On May 15 th at 4 pm, the Friends of San Pedro Valley Park welcome Mark Hylkema from California State Parks with a lecture entitled “Lifeways of the Ohlone Indians of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area.” We step back in time to the year 1769 to learn about the archaeology and ethnography of the ancestral Ohlone people and about the native lifeways that once flourished in our neighborhoods and re-live the experiences of the first Spanish explorers.

On Saturday, June 5 th at 4 pm, the Friends of San Pedro Valley Park welcome Kim Young, a Xerces Society Ambassador who will discuss the Western Monarch butterflies, their migratory route and breeding habits. She will discuss the severe decline in butterfly populations that has occurred in the last two decades and the various causes that have contributed to the collapse of the once large and healthy populations that were visible in their over-wintering clusters in forested groves in California.

The Friends of San Pedro Valley Park welcome Dr. Krista Kemppinen for a talk on “Biodiversity and the Extinction Crisis” on Tuesday, October 12 th at 7pm. We hear the term biodiversity and use it, but do we really know what it means? Do we realize how many species we have lost and continue to lose? Do we understand the consequences of these losses? Join Dr. Kemppinen, a scientist in the Endangered Species Program at the Center for Biological Diversity who will take the time to clarify these questions and much more.

The Friends of San Pedro Valley Park welcome Dr. Jack Dumbacher from the California Academy of Sciences. He will present his lecture Poisonous Birds and Chemical Defense in New Guinea Birds on Tuesday, November 9 th at 7 pm.

The Friends of San Pedro Valley Park are pleased to welcome Dr. Alejandro Velez Melendez from San Francisco State University as our December speaker on Tuesday, December 7th at 7 pm. The topic will be communication amongst animals, specifically Pacific chorus frogs. We communicate and so do they, so join us to discover what they are saying and how. It should prove to be a fascinating lecture. Don’t miss it.

The Friends of San Pedro Valley Park are pleased to announce that Mr. John Blair has agreed to give the membership and the public a mushroom walk in San Pedro Valley Park, 600 Oddstad Blvd. Pacifica, CA. It will take place on Saturday, December 11 th at 10:30 am and will last approximately an hour and a half until noon. Heavy rain cancels. The rescheduled date is set for Sunday, December 19th at 10:30 am. Please meet in front of the visitor center. For all fungi enthusiasts and nature lovers this is a field trip not to be missed!

On Tuesday, January 25th, 2022, the Friends of San Pedro Valley Park welcome Zara McDonald and Alys Granados, two researchers with Felidae Conservation Fund, for a lecture on “Bobcats in the SF Bay Area: Biology and ecology of a native mesocarnivore.” We will hear about the research that has taken place over the span of many years, and the conservation efforts resulting from this research. Join us and our two very knowledgeable speakers for a lecture about a wonderfully fascinating cat

On Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022, the Friends of San Pedro Valley Park welcome Morgan Stickrod for a lecture on “Native Trees of California.” He has previously given us lectures on the Farallon Islands and native plants of California. Join us for an informative and awe-inspiring talk on the beautiful native trees found throughout California.

On Tuesday, March 22nd at 7 pm, the Friends of San Pedro Valley Park welcome Dr. Stephanie Dole with a beetle program entitled “The Extraordinary Diversity of Beetles.” All insects are critically important and in a severe decline, but her focus will be specifically on beetles. She will discuss these arthropods, their biodiversity, ecological roles, and their importance in the web of life. Dr. Dole is an eminent scientist who has traveled far and wide to conduct her research.  She is an excellent speaker and will present a program that will inspire all of us to see insects in a new light.

On Tuesday, April 19th at 7 pm, the Friends of San Pedro Valley Park are pleased to welcome back the very popular Mark Hylkema in the program entitled “Mammoth in the Artichokes.” He will discuss the remains of an Ice Age mammal found near Castroville in 2011 and the research team that investigated and recovered these remains. He will connect the lives and diet of the first Native Americans with the huge animals that roamed this area at the time of the Ice Age, and uncover a completely different landscape and a fascinating natural history of the Monterey Bay region.