Upcoming Events

Even nature has its janitors. Join me anytime between 12:30 → 3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center to meet and learn about how the unsung heroes of the forest help keep the park clean. Free; no RSVP required. Parking fees apply.

Curious about what rocks and minerals make up the trails at Sugarloaf? Join me anytime between 12:30 → 3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center for a hands-on look at some specimens of what you can expect to find in the park and surrounding landscape. Free; no RSVP required. Parking fees apply.

Care for a closer look? Join join anytime between 12:30 → 3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center for a new perspective on everyday nature that is typically overlooked. We will have microscopes, magnifying glasses, and more fun tools to enhance the experience! Free; no RSVP required. Parking fees apply.

Animal outfits- why does that animal look like that and what does it mean? Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center to learn the secret language of animal colors. Free; no RSVP required. Parking fees apply.

Looking for something spooky to do this month? Come visit me and other incredible vendors on October 31st 10:00am - 3:00pm at Safari West to meet some creepy-crawlies up close!

More details to come, stay tuned! :)

What happens if that bites me? What happens if I bite it? Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center to learn about the toxic inhabitants that call Sugarloaf home. Free; no RSVP required. Parking fees apply.

Look closely at a leaf – there is so much to notice. Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center to learn more about how to differentiate leaves and make your own take-home art project. Free; no RSVP required. Parking fees apply.

details to come - stay tuned!

What's on that leaf? Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center for a deep dive on the rabbit hole that is parasitic gall formers. Free; no RSVP required. Parking fees apply.

Plants don’t have legs, so how to they get around? Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center to learn how seeds make their way throughout the park. Free; no RSVP required. Parking fees apply.

Fire, widely considered a destructive force of nature, has its benefits. Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center for a new perspective on wildfires and how some land management organizations utilize fire for good. Free; no RSVP required. Parking fees apply.

Join me and Certified CA Naturalist John Lynch as we explore Sugarloaf’s trees and plant communities - with a special focus on our Oaks & Redwoods. How many kinds of oaks can we find and what makes them so special? Yes, Sugarloaf does have Redwoods but why are they so rare? Beginning at the Visitor Center, we’ll follow Pony Gate Trail’s grassy slope, into the Oak woodland and through a mixed evergreen forest, along Canyon Trail’s shady riparian corridor lined with redwoods, to the 25-foot dramatic plunge of Sonoma Creek and back to the Visitor Center. Meet outside the Visitor Center. Tickets are $10 for general audiences, $5 for students, youth, Sugarloaf members, Sugarloaf volunteers, and free for children under 12 years old (must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian). Tickets on site day-of are $15 and might not be available. Bring at least a quart of water, sun protection, appropriate footwear for rocky/slippery trails, and if desired, a snack. Paid; RSVP required - sign up here.

CANCELLED DUE TO HEAT ADVISORY

Sugarloaf is a big park and is made up of many different ecosystems. Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center to learn about which biomes are in the park, who lives in them, and which trails to take to visit them. Free; no RSVP required. Parking fees apply.

Who’s sitting on that flower? Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center to learn more about the impact pollinators have on Sugarloaf’s landscape. Free; no RSVP required. Parking fees apply.

Curious about the reptiles out in the park? Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center for a crash course on all things scaley. Free; no RSVP required. Parking fees apply.

Join California Naturalist Sarah Reid and I as we poke around Pinnacle Gulch to search for and document SSWS (Sea Star Wasting Syndrome). We will be meeting in the parking lot at 7:00 am to explore the rocks as the tides are expected to be -1.250'. Hope to see you there!

If you can't make it, the event is running all month! Learn more here and join the iNaturalist project here.

Free; no RSVP required.

Learn more about using the citizen science app iNaturalist and help document living things at the Estero Americano Coast Preserve.

We guarantee you will develop more of a sense of place during this outing!

At this outing, iNaturalist Ambassadors will introduce how to use iNaturalist on your phone, or how to take photos on your camera/phone and then download onto the website. You can do either! 

We will instruct participants on how to take quality observations, then we will take a hike along the Bluff Trail and down to the mouth of the Estero. The hike will be 3 miles in total with 100' of elevation gain.

Free; RSVP required. Sign up here.

Plants aren't as helpless as you think! Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center for some hands-on examples of how plants defend themselves from herbivores and the elements.

Curious about what rocks and minerals make up the trails at Sugarloaf? Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center for a hands on look at some specimens of what you can expect to find in the park and surrounding landscape. 

Want to see who goes bump in the night? Join me at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park as we look for as many different species as possible from 6:30-8:00pm on the Lower Bald Mountain and Creekside Trails. Sign up here.

If you have an iNaturalist account, please join these two projects in advance. CNC Global & CNC Sugarloaf.

 Paid, RSVP required.

Ever wonder who that web belongs to? Or Who cast that giant silhouette on your tent last night? Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center to meet and learn about the eight-legged friends that call Sugarloaf home. Free; no RSVP required.

Join me and over 40 other conservation groups from all over California as we party for the planet at Safari West from 10:00am-3:00pm. Expect to see some fan favorite ambassador animals at my table with updated signage, top-tier knowledge, and awesome interactables. More info here.

Make your night at Safari West extra special by joining me as part of SW's Conservation Speaker Series; where scientists, conservationists, advocates, and experts of all kinds to present on conservation efforts from around the world. Stop by  the Savannah Café from 8:00 - 8:30pm to meet some cool critters and learn about what makes them so special. More details to come.

They're more than just puddles! Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center to learn about why vernal pools are important and who calls them home.

Care for a closer look? Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center for a new perspective on everyday nature that is typically overlooked. We will have microscopes, magnifying glasses, and more fun tools to enhance the experience!

Spring is upon us, and with that, familiar wildlife is returning to Sugarloaf. Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center to meet and learn about plants and animals and how they adapted for the winter months.

Even nature has its janitors. Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center to meet and learn about how the unsung heroes of the forest help keep the park clean.

What is a fungus? A slime mold? Lichen? Join me anytime between 12:30→3:30pm outside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park's Visitor Center for an interactive crash course on these mycelium miracles.

Ever wonder what those balls of green leaves are doing up in that tree? Or what that red spike sticking out of the ground was? Join me outside the Visitor Center at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park from 12:30-3:30pm to learn what parasitic plants are, how they work, and even get to see some in person.