Weekly Buzzz…

May is National Museum Month! Check out all the fun things happening at Museums and galleries throughout Santa Cruz. Members are invited to celebrate Museums Month with us by attending our annual Member’s Meeting on Wednesday, May 16 from 5:30-6:30pm. Rub elbows with staff and board members, nosh on light edibles, and give us your feedback. This is your Museum, let’s enjoy it together!

Sign up ASAP for the Families In Nature: Spring Adventure! Saturday, May 12 from 9am – 12noon, meet at Arana Gulch for a fun day of nature exploration. We’ll bring binoculars and hands-on activities to connect with different habitats and understand the plants and wildlife that call Arana home. Learn more and register here.

Thanks for coming to the First Friday Art Tour at the Museum! We had tons of fun watching the illustrators demonstrate their techniques, and polishing our own at the Illustration Station. If you haven’t seen the exhibit yet, be sure to catch it before June 3.

Announcing free first Fridays! Now, enjoy free Museum admission each and every first Friday of the month. Start your First Friday Art Tour early at the Museum and catch some of the best views in Santa Cruz. The Museum is currently open 10am – 5pm, Tuesday through Saturday.

Weigh in on our website! We are starting to build a new website with the expert help of V-Link Studio, and we want your input. Come to a usability focus group on Saturday, May 19 from 2-3:30pm at the Museum. Help us design a user experience that is fun and functional.

Museum Free Days are now every first Friday of the month! And this month we’ll be staying open late because . . .

The Art of Nature joins the First Friday Art Tour! Come to the free public reception for the Art of Nature on Friday, May 4th from 5-8pm. There will be live art demonstrations by featured illustrators, a fun Illustration Station for creating your own works of art, and light refreshments. Learn more.

Join us for volunteer tidepool collecting on Monday, May 7th at 7am. Wake with sun the and meet us at the Hook (where 41st Street ends at the ocean) to gather intertidal creatures for our Tidepool Exhibit at the Museum. This is a fun opportunity to learn about sea life in its native environment. For more information and to RSVP email liz@santacruzmuseums.org

Saddle up and don your helmet because next week is Bike to Work Week! Throughout the week, local businesses will offer free treats for bicycle commuters. This is a great way to show your commitment to being a steward of the natural world (and get in shape too)! Learn more about Bike to Work Week here in Santa Cruz.

Want to learn more about our local wild places? Come to the Families in Nature: Spring Adventure on Saturday, May 12th. Join Museum Education Manager, Deborah McArthur, for a day of exploration in Arana Gulch. We’ll bring binoculars and hands-on activities to connect with different habitats and understand the plants and wildlife that call Arana home. Learn more and register here.

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 28th we welcome you to attend the Art of Spring Wildflowers, an adult art class and wildflower hike. This class is our spring installment of the Connect with Nature Series. It’s a great way to develop your art skills, make new friends, and enjoy a day in nature. This class will begin at 10am at the Museum where participants will get expert art instruction from Ceiba art teacher, Collette Sanchez. Midday, the class will move to Wilder Ranch State Park for observation and field study of local wildflowers. Pre-registration is available online, or come to the Museum before class begins at 10am.

Black-Necked Stilts by Molly Keller

Next Monday, April 30th, join us for a Docent Training in leading the Art of Nature school tours. If you love nature illustration and want to teach children about it, this can be a fun and enriching opportunity! Docents are volunteers who lead one-hour presentations about Museum exhibits during school hours. The Art of Nature tours only run through June 1st, so we are looking for Docents with availability throughout the month of May. Please register online or call Deborah at 420-6115 x12.

Raccoon by Jenny Parks

The Art of Nature joins First Fridays! Come to the free public reception for the Art of Nature on Friday, May 4th from 5-8pm. There will be live art demonstrations by featured illustrators, a fun Illustration Station for creating your own works of art, and light refreshments. Learn more.

Book an Art of Nature school tour! These fun and interactive tours are available for classes and school groups throughout the month of May. Learn more about docent-led school tours.

