Thoughts from the Executive Director

As our society is embroiled in confronting systemic racism, museums worldwide are reflecting on our roles as institutions of learning, community centers, and curators of culture. The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is dedicated to connecting people through nature and science, and we stand against racism that is keeping communities apart. 

Our staff have taken time to reflect on recent national events. We believe it is important to state and elevate the message that Black Lives Matter. Furthermore, we have identified a path forward for our museum that promotes and celebrates our values of racial diversity, equity, inclusion, and access to nature and science:

1. As educators, stewards of cultural and natural artifacts, and facilitators of community dialogue, we commit to ongoing staff and board training to ensure that our practices reflect our stated values. 
2. We will continue to engage with local and national groups whose work aligns with our values. Through partnerships, we will learn more about cultivating an inclusive and diverse museum community. Our learning will be reflected in all our programs and exhibitions. 

We remain grateful to all of our supporters, patrons and friends. 

#MuseumsAreNotNeutral #museums4equality #blacklivesmatter

Felicia B. Van Stolk
Executive Director

In this traditional time for reflection and gratitude, we continue to be grateful for the many people who connect with nature at the Museum, and those who find ways to carry our mission beyond our walls. I am especially grateful for the opportunity to honor Native American History Month through our school programs focused on native culture, and through exciting public programs including a lecture “American Indians 101” and seminar about American Indian Art, both lead by our esteemed board member, Dr. Rebecca Hernandez of the UCSC American Indian Resource Center.

As I write our Annual Report (keep an eye out in next month’s newsletter), and think about this year’s accomplishments, I am also considering the many triumphs and changes that the Museum has undergone in its 114 year history. In this season of reflection, I am excited to also keep my eyes set on future growth and renewal–natural processes that connect all of life. From innovations in programming, growth in our garden, and renewal in our spaces, I can’t wait to share what’s to come with you all!

As summer turns to fall, the Museum enters a season of transition as well. Gone are the summer crowds, replaced now by the energetic buzz of school groups going on their first field trips of the year. We look forward to welcoming new volunteers and docents to share their love of nature with these groups (New Docent Orientations are October 10 and 15), and to seeing the familiar faces of our dedicated docents returning after the summer break.

There has also been a transition in our staff this season. Some have moved on to new adventures, and we have welcomed new educators onto the team. After nearly four years leading the education team at the Museum, I am honored to transition into my new role as Executive Director. Just as new seasons welcome new life (migrators headed to wintering grounds, fungus soaking up first rain, etc.), this shift will signal new opportunities, approaches, and energy. As everyone settles into their new roles, and as we look to the horizon of possibilities, the Museum staff remains committed to ensuring that our services, events, and programs continue to connect people with nature in meaningful ways. We look forward to sharing this journey with our Museum community.

We are looking to continue growing our team! Click HERE to learn more about the Fund Development and Community Engagement Manager position that is currently open.

Felicia Van Stolk
Executive Director

As many of you know, I will leave my position as Executive Director in late August to join my husband in the Pacific Northwest, where he has started an incredible new job opportunity. It is a bittersweet time for me as I prepare to leave this special museum and our wonderful community. As I reach the end of my tenure here, I have reflected on the many accomplishments our great team of staff, Board and volunteers has achieved since I took the lead in February 2015.

We have expanded and strengthened our public and school programs, created more dynamic gallery experiences, and renewed efforts for better management of the Museum’s collections. Behind the scenes, we have established a strong operational infrastructure to support our expanded efforts. We have experienced increases in attendance, membership and giving – all while building a more financially resilient organization. I am so proud of the work we have accomplished together and of the Museum we are becoming.

During the past eight months, our staff and Board have worked together to craft a strategic plan to lead the Museum for the next three years. This plan will guide the organization in its priorities, activities and initiatives through the year 2021. It includes key strategic goals, the measurable objectives and tasks to accomplish them, and a comprehensive financial model with which to realize them.

