Conservation Lecture- Wildlife & wine: mutual benefits among owls, songbirds, and vineyards in CA
Schedule
Wed Nov 19 2025 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm
UTC-08:00Location
3414 W St, Eureka, CA, United States, California 95503 | Eureka, CA
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Join us in person or on Zoom! There is no cost to attend.The Sequoia Park Zoo Conservation Lecture Series returns this fall for its 15th annual series, hosted by the Sequoia Park Zoo Advisory Group’s Conservation Council. The 2025-2026 series highlights five conservation stories spanning topics from redwood forests to sea stars. The series will be hosted at the Zoo and online through Zoom.
The series kicks off with a presentation from Matt Johnson on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 7:00 PM PST entitled “Wildlife & wine: mutual benefits among owls, songbirds, and vineyards in California.” Johnson will discuss how wild birds and California’s vineyards can benefit each other and how to encourage wild birds’ presence.
Most narratives of biodiversity and agriculture go one of two ways: either the relentless march of agriculture threatens wildlife, or wildlife species pose a risk to farmers' livelihoods. But there is a third path, one in which farmers and wildlife not only coexist but mutually benefit each other. This talk will explore such win-win scenarios with birds in California's winegrape vineyards, with special emphasis on barn owls, bluebirds, and swallows. Dr. Johnson and his students have been studying how these birds can help control pests in vineyards and how farmers can invite them onto their farms. Using state-of-the-art telemetry devices and molecular diet analyses, his team is helping reveal beneficial relationships between wildlife and the winegrape industry.
Matt Johnson is a professor of wildlife habitat ecology in the Department of Wildlife at Cal Poly Humboldt, where he has taught since 1999. Matt received his B.S. in Wildlife from the University of California at Davis and a Ph.D. in Ecology at Tulane University. Matt investigates wildlife habitat selection and habitat quality, with a particular emphasis on animals in agricultural ecosystems and the potential ecosystem services they can provide.
The 2025-2026 Conservation Lecture Series will be held in-person and remotely through Zoom. The in-person lecture is located at the Sequoia Park Zoo’s Flamingo Room at 3414 W Street in Eureka. Attendees can enter the Zoo through Gate C, located to the left of the main gate at the W Street crosswalk.
The event begins with refreshments and a Zoo update slideshow at 6:45 PM. The lecture starts promptly at 7:00 PM. Attendees are encouraged to ask the speaker questions after the presentation.
Virtual attendees can watch on Zoom (where a free, registered Zoom account is required). A link will be available at redwoodzoo.org and on the Zoo’s social media channels on the day of the lecture.
Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/join
Meeting ID: 862 8001 5820
Passcode: 642724
Join the Zoom Meeting by Phone: +1 669 444 9171 US
Photo: Dr. Matt Johnson in a vineyard in California. Photo provided by Matt Johnson.
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Where is it happening?
3414 W St, Eureka, CA, United States, California 95503Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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