AudubonCanyonRanch

Number 33 BULLETIN Fall 2003

Generations of a Living Landscape

by Gwen Heistand GORDON SHERMAN

All morning at ’s Bolinas lowtail caterpillars are still inching slowly in search of Lagoon Preserve I have been watching two Northern a suitable place to pupate. Deer twins, whose after- flickers carrying food to their highly vocal young in birth I watched their mother lick from them two the alder bog. At the same time, an Allen’s humming- months ago, have almost lost their spots. And through bird pair cavort and click around the top of a tobacco it all the Swainson’s thrushes sing. It is July in tree. Thirty-seven quail babies (yes, 37!) Volunteer Canyon and I am nearly breathless from and assorted parents chuckle and chuff as they com- watching one generation folding into the next. plete their morning laps in the driveway. A young The land, too, is generational. The flicker’s alder brush rabbit leaves its sanctuary in the fenced-in gar- bog seems so complete, so well established. And yet I den to join them. On the lagoon, great egrets (some know that it is a result of the big storms of 1982-1983. of them recently fledged chicks) are silhouetted as I know that it is in a waning phase, that alders are not they feed on the outgoing tide. An American long-lived, that the snags created from downed trees goldfinch couple that set up shop in the streamside are what attract the numerous cavity nesters. I am also bamboo this year visits cow parsnip flower heads now aware of what I’m not seeing: teaching ponds dug in brown and full of seeds. Barn swallows, on their sec- the 1970s, blankets of introduced cape ivy patiently ond nesting in the bunkhouse, perform aerial maneu- removed, large berms once installed for flood control, vers high over the garden catching insects in mid air. remnants of the Crum House foundation where it An occasional yellow alder leaf flutters down in per- stood before it was moved to its present location. fect imitation of the foraging ruby-crowned kinglets There are visible hints of human generations in this in its boughs. Blue elderberries ripen. Scarlet mon- landscape as well: calla lily, foxglove, and narcissus keyflower blooms in the stream. A few pipevine swal- winding through equisetum, seep spring monkey continued on page 2 Page 2 Audubon Canyon Ranch

Preserve, names of individuals who are linked to this land have been transformed into the place itself. Bourne is a ridge, a fire trail where a logging skid trail once was, where harvester ants separate chaff and false tarantulas clean their burrows after the first rains. Parsons is a pond filled with copepods, backswimmers, water boatmen, dragonfly naiads, and no small amount of mystery. Henderson sings the descending trill of an orange-crowned warbler and hosts the yellow flowers of Oregon grape while overlooking our nesting white- winged ambassadors. Zumie winds through coffeberry and sagebrush, huckleberry and bay, live oak and pur- ple explosions of Douglas iris. Picher has a stream that spills over rocks, under which caddisfly larvae vibrate in their cases, past elk clover and liverworts and Pacific giant salamanders, and eventually flows into the old ACR PHOTO ranch yard to greet busloads of school children and Alis’ Tree, a Douglas fir named in honor of ACR’s original weekend visitors. Miller reminds us that the water naturalist Clerin “Zumie” Zumwalt’s wife Alis, was one of birds do indeed return every fall from points north to only two trees spared on this section of Bourne Ridge during gather in the lagoon for the winter. Harwell educates the woodcutting days of the late 19th century. Alis’ Tree is us about ecotones and edges transitioning from mixed now in the middle of a new Douglas fir forest that has woodland to redwood forest, redwood forest to coastal grown up since Audubon Canyon Ranch bought the property scrub, coastal scrub to grassland. Fog drip collects in in the early 1960s. Schwarz, providing moisture for the tall trees through- out the dry Mediterranean summers. Griffin loops through landscapes moist and sere, gives up vistas of flower, and ferns; the road base of old Highway One ocean and lagoon, passes places where the aria of a flowing under watercress and smartweed; the very winter wren morphs into a duet with a waterfall and bamboo that hosted the goldfinch pair this spring; lingers in the drops on five-fingered ferns. Pierson is a blue, pink, orange, yellow, and red flags marking marsh with cattails, red-winged black bird nests, cho- where elderberry, elkclover, big-leaf maple, and wild ruses of tree frogs, and two ponds containing newts rose have been planted. The landscapes of this place and wonder. are inextricably woven with human history and rich in Several Saturdays ago, I met a couple catching said visible signs of passing time. newts. Their son had brought them to the Bolinas Redwood youth, themselves bearing scars from the Lagoon Preserve when he was 10 years old, after a trip last big fire in the 1940s, sprout from once-logged old with his class. On this particular Saturday afternoon, growth ancestors. Coastal scrub marches over hillsides he was also catching newts along with his wife and that were once grazed and planted with potatoes. their ten year-old son. My conversation with three Douglas firs encroach on the marching coastal scrub and, in the Dead Horse Grove, five of them mark the continued on page 4, column 1 buried corpses of J.P., Champ, and Lady, horses once belonging to Walter McLaren, the general mainte- nance manager of Canyon Ranch from 1950-1975. A Young Miwok charmstone found in Garden Club Canyon’s California stream in 2000 spans centuries and cultures as it gets Quail passed in a circle from docent to child to docent. Trees above the Spring Trail completely engird an old boundary fence until it appears as if barbed wire grows from oak bark. And throughout GORDON SHERMAN Fall 2003 Page 3

