Yolo Basin Foundation hosts annual Duck Days festival

 Efforts to educate and promote wildlife conservation were on full display at this year’s annual celebration of the natural world

By PIPER AWEEKA — city@theaggie.org

On April 25, lines of vehicles picked up dust as they made their way down the graveled driveway of Davis’ Yolo Basin Foundation. As volunteers in bright neon vests directed traffic into spray-painted parking spots, parents walked with giggling children atop their shoulders toward the entrance of this year’s Duck Days celebration.

A family-oriented event, this year’s wildlife festival included a wide variety of different exhibits and activities. Greeted by smiling volunteers, attendees were given bright, neon green “passport cards” to track their progress in visiting each of the diverse wildlife stations. From owl pellet dissection, live bat displays and hunting dog demonstrations, the Yolo Basin property was filled with activities to last for the entire 6-hour celebration.

Joanna MacEwan, local Davis parent, described her familiarity with the annual event.

“I think this is the fourth or fifth year we’ve come,” MacEwan said. “We try to come every year because the kids absolutely love it.”

George Spirus, standing behind an exhibit of animal footprints, was one volunteer participating with the California Conservation Corps. Stepping away from a crowd of energetic children, Spirus noted the celebration’s positive impact on local youth.

“It’s a very good educational thing for parents to bring their kids to,” Spirus said. “At this station, [the kids] here are working with actual animal prints. If their parents take them out to the wetlands here for nature walks, they’d be able to recognize the prints [...] It’s bringing more awareness to our youth who are going to be the people who ensure our natural areas are preserved.”

Corky Quirk, the program coordinator at the Yolo Basin Foundation, further emphasized the significance of the annual festival, her purple bat earrings swaying as she spoke.

“The overriding reason we do it, besides of course it being fun, is because we as humans are much more likely to support what we love,” Quirk said. “We want people to fall in love with nature and get out and explore.”

With the first Duck Days celebration taking place 30 years ago, Quirk highlighted the immense planning the yearly event requires.

“We start planning this right around January," Quirk said. “[Yolo Basin Foundation] has been doing this since the ‘90s, so we kind of have a good network [...] We have so many exhibitors from many, many organizations throughout the area. We have live animals, the baby ducklings, live bats, raptors, varieties of reptiles, arts and crafts.”

Jenny Papka, director of Native Bird Connections, a Bay Area nonprofit, was one exhibitor present at the 2026 Duck Days. Standing in front of two live birds, a grey owl and a dark brown raptor, Papka emphasized the event’s educational significance for children in Davis.

 “These are the events where we shine,” Papka said. “This is stuff that’s in our own backyard that we didn’t get in school. To be exposed to it, to touch it, to ask questions about it and to see living examples of the animals is priceless.”

Efraim Lopez, executive director for the Yolo Basin Foundation, noted the vital role contributors like Papka play in facilitating the annual Duck Days festival. 

“We rely so heavily on these volunteers and the experts in their fields,” Lopez said. “Many are lifelong wildlife biologists, so you have an expert that’s providing their time free-of-charge.”

Standing in front of the duckling petting area, Lopez smiled as he expressed his gratitude for each of the event collaborators.

“It’s really the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the City of Davis and the Yolo Basin Foundation along with all of our sponsors and volunteers that make this all happen today,” Lopez said.

Complete with a Da Vinci High School student dressed as a life-sized duck, this year’s annual Duck Days celebration was filled with laughter, learning and gratitude for the natural world.  

Written By: Piper Aweeka — city@theaggie.org