Board Meeting on the Road
| RRAS board members traveled to Crescent City on September 5-6 at the invitation of the Lake Earl Branch to hold their regular business meeting. On Saturday, Alan Barron led a field trip to Lake Earl. |  |
Southern
Humboldt & Northern Mendocino Birders and Birding
by Doug Wallace
A group of southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino county birders gathered at Southern Humboldt Community Park on September 6th to enjoy a guided bird walk through the Park, discuss the possibility of forming a group to encourage, develop and coordinate recreational birding activities throughout the area, and explore the desire to contribute to bird conservation at the Park and beyond.
The September 6th walk at Southern Humboldt Community Park, SHCP, kicked off a month of weekend birding trips. Participants on this walk enjoyed a House Wren and Peregrine Falcon. The Park walk led by RRAS on September 14th afforded “lifers” for some with Says Phoebe, American Pipit, and Lark Sparrow.
The on-going Community Bird Census for the greater Park area, being conducted by volunteer area birders, was endorsed with everyone receiving the easy census form to begin their contribution to the final checklist. The culmination of this cooperative undertaking will be the production and distribution of a field checklist for both Southern Humboldt Community and Tooby Parks.
Anyone interested in participating in the census project or being on a birding activities email and phone list can contact Doug Wallace at PeregrineNation@asis.com, or 923-2521.
The SHCP is located west of Garberville along the south fork of the Eel River. It encompasses both banks of the South Fork, potentially including the headwaters of several large springs and provides diverse habitats including: riverine, riparian, grassland/farmland, and a mosaic of forest types.
The final size of this private, nonprofit Park will be determined by the availability of financial support. Generous contributions from community and other donors, and the constant work of the SHCP Board of Directors have resulted in the successful acquisition of 275 acres of this unique and diverse community treasure. The fundraising drive continues towards the goal of purchasing up to 300 more acres, primarily of upslope mixed forest including residual ancient Douglas fir. The maximal Park could end up being five times the size of Garberville. There are SHCP accounts at the Garberville banks to enable continuing community donations.
Aquatic Habitat Conservation Plan “Teach-in” November 1
RRAS is co-sponsoring a free public forum at the Arcata Community Center Senior Room on Saturday, November 1. Current plans would devote the morning (starting at 10 a.m.) to an overview of the aquatic HCP process by speakers from government agencies, at least one timber company, and nonprofit organizations. Following a lunch break (attendees are encouraged to brown bag it), the afternoon would be allocated to talks and panel discussions that use the Simpson Aquatic HCP as a case study.
Previously, RRAS co-sponsored two very well-attended and successful watershed “teach-ins” at the D Street Community Center and the Eureka Inn.
At press time, speakers had not been confirmed. Co-sponsoring organizations to date are CATS (Californians Against Toxic Substances), the North Group, Sierra Club, the Northcoast Environmental Center, and the Humboldt Watershed Council. For more information, call the NEC at 822-6918.
Conservation Committee Report
By Jim Clark
The Conservation Committee met at the Golden Harvest Cafe at noon on September 18, 2003. Jim Clark, Chet Ogan, Melvin McKinney and Phil Smyser were present.
Items of discussion were as follows:
Jim reported on off Road Vehicle (ORV) use in Lake Earl Wildlife Management Area and Tolowa Dunes State Park: He reported seeing clear signs of recent ORV trespass on a field trip with the Lake Earl Branch to Lake Earl and Tolowa Dunes and requested that the Committee support that the Chapter request the Department of Fish and Game enforce regulations restricting ORV use from these areas. All present agreed. Jim will coordinate with the Lake Earl Branch in making a formal request for such enforcement.
Solid waste exhumed along Eel. Jim reported that an illegal solid waste landfill was found near the mouth of the Eel River as a result a search warrant served by the Humboldt County Code Enforcement Unit. Buried waste, including the remains of two cows, was found in ten locations along the shoreline. More information will be available as the investigation continues.
Mel reported that several areas along the Humboldt Bay shoreline are eroding. Possible causes may be deposition of silt in some areas by the Elk River and dredging of the channel. The committee agreed that shoreline erosion can be caused by a complex set of conditions that require specific expertise. Mel is going to contact a geologist and look into it further.
The Salt River restoration: The committee looks forward to reviewing the results of the study that the Corps of Engineers has just started on restoration of the Salt River, a tributary of the Eel that was once navigable by steamships, but is now overgrown at the east end and has 25 feet of silt in it at the west end.
Eureka Marsh: The marsh will not incorporate a freshwater pond, as originally proposed. It does not appear that work that was scheduled to be completed by October 2003 will get done. The committee recommended that the Coastal Conservancy be notified that RRAS wants all Coastal Conservancy funding withheld from the City of Eureka until the Eureka Marsh project is completed. Several present believe that the City is delaying progress on the Eureka Marsh Project in an attempt to make the proposed “Traffic Congestion Relief Bypass” appear more reasonable. The proposed road would be built between the bay and the marsh, significantly altering several aspects of the marsh.
It might appear more reasonable to put a road through a marsh that is a nuisance due to illegal camping and unsanitary conditions, than to put it through an accessible, safe and restored wildlife sanctuary.