Need advertising? Sponsor the Families in Nature: Summer Saturday Series! Summer Saturdays are filled with animals, music, crafts, and fun! All business sponsors get prominent recognition at the event, on our website, in press releases, email communications, and social media sites. For more information, contact Deborah@santacruzmuseums.org or call 420-6115 x12.

The bees took a little spring break … but now they’re back! Our demonstration bee hive was not doing very well, early this spring. So our fantastic volunteer beekeeper, Jeff Perez, doctored the hive, and they are happy and healthy again. Come see if you can find the queen!

The Museum phone system has changed. Now when you call our main line, (831) 420-6115, you will be presented with extension options to reach the staff members you are seeking. Here’s a list of our new extensions:

Liz Broughton, Visitor Services Manager, x10

Alie Welch, Financial Adminsitrator, x11

Deborah McArthur, Education Manager, x12

Zach Deutsch-Gross, Sandhills Coordinator, x13

Peter Wampler, Neary Lagoon Coordinator, x14

Jenny Barker, Volunteer & Communications Coordinator, x15

Dan Harder, Executive Director, x16

Come celebrate Earth Day Santa Cruz tomorrow, April 21st, in San Lorenzo Park! The Museum will be hosting a booth right near the main stage and wine garden. We will have museum artifacts, a T-shirt raffle, and face painting! Learn more about Earth Day Santa Cruz here.

Sandhills Docent Training will be held next Monday, April 23rd from 2 – 4pm. Do you like to learn about the natural world? Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge with others? Become a docent! This special training will prepare volunteer docents to assist in our Sandhills Exploration Program field tours. Share local geology, paleontology, and habitat restoration with 7th-graders. Please register online by April 23rd.

Connect with Nature: The Art of Spring Wildflowers is a great opportunity to develop your art skills, make new friends, and enjoy a Saturday in nature on April 28th from 10am – 3pm. This natural history class for adults will begin with expert art instruction in the Museum, then move to Wilder Ranch State Park for observation and field study of local wildflowers. Please register online before April 27th.

Interns (L to R): Brianna, Leticia, Cassius, and Jordan. Not pictured: Harrison and Desiree.

We are proud to welcome our new interns to the Museum! Harrison Burns is our new Sandhills Exploration Intern who will be leading field trips and updating Sandhills education kits for classrooms. Leticia Garcia is an Education Intern who is assisting in developing educational components for The Art of Nature exhibit and offering her skills in Spanish translation to make our programs accessible to a wider audience. Cassius McCray is our Garden Intern who is caring for our Pollinator Garden and developing more educational signage for the garden. We are also happy to welcome back our Education Interns from last quarter – Jordan, Brianna, and Desiree. Learn more about our Intern program here.

Beach Wrack by Diane T. Sands

Experience Art Demos with the Illustrators tomorrow, April 14 from 11am-1pm at the Museum. Drop in for this special program highlighting artists from the California Guild of Natural Science Illustrators. Watch and learn as select illustrators from The Art of Nature exhibit demonstrate their skills, tools, and techniques for the public. Try your hand at sketching artifacts at our Illustration Station. This program is free with Museum admission.

Afterward, check out the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Symposium, planned for April 14 at the Califonia State University Center in Seaside, CA. This free symposium is a full day of educational presentations about the fascinating research and conservation activities taking place in our watersheds, wetlands, kelp forests and deep sea. Learn more here.

Want to hone your artistic skills and enjoy a day in nature? Come to the next installment of our Connect with Nature Series: The Art of Spring Wildflowers. This natural history class for adults will begin with expert art instruction in the Museum, then move to Wilder Ranch State Park for observation and field study of local wildflowers. This full-day workshop will give you new skills, new friends, and lots of time to soak up the views. Please pre-register online.

Win a Free Museum T-Shirt! Be the 1000th person to ‘like’ us on Faceook and we will give you a free t-shirt to be picked up at the Museum. Connect with us on FB to learn about upcoming events, read fascinating articles on local natural history topics, and give your feedback to the Museum. Like us on FB today! And while your at it, follow us on Twitter.

