Baroque Week in Boulder Creek kicks off with free concerts
Baroque Week in Boulder Creek will take place at the Boulder Creek United Methodist Church the second week of February.
Three concert programs are planned, all of music from the Baroque era, with the first on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 3pm by The Quail Court Consort. This ensemble, a dozen players gathered from the entire Bay Area, plays on Baroque period instruments and is led by Eric Finley and Loren Tayerle. They will perform music of Viadana, Purcell, Lully, Corelli and Vivaldi.
The Concertino Strings, a 25-piece string orchestra led by Joanne Tanner, will present a program of dramatic Baroque opera arias sung by UCSC faculty member and Ben Lomond resident Emily Sinclair on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 11:30am and Saturday, Feb. 15, at 3pm. The Valentine’s theme will be the “Tangles, Tumult and Triumph of Romantic Love” with arias from heroines of operas by Vivaldi (The Faithful Nymph), Handel (Julius Caesar: Cleopatra’s aria on learning of the death of Caesar), and Pergolesi (The Maid as Mistress), as well as an instrumental interlude by Handel.
All concerts are free admission, casual atmosphere and about an hour long. Donations are welcomed. For more information, visit concertinostrings.com.
County Animal Shelter offers spay/neuter services for pets
Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (SCCAS) is celebrating Valentine’s Day by offering spay/neuter services for pets.
Partnering with Animal Balance, the shelter is providing 200 pets—100 cats and 100 dogs—with surgery, core vaccines and microchips from Feb. 14-16. Registration is open at scanimalshelter.org.
Licensed veterinarians and registered veterinary technicians from Animal Balance will conduct the surgeries, supported by local volunteers. To qualify for the surgery, pets must be healthy, aged between 8 weeks and 8 years, and weigh between 2 and 80 pounds. Certain breeds with short noses, elderly pets and those with known health issues are not eligible.
Registered pets must be dropped off at the Shelter’s “Education Center” at 2260 Seventh Ave. in Santa Cruz in the morning and will be ready for pick-up in the afternoon. Owners will be contacted once their pet is ready. Pre- and post-operative instructions will be emailed to owners after registration.
For those interested in supporting this initiative or volunteering, more information can be obtained by visiting scanimalshelterfoundation.org or contacting the Shelter’s volunteer coordinator at 831-454-7209. For additional details, visit scanimalshelter.org or call 831-454-7200. The main shelter operates daily from 11am-6pm.
Cowman joins Sempervirens Fund as Director of Land Stewardship
Sempervirens Fund, California’s first and oldest land trust, is welcoming David Cowman as its new, and first-ever, Director of Land Stewardship, signaling the 125-year old organization’s increased emphasis on the restoration and future health of redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Cowman joined Sempervirens Fund in December as Director of Land Stewardship. He is a California Registered Professional Forester with a decade of experience in natural resource management in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He has led large-scale restoration and wildfire resiliency projects throughout the region in collaboration with both private and public partners.
“I’m humbled to be joining the staff at California’s oldest land trust to protect redwood forests and ecosystems,” Cowman said. “Having grown up enjoying the natural beauty of redwoods at our state parks, I know the importance of ensuring these trees survive and thrive for generations to come.”
Before joining Sempervirens, he served as District Forester at the San Mateo Resource Conservation District and worked for five years in the Natural Resource Management program at the Santa Cruz District of California State Parks.
At Sempervirens Fund, Cowman leads the land stewardship program, overseeing restoration and management across Sempervirens’ more than 12,000 acres of properties and conservation easements.