THE LEGACY OF OAK WOODLANDS AT ACR’S BOUVERIE PRESERVE

by John Petersen

Illustrations by Ane Carla Rovetta

Of the 16 naturally occurring oak species in Then, as now, fire played a significant role in oak California, nine occur within the 535-acre Bouverie ecosystem management by reducing competing under- Preserve. This amazing diversity is mirrored in other story shrubs and creating the savannah-like landscape plant and animal families that make their homes with- that made acorn harvesting easier. Fire also limited the in the grassland, woodland, and chaparral communi- number of insect pests, thereby increasing production. ties. No doubt this rich ecosystem that includes the Woodlands were typically burned in the fall, when myriad of oaks is what attracted many of the Native temperatures were low and humidity high. A low, Americans to this region thousands of years ago, and it slow-burning fire would kill the grasses, shrubs, and continues to appeal to the many new visitors who competing tree seedlings of other species but not the experience Bouverie each year. fire-resistant oaks. Today, land managers who have “An acorn-bearing tree was undisturbed when until recently practiced fire suppression, again recog- guarded by four sticks placed against it”: so reports nize the age-old value of controlled burning in restora- Native American ethnographer John Hudson. This tion and maintenance of the natural landscape. marking showed ownership by an individual or family, We now manage oak woodlands in part because and that the tree was off-limits to others. Though oaks help wildlife survive. In pre-colonial California, acorns were abundant in early California and village Native Americans managed oak woodlands for their groups typically shared in their bounty, individual trees own survival and the survival of their communities. of maturity and consistency of production were valu- Acorn mush, meal, pancakes, and bread were all staple able commodities. Given the life span of oaks, some foods of the , Pomo, or Wappo that lived trees could have been “owned” for many generations! on the land that is now the Bouverie Preserve. It is said No surprise then that Native Americans practiced that Black Oaks (Quercus kelloggii) were preferred over some of the same natural resource management prin- all others, with the exception of the tasty Tanbark Oak ciples used today by professional land managers to (Lithocarpus densiflora; not a true oak). Black Oak acorns maintain and enhance both regional biodiversity and are large, slightly sweet, separate easily from the husk, food plant production. store well, and have a fat content approaching 14%. Nutritionally, they are comparable to the best grains continued on page 4, column 2 Page 4 Audubon Canyon Ranch

