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October 2002, Volume 36,
Number 2
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Monday, October 21, at 7:30 PM First United Methodist Church1 551 Montgomery Drive Santa Rosa Chiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico and a land rich in Mayan culture and a diversity of Neotropical wildlife. Join Meryl Sundove and Roger Harris in a recounting of their travels to Mayan ruins and visits to contemporary Mayan people. We will go behind military checkpoints to a Zapatista community, all the while chronicling the birds and other wildlife of this fascinating place. Meryl is the Education Director at the Tiburon Audubon Center, where she has worked for the last 21 years. Roger is a wildlife biologist, specializing in endangered species, wetlands, and native habitat restoration. When not at their "grown-up" jobs, Meryl and Roger guide international nature tours for the National Audubon Society.
"20,000 Years of Bird Illustrations", presented
by Ted Pierce  Saturday, October 26, 12 Noon to 2 PM Fairfield Osborn Preserve October's Pee Wee event will be at Fairfield Osborn Preserve on Sonoma Mountain. There will be a nature hike through oak woodland and some fun games as we explore this preserve, a beautiful local treasure. Leader Becky Olsen is a local naturalist and experienced birder. She leads bird walks at Fairfield Osborn and Point Reyes, is a raptor watcher for the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and a volunteer in the raptor education program at the Bird Rescue Center. The director of the preserve has asked that we keep our group fairly small, so if this sounds good to you call Claire at 527-6118 as soon as possible to reserve a spot and get directions to the preserve. If you cannot attend the Pee Wee event, Fairfield Osborn Preserve offers family hikes with docents on Saturdays at 10 AM and 1 PM. Call 795-5069 or go to <www.sonoma.edu/org/preserve> for more details. By Sylvan Eidelman Just one year ago Madrone Leaves featured an article entitled "Wastewater Options in Petaluma" which explored the possibility of a wetlands park tied to a new wastewater facility in Petaluma. Since then much has been accomplished, and there is hope among those advocating for the park that it will become a reality. What is the Petaluma Wetlands Park?
The proposed Petaluma Wetlands Park, including the filtration marsh, covers a 270-acre property located between Shollenberger Park and the current wastewater facility. If this property becomes a park, it will effectively triple the amount of parkland along the Petaluma River. Birders who have visited Shollenberger Park know what a rich area it is for birding, and the potential for more area with more habitats is very exciting. The Petaluma Wetlands Park Alliance A year ago the Petaluma City Council was divided on the choice of the filtration marsh as part of the wastewater treatment, even though a previous city council had agreed to the concept. Some council members found it too costly-they hoped to keep construction and land acquisition costs down. Councilwoman Janice Cader-Thompson (a member of Madrone Audubon) favored the filtration marsh project and she began an effort to inform the public of its benefits and to advocate the creation of the park. Others joined her (most of them Madrone members as well) and the Petaluma Wetlands Park Alliance (PWPA) was formed. Its mission is to promote the establishment of the park as part of Petaluma's wastewater treatment facility. Members of the PWPA began to inform the public about the park. Articles about the project were published in area newspapers, a petition favoring the park was circulated, and more than 3500 signatures were collected and presented to the Petaluma city council. In April of 2002, the council voted a limited support for the project. They agreed to allow city staff to begin negotiations for the acquisition of the property, provided that the funding for the park could be found from sources other than from the city coffers. Funding the Wetlands Park The PWPA and friends then went to work to find this funding, with help from Audubon's San Francisco Bay Restoration Project, the Bay Institute, Ducks Unlimited, and the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture. All of these groups urged the California Coastal Conservancy to support the project; the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District was approached as well. They were successful-the Coastal Conservancy and the Open Space District each agreed to contribute $2.1 million. The 4.2 million is enough to purchase the property and put some improvements on it as well. The PWPA is still looking for more funding with which to create trails and other facilities to welcome the public to a wonderful natural experience. What the Park Will Offer Besides the filtration marsh, the land contains about 70 acres of what was once diked farmland, which has been naturally reverting to tidal marsh since the levy was breached due to flooding during the last El Nino winter. There is some wonderful riparian habitat along Ellis Creek, which runs through the property. In addition, the diverse natural habitats of the park will provide many educational opportunities, such as teaching young people the value of wetlands and their importance in ecology. The area may also provide Madrone Audubon, in partnership with California Audubon and others, a site for a nature center. What still needs to be done? The proposed grants are of the matching variety, and the city will be asked for a contribution, though not for a 100% match in dollars. Will the city council vote to continue the project? The next few months are crucial-Madrone members, particularly those who live in Petaluma, are strongly urged to contact Petaluma City Council members and ask them to support the planning and construction of the Petaluma Wetlands Park. It is an opportunity too good to be missed. More information and some great photographs of the park area can be found at PWPA's website: Petalumawetlandspark.org. By Betsy Stafford We hope you can join us for one of our golden fall days at either Bolinas Lagoon Preserve in West Marin or Bouverie Preserve in Sonoma's Valley of the Moon. At Bouverie, we