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Creepy Creatures 2024 Recap

Creepy Creatures 2024 Recap

Cachuma Lake Recreation Area, Santa Barbara, CA - October 5th, 2024 marked the day for another edition of the Neal Taylor Nature Center's popular Halloween-themed event, Creepy Creatures. Each year the Nature Center collaborates with performers, educators, and...

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Tales of a Naturalist: Remembering Neal Taylor’s Legacy

Tales of a Naturalist: Remembering Neal Taylor’s Legacy

Neal Taylor (1932-2011), founder of the Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake, was more than just a passionate naturalist—he was a storyteller, author, educator, master fisherman, and a local legend. His deep knowledge of flyfishing and the Santa Ynez Valley’s...

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How to Make Origami Bat Bookmarks

How to Make Origami Bat Bookmarks

Here's a kid-favorite bat bookmark origami activity that we sometimes do here at the Nature Center. As far as origami goes, this bat is easy to make and fun for all ages. This craft is also great for any occasion, but is especially popular as we get closer to...

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Lake Fire Update

Lake Fire Update

by Colin Eldridge

On July 5th, 2024, a wildfire broke out near Zaca Lake in the mountains of Santa Ynez. The wildfire nearly tripled in size over the course of just a few days, quickly becoming the largest wildfire in California of the year until the Park Fire broke out on July 24th…

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Meet World-Class Fishing Rod Builder Captain Tiffany Vague

Meet World-Class Fishing Rod Builder Captain Tiffany Vague

Meet captain Tiffany Vague, an incredibly talented rod builder. Tiffany is a master at her craft, having won 1st place in a people's choice award and one of the top 10 rods internationally at the annual international rod building conference. She weaves thread with...

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The Bats in Our Backyard

The Bats in Our Backyard

Bats play a vital role in many ecosystems, like controlling insect populations, fertilizing soils and pollinating plants. With more than 1,400 species identified, 20% of all mammal species are bats. Many are threatened or endangered due to fungal diseases, habitat...

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Meet the Artists of the Neal Taylor Nature Center

Meet the Artists of the Neal Taylor Nature Center

The Neal Taylor Nature Center has had the pleasure of working with many artists over the years. They've dived deep into special projects and contributed their work in several mediums, from donating art pieces to our exhibits to photographing our events and more. These...

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Vegan Gluten-Free Pinecone Brownies Recipe

Vegan Gluten-Free Pinecone Brownies Recipe

Bring the feeling of the great outdoors to your holiday cuisine with these festive vegan chocolate pinecone brownies! They're made with your favorite brownie mix, coconut oil, sliced almonds, flax, with an optional snowy garnish of powdered sugar. Vegan Gluten-Free...

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Looking Back on 2023

Looking Back on 2023

The Neal Taylor Nature Center has had another successful year of education and fun events! Over 40,000 guests visited the Nature Center in 2023, with additional attendees coming for our seasonal and outdoor events. Thousands of children came in school and summer camp...

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Wild Animals Up Close

Wild Animals Up Close

On Saturday, 20th May 21, 2017 Steve Mehren of “Saving Wildlife International,” a non-profit organization gave a presentation to over 300 people on a warm summer afternoon all sitting in the shade of the huge oak trees on the front lawn of the Neal Taylor Nature Center.  These who were lucky enough to attend got a front row seat to one of the best presented and most interesting presentations of world class wild life.

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Newsletter Archives

Newsletter Archives

Click here to view our most recent e-newsletters. Subscribe to our email newsletter to stay up-to-date on current nature center news, events, and educational bits. Archives of The Flyer, the printed newsletter of the Neal Taylor Nature Center pre-2016 Some of the...

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Support the Neal Taylor Nature Center

The Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preserving and educating people about the Santa Ynez River Valley's rich history and ecology.

Ways to support our mission:

  • Donate: Make a tax-deductible donation online, in person or by mail.
  • Become a Member: Enjoy exclusive benefits while supporting our work.
  • Volunteer: Make a difference as a residential camp host or visiting volunteer.

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Visit Us

Come by the nature center and enjoy our exhibits, weekly and seasonal events, book sales, workshops, gift shop and more!

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