Community Programs

We offer free monthly programs from September - June,

with the exception of February,

when we have our Annual Dinner and Auction.

Programs are held at the Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Road, Arcata

Gather at 7:00 pm for beverages, treats and conversation.

Presentations begin at 7:30.

Most of our programs are shared live on ZOOM, using this link.

Thursday, October 15, presentation:

“The Best Birds in the World”

with Ram Papish

The island of New Guinea is home to some of the most flamboyant and flashy birds in the world, including Birds of Paradise, Bowerbirds, Pittas, and Paradise Kingfishers.

But is it really paradise for birders?

Ram Papish is a professional illustrator specializing in wildlife and history depictions. His interests include flowering shrubs, birdwatching, wildlife photography, community theater, and world travel. His major achievements include finishing as second runner-up in the 2009 Aleutian Beard and Mustache contest and appearing in the 2024 “Chicken Daddies” calendar.

Thursday, September 17, 2026

“What's Song Got to Do With It?

Megaptera Meets Troglodytes”

by Jeff Jacobsen.

In this talk, Jeff will share what 50 years of photographic identification research has taught him about whales' individual personalities —recognized by their natural markings in the brief moments they surface for air.

He'll also discuss the science of humpback whale song, an ongoing global study into the cultural lives of these long-living animals, and his work from 2006 to 2020 with Bio-Waves Inc., where he helped build and tow hydrophone arrays across the North Pacific and Gulf of Mexico to track cetaceans acoustically.

Thursday, May 21, 7:00 p.m.

“Tracking the Wild in Flight”

by Dr. Frank Fogarty

Dr. Fogarty will tell us about the Motus network, a collaborative, worldwide effort to better understand wildlife movement. To date, it has been used in 34 countries to track the movement of more than 400 species using over 2400 stations, including two around Humboldt Bay. Dr. Frank Fogarty will discuss some of the highlights of the Motus program, its local application here in the Humboldt Bay region, and his lab's work using it to better understand Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) homerange and migration between California and Oregon.

This program was recorded. You can watch the presentation on Zoom here.

You will need this passcode: 2#US*5ct

Photo at left of BRAY fledgling, by Frank Fogarty.

Thursday, April 16, at 7:00 p.m.

“Home Sweet Habitat:

Testing Adaptive Habitat Selection in Breeding Swainson's Hawks and Fostering Community-based Raptor Research.”

by Elizabeth Meisman

This month’s fascinating lecture will include information about the longest-running raptor projects in North America, the Butte Valley Swainson’s Hawk project. Meisman will share insights gained from her graduate research and the ecology of these remarkable birds. Additionally, she’ll discuss how community members can get involved in monitoring local raptors while contributing to meaningful, community-based research.

This program was recorded. You may watch it at this address:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/NlrVujPinUgJGHiw2wp5TS5yJ0dqpBx2txVo-ngtC-n9-AOM4Tz2AlHABcDmFs5W.1USwjIzh_lG1gi0Z?startTime=1776393164000

and you may need to use this passcode: xnd!565s

Join us Thursday, March 19, at 7:00 p.m. for

“Tales from a Real Cave Man”

Presented by Dick LaForge

LaForge fell in love with caving right after high school and took regular excursions from Connecticut into the back hills of Virginia. After moving west, he explored, mapped, and photographed caves in the Southwest, Mexico, Central America, and Borneo.

Dick will focus on Lechuguilla Cave, in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, and Bigfoot Cave, in the Marble Mountains Wilderness. Bigfoot Cave held the US cave depth record for three years in the late 1970s.

This program was recorded, and can be viewed on Zoom here.

You will need this passcode to watch the program: ^GFI9N%8

Thursday, January 15, 2025

an update from Chris West on:

The California Condor Recovery Effort

Chris West is the manager of the Northern California Condor Restoration Program, a joint program between the Yurok Tribe and Redwood National and State Parks. Chris has been working with California Condors since 1999 and has spearheaded the Northern California recovery effort under the Yurok Tribe since 2008.

He will present the basics of condor conservation, application of methods to the Pacific Northwest, challenges encountered by the current effort, and future directions for condor conservation.

This program was recorded. You can watch the recording here on Zoom.

You will need this passcode: 9R6.JTuJ