offer guided nature walks (October 19, November 9, and December 7), and resource management days (October 28, November 18, and December 16). Please call 938-4554 for more information. At Bolinas Lagoon, we hope you can join us for our popular fall workday and luscious free lunch on Saturday, November 9. For this event, call (415) 868-9244 to sign up. Back by popular demand is our delightful morning program, "Under the Heronry", with former ACR Resident Biologist Ray Peterson on Saturday, October 26, at 9:30 AM. This very special place is open to the public only once a year... and you won't believe what you see and hear! Free, but please call (415) 868-9244 to register-space is limited. While docents from our two teaching preserves are happily busy in classrooms and on the trails with Bay Area schoolchildren this fall, ACR's exciting research program is well underway at Bouverie. Under the guidance of Dr. Dan Gluesenkamp, we are mapping Bouverie with a global positioning system, studying the burgeoning turkey population there, developing a grassland management plan, conducting invasive-weed control, and investigating the effects of Sudden Oak Death. We look forward to including volunteer assistance in these projects and working this research arm of ACR into our education programs. Beverly Coke Bodega Bay, Wednesday, September
4 New National Members: New Local Members: (From the Bay Area Audubon Council's September Bay Bulletin) Audubon urges California voters to support Proposition 50 when they go to the polls in November. This is the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002, which authorizes the state to issue bonds totaling $3.4 billion to fund water quality, security, conservation, and watershed restoration projects statewide. This bond measure is unique because it blends funding for water projects with money for ecosystem conservation, including significant funding for restoring San Francisco Bay. If approved by voters, Prop 50 will provide $20 million to the State Coastal Conservancy's San Francisco Bay Conservancy Program for competitive grants supporting Bay watershed restoration projects. This funding is critical to the work of community organizations partnering to restore rivers, streams, creeks, and wetlands in the San Francisco Bay watershed. Proposition 51: The Traffic Congestion Relief & Safe School Bus Act Audubon California has recently endorsed the Traffic Congestion Relief & Safe School Bus Act, or Proposition 51, which will appear on the California statewide ballot on November 5, 2002. Proposition 51 would allocate 30% of the state share of the sales tax on new and used motor vehicles to a new trust fund for transportation improvements around the state, a fund that would generate approximately $910 million a year. Proposition 51 will include a significant, permanent, annual investment for programs that mitigate the impact that transportation systems have on our air, water, and land resources. In this way it will help enhance water quality, protect wetlands, provide habitat and open space protection, improve air quality, and safeguard river parkways. Proposition 51 has been endorsed by over 200 organizations in addition to Audubon, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Planning and Conservation League, Sierra Club California, Endangered Habitats League, National Wildlife Federation, Union of Concerned Scientists, American Lung Association of California, and a cross-section of transportation, business, labor, health, education, and children's safety advocacy organizations. More information about Proposition 51, including the full list of endorsers and complete text of the initiative, can be found at <www.voteyesonprop51.org> Please vote YES on Proposition 51 when it appears on the ballot this November!
If you have a favorite memory of Iva Warner defending local
creeks and At the Fairfield Osborn Preserve on Sonoma Mountain: Orienteering Meet. Sunday, October 6, from 9:00 to Noon at Camp Tamarancho, near Fairfax in Marin County. Practice with map and compass to be more confident on or off the trail. There are clinics for beginners-this is a great family activity. Sponsored by the Bay Area Orienteering Club. For information call the BOAC hot line at (408) 255-8018, or contact Bill Papendick at (415) 479-4262. The website is www.baoc.org. Sandhill Crane Festival. November 8 through 11, Hutchins Street Square in Lodi. Tours, workshops and more. For information, call (209) 367-7840 or consult the website: www.lodichamber.com. Christmas Crafts Faire 2002. Two weekends, November 9-10 and November 29-December 1 at the Santa Rosa Veterans Building. Sponsored by the Russian River Watershed Protection Committee. If you would like to have a booth at this event, call Brenda Adelman at 869-0054 for an application. Birds of Point Reyes. Saturday, November 16, 10 AM-4 PM. Sixth Annual Central Valley Birding Symposium. November
21-24. Hosted by the Central Valley Bird Club at the Radisson
Hotel in Stockton. We have field trips, workshops, and a "Birder's
Market" with vendors and artists selling birding related
items. We have activities and classes for beginners as well as
more advanced birders. Schedule and registration information
is at http://cvbs.org, or call (209) 369-2010. August-September 2002 Blue-winged Teal(5) 9/12 Shollenberger Park BD CONTRIBUTORS: Bird-related Lectures in November and December [Charles Sibley (1917-1998) was a renowned ornithologist and lifelong birder (not related to David Allen Sibley of the new Sibley Guides) famous for his research into the DNA of birds and their family relationships. His valuable personal collection of books on birds and birding has recently been donated to Sonoma State University. In honor of this donation five lectures and an art exhibit will be offered at the Charles and Jean Schulz Information Center this November and December.] A brief listing of the lectures is below; the art exhibit features three contemporary artists who are using birds to explore the relationship of man with nature. Watch for more details about the program and about Charles Sibley and his work in the November issue of the Leaves. "Taking Flight: Inspiration from Birds." Wednesday,
November 6, Noon and 7 PM, Schulz Information Center 3001.