A Place to Return, from page 2 Oaks, from page 3

generations reminded me of a letter from Jeffrey currently available. The least favorite Hilliard who, in 1977 as a fourth grader, came to the were the acorns of the Valley Oak (Q. lobata), which preserve with his class and his father, who was one of tended to be mushy and mealy and used as a last resort the chaperones. Last year Jeffrey returned to the pre- when other acorns were scarce. serve, again with his class, only this time as a teacher. Each year a family would collect enough acorns to His father was, once again, one of the chaperones. last for two years, as a hedge against any future crop Invisibly woven through these experiences is the ener- failures. To process, acorns were cracked and the outer gy of Audubon Canyon Ranch volunteers and, in turn, skin removed. They were then pounded to a fine flour the people and landscapes that infused them with the with a mortar and pestle, then leached in baskets to desire and inspiration to give a gift of ponds and remove their bitter taste. The flour could then be used herons to young people. Jeffrey wrote, “…the preserve in a variety of culinary ways. It could be cooked as was just as beautiful as I remembered, the tall trees, mush, thinned into soup, flattened and heated into a clean air, and bustling wildlife, made me smile with crispy bread, or baked in an oven. nostalgic bliss … My students were treated to an edu- Although our need for oaks is different now, they cational experience that they will never forget; and my still contribute immeasurably to our quality of life, and father and I were able to renew our friendship with a continue to provide a meaningful connection between place that we have always remembered and loved.” us and the land. A place. Friendship with a place. Think of how John Petersen is ACR’s Associate Director and resides at amazing it is to have a place to return to twenty or Bouverie Preserve with his family. thirty years later in this day and age. A place where it is still possible to witness one generation passing the baton to the next; where names become canyons and trails through the woods; where we can read histories, human and other, in the landscape. A place where chil- dren bring their parents who bring their grandchildren and where students who have grown into teachers bring their students. When I think of magic it Snowy Egret has something to do with this sense of place. Every person who spends time here becomes part of Audubon Canyon Special thanks to Sylvia Thalman, of Miwok Archaeological Ranch’s generational Preserve of Marin, and to Foley Benson, of the Jesse Peter Museum legacy. Each carries with at Santa Rosa Junior College, for contributing to this article. them nesting birds and newborn deer; succes- ACR carries the following books on Native American sional landscapes folding history and culture in the bookstore at the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve: one into another; people who have lived, worked, The Pomo Indians of California and Their Neighbors by Vinson Brown and Douglas Andrews saved, and taught here; The Ohlone Way: Indian Life in the San Francisco- and a little piece of the Monterey Bay Area by Malcolm Margolin, illustrated land itself. And the land by Michael Harney contains a bit of them, of The Natural World of the California Indians by Robert F. us. How remarkable. Haizeer and Albert B. Elsasser The Coast Miwok Indians of the Area by Sylvia What a gift. Barker Thalman Gwen Heistand is the For a listing of fall California Indian Skills Classes or more Resident Biologist at ACR’s information about Marin and southern Sonoma’s first peo- ple, the Miwok, please visit the Miwok Archaeological

GORDON SHERMAN Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. Preserve of Marin website at www.mipom.org. Fall 2003 Page 5

