Celebrating 176 Years of Putting Nature on Display

The Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology and the California Raptor Center celebrate their 50th anniversaries this week, while another nature museum, the Bohart Museum of Entomology, only 76 years old, holds an open house coinciding with Aggie Spirit Week. All events are free and open to the public.

• Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology — Its anniversary celebration will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 13), with speakers, appetizers and beverages, displays and guided tours of the museum. Register here. Read up on the museum’s history in this anniversary story from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Where you’re going.

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  California Raptor Center — Anniversary celebration and regular fall open house, combined, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 15) — truly a special occasion, given that the center would normally be closed to visitors under a ban put in place due to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, in wild birds near Davis. However, the ban has been waived for Saturday’s event. “Come see our educational ambassador birds and learn about raptor rehabilitation, biology, behavior, conservation and more,” the center’s website says. “Our onsite museum will be open and there will be opportunities to attend lectures throughout the day.” Where you’re going (scroll down to address and directions).
• Bohart Museum of Entomology — Open house, “Insects, Arts and Culture,” 1-4 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 15). Come and learn about insects through the lenses of art and culture. Where you’re going.

Related event

Srdan Tunic, a UC Davis graduate student studying for his master's degree in art history, and an affiliate of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, will deliver a presentation on "Plants, Insects and Art: Mary Foley Benson's Scientific Illustrations," from 11 to 11:50 a.m. Saturday (Oct. 15) in 1010 Teaching and Learning Complex, free and open to the public as part of Aggie Spirit Week.

Benson (1905-92), internationally known for her entomology and horticulture illustrations, served as scientific illustrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Entomology and the Smithsonian Institution. Later, as a resident of Davis, she engaged in other projects, including working for UC Davis entomologists. Much of her work appears in campus buildings, including Briggs Hall (home of the Department of Entomology and Nematology) and Academic Surge (where you will find the Bohart Museum of Entomology).

Read Kathy Keatley Garvey's complete story on Srdan Tunic and his presentation.