Redwood Region Audubon Society

Announcements for April 2002
 

RRAS Sponsors Science Fair Award

“What Color Do Birds Like Best?” by Cole Salmon, a fifth-grader from Scotia Elementary School, was selected as the best project dealing with birds and their habitat at the annual Humboldt County Science Fair held in mid-March. Cole’s experiment tested three colors of feeders – purple, orange, and green – at two locations in his yard. He found that birds ate the most seed from the green feeders, followed by purple, then orange.

RRAS judges Louise Bacon-Ogden, Gary Bloomfield, Hal Genger, and Sue Leskiw evaluated exhibits created by students in grades 4 through 10 to choose a winner. The prize – a $50 check and 1-year membership in the National Audubon Society -- was awarded during a ceremony on March 22 at Humboldt State University.

Wanted:  Interesting sightings

Sightings from the Eureka/Palco Marsh, Del Norte Street Pier and Bayshore Willows area are requested.  Pablo Herrera is putting together a species list for the Eureka Marsh and would like any records for that area.  Send sightings to: Pablo Herrera P. O. Box 5565, Eureka, CA 95502 or (preferred) icteria@hotmail.com

Conservation Committee 3/15/2001
by Jim Clark

The conservation committee met at noon at the Golden Harvest Cafe in Arcata on March 15, 2002.  Attending was Christine Ambrose, Jim Clark, Maggy Herbelin, Sue Leskiw, Tim McKay, Mel McKinney, Rudy Ramp and Jeff Robinson.

• This was Jeff Robinson’s first meeting with us, and he gave us a rundown on his duties as Conservation Specialist with the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District.  Jeff has too many projects going now to fully explain here, but his two top priority items are getting the updated Harbor District website on line with its new GIS data, and compiling and organizing the public input information being collected by the Humboldt Bay Management Plan Task Force.  We look forward to working with Jeff in the future.
• Jim announced that about half of the active Coast Seafoods oyster beds have been plotted using GPS.  Once the active beds are mapped, the historical beds will be plotted.  This should provide usable information on the short and long term effects of different types of oyster culture on eelgrass in Humboldt Bay.
• Mel reported on the progress of Eureka’s Trails Project, the Eureka Marsh Restoration Project draft plan review and renaming of the City of Eureka Wildlife Areas to Wildlife Sanctuaries.  The bureaucracy involved in a name change is truly amazing!
• Based on a query from Santa Clara Audubon, the Heritage Tree Initiative was discussed.  It was felt that the initiative is probably not the best way to deal with removal of old-growth trees that serve as valuable habitat for species such as the Marbled Murelett, but it is better than the existing situation.  Tim McKay pointed out that at least the public will have the opportunity to vote on it.  Since the initiative applies only to trees in existence before 1850, Eucalyptus, California’s largest weed, need not be spared the chain saw.
• Jim reminded those present of the recent purchase of timberland in Del Norte County by the Save the Redwoods League, and the additional five million dollar fund assigned to the county.  This appears to be a breakthrough in addressing lost revenue from taxes and jobs.  Conservation organizations need to be as good at economics as biology if they are to be successful.
• Maggy Herbelin announced the Eureka Creeks Fair at Cooper Gulch May 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The fair will be the culmination of tours on April 20, April 27, and May 4 and will provide access to information on conservation easement and other means to protect and restore streams and gulches.  Jim Clark and Louise Bacon-Ogden are co-leading the May 4 trip(s).  The April 27 tour is of the Eureka Municipal Golf Course is to review plans to improve the stream that goes through the course for water quality and fish habitat improvement. We are particularly interested in some Audubon golfers going on this one. This is an opportunity to not only improve water quality but wildlife habitat and the course as well.  Call Debbie Hart-Harris at RCAA, 269-2058 for more information and to sign up for the April 27th walk.

The next meeting will be on April 19, 2002, same time, same place.

Next Board Meeting

The next Redwood Region Audubon SocietyBoard meeting will be held April 4,2002 at the Redwood Sciences Lab, Arcata CA.

Redwood Region Audubon Society welcomes the following new members and subscribers:

• Arcata – Adrienne Arnold, Katie Coar, Hilary Cooke, M.J. Cord, Jane Riggan, Judy Treman

• Bayside – Tom & Katy Allen, George Cocks, Gena Pennington

• Blue Lake – Adrian Bruce

• Carlotta – June Ady, Nancy Carter

• Crescent City – Stan Ottenbreit, June & Bob Robinson, Lisa Robles

• Eureka – Jorie Colwell, Bob Davis, Shelley Holstein, Kevin Peterson, Bob Saemmer, Diana Stoecken, Russell Turpin, Rob Willis

• McKinleyville – Kenneth Fisher, Martha Hirsch

• Miranda – Irene Stevenson

• Redway – Iris Carpenter

• San Francisco – Judith Park

• Trinidad – Cheron Brian, Gerard & Melody Hamilton, Malcolm Stevens

• Upland – Chris JR Wn

We look forward to seeing you on field trips and at our monthly programs.

Redwood Region Audubon Society
P.O. Box 1054, Eureka, CA 95502
Last updated May 2002 by L.L. Long