fbpx

Upcoming Events

Amah Mutsun Fire Relationships

Fire is many things to the Amah Mutsun and other California Indian Tribes — it is sacred, it is a tool gifted by Creator, and it is a way to restore balance to Mother Earth. This presentation will share more about how the Amah Mutsun are using fire to restore landscapes and relationships in the Santa Cruz mountains and beyond.

About the Speakers

Lawrence Atencio is the Native Stewardship Corps Field Manager for the Amah Mutsun Land Trust.

Marcella Luna is an Amah Mutsun Tribal Member, Native Stewardship Corps member, and sits on the Amah Mutsun Tribal Council.

The Amah Mutsun Land Trust is an initiative of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, which is the vehicle by which the Amah Mutsun access, protect, and steward lands that are integral to their identity and culture. The AMLT returns the tribe to their ancestral lands and restores their role as environmental stewards.

RESOURCES

Learn about the Amah Mutsun
Amah Mutsun Land Trust website
Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Website
Virtual Exhibit: First Peoples of California (curated with tribal input)

Upcoming events and volunteering
CZU AND YOU event series
CZU Lightning Complex and Community Science Project
Volunteering with the Amah Mutsun Land Trust

Learn about Amah Mutsun relationships with fire
Amah Mutsun Land Trust article: Revitalizing Indigenous Stewardship with Cultural Burning
Bay Nature article: Finding Signs of Recovery in Santa Cruz’z Redwood Forest
Bay Nature article: Rekindling the Old Ways

The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is located in the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of Indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands and heal from historical trauma.

This program is part of the series CZU AND YOU: Resources for Recovery, Preparedness, and Ecological Understanding from the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and Santa Cruz Public Libraries | August 2021

7/24 Beach Clean-Up at Seabright Beach

Summer is here and our beaches will be needing some extra love! Help provide a positive example to others by picking up trash while enjoying the beach. Thanks to Save Our Shores, we’ll provide everything you need to clean Seabright Beach safely and effectively.

Saturday, July 24 |9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Email volunteer@santacruzmuseum.org to let us know you are coming. Walk-ups are also welcome. You can check-in starting at 9 a.m. at the entrance to Seabright Beach. All materials should be returned before 12 p.m.

ARRIVAL AND PARKING

We will meet you at the entrance to Seabright Beach (where the gate is). Parking is available throughout the neighborhood. If you park on the Museum side of Pilkington Ave. you will need to first receive a Museum parking permit either from inside the Museum or at the check-in station at the beach.

WHAT TO EXPECT

  • Restrooms are available at the beach
  • We recommend that all volunteers wear closed-toed shoes, dress in layers, wear sun protection, and bring a filled reusable water bottle.
  • All cleanup materials are provided, including trash bags, grabbers, and disposable gloves. Volunteers are also encouraged to bring their own.
  • You can download the Save Our Shores Marine Tally App (Apple, Google) in advance of the cleanup and use it to record the debris you collect, or you can use the paper data cards that we will provide at the event.
  • Volunteers under the age of 18 MUST be accompanied by an adult.
  • Every participant must complete 3 waivers. We will have waivers available the day of but we encourage participants to complete this paperwork in advance to save time. 

COVID PROTOCOL

  • Please wear a mask if not vaccinated
  • If you feel sick, stay home
  • Maintain at least six feet of distance from others when possible
  • Gloves should be worn at all times.
  • Participants should not pick up Personal Protective Equipment unless you can do so safely with a grabber and separate disposable bag.

If you have additional questions, please contact us at volunteer@santacruzmuseum.org.

FULL 7/24 Member Meet-Up: Fort Ord Natural Reserve with Gage Dayton

Fort Ord Natural Reserve in Marina protects rare maritime chaparral habitat endemic to the Monterey Bay region that is home to threatened and endangered species such as the Smith’s blue butterfly, sand gilia, and Monterey spineflower.

During this month’s Member Meet-Up, we will explore the Reserve with Gage Dayton, the Director of the UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserve system that Fort Ord belongs to. While searching for some of the Reserve’s charismatic flora and fauna such as the Monterey spineflower and coast horned lizards, we’ll also learn about the research and restoration projects that go on at the Reserve.

