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“Even if there are no collectible shells, a walk along the tide drift will yield recognizable bits and pieces of fifteen to...
Many had to evacuate the Santa Cruz Mountains during the CZU Lightning Complex fires of August, 2020, including museums, visitor centers, and cultural...
The CZU Lightning Complex fires burned roughly 80% of the old growth redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains, notably including Big Basin,...
In August 2020, Northern California was ignited by a series of 650 wildfires spurred by dry lightning from rare, massive summer thunderstorms....
The climate, beautiful coastline, and majestic mountains that draw countless people to the Santa Cruz region every year were developed by the...
From the glorious wingspan of our golden eagle to the small haunches of our slender salamander, our taxidermy displays are an impactful...
Indigenous communities have had relationships with local marine resources for millennia, and science can help shed light on these relationships. Join archaeologist...
Think of your favorite dinosaur. Tyrannosaurus? Triceratops? Parasaurolophus? If you visualize it in your mind, you might be surprised to realize that...
Get the bird’s eye view of the factors that have impacted the habitats of Santa Cruz for millions of years, thousands of...
The intertidal zone is a window into the ocean that provides a slew of opportunities to use the skills of a naturalist....
Not all that glitters is gold — sometimes it’s benitoite! So discovered prospector James Couch, when in 1907 he encountered some sparkling...
The three basic types of rocks — igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary — occur in Santa Cruz County. All are composed of minerals. Some consist of primarily one...
Redwoods are the tallest trees on earth, with lifespans that reach into the thousands, but their range is relatively small. A combination...
Peer into the wonderful world of wunderkammers — otherwise known as curiosity cabinets. Often filling full rooms, these pre-modern museums favored the eccentric...
Presented by the Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History and the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History Learn what you need...
California’s Coastal Prairies are a rare and incredibly biodiverse habitat found in Santa Cruz and the most species-rich grassland type in North...
Join the Geology Gents as they explore how Earth freezes over! Sure, the weather is getting cooler in Santa Cruz as we...
The Santa Cruz Sandhills are a rare habitat in the Santa Cruz mountains that support a very specific niche of plants and...
Where does illustrator end, and infographer begin? How does data visualization fit in? And what does science have to say about the...
Learn how to get to know a rose in order to illustrate it. We’ll explore native and heritage roses and observe their...
Conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered species requires more than bringing individual organisms back from the brink. It also requires the...
Fire is many things to the Amah Mutsun and other California Indian Tribes — it is sacred, it is a tool gifted...
Though our coast today is inhabited by sea lions, harbor seals, and elephant seals, none of these species existed in California 3-5...
Fossils tell the changing story of life on earth over millennia – but they can also tell stories of more recent changes....
Eggs can reveal a good deal about who laid them — hue, markings, shell shape and size can sometimes suggest the identity...
Laura Hecox: lighthouse keeper, collector, naturalist. Photographer. Here we piece together a richer picture of our founding collector by taking a new...
This Naturalist Night lecture was presented by Frank Perry on August 18, 2015 at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and...
Walking down the collection’s basketry aisle, drinking in the breathtaking variety of shape, texture, and technique, a glint might catch your eye....
The Museum opened its doors to the public in 1905, and though the doors have changed over time, the task of stewarding...
Science illustration, like writing or photography, is a form of conveying information. It requires artistic skills, curiosity, keen observation, and scientific knowledge....
Archaeologists can analyze charred seeds and other plant remains to learn about relationships between people and the natural world deep into the...
