Field Trips

We have several optional field trips during the afternoon and early evening on Sunday June 5th after our closing ceremony in the morning. Sign-ups will happen throughout the weekend. Once we finalize our schedule, we will announce the specific times of each field trip.

Sunday afternoon field trips:

Fire Recovery at Swanton Pacific Ranch

Led by: Spencer Klinefelter

This walk will focus on post-fire responses and recovery of vegetation within the CZU Complex burn scar. Several uncommon species can be easily seen along the planned path that exhibit various adaptations to fire, and the landscape consists of a mosaic of vegetation types that together display a range of post-fire growth stages. Birds, herps, and mammals may make celebrity cameos as well.

About Spencer: Spencer is a Natural History Field Quarter alum (2015) and has worked for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History for the past half-decade, overseeing school programs and facilitating numerous public walks, workshops, and presentations on topics ranging from bird identification to fire ecology. Spencer is currently transitioning into the field of natural resource management after completing an MS looking at the development and implementation of prescribed fire on private lands in California.

Exploring Año Nuevo State Beach

Led by Danielle Devincenzi and Ryan Carle

Join seabird ecologists (and NHFQ alumni) Danielle Devincenzi and Ryan Carle for a walk on the coast at Año Nuevo State Park. Danielle and Ryan both work for the non-profit Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge, which has monitored and restored habitat for seabirds at Año Nuevo for decades, including for the elusive Rhinoceros Auklets and Cassin's Auklets which nest on Año Nuevo Island. They'll share their expertise on the birds, and we'll also explore all the other natural history going on at the park. Año Nuevo UC Reserve Director Patrick Robinson will also join to talk about elephant seals.

This walk will be from the "Bickford House" in the north part of the park, walking down the beach to the North Point viewing area, where there are good views of seals, seabirds, and Año Nuevo Island. This part of the park is usually closed to the public so this is an opportunity to see it. The terrain is on the beach, so it is uneven in places and is not ADA accessible. The normal $10 entrance fee to the park will be waived for this tour.

Meet at the Pie Ranch parking lot. Pie Ranch is located 1 mile north of the main entrance to Año Nuevo State Park, on Highway 1. We will caravan/shuttle from Pie Ranch to the hike location. 

About Danielle and Ryan: Danielle Devincenzi was first introduced to the world of seabirds as a UCSC undergraduate intern for Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge in 2017. She is now a staff Ecologist with Oikonos and a graduate student in the Shaffer Avian Physiology and Ecology Lab at SJSU where she is studying western gull behavior on Southeast Farallon Island. She also attended UCSC's Natural History Field Quarter in 2018. Ryan Carle is the Science Director of the non-profit conservation group Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge. Ryan first got hooked on birds as a Natural History Field Quarter student in 2006. He's worked on bird conservation ever since, with work focused on seabirds and shorebirds in California, Chile, and Argentina. Ryan has worked on seabird research and conservation at Año Nuevo for 13 years. He conducted his master's degree thesis on Rhinoceros Auklets foraging ecology at Año Nuevo Island. Ryan has also been a lead instructor of UCSC's Natural History Field Quarter course since 2016. 

Exploring Pescadero State Beach and Marsh

No leader- just show up and join the group!

This self-guided field trip provides the perfect opportunity to end your weekend next to the ocean. Pescadero State Beach has two miles of beach, dunes, and rugged outcrops. From the blufftop parking lot north of the Pescadero Road/ Highway 1 intersection, stunning views await your visit!

Across the highway, the 500-acre Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve hosts resident bird species and protects a vital stopping point for migratory species along the Pacific Flyway. The reserve is a refuge for wildlife such as blue herons, kites, deer, raccoons, foxes, and skunks. 

Group will meet at Northern Pescadero Beach Access Parking Lot then venture out onto the beach and/or marsh from there.

Quiroste Valley Cultural Preserve

Description and field trip leader to be announced soon!

Sunday early evening field trips

After hours at the UCSC Arboretum

Leader/host to be announced

Bring your own burrito! Wrap up your weekend of celebrating natural history with a trip to the UCSC Arboretum and Botanical Garden after hours! The arboretum will be open to the folks who want to continue reconnecting with old friends and making new ones! This gathering will take place in the evening after the arboretum has closed. Take some time to decompress after your field trip, pick up a burrito, and join us at the arboretum. 

Meet in the main visitor parking lot. Please arrive on time as we will walk into the gardens to eat our dinner together.