We’re especially excited to be able to explore this special place for July’s Member Meet-Up, as access to the Reserve is restricted to protect rare residents and allow for these student-led research projects. Meeting details will be shared upon registration.

Saturday, July 24 | 10 a.m. to noon
THIS PROGRAM HAS REACHED CAPACITY

  • Snake board set-up for research
  • Rare maritime chaparral habitat
  • Coast horned lizard

Member Meet-Ups are small group get-togethers for Museum Members where we learn from each other while exploring Santa Cruz’s diverse natural spaces. Not a Member? Join today for as little as $15 a year!

7/22 Exploring the Burn Zone: Butano State Park with Amy Patten

Butano State Park is located in San Mateo County and features a quiet canyon filled with towering second- and third growth-redwood trees, babbling creeks, and more. While 85% of the park was within the fire perimeter of the CZU Lightning Complex, State Parks environmental scientists describe the event as a “healthy burn” that will improve forest health.

Parts of the park have reopened and we’ll explore the impacts of the fire alongside Amy Patten of the California Native Plant Society, while collecting data using iNaturalist to support the CZU Lightning Complex and Community Science Project.

Thursday, July 22 | 10 a.m. to noon
Free (donations appreciated) | Register

CZU AND YOU: Exploring the Burn Zone Walks

Witness the impacts of the CZU Lightning Complex fires with your own eyes through this series of walks exploring different habitats that burned last August. Throughout the series, naturalists from the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, California Native Plant Society, and California State Parks will guide you through your explorations and provide resources to help you contribute data through the Museum’s CZU Lightning Complex and Community Science Project.

Butano State Park
Thursday, July 22 | 10 a.m. to noon | FULL

Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve
Saturday, August 7 | 10 a.m. to noon | FULL

Rancho Del Oso (coastal portion of Big Basin Redwoods SP)
Saturday, August 14 | 10 a.m. to noon | FULL

Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve
Saturday, August 21 | 10 a.m. to noon | FULL

Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve
Saturday, August 28 | 10 a.m. to noon | Register

This program is part of the series CZU AND YOU: Resources for Recovery, Preparedness, and Ecological Understanding from the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and Santa Cruz Public Libraries | August 2021

Photo by Amy Patten.

7/10 Rockin’ Pop-Up at the Museum

This month’s Rockin’ Pop-Up will be in-person at the Museum! We love our virtual presentations from the Geology Gents Graham Edwards and Gavin Piccione, but we’ve also missed having them at the Museum to identify rocks and engage with our visitors.

So we’re bringing back the original Rockin’ Pop-Up model for one month only before Graham moves to the East Coast for his post-doc work. Don’t worry — he’ll continue in his role as Geology Gent from afar, with virtual programs returning in August.

Swing on by the Museum and feel free to bring 1-3 rocks for identification.

Saturday, July 10 | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Free | Outside the Museum

Graham Edwards and Gavin Piccione are PhD candidates in geochronology with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Santa Cruz.

6/26 Beach Clean-Up at Seabright Beach

Saturday, June 26 | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Register in advance

Summer is here and our beaches will be needing some extra love! Help provide a positive example to others by picking up trash while enjoying the beach. Thanks to Save Our Shores, we’ll provide everything you need to clean Seabright Beach safely and effectively.

Register to let us know you’re coming. Walk-ups are also welcome. You can check-in starting at 10 a.m. at the entrance to Seabright Beach. All materials should be returned before 1 p.m.

ARRIVAL AND PARKING

We will meet you at the entrance to Seabright Beach (where the gate is). Parking is available throughout the neighborhood. If you park on the Museum side of Pilkington Ave. you will need to first receive a Museum parking permit either from inside the Museum or at the check-in station at the beach.

WHAT TO EXPECT

  • Restrooms are available at the beach
  • We recommend that all volunteers wear closed-toed shoes, dress in layers, wear sun protection, and bring a filled reusable water bottle.
  • All cleanup materials are provided, including trash bags, grabbers, and disposable gloves. Volunteers are also encouraged to bring their own.
  • You can download the Save Our Shores Marine Tally App (Apple, Google) in advance of the cleanup and use it to record the debris you collect, or you can use the paper data cards that we will provide at the event.
  • Volunteers under the age of 18 MUST be accompanied by an adult.
  • Every participant must sign a State Park waiver at check-in.

