First Friday Boulder Creek

lille æske 13160 Central Ave, Boulder Creek

A free monthly mountain street fair in the name of creation & community. Local art, music and food lining the sidewalks of historic downtown Boulder Creek, California A Family friendly event - please visit our website for more details.

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, Santa Cruz, March 1, 2 & 3, 2024

Rio Theatre 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, CA, United States

Join UCSC Adventure Rec and the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz on March 1, 2 and 3, 2024. Each of the three nights will feature completely different films. Tickets are on sale starting December 18. The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival is one of the largest and most prestigious mountain festivals in the world! Hot on the heels of the Festival that is held every fall in beautiful Banff, Alberta, the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour hits the road. With stops planned in over 600 communities and more than 40 countries across the globe, the Banff World Tour celebrates amazing achievements in outdoor storytelling and filmmaking worldwide. From the over 400 entries submitted into the Festival each year, award-winners and audience favorites are among the films that are carefully selected to play in theaters around the world. Traveling to remote vistas, analyzing topical environmental issues, and bringing audiences up-close and personal with adrenaline-packed action sports the 2023/2024 World Tour is an exhilarating and provocative exploration of the mountain world. This event is a fundraiser for Adventure Rec, reducing UCSC students' trip costs by up to 50%, increasing financial accessibility to life-changing outdoor adventures. Last year, over $20,000 was raised and applied to lowering costs for hundreds of students. For more information contact Adventure Rec ([email protected]; 831-459-2806).

$25
Event Series Early Bird Tour

Early Bird Tour

Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Reserach Reserve 1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville (Royal Oaks), CA, United States

Amateur and expert birders alike will find a place on the Early Bird Tour! Local guides lead these 2-3 mile walks, sharing the life histories of the birds that call Elkhorn Slough home, and giving tips on identifying species.

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park – Birding

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park 101 N Big Trees Park Rd, Felton, CA, United States

We are offering a bird watching program on March 2nd at 9:00am. Join us to learn all about life histories, behaviors, field markings, etc. On this 1-mile walk, we will make specific observations about characteristics that will certainly help us quack the case for many bird identifications! Let's plan to meet in the main parking lot of the park. Hope to see you there! Make sure to bring binoculars and a jacket so you're not murmuring under your breath "brrrrrrrrrrrrd."Reservation required; click here to RSVP.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park: Guided Walk – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Big Basin Redwoods State Park 21600 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek, CA, United States

Come learn about the story of Big Basin: past, present, and future while wandering under the guardian old-growth redwoods that have seen it all! This program is a 1 hour walk on a 0.6 mile, flat and easy trail designed for all ages. We will be covering the cultural history of this unique area including Indigenous groups, loggers, and preservationists. Of course, we will also discuss natural history such as the amazing coast redwood and the CZU Lightning Complex Fire as well as the future of our park.Participation is free, however, a $10 vehicle day-use fee will be charged upon arrival, or you can reserve a parking spot by clicking here. Please plan to meet at the temporary visitor center area located next to the restrooms at 10:45 am. Bring your own water or purchase water from Parking Kiosk as there is no running water, electricity or cell service at Big Basin!For more information, questions, or concerns, please contact [email protected] here to Register

Teen Poetry Workshop

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History 1305 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, CA, United States

