Upcoming Events

4/12 Scientific Illustration & Observation in Watercolors

Love nature, science, and art but don’t know where to start? Here is your opportunity to master a new skill and bring home your own environmentally-inspired masterpiece after just one class. 

Learn the basics of watercolor and gouache with step-by-step instruction by a master scientific illustrator. After a nature walk to gain knowledge of local flora and fauna, apply your observations to hue composition, brush techniques, color theory, mixing colors, building layers, creating a palette, and more. This class is perfect for aspiring artists or creative nature lovers with no prior experience, only a passion for the arts and sciences. 

Participants will have a completed art piece to take home at the conclusion of the workshop. Open to ages 16+/all experience levels. All supplies included.

This class takes place outside, under a tent. Dress appropriately for the outdoors.

📆 Saturday, April 12th

⏱️ 12 – 3 p.m.

📍 Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

1305 East Cliff DR, Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Register
Materials Fee: All supplies are included in class fee.
Class Fee: $35 – Museum Members receive a special discounted price applied at checkout.
Instructor: Cady Delay

About the Exhibit: The Art of Nature

Scientific illustration brings to life the wonders of nature, from minute zooplankton to extinct megafauna. Explore the beauty and fine details of the world around us in the special exhibit featuring works from 46 local artists in a variety of mediums, all sure to inspire curiosity and deepen connections with science and nature. The Museum has been exhibiting science illustration since 1989 and this beloved annual show is guaranteed to appeal to lovers of both science and art. On view March 28th – June 8th, 2025.

Artwork by: Maria Amorette Klos, 2024

Explore The Art of Nature
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The Art of Nature is supported by

4/5 Member Meetup: West Cliff Geology Walk

Don’t miss this special Member-only opportunity for a private guided tour of the geologic wonders of Santa Cruz.

Led by geological experts from the University of California Santa Cruz, go back in time to discover fossils, rare minerals, and learn the history, and stories, of what makes West Cliff such a rockin’ place! Open to ages 10+

📆 Saturday, March 5th

⏱️ 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

📍 West Cliff

Exact location details will be shared upon registration.

This is a members only event.

You must sign in to verify your eligibility.

Register

Not a Member? Not to Worry.

Become a Member
Materials Fee: All supplies are included in class fee. Participants are welcome to bring their own wildflowers for reference.
Tour Fee: Free for Museum Members. Must be a Museum Member to register.
Guide: Geologist Jessica Gagliardi – UCSC Geology Department 

What to Expect

🔵 Participants should be prepared to walk up to 3 miles on mostly paved terrain.

There will be a portion where we will scamper down a rough dirt path to get to a wavecut platform with tide pools.

🟠 Wear good walking shoes — no flip flops!
🔵 Space is limited. Please only register if you intend to come.
🟠 Youth under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
🔵 Follow the latest guidelines for health and safety at the time of the event.
🟠 Please leave pets at home.

🔵 There will be no restrooms once the walk gets underway.

4/4 The Art of Nature: First Friday

Get to know Santa Cruz’s WILD SIDE at the Museum of Natural History! Nerd out on your night out during monthly after-hours events, featuring rotating themes, vendors, and activities. FREE admission to the Museum all day 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with special festivities from 5 – 8 p.m.

Just like mixing a palette, we are blending art with science at April’s First Friday. To celebrate the 36th year of the Museum’s Art of Nature scientific illustration exhibition, we are inviting you to a special after-hours event to meet the local artists who are expressing the distinctiveness of Santa Cruz’s wildlife on canvas. In this year’s exhibit, you will be moved by masterpieces from 46 artists, in a wide array of artistic media, as well as having the opportunity to connect with the artists’ other works at their gardenside booths.

In addition to the exhibit, you will engage with California State University Monterey Bay’s Science Illustration Program, from where many of the featured artists graduated, explore items from the artists in the Museum’s Gift Shop, learn about this month’s art workshops and lectures, enjoy an open bar, food trucks, and much more. You won’t want to BRUSH off this First Friday!

📆 Friday, April 4th, 2025

⏱️ 5 – 8 p.m.

