentations. All the programs offered by East Bay LORe teach general concepts in the San Francisco Bay Area environmental context. All programs are designed to be age-appropriate and made suitable to the level of education and ability of the learning party.
Take that step: check out the programs currently offered by East Bay LORe!
About Me
Hi, I am Talila Golan Ph.D., Plant Biologist, Naturalist and Hiking Guide.
I was born and raised in Israel, where I got my B.Sc. in Life Sciences while making a living as a hiking and backpacking guide for the Israeli Association of Nature Reserve youth organization. I moved to United States to continue my studies and got my PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. In the year 2000 I moved to California to do postdoctoral research on photosynthesis in the University of California, Berkeley.
Ten years ago I discontinued my academic research so I could focus on raising my daughters. As I was growing up as a mother I also became involved in community projects and in early age education programs, getting precious experience working with and teaching both children and parents. I’ve integrated my knowledge and teaching experience to put together and run science centers in school and to lead Nature outing field frips. For three years now I am also the leader of the Redwood 4H Hiking Project, where I plan and lead Nature hikes for club members and their parents.
Throughout all this time I never stopped hiking. I’ve walked many trails around the Bay Area, some of them for many times. I’ve learned the vegetation, met the wildlife, felt the seasons rhythm and had the East Bay landscape etched in my mind and heart. I dearly love this region of California where I made my home, a love that keeps growing with my knowledge of its Nature.
Through East Bay LORe the different lines of my life have now become intertwined into one path. I have integrated my knowledge of Nature, my outdoors experience, my approach to teaching and my love of the Bay Area into an environmental education program, geared towards children and their grown-ups who call the San Francisco Bay Area their home. A program meant to stimulate children’s intuitive curiosity of Nature about them and to deepen their connection to their environment.
It is a true privilege to live in the San Francisco Bay Area where Nature is so rich, complex and fascinating, and so accessible. To experience it is my passion. To share it with others is my pleasure. To teach it to my daughters and the generation they grow up with is my calling.
​