DISTINGUISHED FRIENDS BENEFACTORS The generosity of Audubon Canyon Ranch supporters makes it ($250 - 499) ($100,000 or more) possible to continue our mission of nature preservation, Anonymous Anonymous education and research. We thank all the individuals and Joe & Caryn Ansel Estate of James & Tova Wiley organizations who contributed during this last fiscal year Richard Bachenheimer Richard Baird (July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2003). A permanent list of donors Law Offices of James T. Ball MAJOR BENEFACTORS whose cumulative gifts are $5,000 or more—ACR’s Grove of Julie Barney ($50,000 - 99,000) Honor—is located in the display hall at Bolinas Lagoon The Barth Foundation Frank A. Campini Foundation Gordon Bennett Preserve. Italics denote FRIENDS OF BOUVERIE PRESERVE. Ann H. Bentz Roy & Barbara Bouque BENEFACTORS William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation ($25,000 - 49,000) Peter & Eugenia Caldwell Elizabeth Crispin The Codding Foundation William J. Cassidy Marin Community Foundation Georgiana de Ropp Ducas Louis Cohen & Rebecca Vesterfelt Clorox Matching Gift Campaign Lady Mary Hyde Eccles Nancy & Dale Cox Clover Stornetta Farms, Inc. PATRONS Phyllis & George Ellman Henry S. & Vergilia Dakin Earl & Sue Cohen ($15,000 - 24,999) Eldorado Foundation Dr. Barbara E. Dittmann Howard & Jeanne Cohn Estate of Elya Bresler Dr. Sheldon P. Donig & Mr. Steven R. Virginia Coleman Bank of America Foundation Estate of Marie Lachapelle Dehart Frank Colin Bella Vista Foundation Estate of Anne M. Macpherson John & Betty Edwards Ann & Ken Davis Jane & Douglas Ferguson Sharon Enright Patricia Donchin LEADING SPONSORS Binny & Charles Fischer William & Gisela Evitt Wendy & John Doughty Don & Janie Friend Family Exchange Bank ($5,000 - 14,999) Roberta & Paul Downey Philanthropic Fund Jerome X. Fitzpatrick Sharon B. Duvall Winifred & Harry B. Allen Foundation The Robert & Michelle Friend Foundation Leslie L. Flint Kathleen Faircloth Tommy F. Angell James J. Gallagher Family Fund G.A.G. Charitable Foundation Gay & Anthony Frank Anonymous Tony & Laurel Gilbert Gamble Foundation Five States Energy Co., L.L.C. Autodesk, Inc. Charles Gresham Carol Guerrero Robert & Barbara Glauz Francois & Sheila Brutsch Dr. & Mrs. Robert E. Hahn Bryant & Diane Hichwa Cassie Gruenstein California Alpine Club Jack F. & Deyea Harper Heidi Hillenbrand Gerald & Madelon Halpern Lewis and Susan Coleman Family Fund Phillip & Naomi Holm Dwight L. Johnson IBM Corporation Community Foundation Sonoma Susan H. Hossfeld The Keon-Vitale Family Carolyn J. Johnson & Rick Theis County Chris & Bob Hunter, Jr. Marian Kirby Dr. & Mrs. Robert Kremers Sam Dakin & Mary Ianniccheri Dakin Jones-Smith Foundation Harriet & Tom Kostic Lamphier-Gregory Estate of Ellen Kipp Jan & Louis Lee Marvin & Joanne Krasnansky Eileen & Gordon Libby Estate of Lillian Baird Local Independent Charities Everdina Lampe June & John G. Lilienthal Estate of Shirley Hicklin Marin Audubon Society Joan Lamphier Kathleen L. Lingo Josephine Lawrence Hopkins Marin Sonoma Weed Management Douglas and Laverne Leach Charitable Karen Long Foundation Area Foundation