Archives

Picnic, Hiking, and Free Cake! Sunday, March 8, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Arroyo Hondo Preserve Advance reservations required at synature@west.net or 693-5683. Reservations are requested for everyone, even those who are not registering for a field trip. We are celebrating the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society at beautiful Arroyo Hondo Preserve. …

Field trip with Sally Isaacson Sunday, March 8, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Arroyo Hondo Preserve Advance registration required at synature@west.net or 693-5683. (limit of 20 participants) The 782-acre Arroyo Hondo Preserve is packed with botanic diversity. Come explore this richness during a leisurely botany hike through the canyon with Sally Isaacson. We’ll look for early blooming wildflowers as well …

Field trip with Guy Tingos Sunday, March 8, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Arroyo Hondo Preserve Advance registration required at synature@west.net or 693-5683. (limit 20 participants). Spend a relaxing morning with Guy Tingos exploring the birds of the Arroyo Hondo Preserve. Riparian, oak woodland, and chaparral habitats should yield a good mix of wintering birds and local residents. Participants will …

Free Lecture with Mary Jane West-Delgado & Michael Delgado (suggested for ages 10 and up) Saturday, March 21, 10:30 a.m. to noon Solvang Library, 1745 Mission Drive Join Mary Jane West-Delgado for a high-definition presentation of short videos and photos about the incredible butterflies that are found in the Santa Ynez Valley. She will also describe good habitats in which to …

Help pull thistles at beautiful Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve. Saturday, March 28, 9:00 a.m.-noon, with optional after-lunch walk. Join the SYVNHS for a morning of weed abatement followed by a short trek into the beautiful Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve.  We’ll join SYVNHS Field Trip Chair Tim Matthews in removing noxious Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum, and Italian Thistle, Carduus pycnocephalus, that …

Field trip with Tim Matthews Saturday, April 11, 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. Advance registration required at synature@west.net or 693-5683. Participation is limited to 20. Members free/ nonmembers $20. The Santa Ynez River is the lifeblood of Santa Barbara County. It is the largest and most important drainage in the area, as it supplies most of the water to South …

Field trip with Larry Ballard and Liz Gaspar Sunday, April 26, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00pm. Advance registration required at synature@west.net or 693-5683. Participation is limited to 20 Members free/ nonmembers $20 Join trip leaders Larry Ballard and Liz Gaspar for another Aliso Loop post-fire exploration, now two years after the White Fire of May 2013. We will look for the …

Free Workshop with Ken Hickman Saturday, May 2, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. UC Sedgwick Reserve, Tipton House and in the field Advance registration required at synature@west.net or 693-5683. SYVNHS members and Sedgwick docents have priority for reservations (limit of 20) Join Ken Hickman on a moderate to vigorous hike at Sedgwick Reserve to collect previously placed camera traps and …

Free Lecture with Ken Hickman Saturday, May 2, 7:00 p.m. UC Sedgwick Reserve, Tipton House Gates open at 5:30 for those who wish to picnic outdoors before the lecture. Seating is limited to 90; bring a flashlight for returning to the parking area in the dark. In this photo-rich evening talk, Ken Hickman will introduce the key concepts of camera …

Field trip with Fred Emerson Saturday, May 23, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. UC Sedgwick Reserve Advance registration required at synature@west.net or 693-5683 (limit of 20 participants.) Join naturalist Fred Emerson for a birding excursion that will entail some moderate hiking along the trails and roads of UC Sedgwick Reserve. With its mosaic of habitats, ranging from grasslands to woodlands …