Introductory lecture by Peter Leveque. Timber Conversion Update By Linda Haering The issue of converting conifer forests to vineyards is on the minds of all General Plan 2020 participants: Advisory Committee members, Permit and Resource Management staff, and the public. Sonoma County has the authority, through zoning, to reverse the trend toward loss of timberland to vineyards. Staff has developed several options for the Citizens Advisory Committee to consider. The options range from "no change in the current approach" to disallowance of any project which would result in the effective loss of timberlands. Of the 230,000 acres of land in Sonoma County that are functioning as timberland approximately 94,000 is zoned TP or Timberland Production. Most of the remainder is zoned RRD, or Resource and Rural Development. All of the large conversions, including the growing number in the coastal hills, are in RRD. County Permit and Resource Management staff has recommended an option which addresses only TP zones. The majority of conifer forests, those in RRD, would continue to be vulnerable to permanent loss and fragmentation. Potential destruction of so much biological habitat is not acceptable to many of the local environmental groups and hopefully not to the Citizens Advisory Committee. The finalized recommendation to the Board of Supervisors will be made in October with public hearings likely in January. Letters should be addressed to GP 2020 Citizens Advisory Committee, County of Sonoma Permit and Resource Management Department, 2550 Ventura Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. For a list of people serving on the committee and for other GP 2020 information go to http://www.sonomacounty.org/prmd/gp2020/index.html. Book Review By Claire Shurvinton by Scott Weidensaul. Published by North Point Press. "Propelled by an ancient faith deep within their genes,
billions of birds hurdle the globe each season, a grand passage
across the heavens that we can only dimly comprehend and are
just coming to fully appreciate." Fall is an exciting time of year for bird lovers. Once again vast armies of birds are on the move and we can look forward to seeing our local winter favorites return and perhaps glimpse a rare migrant during its passage from summer breeding grounds to winter home. The phenomenon of bird migration is one of the most amazing natural processes on the planet, and Scott Weidensaul has written a wonderful book about bird migration in the Western Hemisphere that I highly recommend to anyone who finds this subject fascinating. The book is packed with information from the scientific literature about the migration paths of many different species of birds, the problems they face and their future outlook, but it is mainly written as a series of stories, not just about the birds but also about the people (researchers, amateur naturalists, land managers) who are trying to better understand the phenomenon of migration and ensure the continued survival of the migrants. The author accompanies these individuals as they carry out their work and his descriptions are so vivid that the reader is transported to the location and becomes emotionally invested in the proceedings. Many of the stories are sad, reflecting as they do the results of habitat loss and lack of human understanding of the implications of our actions, but others are uplifting as they report wonderful sights, real successes and positive outcomes. There are so many stories that all I can do is provide a small taste of one that particularly stood out for me. In the chapter entitled "Rivers of Hawks" Weidensaul tells of a trip he took to Veracruz in Eastern Mexico to participate in the first official survey of the fall hawk migration there. A large percentage of North America's migratory raptors pass through this region on their way south and this is how he describes the situation as the counters attempt to keep up with the vast numbers of hawks passing by them: "We had 13,500 broadwings in that kettle," he said, his voice ragged with mingled awe, stress and exhilaration. "You know, when all this started I was just thinking that I needed to clean the dust off my binoculars. Then I realized that I was looking at hawks, not dust, and thought, oh my God." On that day, at that site, the group counted 435,000 raptors - the heaviest hawk migration ever recorded anywhere in the world. |
The Madrone Leaves is published by the Madrone Audubon Society
Editor: Daphne Smith
Copy Editor: Jackson Rannels
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(c) Copyright 2002 Madrone Audubon Society, Inc. All rights reserved.