How can writing and reading poems help us navigate climate change and its impact on our mental health? In this workshop, we’ll read and write poetry about place, our environment, and our community. To spark ideas for poems, we’ll observe our surroundings, reflect on our identities, and call on our memories. We’ll also discuss how writing can connect us to our communities and ourselves. All levels of experience with poetry and writing are welcome to this free program! Light lunch will be provided by Erik’s Deli. Saturday, March 2, 2024 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Open to anyone ages 11-18 Please Visit our website to register Location: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History About Poet Emilie Lygren Emilie Lygren is a nonbinary poet and outdoor educator who writes at the intersections between scientific observation and poetic wonder. Emilie has developed dozens of publications and curricula focused on outdoor science education and social-emotional learning through her work with the award-winning BEETLES Project at the Lawrence Hall of Science. She’s also widely published as a poet, and her poems appeared in Thimble Literary Magazine, The English Leadership Quarterly, and numerous anthologies. Emilie’s debut poetry collection, What We Were Born For, won the Blue Light Book award in 2021. In her writing and teaching, Emilie centers awareness and curiosity as tools to bring people into deeper relationship with themselves, their communities, and the places they inhabit. Emilie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology-Biology from Brown University and an MFA in poetry from Maharishi International University. She lives in San Rafael, California, and spends much of her time wondering about oaks and teaching poetry in local classrooms.

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park – Redwood Tour

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park 101 N Big Trees Park Rd, Felton, CA, United States

Coast Redwoods offer a 100% satisfaction guaran-treed! Every Saturday at 12:00pm, we are taking folks on a guided walk through the Redwood Grove to talk about coast redwoods and to experience the forest together. On this 1-mile stroll, we will be chatting about life histories, ecology, etc. and sharing a wonderful adventure among these giants. Click here to RSVP. Let's plan to meet in the front of the Visitor Center, we hope you can join us!

Rancho del Oso State Park- Salamander Saturday

Rancho del Oso Nature and History Center, 3600 CA-1, Davenport, CA 95017, USA

Join us for a day of FREE Salamander fun!12–4pm - Salamander Activities & Crafts1pm- Salamander Talk by amphibian expert Zach Lim 3pm- Hike to Look for Salamanders!Join us for our annual celebration honoring the often overlooked but heroically well adapted amphibian native to the Santa Cruz Mountains and other moist habitats. A naturalist-led salamander hike will start at 3:00pm to search for these regal creatures on the Marsh Trail. This hike will be fun and muddy!Come learn about salamanders and their ecosystems! All age crafts and activities will be available at the Rancho del Oso Nature & History Center located 17 miles north of Santa Cruz along Highway One, at Waddell Creek at 3600 Hwy 1, Davenport, CA 95017. Free. For more information, call or text (669) 758-1600 or go to ranchodeloso.org

Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park – Adobe Tour

Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park 144 School St., Santa Cruz

Join us for a guided tour through Santa Cruz’s oldest building, the only remaining example of indigenous housing from the California Missions. Learn about the daily life of people who lived here, and ways in which the Spanish Mission system drastically impacted local native people’s culture and landscape. This is a FREE event open to the public, no reservations required. Call (831) 425-5849 for more information.

A Soulful Panoply

Christ Lutheran Church 10707 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA, United States

A delicious assortment of musical treats spanning from the soul-stirring Brahms and the Passionate virtuosity of the Schumann-Liszt to the yearning James Winn and the jubilant Florence Price. Two performances: Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 – 8:30pm Sunday, March 3 at 3 – 4pm

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park – Redwood Loop Tour

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park 101 N Big Trees Park Rd, Felton, CA, United States

Coast Redwoods offer a 100% satisfaction guaran-treed! Every Saturday at 12:00pm, we are taking folks on a guided walk through the Redwood Grove to talk about coast redwoods and to experience the forest together. On this 1-mile stroll, we will be chatting about life histories, ecology, etc. and sharing a wonderful adventure among these giants. Click here to RSVP. Let's plan to meet in the front of the Visitor Center, we hope you can join us!

Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park – Foodways Living History Demonstration

Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park 144 School St., Santa Cruz

Join us at the Mission for a comparative exploration of Indigenous foodways. We'll discuss the foods native to California before Spanish contact, and explore the ways in which food varieties and cultivation methods drastically changed under Spanish colonization. Touch, smell, and taste a bit of history by using hot stones for “hot rock cooking” methods, and a tortilla press to fry tortillas on a traditional comal. As always, this event is FREE, no registration required. Rain cancels. Call (831) 425-5849 or email [email protected] with any questions.