Join us on this Nature Explores Titlow Park Tree Walk! During this walk, we will discover some of Titlow Park’s cool trees, like the Deodar Cedar that lives by the playground. Come enjoy the view of the Puget Sound, the Narrows Bridge and the smell of the evergreens. The whole family is welcome!
Our walk will be tailored for our young Nature Explorers.
This event is possible thanks to funding from Tacoma Creates.
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We’ll be walking on a combination of paved trails and smooth natural surface trails.
Please dress comfortably and according to the weather forecast. Bring sun and rain protection, a water bottle, and anything else you need to stay focused and happy.
Speaker Bios
Dan Nakamura
In Hawaii, students are taught about mana, the Hawaiian word for energy and life source. And how this mana resides in everyone, everything, and everywhere. This mana can be good or bad, and we have the ability to make it better or worse through the choices we make.
Coming to Washington in 2012, I saw a difference in how people viewed the nature around where they lived. Wide grass lawns and large shrubs which took over the land were things not commonly seen in Hawaii. I always wondered why these spaces were underutilized and not filled in with native flora. What I learned was that most were not educated on the importance of native plants and how they can provide good mana to the places we live.
Through the Tacoma Tree Foundation, I aim to educate people in our neighborhoods the importance of native, and even some non-native plants, and how to take care of them. And one day I hope to help share the Indigenous people’s stories on these plants, in the same way native Hawaiians have shared their stories on the land and plants which they still reside on.