The sun shines, the birds chirp and the wild California poppies sway in the soft breeze as you walk down the dirt path toward the lake to feed the ducks. A group of children play in the whimsical garden among the vibrant yellow and red blooms. This natural beauty makes it hard to believe that you are in the middle of the city.

In a place where families come so their children can run freely and safely, community members come to help plant new plants and take part in garden lectures and groups of children from all over the county come to learn about nature, it’s surprising that L.A. County supervisors would schedule it for possible closure after more than 40 years of existence.

“We’re waiting to see what happens with the budget (cuts),” local resident and garden member Marilyn Litvak said, echoing the concern of the community awaiting the final verdict of this special garden.

“It would be a tragedy if (the garden) closed, it’s infinitely wonderful,” Litvak said.

“Many people don’t really know about (the garden),” local resident Kristine Kobe said. “It’s a nice, safe place to walk; they should organize walking groups here.”

Aside from the many activities taking place for adults, there are also a variety of science camps for children offered in the summer.

“Children come from all over L.A. There are tours all winter for the entire Los Angeles Unified School District, sometimes ninety children at a time,” garden executive director Norma Cantafio said.

“I went (to the garden) recently for a school project,” Van McConnell, EC student, said. “I liked (getting) the exposure. I wouldn’t have gone before, but now I see the history and got a lot of information.”

Caitlin Ferguson, student, remembers her first time visiting the garden.

“It’s definitely one of my favorite parks. My boyfriend used to go there as a kid and he showed me all these great places that I hadn’t seen before,” Ferguson said.

“Originally the garden was a mine, which left huge holes. After they were filled (landfill) the city didn’t know what to do with it,” Cantafio said. A local resident suggested a garden and got her wish.

Today, people come from around the world to research the environmental aspect of the garden because they’re running out of landfill space. They are interested in what happens over the years with the compression of the landfill, Cantafio said.

“There’s such a cross section of people who benefit from these gardens. It touches almost every level of life,” Cantafio said.

Another way the garden gives back to the community is by offering educational programs such as watercolor painting, lectures on birds and flowers, plant sales and the upcoming Mother’s Day concert to be performed by the Palos Verdes Symphonic Band.

“I go every summer to Shakespeare in the park there. The Shakespeare festival L.A. performs it every year in the garden,” Ferguson said.

Many of the plants available are the same you see on the grounds in various themed gardens, such as the rose garden, the fuchsia garden, and the garden of the senses, where you are invited to touch fuzzy geraniums and smell lemony sage.

“I’m fishing,” local boy Matthew Warden said, as he stood by the lake with a stick pretending to fish. “It’s usually swarming with ducks,” mother Kristine Kobe said.

But this could all come to an end if the July 1 proposed closure date is enforced. The garden is looking for a way to stay afloat.

“We’re thrilled with the reaction. People are really and truly upset, writing letters and calling, they are very concerned,” Cantafio said.

“It would be delightful if the community would (continue to) write nice, kind letters in our support. It’s a plea to keep the gardens alive; you can’t allow a living museum of plants to die. Once they’re dead, they’re dead,” Cantafio said.

Botanic garden fun facts

* A diverse natural habitat

* 110,000 visitors tour the garden annually

* 87-acre garden and culture center features a lake and stream

* Home of more than 2,000 species of plants and trees from around the world

* Tours offered by trams on weekends

How students may help

* Write letters to the L.A. Times, the Daily Breeze and Peninsula News

* Donations of support can provide improvement, maintenance and preservation of the garden