Archives

Free lecture with Tim Robinson. Thursday, October 29, 7:00 p.m. Legion Wing, Veterans Memorial Hall. 1745 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463. A Mediterranean climate is characterized as having an extended dry season and a short wet season, a combination that is often is associated with a boom-bust river runoff regime. Santa Barbara County, specifically the Santa Ynez River, provides an …

Free lecture with Keith Heyer Meldahl. Thursday, November 12, 7:00 p.m. Legion Wing, Veterans Memorial Hall. 1745 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463. Join us for a free evening lecture and book signing with Keith Heyer Meldahl, author of Surf, Sand, and Stone, and the 2011 Rough-Hewn Land: A Geologic Journey from California to the Rocky Mountains. In his latest book, …

Field Trip with Susie Bartz. Sunday, November 22, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Advance registration required at synature@west.net or 693-5683. Participation is limited to 20. Members free/nonmembers $20. The Santa Ynez River is a braided meander belt that finds its way along the north side of the Santa Ynez Mountains, flowing west to the ocean at Lompoc. We’ll be exploring the river …

Field Trip with Guy Tingos at UC Sedgwick Reserve. Saturday, December 5, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Advance registration required at synature@west.net or 693-5683. Participation is limited to 15. Members free/nonmembers $20. Join naturalist and birder Guy Tingos on an exploration of UC Sedgwick Reserve’s bird life. December is an excellent time to view the diversity of bird species that …

Field Trip led by Joan Lentz, Tim Matthews, Larry Ballard and Susie Bartz. Reported by Laura Baldwin, photos by John Evarts. In June, about 24 Society members enjoyed a stunning 24 hours atop the region’s highest mountain (8847 ft.) with some of our area’s best teachers and naturalists. We found tectonic plates crashing together downslope; ancient alpine mat-plants hunkered down …

We have an exciting series of field trips and lectures lined up for this fall. Save the dates!  Click “Read more” for highlights. Details and registration information coming soon.

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 …