The Slawinski Auction Company is having a grand opening tonight that will benefit the Museum of Natural History! Join us at the company’s new Scotts Valley location on Friday, February 17th from 6 – 8pm. The auction will offer the estate of Mr. Dee Bush, a long-time Museum docent, supporter, and collector of Asian antiques. All net proceeds from this event will benefit the Museum. Download this Slawinski Auction 2012 for more information.

Explore local geology this Saturday, February 18th, as Naturalist Fred McPherson presents the the third talk of our Connect with Nature lecture series. This presentation will combine physical and biological science as Fred guides us through the “Geology and Ecotones of the Santa Cruz Region.” Learn how the movement of land over time has affected our local communities.

Shhhh! Members only! The Dee Bush estate sale to benefit the Museum is scheduled for next Sunday, February 25th, from 12noon-6pm. All members will be receiving an invitation with full details in the mail. If you are not yet a member (or you are a docent working to earn your membership) and you would like to attend this event, please become a member and/or call the Museum at 420-6115.

This is the last week to see our featured exhibit, Coastal Lagoons: A Closer Look through Art, History, and Science. February 25th will be the last day that museum-goers will be able to interact with this temporary installation. On February 27th, volunteers will help take down the exhibit and re-install our geology exhibit for March. Email volunteers@santacruzmuseums.org if you’re interested in helping with this or other Museum projects. Our next featured exhibit will be The Art of Nature, April 7 – June 3.

Vote for us in the Good Times Best of Santa Cruz County! While there isn’t a “Best Museum” category, we encourage you to chose us for the “Best Place to Learn New Things”. Thanks for taking the time to vote!

And vote us “Best Museum” in the the Santa Cruz Weekly Gold Awards.

Announcing the Museum’s new logo! And you, our faithful Buzz followers, are the first to see it! The professionals at Capitola Design worked with our board and staff to create a new logo that conveys our mission of connecting people with nature and inspiring stewardship. Be on the look-out for the new logo as we phase it into the Museum website, literature, and public presence. We welcome your feedback about our new logo – leave a comment here on the blog.

This week’s Connect With Nature lecture topic is “California’s Keystone Predators: Pumas” presented by Zara McDonald, Founder and Executive Director of the Felidae Conservation Fund. Join us at the Museum this Saturday, February 11th at 10am for an engaging and inspiring presentation about the work currently underway to study and protect our local big cats. Preregistration available.

Join us at the Migration Festival, this Saturday, February 11th from 11am – 4pm. Natural Bridges State Beach hosts the 38th Annual Migration Festival to emphasize the importance of habitat protection and connected corridors for migratory species. The Museum will host an educational booth, so stop by to learn about the fascinating migration we will highlight.

The Slawinski Auction Company is hosting a grand opening that will benefit the Museum of Natural History! Join us at the company’s new Scotts Valley location on Friday, February 17th from 6 – 8pm. The auction will offer the estate of Mr. Dee Bush, a long-time Museum supporter and collector of Asian antiques. All net proceeds from this event will benefit the Museum. Download this Slawinski Auction Flier for more information.

Check out our new program, Nat Time – Natural History Storytime – each Thursday from 3:30pm – 4pm. This special afternoon storytime series offers fun and educational stories featuring puppets, songs, and museum artifacts. Nat Time is geared toward children ages 3 – 6. Families of all ages are welcome.

Vote for us in the Good Times Best of Santa Cruz County! While there isn’t a “Best Museum” category, we encourage you to chose us for the “Best Place to Learn New Things”. Thanks for taking the time to vote!

Our winter Connect with Nature lecture series starts tomorrow and features fascinating natural history presentations from well-known scholars and local experts. Each Saturday in February join us at the Museum at 10am for an enriching experience. Tomorrow, February 4th, the Central Coast Wetlands Group presents, “How Healthy Are Our Coastal Lagoons?” Witness their journey to develop monitoring methods, and explore the Museum’s featured exhibit, Coastal Lagoons: A Closer Look Through Art, History and Science. Pre-register online for the Connect with Nature Series.

Thanks for joining us at our Groundhog Day kick-off of Nat Time! As you’ve probably heard, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and we will supposedly be seeing six more weeks of winter. Good thing the Museum has lots of indoor fun planned for Thursday afternoons! Join us from 3:30-4pm for stories, songs, puppet shows, and more featuring local animals, habitats, and natural history. And if the weather’s nice, we may venture outside too. Natural History Storytime is geared towards ages 3-6. Families of all ages are welcome.