March Foundation Laurie Lewis Alan Margolis & Sadja Greenwood Gaye & John LeBaron S. B. Master & James Symons Andrew & Tracy Matthes Dorothy C. Martin Kit & George Lee James May Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Ms. Arlene Naschke & Dr. Russ Messing Paul & Barbara Licht C. Alison McLean & Brian Smith Outrageous Foundation National Park Service Karin & John Lienart Kevin Mullally The San Francisco Foundation Alan & Virginia Pabst Lycee Francais La Perouse Judith Nadai Marilyn & Don Sanders Edna O’Connor Stephanie & William MacColl Richard Nelson The Schow Foundation John Osterweis & Barbara Ravizza L.G.& Flora Maclise Grace Perkins Jeffrey Sellon & Marilyn Burns Patagonia, Inc. Don & Mara Melandry Dr. & Mrs. Robert H. Perry, Jr. Jan Gerrett Snedaker Steve Rasmussen & Felicia Woytak Jane & George Miller Christine Pielenz & William Laven Norman Wolff The Schow Foundation Karen & Ted Nagel Dorine Real & Lee Tepper The George L. Shields Foundation Clark & Josephine Nattkemper Paul & Loretta Ruby MAJOR SPONSORS Betsy & Bob Stafford Robert & Joy Parker Neil Rudolph & Susan Cluff Heidi Stewart & John Weinstein Evert & Norma Person Elizabeth Salveson & Nick Heldt ($1,000 - 4,999) Susan Stoddard George S. Peyton, Jr. Ken & Marjorie Sauer Julie Allecta J. Holley Taylor Regina Phelps Margaret Saulsberry Clinton & Dorcas Allison The Upjohn California Fund Jeanne Price Michael & Susan Schwartz Anonymous Wells Fargo Foundation Linda & Jeff Reichel Maria & David Scott The Peter and Patricia Arrigoni Fund Ron Rosano & Susan Morrow Seeds of Learning John & Dianne Samples of the Marin Community Foundation SPONSORS Siebel Family Charitable Foundation Tom Atwood, Atwood Ranch Joyce & Jim Schnobrich Jane Singer & Douglas Lee ($500 - 999) Barbara R. Barkovich Jean F. Schulz Marion & Willis Slusser Mary & Mike Benziger Dr. & Mrs. Arthur Ablin Maurice A. “Skip” Schwartz Andrew Spalding & Lucien Remy Bishop Pine Fund Dwight & Kathy Allen I. Milo Shepard Jean & John Starkweather Shirley & Peter Bogardus Gayle A. Anderson Robert Smith & Janet Huseby Dr. Joan Steinberg Noelle & Richard Bon Anonymous Dennis M. Stowell Natsu Ota Taylor Mary L. Bowerman Anonymous in Memory of Jane Atkinson Steve & Britt Thal Lisa Teot Tom Bradner Richard & Alis Arrowood, Arrowood Valley of the Moon Lions Club Carolyn Timmins Jobst Brandt Vineyards Deborah & Joe Votek Marjorie & Barry Traub John E. and Helen K. Cahill Fund of Gerald & Jane Baldwin Westminster Presbyterian Church Louise Trudeau the Marin Community Foundation Dr. & Mrs. Donald Barbour Virginia Whipple Lee J. van der Ploeg California State Automobile Association Beringer Blass Wine Estates Kathryn & Jay Wright Peter John Watkins Mary Ann Cobb and Peter Wilson Jim & Jan Berkland Robert Yanagida Mildie & John Whedon Fund of the Vanguard Public Leonard & Patti Blumin Sue & Don Zimmerman Foundation Bunker & Company ChevronTexaco Gerald K. Cahill & Kathleen S. King ACR keeps careful records of every contribution that we receive. We regret that Clean Bay Incorporated Fund limited space makes it impossible to publish the name of every donor. In case of Compton Foundation, Inc. Chateau