Mayacamas Mountain
Sanctuary: Update

Christmas Bird Count

General Meeting

Audubon Canyon: News From the Ranch

Bird Walk Reports

Backyard Birding

Related Events

Pee Wee Audubon

Observations

Bird-A-Thon

Death Notice

Skaggs Island

San Pablo Bay NWR: Flyway Festival

Help Wanted

Leaves Editor Resigns

Volunteer News

Madrone OnLine

As our holiday stress quickens, the approaching solstice brings some welcome calm to our three preserves. Docents at our Bouverie and Bolinas Lagoon Preserves have completed their fall school programs (having taught over 3000 schoolchildren). And hardy bands of volunteers are slowly gearing up for the winter bird counts (please call 415/663-8203 if you can help with some serious winter birding by boat).

Bolinas Lagoon Preserve

Over the past few years Len Blumin and his feisty crew of weed-busters have been attacking the scourge of cape ivy in our Volunteer Canyon. While there's no real substitute for hand-pulling the weed, this back-breaking work has become daunting. After much research it was decided to call in a herd of hungry goats to munch up several acres of the rampant non-native. We'll share our findings with others, including the Park Service. Would control-burn work better? Stay tuned.

If you've enjoyed hosting on weekends during the beautiful spring nesting season, you know how rewarding it can be to know about the natural world of Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. We urge you to consider becoming an ACR Ranch Guide and join the Training Program of six Saturdays, from January 22 to February 26. Trainees will attend lectures and nature walks by ACR's four biologists and other naturalists. Once trained, they share their knowledge with other during our public weekends from March to July. Please call 415/868-9244 for more information.

Bouverie Preserve

Our very popular guided nature walks through lovely Bouverie Preserve in Sonoma's Valley of the Moon continue for the public on the following Saturdays: December 11, January 29, March 11 and 25, April 8 and 22, and May 6 and 13. Call 707/938-4554 for a lottery form.

And finally, it's not too early to mark your 2000 calendar with our always popular free lunches (coinciding, conveniently, with our Spring Work Days on Feb. 12th at Bouverie, and March 5th at Bolinas Lagoon.)

*Audubon Canyon Ranch is an independent non-profit organization which owns and administers 3 educational nature preserves in Marin and Sonoma Counties. It is supported by 4 Bay Area Audubon chapters including Madrone Audubon Society.

It's time once again to begin scheduling hosts for the Spring 2000 public season at Audubon Canyon Ranch's Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. Chapter hosts are vital to the success of the days when the public visits the preserve and observes and learns about the nesting herons and egrets. Madrone is responsible for providing 4 hosts on 3/18&19, 4/15&16, 5/14, 6/3&11, 7/1&2. Invite a friend, and set aside one of these days in the spring to greet visitors at the Preserve. Sign up with Janet Bosshard, ACR Host Coordinator, at 526-5883.