Notes about your surroundingsOn Track--Donna Krucki, an...

Notes about your surroundings

On Track--Donna Krucki, an O’Neill Regional Park ranger, travels on foot and horseback throughout the Orange County hills and canyons tracing the paths of mountain lions. She can even recognize some individual lions by their tracks. Krucki will discuss the life and habits of cougars Friday at a Rancho Mission Viejo Land Conservancy program. It begins at 7:30 p.m. in Room 210 of Saddleback College’s Business/General Studies Center, 28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo. Park in lot 10 and walk northeast across Library Drive.

Krucki’s talk, “Ghost Walker . . . Tales of the Orange County Mountain Lion,” will be followed by a slide and music presentation featuring images of Orange County wildlife by photographer Rick Jackson. The event is free. Reservations: (714) 489-9778.

The conservancy is a 1,200-acre wilderness preserve located on the southern portion of the Rancho Mission Viejo in southern Orange County.

Can Zoo Spirit--Two empty aluminum cans will be the price of admission to the Santa Ana Zoo on Saturday for children under 12. “Two cans” for Toucan Day is sponsored by Friends of the Santa Ana Zoo and Great Western Reclamation. Youngsters who bring in more cans compete for the grand prize of a free family membership to the zoo; second prize is a zoo T-shirt.

Proceeds from recycling the cans will be used for the mixed species rain forest exhibit. The exhibit contrasts tropical beauty with the destroyed, slashed and burned area of the rain forest in South America.

Great Western Reclamation’s robot Cycler, made from bottles and cans, will educate visitors about recycling. Children can create a toucan beak with supplies provided by the zoo, and observe the toucans on display.

Toucan Day is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The zoo is at Prentice Park, 1801 E. Chestnut Ave., Santa Ana. Information: (714) 953-8555.