St. Jean errors and omissions, we apologize and ask that you contact us with corrections. CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Guided Nature Walks Fall & Spring Work Days Under the Heronry Bouverie Preserve Bolinas Lagoon Preserve Bolinas Lagoon Preserve Oct. 18, Nov. 8, Nov. 15, 2003 Saturday, November 8, 2003: Saturday, October 26, 2002 Jan. 10, Feb. 7, Mar. 20, April 3, Volunteer Canyon 9:30 AM — social Apr. 17, May 8, May 15, Sunday, March 7, 2004: Picher 10:00 AM — start May 22, 2004 Canyon We’ll finish around noon. 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM That’s right, UNDER the heronry: you Here’s your chance to experience the 1:00 PM — lunch won’t believe what you see and hear! Join beauty and rich natural history of this Help us with trail work, library work, former Resident Biologist, Ray Peterson, 500-acre preserve. Our half-day guided pulling weeds, planting native flowers, or and be exposed to ACR history as well as nature walks are on Saturdays throughout cooking the lunch (we provide). Bring to this very special place. Don’t forget to fall and spring. Hikers are chosen by your favorite tool for outdoor projects! bring friends for this short walk. lottery. Form must be returned one month Call 415/868-9244 to register. Free, but please call 415/868-9244 to prior to the walk. Call 707/938-4554 for Free, but please call to register so we can plan register. Space is limited to 20 participants. lottery form. on enough food! Ray Peterson No charge but donations appreciated. ACR Staff Docent Council of Bouverie Preserve Ranch Guide Training Resource Management Days Bolinas Lagoon Preserve Fall & Spring Work Days Bouverie Preserve Saturdays, January 31 to Bouverie Preserve Sept. 22, Nov. 10, 2003 March 6, 2004 Saturday, October 4, 2003 Jan. 12, Feb. 9, April 5, This six Saturday program is designed to Saturday, March 6, 2004 May 10, 2004 convey basic information about Audubon 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM 8:15 AM to 12:30 PM Canyon Ranch history, the preserve, trail 1:00 PM — lunch techniques, and BLP’s nesting colony of Come help clear trails, pull non-native herons and egrets. Those interested in Come help spruce up the preserve by plants, or work in the native plant garden. sharing knowledge and appreciation of working on the trails, in the native plant Bring gloves, a lunch and lots of energy. nature during our public weekends, please garden, around the formal gardens, in the Drinks and tools will be provided. call 415/868-9244. library, or cooking the lunch (which we Resource management days are limited to provide). Bring your favorite tool for 15 participants for each day. Call 707/938- Gwen Heistand outdoor projects! 4554 to register. Bolinas Lagoon Preserve Resident Biologist Call 707/938-4554 to register. ACR Resource Management Staff Free, but please call to register so we can plan on enough food! WISH LIST ACR Staff WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE FOLLOWING ITEMS, WHICH ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE WHEN DONATED TO ACR. Riding Lawnmower Outdoor Heaters Large Outdoor Canopy Tent