📍 Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
1305 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Exhibit Artists & Community Partners

  • California State University Monterey Bay’s Science Illustration Program
  • El Pajaro Valley Incubator Kitchen
  • Alyssa Colasanti
  • Andrea Dingeldein
  • Anela Mendoza
  • Anna Pedersen
  • Arin Vasquez
  • Avalon Conklin
  • Brett Bell
  • Brittany Costanzo
  • Brynna Reilly
  • Cady DeLay Calene
  • Luczo Fletcher
  • Chloe Rickards
  • Claudia Stevens
  • Elizabeth Romanini
  • Erin E. Hunter
  • Erin Ellis
  • Evelyn Lam
  • Gianna Nourok
  • Hannah Caisse
  • Kaelin O’Hare
  • Karina Neeley
  • Katie McCullough
  • Khenya Clark
  • Kiwi (Catherine) Cyr
  • Kylene Gilmore
  • Lauren Ringelman
  • Maia Perry
  • Mari Stauffer-Howard
  • Maria Amorette
  • Klos Maria
  • Cecilia Freeman
  • Mason Schratter
  • Megan Gnekow
  • Michelle Waters
  • Molly Brown
  • Natalie Chan
  • Nicholas Ta
  • Nina Lutz
  • Rachel Diaz-Bastin
  • Reid Psaltis
  • Sami Chang
  • Sarah Brothers Bot
  • Suzanne Clark
  • Tina Curiel
  • Tina Fuller Somers
  • Torie Robinson
  • Vance Lawry

Accessibility

🔵 Drop by anytime 5-8 p.m. to join the festivities!

🟠 Admission to the Museum is free all day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

🔵 Follow the latest guidelines for health and safety.

🟠 Restrooms and water fountains are available inside the Museum.

🔵 Booths and activities will be both indoors and outdoors.

About the Exhibit: The Art of Nature

Scientific illustration brings to life the wonders of nature, from minute zooplankton to extinct megafauna. Explore the beauty and fine details of the world around us in the special exhibit featuring works from 46 local artists in a variety of mediums, all sure to inspire curiosity and deepen connections with science and nature. The Museum has been exhibiting science illustration since 1989 and this beloved annual show is guaranteed to appeal to lovers of both science and art. On view March 28th – June 8th, 2025.

Artwork by: Maria Amorette Klos, 2024

Explore The Art of Nature
Explore All Events

The Art of Nature is supported by

3/29 Horticulture Workshop: Living Springtime Wreath

Let’s get festive with native flowers, succulents, and air plants! 

Celebrate Springtime and the wonder of wildflowers by crafting a living botanical wreath. This course will satisfy both plant and art lovers alike; learn the science of epiphytes while you design and mount native flowers, succulents, and air plants. Create a masterpiece for your seasonal decor or a treasured gift for a friend or family member, all wrapped up in a fun activity that brings the beauty of the outside, inside. 

Gardening gloves recommended. You will be working with live plants, wire, and gardening tools. Feel free to also bring hand pruners and/or safety glasses.  

No prior experience required. Participants will have a completed piece to take home at the conclusion of the workshop. Open to ages 16+/all experience levels. All supplies included.

This class takes place outside, so please dress appropriately for the weather. Supplies may get messy, so casual attire is recommended.

📆 Saturday, March 29th

⏱️ 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

📍 Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

1305 East Cliff DR, Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Register

Materials Fee: All supplies are included in class fee. Participants are welcome to bring their own gardening supplies.

Class Fee: $39 – Museum Members receive a special discounted price applied at checkout.

Instructor: Dion Shattuck – SCMNH Horticulturalist

1/12-1/14 50th Anniversary Santa Cruz Fungus Fair

The wait is over! After a three-year hiatus, we are thrilled to announce that the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair is returning to London Nelson this January. The Museum is proud to be co-presenting this 50th Anniversary celebration with the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz who helped us launch the inaugural event at the Museum in 1974. Together we’re bringing back this unique Santa Cruz institution for what we hope is its best year yet!

Mark your calendars for January 12-14, 2024 and visit ffsc.us for more information.

Thank you to our sponsors Peninsula Open Space Trust and Hilltromper.

About the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair

Come to Santa Cruz and explore the facinating world of Fungi. Learn interesting and fun facts about the hundreds of beautiful and fascinating species of mushrooms found in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Area. Fungi will be beautifully displayed in a re-created woodland habitat. This unique Santa Cruz tradition features three days of fantastic fun, informative speakers and demonstrations, with fungal activities for the whole family.

The Fungus Fair is held each year in January in Santa Cruz at the London Nelson Community Center. This three day event features hundreds of species of local fungi presented in a unique fashion, and draws thousands of visitors each year. The Fair showcases speakers, a special Kids’ Room, and a taxonomy panel for identification of fungi you find. Many books and mushroom-related items are available for sale, as are wild mushroom delicacies.

