The Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society is a general interest natural history organization focused on education. As a result, its field trips cover a wide variety of subjects: botany, ornithology, geology, and ecology, to name just a few. You can check out some of our past offerings under the archive portion of this website.

Since its inception in 2000, the Society has offered about six to eight field trips per year, with the trips roughly divided into fall and spring. In addition, the Society offers approximately six lectures per year supplemented by workshops when applicable. Lectures are free to the public.

Field trips are one of the primary ways we fulfill our mission. In order to take advantage of ideal outdoor weather in the valley, the field trips tend to be clustered in the months of March through May and October and November.

The vast majority of field trips have been located within an hour’s drive or less from towns in the valley. The Society does offer trips that venture outside the Santa Ynez Valley region, although these have been limited in number.

The SYVNHS announces its field trips on this website and in its bi-annual programs bulletin, Magpie Calls, which is published in mid- January and early September. Members may also sign up for a mailed copy of the Society’s newsletter.