IF YOU CAN HELP, PLEASE CALL YVONNE PIERCE AT 415/868-9244. ANE CARLA ROVETTA

For complete information on the events listed here, Participation is by advance reservation. see our website — www.egret.org. Seminars take place rain or shine. Or call (415) 868-9244 Refunds are made, less a $10 processing fee, when you betweeb 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM weekdays, notify us two weeks prior to the class meeting date. or e-mail: [email protected] Refunds are not made for late cancellations. Page 7 Audubon Canyon Ranch

DONOR Q & A

by Cassie Gruenstein

I often receive interesting questions about the But gifts from indi- money side of ACR from donors, volunteers, and vidual, corporate, Preserve visitors. Here are answers to four of the most and foundation common questions I’ve received from ACR friends in supporters will the last year. ensure we can con- Q: How is the state of the economy affecting ACR? tinue to provide these transportation scholar- A: Like nearly every non-profit organization I know, ships. These scholarships ACR is feeling the effects of a local economy no are an ACR priority and longer buoyed by dot-coms and impacted by domes- are required to ensure the tic and foreign affairs. ACR is fortunate: We have a full participation of the diversity large network of loyal friends and supporters. We of schools in our area. have a dedicated cadre of volunteers, staff, and Board members, all working to ensure that excellent pro- Q: I want to make a larger gift to ACR, but am grams retain their high quality. We have a long track concerned about stretching my personal check- record of proven successes in our programs, and we book. Do you have any suggestions? are being cautiously optimistic, but we are not uncon- A: I am a personal fan of giving on “the installment cerned about the future. We have “tightened our plan.” I make several large pledges to organizations I belt.” The Board of Directors and Staff closely exam- care about most, and each month I give them an ined and recently approved the 2003-04 budget to installment that is affordable to me and doesn’t break make sure we were not spending unwisely. We have my bank. ACR is well equipped to track pledges, decreased the endowment spending rule to make sure change credit cards monthly, or remind you that it’s we have adequate reserves for years to come. And we time for your next installment via check or gift of are asking our donors to continue their support and stock. You can also inquire as to whether the company consider increasing their gifts to ACR’s annual fund, you work for will match your donation. Or, you could to help the organization be as strong as it’s been for ask a friend, relative, family-owned or local business if the last forty years. they will join you in supporting a wonderful organiza- Q: Are we in danger of no longer being able to tion and match your personal gift. Finally, you might provide busing scholarships for elementary consider including ACR in your estate plans, which is schoolchildren visiting the Preserves? a wonderful way of pledging a future gift and express- ing your support for the long-term health of ACR. A: No. ACR is firmly committed to provide transportation funding to Q: I want to make a gift in memory of someone schools requesting scholar- who recently passed away. Can I do this? How do ships. This year, with you notify their family? potential education cut- A: ACR receives generous gifts each year that honor backs across the the memory of a loved one or commemorate a special state, we are event or accomplishment in someone’s life. For each receiving more gift we receive, we will notify anyone you like of this requests than memorial or honoraria with a customized card. ever, especially from urban Do you have a question for Cassie Gruenstein, and under- ACR’s Development Director? You can reach her at served areas. 415/868-9244 x19 or [email protected] DRAWINGS BY ANE CARLA ROVETTA DRAWINGS Page 8 Audubon Canyon Ranch

LAMPHIER BEQUEST BASED ON SCIENCE AND SENTIMENT

by Phil Murphy So when ACR’s Executive Director Skip Schwartz, children’s letters in hand, encouraged Joan Lamphier’s motivation to include the board to include ACR in their wills, she did. Audubon Canyon Ranch in her will was equal “Board President Sue Stoddard seconded parts science and sentiment. Skip’s bequest plea,” Joan said. “That did it for A founder of Lamphier-Gregory, an East me. There are many gifts people give to the Bay consulting firm that specializes in urban Ranch, including time and expertise. I wanted to planning and environmental analysis, Joan give for both the short-term and the long-term. and her colleagues have studied the envi- My bequest is my long-term gift.” ronmental impacts of proposed shopping Since 1969, when a friend introduced her to malls, vineyards, jails, housing develop- the Ranch, she has brought others to the Bolinas ments, and other projects for almost 25 Lagoon Preserve including her firm’s staff and her years. late husband, Chronicle reporter Robert Popp. It’s tough work, she says, but she finds “He was more of a beach person, but he hiked perks in the grinding field studies her profes- the preserve trails and looked at the egrets sion demands, like spotting a juvenile Red- because he knew I loved it so much.” tailed Hawk making its own circling assess- ACR is honored to enroll Jean Lamphier as a ment of the land under review. member of its Clerin Zumwalt Circle, which In the same way, Joan, a first-year ACR annually honors those who have included the board member, enjoys hearing both scientific Ranch in their estate plan. presentations by ACR staff and moving letters from children who have toured the Ranch, which For information on the Circle, or to request a free she calls “one of the most beautiful places I have estate planning packet, call Cassie Gruenstein at ever seen.” 415/868-9244, ext. 19. ANE CARLA ROVETTA

ACR’S JOURNAL OF RESEARCH & RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The 2003 edition of The Ardeid, Experimental assessment of wild turkey impacts at a yearly report on Research and the Bouverie Preserve Resource Management at Audubon The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory of birds on Canyon Ranch, is now available. provides a template for future studies Subjects discussed in the current Research conducted by visiting investigators on edition include: ACR lands Twenty-five years of monitoring Updates for ACR research and resource mangage- herons and egrets at the Marin ment projects islands Breeding and winter bird use in To request a copy, call 415/663-8203. Livermore Marsh following the To view The Ardeid as PDF pages, see our website: reintroduction of tidal circulation www.egret.org.