School Tour openings are available. Want to share hands-on enrichment with your class or preschool group? Reserve a Museum School Tour. We also have educational kits available for loan and amazing field trip opportunities with the award-winning Neary Lagoon Wetland Walk and the Sandhills Program. Learn more about our School Programs and take advantage of these awesome local resources.

The 26th annual Migration Festival will be held Saturday, February 11th from 11am – 4pm at Natural Bridges State Beach. The Museum will be hosting an educational booth along with dozens of other local organizations. This year, we’ve been asked to highlight a specific migratory creature and emphasize the importance of habitat protection and connected corridors for migratory species. Can you guess which creature the Museum will feature? Come find out!

The Book Nook is open! You can now share a host of rich reading resources with your children in the Book Nook. Next time you come to the Museum, take a seat and explore the pages of our excellent children’s book collection or play with the wildlife puppets.

From L to R: Brianna, Dana, Desiree, Zack, & Jordan

Welcome to our Interns! We are excited and proud to announce our winter Interns who have committed to working on various projects. Brianna is leading docent tours and helping the education team create new resources. Dana is researching and creating a Neary Lagoon Plant Guide. Desiree is supplementing our Native Plants and Coastal Birds slideshows from our loan program. Zack is returning from the fall to work with our 7th grader Sandhills Exploration Program, designing a kit to complement the program. And Jordan is returning from last fall to continue his work with 3rd graders in the Neary Lagoon Wetland Walk. We will keep you posted on the progress and achievements of these enthusiastic and dedicated interns.

Docents Training for our new Storytime program will be Monday, January 30th from 3pm-5pm. If you like to educate and entertain young children, this is the perfect volunteer opportunity for you. In this training, you will gain the skills needed to lead Natural History Storytime – Nat Time – a new weekly storytime series Thursday afternoons 3:30-4pm. Learn how to inspire stewardship in a fun way that keeps kids attentive and engaged. Learn more and register for Storytime Docent Training.

Double-thanks to Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing and patrons who supported the Museum on Thank You Thursday in December. For every pint sold on Thank You Thursdays, the Brewery donates $1 to a local non-profit. On December 8th, the Brewery raised $261 for the Museum. What a great way to support our local community! Check out Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing. Thanks a pint!

Natural History Storytime – Nat Time – is a fun, new storytime series for young children. Thursdays in February, we will highlight a different local animal, habitat, or natural history topic with stories, songs, puppets and Museum artifacts. Natural History Storytime is geared towards ages 3-6. Families of all ages are welcome. Join us for the Groundhog Day kick-off of Nat Time on Thursday, February 2nd from 3:30pm-4pm. Punxsutawney Phil is sure to make an appearance, but will he see his shadow?

Connect with Nature is our upcoming lecture series featuring the fascinating natural history of Santa Cruz from well-known scholars and local experts, Saturdays in February beginning at 10am. The series starts on February 4th with the Central Coast Wetlands Group’s talk, “How Healthy Are Our Coastal Lagoons?” Witness their journey to develop monitoring methods, and explore the Museum’s featured exhibit, Coastal Lagoons: A Closer Look Through Art, History and Science. Pre-register online for the Connect with Nature Series.

Did you catch the latest Nature Connection? Read the Museum’s monthly Sentinel article by Museum Education Manager, Deborah McArthur. Read ‘Juneuary’ in the Sentinel and learn about the fascinating climate dynamics of La Nina.

Museum Host Training will be held Monday, January 23, 10am-1pm. Do you want to connect others to the richness of our natural history? Are you available on Saturdays? Or are you a Cabrillo College student seeking credit for work experience through the Special Studies program? Museum Hosting could be your calling! Museum Hosts are volunteer docents who welcome visitors to the Museum, provide roving interpretation, and help the exhibits come alive. Join us for this new training to connect and inspire!

Monterey Whalefest is a fun, free family event this Saturday, January 21st at the Old Fisherman’s Wharf located at #1 Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, California. Whalefest takes place from 9am to 5pm and features fun games and activities for kids, live music, educational presentations by Save the Whales, a beach clean up by Save Our Shores, and guided whale watching – 1/2 price for kids. The Museum of Monterey will also be hosting the Blue Ocean Film Festival screenings throughout the festival. Learn more about Whalefest.

