Big Thanks to Cassaro's Catering and Friends of the Arcata Marsh (FOAM) volunteers for helping provide a warm and welcoming Friday evening reception during the festival!
📸: Paul Johnson
Fun was had by all at the 4th Annual Family Nature Craft "Mega-palooza"! Tables were filled with crafts hosted by Friends of the Arcata Marsh, the Natural History Museum, Friends of the Dunes, Humboldt Beekeepers, and the Arcata Branch Humboldt County Library.
We're headed over to Humboldt Brews tonight for our festival wrap-up aka "Sunday Social"! It is located at 856 10th St. near the plaza in Arcata.
We will meet at 5:30 p.m. and enjoy a relaxing evening to recap the weekend festivities. Ask for the Godwit Days group. They have a full kitchen and beverages for purchase - so join us!
#2026GodwitDays #humbrews #Humbrews
Join us today, Sunday, April 19, at 12:15 p.m., for a presentation with the Institute for Wildlife Studies (IWS). Held at the Arcata Community Center. Grab lunch at Familia cafe (onsite) and pull up a chair! Admission is free.
"The Black and White Story of Avian Conservation on the California Channel Islands"
IWS began in 1979 with the ambitious goal of returning bald eagles to the California Channel Islands. After 46 years of often intensive work, there is now a thriving bald eagle population breeding on the islands. The return of bald eagles to the California Channel Islands helped a second species, the island fox, recover from the federal Endangered Species List. Altogether, IWS has contributed to the recovery and delisting of six animals from the federal Endangered Species List, including the San Clemente Island Bell’s sparrow which was delisted in 2023. Several conservation challenges remain on the islands—including achieving recovery for the San Clemente loggerhead shrike and understanding the large variability in bald eagle breeding success from territory to territory across the islands—to keep us busy for the next 46 years.
The Institute for Wildlife Studies (IWS) is a science-based wildlife conservation organization devoted to: 1) gathering information necessary to maintain biodiversity and viable populations of all species, 2) applying scientifically grounded methods to recover
threatened, endangered and declining wildlife populations, and 3) provide meaningful outreach to engage audiences in conservation.
Join us tonight, April 18, at 7 p.m., for our keynote presentation with Krisztina Scheeff. Held at the Arcata Community Center, tickets are $10 at the door.
"Photographing the Spirit of Birds"
There is a thrill in capturing the exciting moment of a Grebe running across the water’s surface, or that split-second shot of a baby bird poking its head from its nest. Renowned nature photographer Krisztina Scheeff of KS Nature Photography expertly photographs these moments. In this talk, Krisztina will delve into the stories of her favorite birds, such as the sweet Atlantic Puffins in Scotland and the explosive flight of the Sandhill Cranes in Bosque del Apache and the colorful birds of Costa Rica and Ecuador and more. Each photo has a story, come join her on a photographic journey in the amazing world of birds!
Krisztina Scheeff / @KSNaturePhotography
Based in San Diego, CA, Krisztina Scheeff is an award-winning and professional nature photographer and avid birder. She is recognized for her photographic work in the National Audubon Society, Bird Photographer of the Year competition and Wildlife Photographer of the Year and she has been published in magazines and articles around the world, including National Geographic. Krisztina operates a successful business leading Photography Workshops and Tours to Scotland (Puffins), Ireland, Galápagos Islands, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Tanzania, and Bosque del Apache, NM. She also leads workshops for bird festivals around the country, keynotes and presents at various events. Krisztina spent years studying and photographing the Rushing Grebes and guides her clients at Lake Hodges in San Diego to experience this amazing behavior and capture their own photos. In 2024 she was the Field Assistant and Grebe Expert filming the Courtship of Grebes with the BBC Natural History Unit. The show titled “The Secret Lives of Animals” episode #8 features her and her work, streaming on Apple TV.
The team hung 678 pieces of art in under 2 hours. Come by the Arcata Community Center before Sunday, April 18 at 3 pm to see the display as part of the Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival!
🎉The 4th Annual Family Nature Crafts “Mega-Palooza” is happening tomorrow! 🎨
Free craft activities will be offered by nonprofit and government environmental agencies to children of all ages who are accompanied by a responsible adult.
This drop-in, no-reservation-required event will be held in the Dining Room at the Arcata Community Center on Saturday, April 18, from 11 am to 1 pm.
Participating organizations: Cal Poly Natural History Museum, Friends of the Arcata Marsh, Friends of the Dunes, the Humboldt County Library, and Humboldt Beekeepers Association.
Chillido, a Western Screech Owl and ambassador for the Sequoia Park Zoo, will be at the Arcata Community Center during Godwit Days tomorrow, Saturday, April 18, from 1-3 pm. Zoo staff will be there to answer any questions you may have. 🦉
Join us tonight at 6:30 p.m. for a presentation with the Integral Ecology Research Center at the Arcata Community Center. Free admission.
"Listening to the Wrong Owl for the Right Answer: How Barred Owls Help Uncover Toxic Threats to Spotted Owls and other Forest Wildlife"
For decades, a largely unseen ecological challenge has been unfolding across California’s public lands and nearby private properties. Often occurring far from roads and rarely documented, rodenticide contamination has quietly spread through wildlife habitat, soils, and waterways. These chemicals enter the landscape through multiple pathways, including agricultural use, legacy residential applications, and unpermitted cannabis cultivation on both public and private lands. Together, these sources create a toxic burden that has been difficult to detect, measure, and manage. Yet researchers from the Integral Ecology Research Center began uncovering this hidden pattern years ago by tracking the movements and toxic exposures of a terrestrial wildlife species. What first appeared to be isolated cases revealed risks reaching far beyond a single species and into entire food webs. In this presentation, the Barred Owl emerges as the central character, telling the story of this covert threat to forest birds and the natural community, revealing how widespread and persistent rodenticide exposure can be, and guiding a story of discovery, restoration, and recovery across California’s landscapes.
The IERC is a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and conservation of wildlife and their ecosystems. Founded in 2004, IERC has conducted and continues research on several sensitive wildlife species, with the ultimate goal of providing knowledge and understanding towards the conservation of these species and their habitats. Our projects cover many different habitats, from alpine settings to old-growth coastal forests to deserts and tropical jungles.
