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A & OUT & ABOUT

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES The public is invited to join environmental experts and learn about issues facing the region at the Environmental Town Hall in Hollister, Feb. 28.

HOLLISTER TOWN HALL

SAN JOSE LEAP YEAR BIOBLITZ

Assemblymember Robert Rivas will present a community town hall focusing on environmental issues and featuring a panel of local, regional and state stakeholders and environmental experts. Environmental issues facing the region will be discussed and the community will have an opportunity to learn more about what challenges these issues create for the environment. Friday, Feb. 28, 3-7pm at San Benito High School Library, 1220 Monterey St. For information or to RSVP, call 831.759.8676 or email amy.mcelroy@asm.ca.gov. Find and identify as many species as possible at the Laguna Seca Leap Year BioBlitz, where participants will work together to get an overall count of the plants, animals, fungi and other organisms that live there. Docents will guide participants and teach them to use the iNaturalist app on smartphones or tablets to record all of the living things they encounter. Saturday, Feb. 29, 9am-noon at North Coyote Valley Conservation Area. For information and to register, visit tinyurl.com/wtyafym.

GILROY PIANO COMPETITION

Gavilan College and the Filice Family present the 15th annual Marian Filice Piano Competition and Music Festival, showcasing piano students from fifth to 12th grades. Contestants will perform two contrasting pieces from the classical repertoire from memory. The competition consists of junior and senior divisions with monetary awards and honorable mentions recognized in each. Sunday, Mar. 1, 10am at Gavilan College Theater, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd. Admission is free and the awards ceremony and music festival begin at 3pm. For information, visit gavilan.edu/music.

GILROY HISTORICAL LECTURE

Guest lecturer Mas Hashimoto will speak on the subject of racism, the Constitution and Concentration Camps in the United States at “America’s Concentration Camps.” Hashimoto, a historian and educator, will speak about his experiences in a Japanese internment camp during WWII and will connect these events in the context of the United States’ Constitution and America’s history of racism. Wednesday, Mar. 4, 11:30am-12:45pm at Gavilan College, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd. For information, visit tinyurl.com/rxeayfb.