Snuggle up in the Book Nook! Thanks to a generous contribution from the Birns family, the Museum now has a place to relax and read some delightful stories or informative tomes. Children’s books, puppets and a new bean-bag chair make this a wonderful place for kids (of all ages) to rest.

Raccoon by Jenny Parks

Check out the Museum Members-only reception for The Art of Nature tonight, April 6 from 6-8pm. We are very excited to welcome back the California Guild of Natural Science Illustrators for the 23rd annual Art of Nature exhibit. This show will open to the public on Saturday, April 7 and run through July 3, 2012. From flowers, to birds, to invertebrates, to mammals, explore how illustration is used to convey information and connect people with the natural sciences. Learn more about the Art of Nature here.

Come see the artists in action at our Art Demos with the Illustrators program on April 14 from 11am-1pm. This drop-in program is free with Museum admission. Come meet the artists and see how they work. What kind of tools do they use? How does scientific illustration differ from storybook illustration or life drawing? Ask the illustrators themselves. You can also try your own hand at illustrating Museum specimens with a variety of media at our Illustration Station. Read more here.

Our new Program & Event Calendar is out! Please stop by the Museum to pick up a free Event Calendar, and stay up-to-date with all the great programs and events the Museum offers. And now anyone can sign up to receive our Monthly E-News online. Just click the link on the left of our Museum Home Page.

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Symposium is planned for April 14 at the Califonia State University Center in Seaside, CA. This free symposium is a full day of educational presentations about the fascinating research and conservation activities taking place in our watersheds, wetlands, kelp forests and deep sea. Learn more here.

Raccoon by Jenny Parks

The Art of Nature returns to the Museum! We are busily preparing to host the 23rd annual Art of Nature exhibit, opening April 7th and running through June 3rd. This year, the museum welcomes back the California Guild of Natural Science Illustrators to display over 60 artworks in a variety of media. From flowers, to birds, to invertebrates, to mammals, explore how illustration is used to convey information and connect people with the natural sciences. Learn more about all of our Art of Nature programs here.

We are seeking extra volunteers to help install the Art of Nature exhibit on Monday, April 2nd. Volunteers with strong backs are encouraged to come between 10am and noon to help move heavy materials. Volunteers with an eye for detail are encouraged to help from 1pm to 3pm to help hang the artwork for the show. Questions? Please call Liz at 420-6115.

Wood ducks can be seen nesting at Neary Lagoon. Check out the nesting box in the water near the floating bridge to get an up-close view of these magnificent birds. Peter Wampler, Neary Lagoon Program Coordinator, reported spotting at least three pairs of wood ducks nesting around the lagoon recently.

Summer Camps will soon be available for online registration. Kids, ages 7 to 14, can connect with nature, fun and adventure at our Summer Camps! Art and Nature Explorers Camp is for kids who love art, science, and lots of outdoor fun. Nature and Survival Skills Camp is for kids who want to learn about nature and traditional survival skills in the woods. Registration for members will open the first week of April. Registration for non-members will open April 16th. Learn more about our Summer Camps here.

Want to inspire stewardship? We have two volunteer docent trainings coming up in April. Monday, April 23rd, learn how to lead 7th graders through field tours in our Sandhills Exploration program. Monday, April 30th, join docents learning to lead Art of Nature school tours in the Museum. Learn more about our docent opportunities here.

Dig In! Volunteer Garden Day is scheduled for Saturday, March 24 from 10am to noon. Join us at the Museum for a morning of light work in the garden. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about native plants, pollinators, and xeriscaping. Families and folks of all ages are welcome, volunteer waivers will be signed before work begins. Please RSVP by emailing Jen@santacruzmuseums.org. Please note that rain will cancel this event.

