Biologists Rear 250 Rare Snakes as Fall Concerts and Workshops Open

Wildlife biologists in the Santa Cruz Mountains foothills are scaling up captive-rearing habitats for two of California's rarest wetland species this autumn, even as Peninsula and South Bay arboretums, historic gardens, and concert halls roll out November sustainability workshops and live music runs.

Saratoga Conservation Center Rears 250 Giant Garter Snakes and Rare Salamanders

Inside the Larry Ellison Conservation Center for Wildlife Care in Saratoga, the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA's Imperiled Species Program is caring for roughly 250 young giant garter snakes alongside thousands of endangered Santa Cruz long-toed salamander larvae.

Led by principal biologist Regina Spranger with laboratory assistants Colleen Hayward and Reina Marze—whose captive husbandry work was documented at the center on Oct. 14, 2026—the program partners with state and federal wildlife agencies and university researchers to head-start threatened native species before returning them to restored wild wetlands:

• Giant Garter Snakes: Wild gravid females brought gently into the facility give birth to litters averaging roughly 20 live offspring. Because tiny neonate snakes face intense predation from invasive bullfrogs and predatory fish in the wild, biologists rear the ~250 young snakes in climate-controlled aquatic enclosures for up to 2 years until they grow large enough to survive independently.
• Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamanders: Working in partnership with evolutionary biologists at UC Santa Cruz, the team collects salamander eggs and rears aquatic larvae for release across 8 protected breeding ponds in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, giving the amphibians a crucial head start before they reach reproductive maturity at 3 years of age. Looking ahead to spring, the Saratoga center also plans to add captive rearing for the federally threatened Bay checkerspot butterfly.

Worm Composting at Gamble Garden, Repair Café and Filoli Holiday Lights

Gardeners and sustainability advocates have a packed slate of November home, garden, and coastal ecology programs across the Midpeninsula:

• Gamble Garden Worm Composting (Saturday, Nov. 7): A free 2-hour Worm Composting Workshop runs from 10 a.m. to noon at the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St. in Palo Alto, where participating Palo Alto households can receive 1 free compost or worm bin per household.
• Palo Alto Repair Café (Sunday, Nov. 8): Volunteer fixers will staff a community Repair Café from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Museum of American Heritage, 351 Homer Ave., helping residents mend small appliances, lamps, electronics, and textiles (with a 2-item limit per visitor).
• Holidays at Filoli (Nov. 14 to Jan. 10): Historic Filoli at 86 Canada Rd. in Woodside opens its seasonal garden illumination from Nov. 14 through Jan. 10 (admission starting at $45), stringing 28 miles of holiday lights across its formal gardens, including a 210-foot illuminated light tunnel.
• Baylands King Tides (Nov. 24 to Nov. 26): Environmental educators will lead shoreline walks at the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve from Nov. 24 to Nov. 26 as winter king tides exceed 9 feet—roughly 2 feet above average high tide levels.

Fitz and the Tantrums Play Two Menlo Park Nights; Pablo Cruise Heads to Saratoga

Live music fans have two major theatre bookings anchoring the November calendar:

• Fitz and the Tantrums at The Guild Theatre (Nov. 7 and Nov. 8): Multi-platinum Los Angeles indie-pop ensemble Fitz and the Tantrums will play two consecutive 8 p.m. concerts at The Guild Theatre, located at 949 El Camino Real in Menlo Park, with tickets starting at $61.39. As noted in regional weekend arts listings, the band will perform a "greatest hits" set on Saturday, Nov. 7, followed on Sunday, Nov. 8, by a complete front-to-back performance of their 2010 debut album, Picking Up the Pieces.
• Pablo Cruise at Montalvo Arts Center (Nov. 20): Later this month, Palo Alto-rooted yacht-rock pioneers Pablo Cruise—founded in 1975 and renowned for their 1975 to 1985 touring run across 7 studio albums—will headline the Carriage House Theater at Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga on Friday, Nov. 20, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., with reserved tickets priced at $93.