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Upcoming Events and Classes

There are no upcoming events confirmed yet. Please check back here or sign up for our Mailing List to receive notification.

Past Events at the Reserve

Saturday, June 8, 2019
12:30pm
Planning for Climate Change-Related Impacts on our Rangelands

 

The impact of climate change on California's rangelands is predicted to be dramatic, wide-spread, and disruptive for farmers, ranchers, and landowners alike. Join our county Livestock and Range advisor, Matthew Shapero, for a thoguhtful look at the likely impacts on rainfall, forage, and more. Curious about how one of California's most recognizable, economically significant, and ecologically important ecosystems will change in the face of widespread climate change? Discover key ways these ecosystems are going to respond and what all of us can do to prepare ourselves and our lands, support ecosystem resiliency, and protect wild grasslands we know and love. 

Matthew will present a one-hour lecture in Sedgwick's LEED-certified Tipton Meeting House followed by an hour-long field excursion to see "science in action" (limited to 25 people--advanced registration required!). 

 

Presentation: 1-2pm

  • NO advanced registration required, but space is limited to 75 people
  • Check-in opens at 12:30pm at Tipton Meeting House - see below for more information
  • If you'd like to attend the field exercise, please register in advance below as registration is required for the exercise. 

 

Field Exercise: 2:15-3:15pm

  • Registration required: reserve your space HERE!
  • Space is limited to 25 participants
  • For those participating, you are expected to attend the presentation component as well.

 

Getting to Sedgwick

  • If you have not previously visited the Reserve, directions can be found HERE on our website. Our address is 3566 Brinkerhoff Road in Santa Ynez. 
  • Please allow ample travel time to the Reserve; if you are coming from downtown Santa Barbara, plan for an hour of travel time. 
  • Our gates will open at 12:30m. Follow the road down to the field station to check in. Please respect all road signage; the speed limit on Brinkerhoff is 30mph and the speed limit on all Reserve roads is 15mph.

 

Check-In

  • Check-in opens at 12:30pm outside Tipton Meeting House, the main building at the Sedgwick field station. The lecture will begin promptly at 1pm.
  • You will be asked to sign a University of California Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk, and Indemnity Agreement. 
  • This is a by-donation event. We suggest a donation of $20/person or $10/student to help cover costs Donation jars will be on the check-in table, or, you may make a donation in advance HERE.
  • Please leave your dog at home. Dogs are not allowed at the Reserve and our parking area is not shaded. 

 

What to Wear and Bring for the Field Exercise

  • Appropriate hiking attire is required. Please wear closed toed shoes. Long pants and long sleeves are recommended as we do have ticks. We also recommend you wear sunscreen and bring a hat. 
  • You will have an opportunity to fill up a reusable water bottle at the field station prior to hiking; please bring your own reusable bottle!

 

Cancellations

  • Walking Ecology field excursions will NOT occur during or immediately following rain events. In the event of a cancellation the Sedgwick office phone--(805) 686-1941--will be updated with a message to reflect this, and a cancellation notice will be posted on this page. 
  • If your plans have changed and you need to cancel a registration, please email Avery Hardy at averyhardy@ucsb.edu or reply to this email.

 

 

Saturday, May 11, 2019
12:30pm
Tick-borne disease in a changing world

Vector-borne disease in a changing world: Identifying ecological levers for health

with UCSB's Andy MacDonald

Presented by the Walking Ecology Lecture Series at Sedgwick Reserve

Join Andy MacDonald, a disease ecologist at UCSB, for an exciting deep-dive into the world of one of our most prolific local disease vectors and the focus of his research: ticks. Andy is a professor and researcher at UCSB's Earth Research Institute and Bren School of Environmental Science and Management whose reseach focuses on the incidence of tick-born disease in California. As humans have expanded their footprint in the wildland-urban interface, the incidence of tick-borne disease has risen dramatically--even in places like California that have typically had much lower rates of infection than, for example, the notoriously Lyme-filled Northeast. Andy's research explores what ecological "levers" we can pull to alter the prevalence of such disease and integrates cutting-edge knowledge about climate change, community health, and entomology. He's done extensive tick sampling at Sedgwick as part of this research and is deeply knowledgeable about the Santa Ynez Valley's tick-borne disease incidence. Spring is upon us and the ticks are hungry--there's no better time than now to learn from one of Sedgwick's tick experts! 

