AT STEBBINS COLD CANYON: Several spots remain for a guide training program in January. The training is scheduled over the course of three Saturdays: Jan. 9, 16 and 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the UC Davis-managed reserve.

Stebbins Cold Canyon, a unit of the UC Natural Reserve System, takes in 638 acres at the southeastern tip of Lake Berryessa off Highway 128 west of Winters. The drive from Davis is about 45 minutes.

Volunteer guides lead hikes and other activities in the fall and early winter, and in the spring.

Guide training starts with an overview of the canyon’s natural history. The training also includes the general logistics of running a group outing.

Jeff Falyn, who leads the training, said participants are encouraged to develop their own ideas for nature outings. Each participant is asked to give a minipresentation to the group; feedback is aimed at strengthening the presentations.

The goal, Falyn said, is for participants to identify a topic or topics and mold them into presentations for the public.

The cost for the training program is $15 per person (for printing expenses). Interested? Send an e-mail to jfalyn@ucdavis.edu (please include your phone number).

This year’s fall-winter schedule includes three more events. One of them, Botanical Drawing on Dec. 12, is full.

That leaves Animal Tracking, 9 a.m.-noon Dec. 19 (postponed from an earlier date), at Lake Solano; and the Winter Solstice: Renewal hike from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 20, when people are invited to traverse the canyon on the shortest day of the year — a time for reflection and optimism as you observe the change in seasons.

Starting with this fall-winter season, Stebbins Cold Canyon established a voluntary fee system for nature outings: $5 person or $10 per family. Reservations are required. E-mail jfalyn@ucdavis.edu with your name, address, event date, and phone number and-or e-mail address, and indicate whether you need directions.

More information: nrs.ucdavis.edu/stebbins.html

AT THE ARBORETUM: The UC Davis Arboretum is also looking for volunteers. “Join our fabulous volunteer corps as a gardener, nursery caretaker, curatorial assistant, plant records volunteer, docent or naturalist,” reads a notice on the arboretum Web site.

Basic training is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon on four successive Wednesdays, Jan. 20 and 27, and Feb. 3 and 10. This will be followed by specialized training for each crew.

For more information or to sign up, contact Suzanne Ullensvang, (530) 752-8324 or sullensvang@ucdavis.edu.

The arboretum’s December-January calendar lists Folk Music Jams at noon Dec. 11, and Jan. 8 and 22, on the Wyatt Deck. They are free and open to the public.

“Pull out your fiddles, guitars, banjos (you name it) for an acoustic jam session. Campus and community folk musicians play together over the lunch hour. All skill levels welcome. Listeners welcome!”

More information: (530) 752-4880 or arboretum.ucdavis.edu (for directions, click on “Plan Your Visit”).