Yolo Basin Foundation
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Festivals | Flyway Nights | Working Group Meetings | Teacher Workshops | Volunteer Training | Public Tours | Fundraisers

Festivals

California Duck Days
Dates And Times:
  • Friday, February 24thand Saturday, February 25th, 2012
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    Description: California Duck Days, a wetlands festival in the heart of the Pacific Flyway, will be held on February 24 th and 25th. A gala reception and Wildlife Art Show will launch the festivities on Friday evening February 24th at the Davis Arts Center, from 5:30 to 7:30pm. This event is free to the public.

    On Saturday February 25th the festival will feature one full day of field trips, workshops and other activities at the Yolo Wildlife Area Headquarters facility in South Davis.

    Schedule of Events

    For a complete schedule of events, please click the following link:

    Duck Days Events

    Admission: Three ticket pricing levels are available:
    • Workshops and onsite activities only: $20
    • Workshops/onsite plus 1 field trip: $23
    • Workshops/onsite plus 2 field trips: $25
    Children 16 and under are free when accompanied by an adult.

    Please note: there will be a $2 processing fee added to each order.

    Online Registration and Ticket Purchases

    All event ticket purchases are done by clicking the following link.

    Online registration and ticket purchases for all events.
    Meeting Location: Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Headquarters [ directions ].

     

    Flyway Nights Speaker Series

    Flyway Nights Lecture Series
    Dates And Times:
  • The first Thursday of each month from November through April at 7:00pm.

    February 2012 Lecture

    • Thursday, February 2nd
    • Title: "The Private Lives of Sandhill Cranes."
    • Speaker
      Paul Tebbel, Executive Director, Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Carmichael
    • Description
      Big, noisy and easily identified, Sandhill Cranes are popular birds with the public and create a substantial amount of interest every winter when they can be seen in the fields south of Sacramento. Their size and habit of using open fields makes them the perfect species for observing bird behavior.

      Paul will discuss the vocal and body language cranes use to communicate with one another. Participants will learn to recognize juveniles, tell subspecies apart, distinguish between dancing and aggression and many other details that will help them better understand and appreciate the behavior of Sandhill Cranes and many other birds. Paul will also talk about the threats to cranes and other wintering species as more farm land is converted to housing, vineyards or other uses not compatible with birds.

    • Description: The Flyway Nights Lecture Series takes place at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Headquarters Building [ Map ] on the first Thursday of each month from November through April at 7 pm. Topics are generally wetland related and feature local issues relating to wetlands and/or avian species, ethnobotany, fish passage, or local history. Join the Foundation and local experts for a night of enrichment and inspiration. A $5.00 donation per person or $10.00 per family is suggested at the door excluding Yolo Basin Foundation Members.
    Meeting Location: Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Headquarters building [ directions ].

     

    Working Group Meetings
    Teacher Workshops

    Discover the Flyway
    Dates And Times:
  • The next Teacher Workshops will be September 17, 2011 and October 8, 2011. The workshops go from 8:30am to 4:30pm, with registration at 8:00am. Teachers must attend one workshop for the full day to be eligible for scheduling field trips with their students. Please click on the link below to download a registration form.

    Workshop Registration Form

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    Description:

    Discover the Flyway one-day workshop

    This workshop is geared for teachers (K-12) interested in providing a learning resource for their students that aids in appreciation and understanding of the natural world. The program is a great way to motivate students in science and provides a thematic approach integrating reading and writing with wildlife, science, and natural resources conservation. The workshop will familiarize teachers with wetland habitats in the context of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area and provide suggestions and lessons for hands-on learning activities for use in both the classroom and outdoors. Tied to the state teaching standards for science, activities focus on the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area and Demonstration Wetlands as an outdoor classroom. Teachers completing a workshop have access to the popular Discover the Flyway school classroom field trip program led by Yolo Basin Foundation staff and volunteers.

    For more information on our 2011-2012 school field trip program, please see our Education page.
    Meeting Location: Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Headquarters, 45211 County Road 32B (Chiles Road), Davis [ directions ].