Chet presented a map of the Alto property, near Bayside, as a possible parcel for acquisition. The Committee agreed that it had potential conservation value due to the possibility for riparian restoration and some continued grazing after excluding cattle from the riparian areas.
Chet reported that the Arcata Bottom land use project is nearly completed and will provide a comparison of land use from 1941 to the present. The next section could be the area from Bayside to Eureka. This would provide important information to projects between Arcata and Eureka, such as the Highway 101 corridor improvement.
Do you have a conservation issue that you think needs to be addressed? Come to the next meeting October 16, 2003 at the Golden Harvest Restaurant at noon. The Conservation Committee is here to serve all of the members of Redwood Region Audubon Society. The Conservation Committee invites your participation. Consider getting involved with just one issue or project. Can't make the meetings? No problem! We will continue to try to accommodate the schedules of most of the active participants.
Thanksgiving Means More Birds Than Turkeys
A bird count method perfectly suited to a family holiday will take place on Thursday, November 27 – a 1-hour tally from the comfort of your own home! The count should be made during any 1-hour period on Thanksgiving within a 15-foot diameter circle, typically located around a feeder.
The Thanksgiving Bird Count was begun in 1966 in Lynchburg, Virginia by Dr Ernest Edwards. In 2003, nearly 500 counters took part in the western region, where Arcata resident John Hewston serves as coordinator/compiler. To receive a form and instructions on how to participate, contact him at 707-822-5288.
Klamath Slide Show & Forum, October 16
RRAS and the North Group, Sierra Club are co-sponsoring a slide show and speakers on the Klamath River on Thursday, October 16. This free public event will be held from 7-9 p.m. at the Wharfinger Building on Waterfront Drive in Eureka. Michael Hentz will show slides of his summer kayaking trip from the remote headwaters to the mouth of the Klamath. NEC director Tim McKay will review such issues as water allocation and fisheries on the river. Other speakers may be added closer to the date. For more information, call Diane Beck at 445-2690.
Christmas Is Coming, the Birds Are Getting Counted
By Sue Leskiw
* Are joining more than 50,000 observers?
* Are contributing to the longest-running database in ornithology?
* Are setting an example of citizen science in action?
* Don’t even need to leave your house? (feeder observations count, too!)
Prior to the 20th century, people commonly engaged in a holiday tradition known as the Christmas “Side Hunt.” They would choose sides and go afield with their guns; whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered quarry won. Conservation was in its beginning stages at the turn of the century and many observers were becoming concerned about the indiscriminate slaughter of wildlife and concurrent declines in bird populations.
On Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman, an early officer in the Audubon Society, called for an end to the slaughter. He suggested that, rather than shooting birds, people count them. So began the Christmas Bird Count. Thanks to the inspiration of Chapman and the enthusiasm of 27 dedicated birders, 25 CBCs were held that day. The locations ranged from Toronto, Ontario to Pacific Grove, California, with most counts in or near the population centers of northeastern North America. Those original 27 Christmas Bird Counters tallied a total of 90 species (about 18,500 individual birds) on all the counts combined.
Modern-day CBCs are not limited to Christmas Day but are scheduled for a 24-hour period between December 14 and January 5. Celebrating the CBC’s second century in 2000, 52,471 participants were involved in 1823 counts. In 2003, 73,137,878 birds (an increase of over 20 million individuals from the previous year!) were tallied in 1981 counts. The counts have expanded beyond the original United States and Canada to include locations as far south as Argentina, changing the focus from North America to the Western Hemisphere.
The CBC’s primary objective is to monitor the status and distribution of populations across the Western Hemisphere through an all-day census of early winter bird numbers. When these data are combined with other surveys (e.g., Breeding Bird Surveys), we begin to see a clearer picture of how the continent’s bird populations have changed in time and space over the past century.
All are welcome to participate on any CBC. If you’ve every heard yourself say, “Maybe it’d be fun to learn birds,” here’s a great opportunity. Beginning birders are teamed with experienced ones. [Personal note: I make myself useful to my team by keeping track of how many of which birds are seen and exclaiming “There’s a bird!” for others to ID.] Participants count within a designated 15-mile circle on the given day. At the end of the day, counters are invited to meet at a local restaurant for the 3 C’s: compilation (of results), camaraderie, and (a bit of friendly) competition as to whom located the rarest bird!
Each December, RRAS holds a pre-CBC brush-up session on bird identification. A local expert shows slides of species that may be seen during the local counts. Mark your calendar for Friday, December 12, starting at 6:30 pm at the Humboldt County Office of Education, as we will continue last year’s successful practice of leading off with a potluck dinner.
As long as there are birds to be counted, the Christmas Bird Count will go on being the most popular, fun, and rewarding bird census the world over. We look forward to welcoming YOU to our growing community of citizen scientists.
To access data from past counts, visit the National Audubon Society website at www.audubon.org/bird/cbc.
Redwood Region Audubon Society welcomes the following new members and subscribers:
Arcata – Katherine Clague
Crescent City – Joe Gillespie
Eureka – Donna Brown, Sherry Douglas
Fortuna – Lauralee Green, Michelle Morton Macham
Escondido – S.J. Morris
We look forward to seeing you on field trips and at our monthly programs.