Viansa Wetlands

Docents for Viansa

Thank You

General Meeting

President's Message

River Advocate Sought

Swifts at Healdsburg

Classroom Materials

Outings Reports

Observations

Chip Notes

Pee Wee Update

Related Activites

Plastic Corks Boycott

PEE WEE AUDUBON
Hawk Migration Watch, September 25!
Join us Saturday, September 25th for our annual trek to Hawk Hill in Marin County, to observe an incredible array of hawks as they migrate South. A naturalist from the environmental education arm of the Marin County YMCA will lead this expedition.
This date is smack in the middle of the best time to observe the hawk migration, so RSVP to Janice Sinclaire right away, as space is limited; phone 433-1150. We will be starting at 2 p.m. and the program will be approximately two hours long (a later start than usual due to soccer season).
We will meet at the second observation station at the top of Hawk Hill. Dress in layers. To reach Hawk Hill from Sonoma County, travel south on the 101 to the second Sausalito exit. This is the last exit before the Golden Gate Bridge. As you leave the freeway take an immediate left on Conzalman Road. This will lead you straight up the hill, which is Hill 129. If you begin to descend the hill you have gone too far! Park at the top and take the short walk up to the observation stations. Remember: RSVP!
Observatory Campout, October 16
Mark this special date on your calendar! Pee Wee will be camping out at the Ferguson Observatory, Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, on Saturday, October 16th. Space is limited for this one too, so register early.

Pee Wee Reports

Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, May 15
Our guide was a nice lady whose name was Kalanette Baruch…. Now.I'll tell you about some of my favorite plants I saw. The Valerian is a.purple and white flower and can be used to make medicine. We also saw Foxglove plants with beautiful colors. The Iris was different shades of purple and pink. My very favorite part was going to the Jerusalem Sage. It was like a bush with leaves looking like sage leaves with yellow flowers. When you picked a flower you could suck on it and taste something better than honey. I sucked on six at a time. Yummy!
Then we saw strawberry plants. Not many of them were ripe but I found three good ones. We also saw two ponds that were for tadpoles that would become tree frogs that later would eat bugs in the gardens. It helps the gardeners keep the gardens organic. Wow!
We sat on a mud sculpted dragon bench and saw a rammed earth tool shed. The guide told us they had some 200-year-old pear trees. Goodness! We saw potatoes growing in plastic barrels with holes in the bottom to keep away gophers. Then we headed to the nursery where we got to plant our own seeds.
We finished our great field trip with a nice picnic.
--Cecilia Senocak, age 9

Orienteering, May 16, Spring Lake Park

"I went to the Pee Wee Audubon compass class and had a great time, but my head was whirling when we were through! It was hard to look at the maps and try to figure out North and South and the other directions but we did learn to take a bearing on different objects around the Swimming Lagoon. It was fun!"
--Langston Brand, age 9

(Note from Janice Sinclaire: Special thanks to Andy and Ian of Marin Outdoors for putting on this workshop for Pee Wee, free of charge!)

Dragonfly Walk, June 5, Airport Business Park Ponds
"Today we had a lot of fun looking and holding the dragonflies. Today, I felt like a dragonfly (even though I am not a dragonfly and I do not know how to fly - except in my dreams). I thought the colors were very beautiful and creative of mother nature. The sound of a dragonfly flying by you is very peaceful. I learned that their habitat had to be around water with someplace where they could lay their eggs. I thought the people giving the class had a lot of knowledge about dragonflies and were excited about this animal." --Trinity Hampton, age 8.5

(Kathy and Dave Biggs led a group of about 40 Pee Wee children and adults on this walk. The group saw eight different species of dragonflies and netted some of them.)