     

    Volunteer Training
    Public Tours

    Yolo Wildlife Area
    Dates And Times:
  • The second Saturday of each month except July, August and September. Alternative tours are arranged in these summer months.
    Tour times
    • October through April: 9am to 12 noon
    • May and June: 8 am to 11 am
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    Description: Tour the 16,000-acre Yolo Wildlife Area with an experienced field trip leader the second Saturday of the month from September through June. View flooded seasonal and permanent wetlands, native grasslands and young riparian forests. Depending on the season, look for migrating and resident waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, raptors, and wading birds.

    Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Photo Album

    Click here to see an album of photographs by Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Manager Dave Feliz.
    Admission: A $5.00 donation is suggested from all trip participants excluding children (under 12) and current members of the Yolo Basin Foundation. Call (530) 757-4828 the morning of the trip for a recorded message for trip cancellations or additional information. Children are welcome on all trips, but please note the trips are not oriented for the needs of young children.
    Meeting Location: Meet in Parking Lot A at the Yolo Wildlife Area. From Davis take I-80 East and exit at Mace Blvd. Turn left at the end of the off-ramp (Chiles Road). Go straight through the next light and travel approximately 4-miles to the end of the road. Drive up on to the levee and enter the Wildlife Area on the left. From Sacramento take I-80 West. At the west end of the Yolo Causeway bridge take the first exit (County Road 32A, East Chiles Road). Turn right at the end of the off-ramp and go under the freeway. Turn left onto the levee and enter the Wildlife Area on the left.
    What to Bring: For warm weather bring a hat and sunscreen. For cold weather dress in layers. For all trips bring water, binoculars, spotting scopes and shoes that can get muddy.

     

    City of Davis Wetlands
    Dates And Times:
  • The first Saturday of each month.
  • September through February: 3 pm to 5 pm
  • March through August: 9 am to 11 am

    Tours run rain or shine. No reservation is required.

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    Description: Visit this unique wastewater treatment facility with specially trained docents the first Saturday of each month. This constructed wetlands project utilizes treated wastewater and stormwater to create wildlife habitat. The 400-acre site was previously agricultural land and is now being returned to a managed native California wetlands ecosystem that includes oak riparian woodlands and native grasslands. Learn about the various biological processes that enhance water quality, the advantages of a native plant community and see hundreds of shorebirds in the peak of their southern migration. Birds that may be seen include: dowitchers, yellow legs, sandpipers, avocets, stilts, long-billed curlews, ibis, egrets, herons, yellow-headed blackbirds, a peregrine falcon and various hawks and waterfowl.
    Meeting Location: City of Davis Wastewater Treatment Plant

    The tour begins at the parking lot and gate in front of the City's Wastewater Treatment Plant, Road 28H, 1 mile east of the Yolo County Landfill.

    • From Davis:
      Take Poleline Road heading north towards Woodland. Turn right onto Road 28H. Stay on this road for 3 miles until reaching the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
    • From Woodland:
      Take County Road 102 south towards Davis. Turn left onto Road 28H. Stay on this road for 3 miles until reaching the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
    • From Sacramento:
      Tour participants coming from Sacramento should take the I-80 west and take the first exit, 32A, at the west end of the Yolo Causeway. Turn left at the end of the off ramp onto Road 105. Follow the road across the railroad tracks until reaching a T-intersection at the end of the road. Turn right onto Road 28 H and continue to the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
    What to Bring: For warm weather bring a hat and sunscreen. For cold weather dress in layers. For all trips bring water, binoculars, spotting scopes and shoes that can get muddy.

     

    Fund Raisers

    Gaggle of Gatherings
    Dates And Times:
  • The first Gaggle of Gatherings fundraiser was introduced at the Bucks for Ducks in October 2007.

    In 2012 we have an especially exciting lineup of events. Please click the following link for full descriptions and to sign up!

    Descriptions and Ticket Purchases

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    Description: The Gaggle of Gatherings consists of a variety of interesting workshops, outings and lectures ("gatherings") with a focus on enjoying and learning about nature. Follow the link for full descriptions and ticket purchases.

     
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