STEBBINS COLD CANYON: This year’s fall-winter schedule winds up this weekend.

• Animal Tracking—Foxes, mink, coyotes and other mammals usually stay out of sight, but they always leave behind clues to tell you they were there. Sean Clemenza helps you learn how to read the clues and see the landscape through animal eyes. 9 a.m.-noon Dec. 19 (postponed from an earlier date), at Lake Solano. Meet in the day-use parking lot.

• Winter Solstice: Renewal—Traverse the canyon on the shortest day of the year—a time for reflection and optimism as you observe the change in seasons. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 20.

Starting with this fall-winter season, Stebbins Cold Canyon established a voluntary fee system for nature outings: $5 person or $10 per family. Reservations are required. E-mail jfalyn@ucdavis.edu with your name, address, event date, and phone number and-or e-mail address, and indicate whether you need directions.

More information: nrs.ucdavis.edu/stebbins.html

GUIDE TRAINING: Several spots remain for a Stebbins Cold Canyon guide training program in January. The training is scheduled over the course of three Saturdays: Jan. 9, 16 and 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the UC Davis-managed reserve.

Stebbins Cold Canyon, a unit of the UC Natural Reserve System, takes in 638 acres at the southeastern tip of Lake Berryessa off Highway 128 west of Winters. The drive from Davis is about 45 minutes.

Volunteer guides lead hikes and other activities in the fall and early winter, and in the spring.

Guide training starts with an overview of the canyon’s natural history. The training also includes the general logistics of running a group outing.

Jeff Falyn, who leads the training, said participants are encouraged to develop their own ideas for nature outings. Each participant is asked to give a minipresentation to the group; feedback is aimed at strengthening the presentations.

The goal, Falyn said, is for participants to identify a topic or topics and mold them into presentations for the public.

The cost for the training program is $15 per person (for printing expenses). Interested? Send an e-mail to jfalyn@ucdavis.edu (please include your phone number).

ARBORETUM: The UC Davis Arboretum is also looking for volunteers. “Join our fabulous volunteer corps as a gardener, nursery caretaker, curatorial assistant, plant records volunteer, docent or naturalist,” reads a notice on the arboretum Web site.

Basic training is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon on four successive Wednesdays, Jan. 20 and 27, and Feb. 3 and 10. This will be followed by specialized training for each crew.

For more information or to sign up, contact Suzanne Ullensvang, (530) 752-8324 or sullensvang@ucdavis.edu.

MORE AT THE ARBORETUM

Folk Music Jams — Play or listen. Noon Jan. 8 and 22, and Feb. 5 and 19. Wyatt Deck.

Tour — Birds that Winter in the Arboretum: Enjoy a slide show highlighting birds you might see in winter in the arboretum. Then, weather permitting, take a stroll with the docent to look for birds in the garden. 11 a.m. Feb. 6, arboretum headquarters, La Rue Road just west of California Avenue.

Tour — Beauty in the Dead of Winter: Winter is a time to look at form and space. Enjoy our mild climate while experiencing beauty where you might not expect it. Hot cider and popcorn finishes our morning. 11 a.m. Feb. 13, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center, Mrak Hall Drive.

Tour — Acacia Encounters: The Eric E. Conn Acacia Grove includes more than 50 species of acacias from Australia, Africa and the Americas. Tour this special collection to learn about the features of these distinctive plants. 11 a.m. Feb. 20, Putah Creek Lodge, on the south side of the arboretum waterway, west of California Avenue.

Workshop — Native Californian Elderberry Flute-Making Workshop: In this free, two-hour program led by Antonio Flores, East Bay Regional Parks docent, you will learn how to make a Native Californian elderberry flute. Flores also will talk about the culture of flutemaking and teach people how to play their flutes. All materials will be supplied; please bring sharpened pocketknives. All ages are invited; adults must  supervise their young children. 1-3 p.m. Feb. 28, 146 Environmental Horticulture, Old Davis Road just east of Mrak Hall Drive.

All events are free and open to the public. More information: (530) 752-4880 or
arboretum.ucdavis.edu (for directions, click on “Plan Your Visit”).