Happy trails to Matt Miller! Our outstanding Sandhills Coordinator is taking a sabbatical to attend the UCSC Ecology and Conservation in Practice Field Quarter. We are very proud of Matt for winning a spot in this competitive program, and we will miss his vibrant energy here at the museum. Luckily, our amazing intern, Zach Deutch-Gross, will be stepping up to coordinate the Sandhills Program this spring. The Sandhills Program provides local seventh-graders with field explorations featuring geology, fossils, and habitat restoration.

Students from Tokyo, Japan visited the Museum today! Fourteen students from the Consortium Institute in Tokyo visited the Museum to learn about Santa Cruz history and ecology. The ninth and tenth graders enjoyed exploring the Tide Pool Tank and even contributed to our wildlife spotting map that asks, “How have you connected with nature lately?”

Our Ohlone exhibit has a new interactive element. The next time you visit, check out the Ohlone cards and find new ways to connect with the exhibit. The cards invite you to find characters in the mural and investigate to find details about how the Ohlone people lived a few hundred years ago. These are especially fun for kids who like experiential learning.

The museum seeks an experienced IT volunteer to help us troubleshoot some of our computer systems. If you have computer networking skills, we would love a few hours of your time. Please email Jen@santacruzmuseums.org if you are interested in donating some time to the technological advancement of the Museum.

Our Bees are Back! After a long, bee-less winter, our volunteer beekeeper, Jeff Perez, has installed a  brand new observation hive with a new colony of bees. This new hive should make it easier to see the queen (who is bigger than all the other bees). So be sure to hunt for her the next time you visit the Museum. If you want to learn more about bees, watch the video Bees: Tales from the Hive at our mini movie theater in the Book Nook.

The San Lorenzo River mouth is getting a facelift. Heavy rains and tidal influences have caused the San Lorenzo River to migrate from it’s usual course. It has taken a sharp right turn and is running dangerously close to the Boardwalk. Crews have been working all week to carve a new trench and redirect the river straight out to see. Check out the Sentinel article on the subject.

We’d like to thank all of our winter interns for the awesome work they have done to help the Museum Education Program. Jordan has assisted in managing Neary Lagoon field trips, Dana compiled a plant guide for Neary Lagoon docents, Desiree created education kits on local plants, Brianna assisted in the Museum school tour programs, and Zach has been training to become the Sandhills Program Coordinator. We are excited to welcome back some of these interns in the spring quarter, and welcome new interns aboard as well. Learn more about our Internships here.

Our Pollinator Garden is loving the rain we have received this week. New flowers are in bloom, and seedlings are popping up. Next week, we welcome you to Dig In! Volunteer Garden Day on Saturday, March 24 from 10am to noon. Join us at the Museum for an afternoon of light work in the garden. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about native plants, pollinators, and xeriscaping. Families and folks of all ages are welcome, volunteer waivers will be signed before work begins. Please RSVP by emailing Jen@santacruzmuseums.org.

The Buzzz is now automated! Each time we publish the Buzzz, it will now go straight to your inbox. This means you can manage your subscription more easily, and anyone who visits the Buzzz online can subscribe using the handy form on the right-side column. I apologize for the technical difficulties in the delivery of last week’s Buzzz, causing the email to be sent to list members several times. I am actively working out the kinks. If you have any questions, please feel free to email jen@santacruzmuseums.org.

Thanks to all the volunteers who came out on a beautiful Monday to help collect new specimens for our tide pool exhibit! Our tank is now full of active hermit crabs, bright-colored sea stars and a wide array of intertidal plants. The animals in our tide pool tank change every two months so be sure to come by and visit its newest inhabitants.

The Dig Box is back! Our geology exhibit has returned to the Museum for the month of March, and with it comes the opportunity to “play paleontologist” and unearth buried fossils. We have also added a new participation station to the Museum, allowing you to answer the question, “How have you connected with nature?”

Check out our new Collections Close-Up case. Every month we will be displaying rarely seen artifacts from our collections. This month, we have unearthed these two ladies from our Jed Scott collection of geology specimens. Where did they come from? What are they made out of? Stop by the Museum to learn more about these two!