Calendar Workshops List

Painting Kindness Rocks is a fun, family-friendly activity for all ages. Led by volunteers with the Lodi Rocks! group, you and your family will paint Kindness Rocks that can be placed in public areas for others to find.

In this introduction to Sandhill Cranes, you will learn about their life history, behavior, migration routes, and why our California Delta is so important to cranes.

Join Native Bird Connections for an intimate look at the behaviors, life experiences, and personal stories of several birds of prey. See hawks and owls up close and learn their unique stories. Native Bird Connections will bring several live, non-releasable birds - possibly a Red-tailed Hawk, Eurasian Eagle Owl, and others.

Click on this selection to see workshops available during the Festival.

Get inspired and join artists from the Lodi Community Art Center to create your own mini painting on canvas to take home.

Welcome back Denis and James Kurata, who will perform this ancient form of Japanese music that has been a Festival highlight for 23 years. Taiko drumming originated in Japan hundreds of years ago and is now performed all around the world.

Obi Kaufmann, best-selling author of the California Field Atlas, is Saturday’s keynote speaker.  In his artful yet analytical work, Obi explores the transformation of California’s resource landscape, from its ancient origins to its modern challenges and future possibilities.  Heightened with lyrical prose and supported by well-sourced science, Obi demonstrates how we can learn from the deep ecological past to uncover truths about the potential future of California, including the Sandhill Crane and biodiversity in the Central Valley and California’s Delta.  

Join Native Bird Connections for an intimate look at the behaviors, life experiences, and personal stories of several birds of prey. See hawks and owls up close and learn their unique stories. Native Bird Connections will bring several live, non-releasable birds - possibly a Red-tailed Hawk, Eurasian Eagle Owl, and others.

Dr. Gary Ivey will talk about the Sandhill Crane populations that breed and winter in California and the broader Pacific Flyway.  He will discuss the migration routes, wintering, and breeding areas of the 3 subspecies that use the state.  He will speak about their behavior and biology and also their conservation needs in the Flyway and the California Delta.

Painting Kindness Rocks is a fun, family-friendly activity for all ages. Led by volunteers with the Lodi Rocks! group, you and your family will paint Kindness Rocks that can be placed in public areas for others to find.

Gabe Kerschner with Wild Things! returns with some of their special animals for this fun and educational program.  In past years he has shared a mountain lion, brown bear, raccoon, Golden Eagle, Barn Owl, rattlesnake, and other rescued animals that could not be returned to the wild.  This presentation repeats on Sunday at 1:40 PM.

In this introduction to Sandhill Cranes, you will learn about their life history, behavior, migration routes, and why our California Delta is so important to cranes.

Get inspired and join artists from the Lodi Community Art Center to create your own mini painting on canvas to take home.

Join us in welcoming Paul Tebbel as Sunday’s keynote speaker.  What makes cranes so special?  This program combines video footage and photos with research results and personal anecdotes to introduce you to Sandhill Cranes and to help you understand how their physical and behavioral characteristics and their life history makes them special.  Paul has spent over 45 years watching, researching and learning about cranes.  This program is suitable for all age audiences, especially those just learning about cranes.

Join master carvers from the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association to learn how to carve a bird from wood. All the necessary materials, including a study guide and carving knives, will be provided.

Gabe Kerschner with Wild Things! returns with some of their special animals for this fun and educational program.  In past years he has shared a mountain lion, brown bear, raccoon, Golden Eagle, Barn Owl, rattlesnake, and other rescued animals that could not be returned to the wild.  This presentation repeats on Sunday at 1:40 PM.

Bats play an essential role in the environment and are often misunderstood.  Join Corky Quirk with NorCal Bats to learn more about these winged wonders: how they fly, how they catch insects and how they use sonar.  As part of the program, you will also meet several live bats, all native species. 

Want to get your kids involved in the Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival? This tour is the perfect way to start. Join us at the Cosumnes River Preserve boardwalk where your family will have a chance to see waterfowl and maybe Sandhill Cranes through our spotting scopes.

If you have never had the opportunity to visit with Dr. Gary Ivey about Sandhill Cranes, you won’t want to miss this tour. Join Gary in a small group caravan around the delta to see cranes feeding in the fields and watch them during the evening fly-in.

Leave the driving to us. This tour combines a crane fly-in with birding on Staten Island, a premier Nature Conservancy/Conservation Farms and Ranches location, to learn what the birds already know - this is one of the best places in the Delta to spend the winter.