Did you know that without fungus, we’d have no bread, cheese, beer, or wine? Or that anti-cholesterol medicine was developed from mushrooms? Come to the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair to learn all there is to know about the fascinating world of mushrooms.

This unique Santa Cruz tradition features fantastic fungus fun for the whole family. Bring the kids and stroll through a re-created woodland forest displaying hundreds of wild mushrooms; the Fungus Fair also features a special room full of hands-on activities for the kids, including fungus exploration tables, clay mushroom building, face painting, and more!

Fungi Fundamentals: Mushrooms of the Bay Area with Christian Schwarz and POST (watch recording)

The unique ecosystem of the Bay Area’s coastal redwoods provides an ideal setting for mushrooms to flourish. Join us for a cap-tivating online event as we explore and uncover more about the fungal landscape. 🍄

In collaboration with Peninsula Open Space Trust, we invite you to a special online event featuring guest speaker Christian Schwarz, co-author of “Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast.” Whether you’re a fungi first-timer or fanatic, Christian will guide us through the fundamentals of mushroom science and share his insights on these remarkable organisms. This event will be tailored for audiences in high school and beyond.

Join POST, SCMNH, and mushroom scientist Christian Schwarz for an informational tour through the fungal landscape in the Bay Area. This 90-minute webinar will be interactive and provide the audience with many opportunities to spore their curiosity by asking our speaker your fungi-est questions. We can’t wait for you to come along with us on this journey to uncover all the mysteries about mushrooms. Register to receive instructions on how to join us for this fantastic fungal virtual event.

Eager to start learning about mushrooms? Check out POST’s blog about 9 Wild Mushrooms Worth Remembering to get you started – there might be a pop quiz during the event!

Cover photo by Christian Schwarz

About the Speaker

Christian Schwarz studied Ecology and Evolution at UC Santa Cruz, where his interest in the world of fungi became irrevocable – their seemingly endless forms (from the grotesque to the bizarre to the sublime) feed his curiosity. He is co-author of Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, and now spends his time seeking, photographing, collecting, teaching about, and publishing research on the macrofungi of California and Arizona. He is Collections Lead for the California Fungal Diversity Survey, and is a research associate of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. He has also served on the IUCN Red List Working Group for North American Fungi, advocating for habitat conservation focused on fungi. He is passionate about biodiversity in general, and especially in the philosophy and practice of community science (especially through the use of iNaturalist).

Meet the Co-Hosts

The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting people with nature and science to inspire stewardship of the natural world. Founded on the collection of naturalist Laura Hecox, it is the oldest public museum in Santa Cruz, founded in 1905. The Museum features hands-on educational exhibits and events indoors, outdoors, and online for people of all ages to discover and learn about the natural history of this region. Learn more about the Museum and plan your visit at santacruzmuseum.org. We invite you to follow the Museum on social media for updates about events and the natural wonders of our region.

Peninsula Open Space Trust protects and cares for open space, farms and parkland in the Peninsula and South Bay. Since 1977, POST has protected over 86,000 acres in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties.

1/10 Nature Journal Studio

Nature journaling can help us view the natural world with new perspectives, learn about our surroundings, and see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

During Nature Journal Studio sessions at the Museum, Melinda Nakagawa will guide you through a topic as we practice skills in a group setting and share our learning with others. We will develop observation skills and awareness of nature, improve sketching skills, and practice strategies to bring the 3-dimensional world onto the page. Rather than an art class, nature journaling is about observation, curiosity, wonder, and honing these abilities.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024
6:30-8 p.m.

Location: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Free with Admission*

Register


*Free for Members and Youth under 18 | $4 General | $2 Students and Seniors

Email events@santacruzmuseum.org with any questions, accommodation requests, or if you have trouble registering.

Accessibility and COVID protocol

  • All experience levels are welcome. Youth under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
  • It is likely that the programs will take place inside the Museum, but sometimes sessions are held outside (details in confirmation email).
  • Follow the latest guidelines for covid safety.
  • Basic materials are provided, but feel free to bring your favorite nature journal tools.
  • Please leave your pets at home. Trained service animals are permitted.
  • Review more details on our Accessibility page.

About Melinda Nakagawa

Melinda Nakagawa is a biologist, naturalist, and educator with a passion and skill for connecting people to nature. She founded Spark in Nature to guide participants to cultivate a deeper relationship with the natural world, slowing down to nature’s pace and seeing rather than just looking at the world.

With an approach that bridges nature, art, and heart, she welcomes all people regardless of their skill level or background. Through her gentle guidance, hundreds of participants have awakened their spark of curiosity, sense of wonder, and connection to the natural world.

