Fall 2016 Field Trip Registration for Members and Non-Members
Member priority registration began Tuesday, August 16. Non-member registration began Friday, August 26. Members receive priority registration for our classes and field trips, which often fill to capacity and have waiting lists. Registration is necessary only for field trips and classes. Typically, lectures and films are free and do not require registration. To become a member, click on the Membership …
Read MoreThursday, September 15: Global Warming: Could Scientists Be Wrong?
Free lecture and book signing with James Lawrence Powell. Thursday, September 15, 7:00 p.m. Co-sponsored by Solvang Library. Legion Wing, Veterans Memorial Hall. 1745 Mission Dr., Solvang. Scientists have been wrong before: think of continental drift, deep time, and meteorite impact. Could they be wrong today about global warming? If so, how exactly? The stories behind these four discoveries reflect …
Read MoreSaturday, October 1: Whose Fault Is It? The Geology Behind Santa Barbara’s Scenic Beauty
Field trip with Jan Dependahl. Saturday, October 1, 9:00 a.m. to about 5:00 p.m. Participation is limited to 25. Advance registration required at synature@west.net or 805 693-5683. Member registration begins: August 16. Non-member registration begins: August 26. Members free/non-members $20. Do you ever look at Santa Barbara’s beautiful mountains–or islands offshore–and wonder how they got there? Do you wonder why …
Read MoreTuesday, October 11: King Sequoia: The Tree That Inspired a Nation, Created Our National Park System, and Changed the Way We Think about Nature
Free lecture and book signing with William C. Tweed. Tuesday, October 11, 7:00 p.m. Legion Wing, Veterans Memorial Hall. 1745 Mission Dr., Solvang. Join us for a fascinating evening as one of California’s preeminent naturalists unspools a history that echoes across generations and continents. Former park ranger William C. Tweed will take us on a tour of the Big Trees …
Read MoreSaturday, October 15: Wild Condors
Field trip to Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge with Joseph Brandt. Saturday, October 15, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Participation is limited 25. Advance registration required at synature@west.net or 805 693-5683. Member registration begins: August 16. Non-member registration begins: August 26. Members free/non-members free. This is a rare opportunity to watch our largest land birds soar above the deep canyons, …
Read MoreThursday, October 27: Grizzly Bears, Biodiversity, and Fire in the Chaparral
Free lecture with Richard W. Halsey. Thursday, Oct. 27, 7:00 p.m. Legion Wing, Veterans Memorial Hall. 1745 Mission Dr., Solvang. Once home to the California grizzly bear, and where the last California condors were able to hold off extinction, the chaparral remains one of the most misunderstood and under-appreciated ecosystems on earth. Chaparral is found in every county in the …
Read MoreSaturday, November 5: Documentary Film TIME TO CHOOSE
Free screening of documentary film. Saturday, November 5, 7:00 p.m. Little Theater, Santa Ynez Valley Union High School. 2975 East Highway 246. Santa Ynez, CA. The Little Theater at SY High School is located directly across from El Rancho Market in Santa Ynez. Join us for a free screening of TIME TO CHOOSE, a timely exploration of one of the …
Read MoreSaturday, November 19: Parasites and Food Webs in Our Local Estuaries
Free lecture with Kevin Lafferty. Saturday, November 19, 7:00 p.m. Tipton Meeting House, UC Sedgwick Reserve. 3566 Brinkerhoff Avenue, Santa Ynez. Join us for an eye-opening talk about the hidden complexities of local aquatic ecosystems. California’s tidal estuaries like the Carpinteria Salt Marsh contain trematode parasites with complex life cycles hosted by both birds and snails. Within the snails (rendered …
Read MoreSaturday, December 3: Birds and Restoration of Devereux Slough
Field trip with Dan Fontaine and Darwin Richardson. Saturday, December 3, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Participation is limited to 25. Advance registration required at synature@west.net or 805 693-5683. Member registration begins: August 16. Non-member registration begins: August 26. Members free/non-members free. This trip will explore the Devereux Slough ecosystem, our western most large estuary on the south coast. Lower …
Read MoreSunday, December 11: Birds and Tide Pools of Morro Bay and Montaña de Oro
Field trip with Joan Lentz and Larry Ballard. Sunday, December 11, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Participation is limited to 25. Advance registration required at synature@west.net or 805 693-5683. Member registration begins: August 16. Non-member registration begins: August 26. Members free/non-members $20. We’ll spend the morning looking for birds in the rich avian habitats around the Morro Bay salt marsh, …
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