MENDOCINO CO., 9/10/25 — There is no tree more emblematic of Mendocino County’s rolling hills than California oaks.
In October, the University of California Hopland Research and Extension Center will host California Oak Discovery Day, a free, family-friendly event that celebrates the beauty and importance of the oak woodlands that are iconic to Mendocino County.
Event organizers are seeking photos, paintings, drawings and sculptures of oaks and oak woodlands, including the animals, plants, and fungi that live in oak woodlands, to be exhibited on the walls and tables during the event.
“Any artwork that captures your relationship with these magnificent trees would be welcomed at Oak Discovery Day,” said Diana Pepetone, the lead volunteer organizing the event. “Whether you live in the Willits hills or in downtown Ukiah, you’ve probably got an oak that you walk by regularly — now is the time to take its photograph!”
The idea for this first-time event was created by the Quercus Collaborative, a group of the center’s volunteers devoted to oak regeneration and education activities. The event will include an oak haiku sit-and-write, guided walks with authors Kate Marianchild (“Secrets of the Oak Woodlands”) and Robin Lee Carlson (“The Cold Canyon Fire Journals”), a hands-on oak restoration workgroup, oak woodland bird watching, booths and career talks.
Participants are encouraged to bring along a picnic to enjoy in the beautiful woodlands at the site and to finish their day watching the play “And Who Shall Heal the Ground” by Diana Pepetone.
Artwork files can be uploaded online at https://bit.ly/oakart25. The subject must be California oak woodlands rather than oaks of other countries or states. At submission, participants are encouraged to share a short narrative describing the oak and why it is important to them. Artwork files will be printed in 8.5 x 11 or 11 x 17 format for the event.
California Oak Discovery Day takes place Saturday, Oct. 11, starting at 10 a.m. at the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center, 4070 University Rd., Hopland. The event is free, but registration is required at https://bit.ly/oakday25.