COVID PROTOCOL

  • Please wear a mask if not vaccinated
  • If you feel sick, stay home
  • Maintain at least six feet of distance from others when possible
  • Gloves should be worn at all times.
  • Participants should not pick up Personal Protective Equipment unless you can do so safely with a grabber and separate disposable bag.

If you have additional questions, please contact us at volunteer@santacruzmuseum.org.

Human Nature: In Relationship with California Rare Plants

California has more native plants than any other state, most of which are endemic to California (only found here). What’s more, over 1/3 of our native plants are also considered rare due to human development, climate change, habitat fragmentation, rare habitats, and other factors.

During this collaborative program where science meets art, we’ll learn about human relationships with nature from two rare plant lovers who engage with California’s unique flora in their own unique ways.

Barnali Ghosh, an immigrant storyteller and California landscape architect, has taken the native plant world by storm with a series of fashion self-portraits bridging home and homeland — re-creations of California native flowers, using fabrics and dance forms from India.

Amy Patten works with community scientists to document rare plant populations throughout California through her role as Rare Plant Treasure Hunt Manager with the California Native Plant Society. She also captures the flora and fauna around her through the art of photography.

Barnali Ghosh has featured several of Amy Patten’s photographs of native plants in her self-portraits.

Resources

This program is in support of our current exhibition of science illustration, The Art of Nature, and the CZU Lightning Complex and Community Science Project.

6/19 Makers Market: The Art of Nature

Saturday, June 19 | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, located in Tyrrell Park

During this outdoor Makers Market, meet featured artists from our annual science illustration exhibit, The Art of Nature, watch them at work through live demonstrations at their booths (including some tattooing!), and support their work by going home with prints, stickers, cards, cups, and more! We will also have an illustration station so that you can create your own works of art inspired by the native plants in our Garden Learning Center. Wear your mask, keep your distance, and have fun in and out of the Museum!

Featured Artists

Yvonne Byers
Sami Chang
Andrea Dingeldein
Megan Gnekow
Logan Parsons
Stephanie Martin
Elizabeth Romanini
Katie Rider
Kylie Kathleen Smith
Jeanne Sofen

Art for Conservation with Megan Gnekow

Conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered species requires more than bringing individual organisms back from the brink. It also requires the restoration and recovery of ecological relationships that allow all organisms in an ecosystem to survive and thrive.

During this lecture with artist Megan Gnekow, we will explore how understanding and communicating food webs and other ecological relationships can help put some favorite (and famous!) creatures into context. We’ll also learn how creative use of science illustration can help tell these stories.

This program is in support of our science illustration exhibit, The Art of Nature, on view online and in-person.

Megan Gnekow

With formal training in a wide variety of media, Megan’s current work focuses primarily on honoring the fine details of the world and depicting the relationships between organisms in a wide variety of ecosystems. Her great passion is bringing people back to connection with the natural world through artistic experiences. She also volunteers for Resource Management at Pinnacles National Park, where she continues her training as an amateur naturalist. Megan spends most of her free time exploring the vast collection of ecosystems we call California. 

6/12 Out and About: Nature Walk at Pogonip

Students on a field trip in Pogonip

Saturday, June 12 | 10 a.m. to noon
Location: Pogonip Open Space
Free (donations appreciated) | FULL

Out and About is a monthly series of family-friendly, small group get-togethers exploring Santa Cruz’s diverse natural spaces through guided activities.

It’s time to get out and about! Join us for a nature walk through the habitats of Pogonip Open Space. Museum educators Chris Soriano and Rocio Sànchez-Nolasco will guide you through the redwood forest, open meadows, and woodlands on a search for native plants and animals. We’ll also explore the cultural history of the area, from the Awaswas-speaking Uypi tribe to the era of lime kilns and lumber.

This program is family-friendly and all ages are welcome. Location details will be shared upon registration. Please review the following details prior to registering:

COVID PROTOCOL

  • Wear a mask at all times
  • If you feel sick, stay home
  • Maintain at least six feet of distance from others when possible
  • We are limiting this to 15 individuals