This lecture is part of our popular Walking Ecology Lecture Series, which brings some of Sedgwick's most active and energized researchers to Tipton Meeting House to share their work with the public and take curious citizen scientists out into the field. Andy will lead an hour-long presentation followed by an hour-long excursion onto the Reserve to see his science in action.

Check out Andy's website for more info on his research!

 

12:30-1: Arrival and check-in (see below for more information)

1-2: Lecture in Sedgwick's Tipton Meeting House

2-3: Field excursion to see science in action with Andy

 

Pre-registration is required for this event, and attendance is capped at 75 persons.

Register here to reserve your seat!

 

General Information

  • Check in begins at 12:30pm on the steps of the Tipton Meeting House unless noted otherwise.
  • We will spend an hour indoors for Andy's lecture
  • You will be asked to sign a University of California Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk, and Indemnity Agreement;
  • A suggested donation of $20.00 per person in support of the public education program is greatly appreciated (6% gift processing fee assessed per UC policy). Your donation can be made online here or on day of the class via cash or a check made out to UC REGENTS. 

Dress appropriately!

  • Sturdy walking or hiking shoes are recommended. Tennis shoes are permitted, sandals are not. 
  • Long pants and long sleeves are recommended (we do have ticks!)
  • Wear a hat & apply sunscreen
  • Bring a reusable water to fill up before our field excursion and a trail snack

Cancellation Policy

  • Hikes will not take place in or following periods of rain. You will receive a cancellation notice no more than 24hr in advance if we will need to cancel due to forecasted inclement weather.

Pet Policy

  • Please leave your dog at home. They are not allowed on the trails and the parking area is not shaded.

 

Saturday, March 9, 2019
8:30am-12:30pm
March Public Hike Day
All three hikes are currently FULL.

Pre-registration for our guided, interpretive hikes at the 6,000 acre Sedgwick Reserve is required.

We are thrilled to announce another of our popular public hiking days! Our learned docent guides will lead multiple levels of hikes to accommodate a diversity of abilities while offering insights into the unique geologic history, flora, and fauna of our spectacular Reserve. The Saturday, January 12th public hike day begins at 9am; hikes last two to three hours. In addition to the hikes, there will be an opportunity to see the newly-renovated century-old historic Sedgwick barn, our pond (home to numerous rare and special-status species, including the Western pond turtle and the tricolored blackbird), and the Tipton Meeting House. Hikers who will not attend the Walking Ecology lecture are welcome to bring a lunch and enjoy it in the shade of beautiful valley oaks at our Field Station picnic area. 

Hikes are by-donation; suggested donation is $20/person ($10 for students). Your support allows us to continue this offering!

In the event of rain hikes will be cancelled and registrants will be notified via email 24 hours in advance.

Check-in opens at 8:30am and hikes will depart promptly at 9am. 

 

Three levels of intensity are offered for the March hike day:

Easy Hike: Mesa Trail.  Approximately 1.5 hours and 1 mile with 400 feet of elevational gain. An easy stroll along the Mesa with a good share of interpretation and vistas.  Includes a long stair climb and a short down hill stretch, about two hours total. An optional tour of the restored Ranch House and the hundred year old barn, home of our Sedgwick Barn Owl. Appropriate for children and seniors.  Bring water and snacks. The easy hike is limited to the first 25 people who sign up. Register here!

Moderate Hike: Blue Schist Trail.  Approximately 2.35 miles with 630 feet of elevational gain. A moderately strenuous hike with two long grades to climb.  Moderate amount of interpretation by docents, beautiful vistas, wildflowers in season, the results of a dormant earthquake uplift to see, and interesting rock formations.  Almost three hours.  Our most popular hike. Bring water and snacks. The moderate hike is limited to the first 25 people who sign up. Register here!

Strenuous Hike: Northeast Loop.  Approximately 5 miles with 1460 feet elevation change. An aerobic workout at the northern end of the Reserve.  Hills to climb and wonderful vistas and wildflowers in season.  Not much interpretation by docents and almost four hours long.  Bring water and snacks. The moderate hike is limited to the first 25 people who sign up. Register here!