Melinda has partnered with local institutions such as the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium and Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History to lead educator trainings on nature journaling. She leads the Monterey Bay Nature Journal Club’s free online Sunday sessions.

She has an M.S. degree in Marine Science, and has also worked as a naturalist guide, floral designer, and wildlife rehabilitator. For the past two decades Melinda has kept nature journals and continues to learn more from nature with each journal she fills.

Nature journal examples by Melinda Nakagawa.

Naturalist Night | Animals Underground: The Burrowing and Cave Dwelling Creatures of the Santa Cruz Mountains with Matt Sharp Chaney and Alex Jones (watch recording)

Beneath our feet is a world of creatures seldom seen. Join local experts for this set of short presentations at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History exploring the mysteries of the underground. Alex Jones, UC Santa Cruz Campus Natural Reserve Manager, will share the secrets of UC Santa Cruz’s karst caves and burrowing insects, while Matt Sharp Chaney, Midpen Wildlife Biologist, will share stories of salamanders and squirrels, badgers and broad-footed moles, kangaroo rats and kingfishers, and more.

This program is in support of the new exhibit, Underground: Unearthing Unseen Worlds, and is presented in partnership with Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

Matt Sharp Chaney is a Wildlife Biologist and the Lead Mammologist for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) where he has worked for the past 8 years. Prior to working at Midpen Matt worked as an Educational Assistant at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and he is excited to return for this Naturalist Night. Matt received a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from California State University Monterey Bay in 2015, and a master’s certificate in wildlife management from Oregon State University in 2018. Midpen manages over 65,000 acres of public preserves located within the Santa Cruz Mountains along the San Francisco Peninsula. Matt’s work focuses on the conservation of native mammal species from bats, to kangaroo rats, to mountain lions. 

Alex Jones has been an environmental educator for 25 years, practicing natural history while leading students ranging from preschoolers to senior citizens, though he traces his naturalist roots to his own childhood experiences of playing with mud, scaring ducks, and hiding in the shrubbery. Alex currently works as the UC Santa Cruz Campus Natural Reserve Manager and supports education, research, and stewardship activities on campus natural lands. He brings his passion for natural history, ecology, and stewardship to UCSC students through undergraduate course field trips, internships, and volunteer opportunities. As part of his duties, Alex is responsible for monitoring and managing for the federally endangered Ohlone tiger beetle populations that occur on the UCSC campus. Prior work has given him the opportunity to participate in inventories and studies involving plants, invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds in the eastern and western US.

Accessibility

  • The event will occur inside the Museum and is wheelchair accessible.
  • Restrooms, water fountains, and light snacks will be available.
  • Parking is first-come-first-served in the neighborhood. Bike parking is available near the museum entrance.
  • This program will be in English.
  • If we are able to record the program, it will be added to this webpage after the event.
  • Masks are not currently required indoors, but we will alert registrants if an increase in covid transmission rates triggers that requirement.
  • Reasonable accommodation requests can be made by emailing events@santacruzmuseum.org.

Photo credit Matt Sharp Chaney, Alex Jones, Santa Clara County Parks, and Christine Fielding.

Caves and Climate Change with Jessica Oster | Online Talk

The Santa Cruz Mountains are full of limestone caves that hold many secrets, including records of our climate past. Join Dr. Jessica Oster for an exploration into White Moon Cave where she researches stalagmites (mineral formations growing up from cave floors) that record the climate and environment above the cave as they grow. One stalagmite from White Moon Cave has revealed linkages between the plant community and fire activity above the cave and “climate whiplash” or oscillations between extreme wet and dry periods that occurred over 8,000 years ago. We will discuss how climate records from stalagmites are created as well as the unique things we have learned about California climate from Santa Cruz Mountains caves.

This program is in support of the new exhibit Underground: Unearthing Unseen Worlds.

About the Speaker

Jessica Oster is an Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. She completed her PhD at the University of California, Davis. Oster studies chemical variations in cave mineral formations such as stalagmites to reconstruct climate change in the past, including changes in rainfall, vegetation, and fire activity above the cave. She has developed stalagmite-based records of climate change from caves in northern and central California, Wyoming, Tennessee, India, and the island of Curaçao.

CZU and You 2023

Explore the role of fire on our landscape through a series of programs that invite our community to reflect on the CZU Lightning Complex fires of August 2020, while learning about proactive steps being taken throughout the County to manage the landscape both for and with fire. Explore fire resources from past events here.

Events

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