From left to right: Ornithology labs are back in the Norris Center; pondering big talons with the public at the Monterey Festival of Birds last weekend; engaging with over 300 students at La Bienvenida, a welcome event hosted by El Centro- UCSC's Chicanx

Latinx Resource Center; and honoring our scientific ancestors with our Norris Center Day of the Dead ofrenda (altar).

It's hard to believe it's already week 3 of Fall Quarter! The relative quiet of the summer is long gone now with our new group of interns settling in, a packed schedule of both returning and new classes visiting the Norris Center, many upcoming public events, and plans for much more as the school year unfolds. We hope all of you get outside to enjoy some of the lovely fall weather we've been having as well as make it to some of our upcoming events.

Don't forget to join us at our Friends of the Norris Center Fall events starting this week!

These free events are open to all Friends of the Norris Center members and their families. More information on becoming a member can be found HERE.

Event 1: Workday at UCSC’s Younger Lagoon Reserve Saturday, October 21, 9 am – 12 noon. We’ll begin the morning with an introduction to the reserve, then team with reserve staff and interns to plant and mulch native plants as we learn about habitat restoration efforts. Register here.

Event 2: Bird Banding Station Visit at UCSC’s Younger Lagoon Reserve Friday, November 3, 8 am-10 am. Get up close and personal with birds! Join us at the Younger Lagoon Reserve on UCSC’s Coastal Science Campus (Long Marine Lab) to observe bird banding in action. Space is limited and registration is required. Register here.

Join us for the Fall 2023 CAMINO Research Symposium this Friday.

Our CAMINO scholars will be presenting five-minute lightning talks about their summer research projects this Friday Oct. 20 from 9:30-11:30 at the Coastal Science Campus. Come and hear about their projects, which ranged from studying squirrel behavior to creating a new plant/pollinator wall calendar for Santa Cruz County (pictured at right). RSVP here.

Our second annual Day of the Dead festivities are right around the corner!

Join us Thursday November 2 from 2:30-5:00 pm at the Norris Center and then from 5:30-8:30 at El Centro's campus-wide Day of the Dead celebration in UCSC's upper quarry. Community members, alumni, and current staff and students are all welcome to join us.

Save the Date for our Winter Natural History Symposium

Mark your calendars for our winter Natural History Symposium on Saturday February 24, 2024. Like in previous years, we'll have student presentations, natural history exhibits, a nature block printmaking workshop, and an exciting keynote speaker. We're super excited about this year's lineup and look forward to sharing more of the details in future newsletters!