Celebrate Groundhog Day with us as we kick off Natural History Storytime on February 2nd. Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? Come find out at our new, weekly storytime series – “Nat Time.” Every Thursday from 3:30 – 4pm, the Museum will highlight a different local animal, habitat, or natural history topic with stories, songs, puppets and Museum artifacts! Nat Time is geared towards ages 3-6. Families of all ages are welcome. Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for seniors, kids and members are free. Find out more information about Nat Time.

Connect with Nature in our upcoming lecture series featuring the fascinating natural history of Santa Cruz from well-known scholars and local experts each Saturday in February at 10am. We will begin the series on February 4th as the Central Coast Wetlands Group illuminate the question, “How Healthy Are Our Coastal Lagoons?” Witness their journey to develop monitoring methods, and explore the Museum’s featured exhibit, Coastal Lagoons: A Closer Look Through Art, History and Science. Pre-register online for the Connect with Nature Series.

Become a member of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and enjoy free programs throughout the year!

Winter Docent Training will start this Monday, January 9, from 10am – 1pm. This training will focus on leading Animal Tours and engaging students in interactive learning about about animal habitats and adaptations. The Docent program is a great volunteer opportunity for people to connect school children and the public to the natural world. No experience necessary. To learn more and to register, visit our website.

A group of volunteers gather sea creatures for the Museum touch tank

Volunteer Tidepooling offered a fun and educational opportunity to get to know our local marine animals this week. Volunteers gathered at The Hook and ventured out during low tide to collect new specimens for the Museum Touch Tank. Our hunt turned up three different species of Sea Slugs, Bat Stars, Sea Stars, Hermit Crabs, and eight Sea Anemones of various sizes. These animals will be on display in the Touch Tank through February when we will return them to their ocean home. Be sure to come visit the Museum and get to know these ocean creatures up close.

Welcome Jenny Barker (left) and Alie Welch (right)

Welcome new Museum staff members Jenny Barker, Volunteer and Communications Coordinator, and Alie Welch, Financial Administrator. These ladies bring many years of qualified experience in local non-profits to our team. Ali comes to us from Community Television, and Jenny comes to us from Mariposa’s Art. We would also like to share our gratitude and celebrate the contributions of our departing staff Lise Peterson and Jaime Karaszewski. Lise dedicated over five years of multi-faceted service to the Museum, and her presence will be dearly missed. Jaime was responsible for leading the development of our Pollinator Garden, and her efforts will be carried on by our staff and dedicated volunteers.

Help collect mushroom specimens for the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair. The general public is welcome to join a mushroom collecting trip on Saturday, January 7th. Meet at Harvey West Scout House at 10:00 am sharp. Bring a basket, wax paper, green strawberry containers, and a small knife or trowel. Learn more about this opportunity by visiting the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair website. The 38th Annual Fungus Fair will be held at the Louden Nelson Community Center January 13th – 15th. Learn about the hundreds of beautiful and fascinating species of local fungi on display in a re-created woodland habitat. A unique Santa Cruz tradition, the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair features a special room full of hands-on activities for the kids, including a fungus exploration area, clay mushroom building, face paints, and more!

Winter Docent Training will be taking place January 9, 23, and 30. Training will cover leading Animal tours, weekend Museum Hosting, and our upcoming Natural History Storytime. This is a great opportunity for people to connect school children and the public to the natural world. No experience necessary. To learn more and to register visit our website.

Holiday Closure The Museum will be closed December 24-January 2.  This coming week will be a great time to bring your visiting guests to a local institution and to finish up your holiday shopping away from the hustle and bustle of downtown!

Volunteer Tidepooling will be January 4 from 1:30-3pm. After we clean out our touch tank this Monday, we will need to gather some new animals for the new year. For more information or to RSVP for this event, contact Liz at 420-6115 or liz@santacruzmuseums.org. You can also be a part of documenting this season’s King Tides by visiting: http://californiakingtides.org/

Thank You to all of our members, volunteers and other Museum supporters who came out to Thank You Thursday at the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery last week! The night was a huge success and we look forward to future fundraisers at our favorite local businesses.