Our Museum has made tremendous strides in the last three years and this new strategic plan outlines an equally ambitious set of goals for the next three years. These goals center on: science education and stewardship, visitor experiences and audience diversification, collections care and accessibility, community partnerships, organizational sustainability, and facility revitalizations. These strategic themes attest to our commitment to engage diverse audiences in meaningful interactions with nature and science that educate and inspire.

The Museum’s new plan reflects the creativity and mission-driven dedication of many individuals. I am so thankful to the community members, staff and Board who contributed their perspectives and ideas during the process. Together, our hopes for the Museum and our community have brought the plan to life. I am confident that, through the collaboration of our talented staff, Board and community partners, the goals we now aspire to achieve will in time become milestones of which we will be deeply proud.

In the coming weeks, we will formally announce the plan and make it available to all.  I hope you will embrace it with us and support the Museum as it continues to strengthen and thrive in the future.

Thank you,

Heather Moffat McCoy

When we talk about engaging in stewardship of the natural world, we might be tempted to think of nature as it exists today. But the one sure thing about nature is that it is always changing—adapting to its own forces as well as those contributed by human factors. For many, the defining motivation behind stewardship is the desire to act in the present to positively impact the future—thinking about how actions we take now can improve conditions in nature.

As our natural resources respond—positively and negatively—to our actions, we must wonder what “nature” will look like to future generations who have never had the chance to see the Great Barrier Reef, an old-growth redwood forest, or a flock of snowy plovers. Will we be able to preserve critical species and habitats, and with what tools and resources? What role can we play individually to preserve something that is meaningful to us?

On May 17, the Museum will host the next installment of our bi-annual Rio Theatre Speaker Series with a panel discussing “Tales from the Brink: Recovering Endangered Species in California.” Moderated by California’s Secretary of Natural Resources John Laird, the presentation will feature status updates by three scientific experts on the California Condor, Southern Sea Otter and Salmonids—all currently listed under the Endangered Species Act.

The panel will explore how everyone from policymakers, researchers and individual community scientists on the Central Coast has a part in pulling these populations back from the brink of extinction. Secretary Laird, a former Assemblymember and Santa Cruz mayor, will provide a larger context about the status of species protection in California. I hope you will join us for what promises to be an engaging, informative program.

In addition to the Rio Theatre talk, I also hope you will visit us at the Museum for one or more of our other upcoming events, including our May 4 First Friday free science illustration demonstrations featuring exhibitors from The Art of Nature and our May 12 workshop “Seeds of Knowledge” highlighting strategies for habitat plant restoration and field sketching.

As always, we look forward to seeing you at the Museum, and appreciate your support.

Thank you,

Heather Moffat McCoy
Executive Director

Flipping the calendar over to February can usher in a lot of excitement: The newness of the new year has worn off, we are close to transitioning into spring and, for many, romance is in the air. This month, our Museum programs will celebrate the latter, science-style — through exploration of the science of relationships and the natural history of the senses.  

For February’s Naturalist Night, we will take a close look at the different kinds of relationships involved in animal reproduction — everything from intense competition among rivals to impressive familial cooperation. In her talk on Thursday, February 8, UC Santa Cruz’s Dr. Suzanne Alonzo will describe her research on a Mediterranean fish species that experiences cooperation and conflict simultaneously between the sexes and among males.

Two nights later, on Saturday, February 10, the Museum will host a date-night themed event called “Sensation,” which will explore the science of sensory experiences and responses. Participants will create their own signature scents and join us for a tantalizing stroll through taste, hearing, sight, sound and smell — all while sipping wine or beer and noshing on fun bites. “Sensation” is the first of several nightlife events this year designed to attract more adults for fun and informative programming at the Museum after hours.

I hope we will deepen our relationship with you this month through our many fun events in February!

See you soon at the Museum,

Heather Moffat McCoy
Executive Director