Previous Programs

The Once and Future King of the Skies: An Eco-Historical Overview of the California Condor

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Free live lecture and Zoom webinar with Bryant Baker
Co-sponsored by the Solvang Library
In April of 1987 when the last of the remaining wild condors was captured, the world’s population of this iconic species totaled 27 birds. Now, due to the efforts of conservation organizations such as the California Condor Recovery Program, there are over 500 California condors with 350 of them living in the wild in California, Arizona, Utah, and Mexico. Magnificent in flight, condors

California’s Wild Waterpark: A Haven for Amphibians

Friday, February 27, 2026

Free live lecture, Zoom webinar, and book signing with Dr. Emily Taylor
Co-sponsored by the UCSB Sedgwick Reserve
Dr. Emily Taylor will take us on a tour of the frogs and salamanders that inhabit California, a wild waterpark for amphibians. California boasts an incredible diversity of amphibians, from wandering salamanders who glide between the tops of towering redwood trees, to red-spotted toads who

Protecting Santa Cruz Island

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Free live lecture and Zoom webinar with Lara Brenner
Co-Sponsored by the Solvang Library
Our Channel Islands are often called America’s Galapagos due to the large number of animal and plant species found there and nowhere else in the world. Protecting the islands’ unique biota from current threats and rehabilitating their unique ecosystems from damaging historic uses is an ongoing challenge that calls for scientific studies and creative solutions. The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which owns three quarters of Santa Cruz Island, the largest of the five National Park islands, has taken on that challenge. Historic overgrazing and

Wildflowers and Plant Life Along the Pistol Club Trail at Sedgwick Reserve

Saturday, March 21, 2026

Field trip with Margie Popper and John Evarts
For many years, the Pistol Club Trail on the upper part of Sedgwick Reserve was not accessible for casual hiking. That changed in 2023 due to the hard work of Sedgwick staff and volunteers who restored this route. Join Margie Popper and John Evarts on a leisurely hike along this loop, which offers a combination of great scenery, diverse spring wildflowers, and a mosaic of vegetation types. There are some species along

The Place for Fire: Poetry and Policy on California’s Central Coast

Friday, March 27, 2026

Free live lecture, Zoom webinar, and book-signing with Obi Kaufmann
Anyone who loves the richness of California’s biogeography and spends time outdoors is aware of and grapples with the dilemma of addressing wildfire, the destroyer—and wildfire, the regenerative force in the landscape. In his talk, Obi Kaufmann will explore the current state of affairs in our fire-prone, yet fire-dependent Central Coast ecosystem. Touching on themes

Fire Ecology Hike to the Summit of Figueroa Mountain

Saturday, April 18

Field trip with Matt Kay
Annual wildflowers such as sky lupine and tufted poppy (Lupinus nanus, Eschscholzia caespitosa) put on great displays in the burn zone on Figueroa last spring, and we may be lucky enough to see a similar profusion of blooms this year. Photo by John Evarts.

On this hike to the summit area of Figueroa Mountain, biologist Matt Kay will focus on the themes of recovery and resiliency in the plant life of this ecological sky island. Much of the mountain was burned during the Lake Fire of July 2024. Now, nearly two years after this wildfire, the Figueroa landscape is undergoing a transformation that provides a living classroom for the study of fire ecology. The trip

Flier with the sillouette of a man riding a horse illuminated by a full moon

Film Premiere: Cowboy MeditationsAn award-winning documentary

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Film premier screening in Los Olivos
Co-hosted by the Santa Ynez Valley Grange
A decade in the making, Cowboy Meditations is the directorial debut for Gary Milliken, a long-time Santa Barbara resident and backcountry explorer. After meeting Dick Gibford while on a backpacking trip in the remote Sierra Madre Mountains of northeastern Santa Barbara County, Milliken inquired if he could make a film about

The ABCs of California’s Native Bees

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Free live lecture, Zoom webinar, and book-signing with Krystle Hickman
Co-sponsored by Solvang Library
Join National Geographic Explorer and community scientist Krystle Hickman for a presentation about her studies of California’s native bees, which culminated in her new book, The ABCs of California’s Native Bees. California is home to one of the most biodiverse bee populations in the world with over 1,600 species of native bees throughout the state. A committed conservationist,

UCSB Trees

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Field trip with Larry Ballard
UCSB campus
Due to popular demand, we are once again offering a walking tour with Larry Ballard to visit a varied selection of trees on the campus of UCSB. With more than 250 species from six continents, UCSB is among the best locations in California to see both common and unusual trees in an urban landscape. The campus grounds also contain several rare or unusual trees

Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society

Dedicated to the study, exploration, and appreciation of natural history
in the Santa Ynez Valley region.