Kudos for an Arcata Marsh Docent
Here’s a letter to warm the hearts of all our invaluable RRAS trip leaders:
“Dear Audubon Friends:
While my wife and I were on vacation in Arcata on May 22, we went on a bird walk in the Arcata Marsh led by an Audubon volunteer. At that time I was contemplating birding as a hobby. Your volunteer did a wonderful job of awakening me to the possibilities of birding and I have pursued it since with growing enthusiasm.
I don’t know the name of your volunteer, but he did say he was a baker who volunteered during his work breaks. I enclose a check of $25 as a token of my thanks.
Cordially, Stan Mickel, Springfield, OH
Thank you, Michael Morris, for your inspiration to this visitor!
Garden Tour Continues to Be Popular
Nearly 300 tickets were sold for the second annual Wildlife & Native Plant Garden Tour held June 26. Following are highlights of surveys of attendees, volunteers, and garden owners.
Attendees
RRAS and CNPS reached a new audience through the event, as 48% of ticketbuyers responding to the survey belonged to neither organization.
82% had attended garden tours sponsored by other groups (so are knowledgeable when making comments).
When asked to rate the Garden Tour on a scale of 1 to 10, the responses were nearly equally divided between 8 and 10, with a few 9’s and some lower scores.
66% were “very likely” to attend a future tour, with an additional 28% “somewhat likely.”
Comments:
“A festive, friendly atmosphere”
“Knowledgeable owners were glad to share information”
“Gave us ideas and inspiration to work in our own yard, landscape our new home”
“Enlightening and just plain wonderful”
“A lovely day, thanks for the effort”
”Liked meeting the designers; appreciated plant lists and labels”
“A lovely way for nature lovers to have a field day together”
Volunteers
96% of the volunteers returning the survey were “very likely” to help on future tours!
50% gave their experience a 10; no one said it was below an 8.
Comments:
“Everyone was very enthusiastic”
“I was impressed by the enthusiasm and warm hospitality of the garden owners”
“Attendees thanked the owners for sharing their garden”
“Thanks for pairing me with such great people. The owners were so knowledgeable and spent an enormous amount of time with the visitors, who were very grateful”
“Well-received by all”
“The VIP Tour was fabulous and the picnic was way beyond fabulous”
Garden Owners
75% rated their experience a 10.
78% are “very likely” to open their garden for a future tour (others were “somewhat likely.”)
Comments:
“The organization and communication from A to Z were world class”
“Visitors were very courteous and gentle to our garden”
“A lot of excited attendees who couldn’t believe it [Potawot] was here. They are going to begin coming to tour the trails and birdwatch on a regular basis.”
“Wow! You sure are lucky to live here”
Thank You, Garden Tour 2004 Owners & Volunteers
We couldn’t have done it without you! This year’s owners were Bob & Anna Mae Botley, Freshwater Farms, Pete & Judy Haggard, Gael Hodgkins, Ron, Melanie & Betty Kuhnel, Joe & Deborah Roberts, Tom Schallert of the Blood Bank, and Eric Johnson representing Potawot.
Our crew of volunteers, who worked on jobs such as ticket takers, parking attendants, set up/clean up, picnic planning, interpretive docents, and site designers, were George Burtchett, Berit Carlsen, Gwynneth Carothers, Jim & Donna Clark, Andrea Culbertson, Sylvia de Rooy, Doug Deppe, Peggy Dunavan, Janelle Egger, Marcy Foster and her mom, Mark Fritzke, Mary Gearheart, Eve Gilmore, Margaret Gow, Judie Hinman, Bernie Huston, Nancy Ihara, Eric Johnson, Guy & Cindy Kuttner, Anita Leipper, Eric & Carol Larsen, Sue & Tom Leskiw, Grace Marton, Jane Meyer, Wanda Naylor, Chet Ogan, Carol & CJ Ralph, Gisela Rohde, Stan Shaffer, Philip & Rhonda Smyser, Shana Stearn, Gwen Thoele, Vicki Turner, Jill Tuttle, Cliff Van Cott, Jo Weisgerber, Berti Welty, Donna Wildearth, Joy Williams, and Leon Zlatkoff.
VIREO Looking for Support
Visual Resources for Ornithology (VIREO) -- a collection of 112,000 slides of 6500 bird species – is seeking funding to digitize its photo collection. A project of the Academy of National Sciences of Philadelphia, VIREO provides low-cost photographs to educators, birders, anyone who needs a slide for a presentation or publication. (For instance, RRAS purchased three for the Pam Flowers talk at this year’s banquet.)
All donations are tax deductible. For more information, e-mail VIREO@acnatsci.org or visit www.acnatsci.org/vireo.
Join Project FeederWatch
You can help scientists study winter bird populations by joining this project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It’s as easy as putting up a feeder, counting birds that visit, and submitting your counts through the Internet. Over 16,000 citizen scientists in the US and Canada are already involved. A participation fee of $25 brings you instructions, bird-feeding information, a poster, and a calendar. To learn more, call 800-843-BIRD or visit www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw.
Redwood Region Audubon Society Local Membership Category
Local membership in R.R.A.S. is available for our supporters who want to receive The Sandpiper, but not be members of National Audubon. The cost of this service is $15. Please make checks payable to R.R.A.S. and send to P.O. Box 1054, Eureka, CA 95502. Write LOCAL MEMBERSHIP on your check.
Keep Audubon in Mind
Whether it is time to honor someone special in your life, write or revise your will, or searching for tax benefits that will go towards conservation, Redwood Region Audubon Society (RRAS) is looking for gifts that will help support the mission of the organization. You can help us in many different ways, from asking for people to send donations instead of flowers in an obituary, to leaving a bequest of real or personal property. We are always looking for the ways and means of supporting the healthy ecology of birds in our region, so please consider contributing to RRAS, the next time an opportunity arises. Contact any one of our board members (see opposite page) for more information.