At left, an ink-wash painting of a Great Blue Heron by Claudia Chapline, Stinson Beach artist, gallery

CLAUDIA CHAPLINE owner, and friend of ACR. Thanks to Claudia’s generosity, the artwork has become The Ardeid’s logo. Fall 2002 Page 9

THE ACR STORY ON VIDEO & DVD

Spotted Bull Productions, in collaboration with Bay Area Backroads host and creator Doug McConnell, has generously produced pro bono the story of Audubon Canyon Ranch. The eight-minute long production beautifully captures the wonderful complexity of the organization and the numerous ways ACR’s programs and people work together to advance ACR’s mission of preservation, education, and research. We’re thankful that Brian Cardello and Jack Uhalde volunteered to contribute their creative talents to the task of translat- ing the ACR experience into a powerful visual mes- sage. The finished product is online at www.egret.org and can be viewed using Quicktime. We’re also happy to send friends of ACR copies of the video or DVD so that when you can’t be here, you can view it and be reminded of why ACR is such a wonderful place! We encourage you to contact us at (415) 868-9244 if you would like to receive a copy of the ACR Story or would like a copy to send to friends and colleagues. Available as a DVD (pictured here) or a videocassette is For more information on Spotted Bull Productions, the story of ACR from Spotted Bull Productions. please visit their website at www.spottedbull.net.

STAFF NOTES

Susan Prince tion of nature and to instill a strong conservation Last March, ACR ethic.” Susan has also worked with Point Reyes Bird welcomed Susan Observatory and at the Clem Miller Environmental Ed Prince as the new Center and currently resides in Point Reyes. Weekend Program Facilitator. Susan Michael Parkes assisted volunteer We are happy to report that the 2003 Helen Pratt Ranch Guides and Fellow has agreed to continue working with ACR for Hosts at the Bolinas another year! Michael Parkes is the second biologist to Lagoon Preserve receive the Fellowship, which was designated in 2001 through the public as a paid internship designed to continue the heron season. Susan says, and egret research conducted voluntarily by Helen

ACR PHOTO “I have loved the Pratt for over 30 years. In addition to monitoring the outdoors all my life. In Picher Canyon colony at Bolinas Lagoon Preserve, Bend, Oregon I worked as an activist advocating pro- Mike will continue work on a regional heron and tection of the ponderosa pine forests. Later on, I egret atlas and provide assistance for other research switched to environmental education. I spent a couple and resource managment projects conducted by the of years taking children out into the field. For young Cypress Grove Research Center. people, this is such a great way to awaken an apprecia- WHEN TO VISIT

Bolinas Lagoon Preserve Mid-March to mid-July: Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Weekdays by appointment only; call (415) 868-9244. Closed Mondays. Bolinas Lagoon Preserve is adjacent to Bolinas The Audubon Canyon Lagoon on State Highway One, three miles Ranch Bulletin is north of Stinson Beach. published twice yearly by Audubon Canyon Cypress Grove Preserve Ranch as a free offering to ACR By appointment only. (415) 663-8203. donors and supporters. Edited and designed by Bouverie Preserve Claire Peaslee. By appointment only. (707) 938-4554. ©2003 Audubon See schedule of events, inside. Canyon Ranch. Printed on 50% recycled paper (20% post- www.egret.org consumer) using soy- e-mail: [email protected] based inks.

The Mission of Audubon Canyon Ranch: ❖ Preserve, protect and manage ACR properties as sanctuaries for native plants and animals. ❖ Educate children and adults about the natural environment and the need to protect it, through the experience and enjoyment of ACR sanctuaries. ❖ Support research and conservation efforts that enhance the preservation and management of ACR sanctuaries.

Audubon Canyon Ranch Non-profit 4900 Highway One Organization U.S. Postage Stinson Beach, CA 94970 PAID (415) 868-9244 GMS

Audubon Canyon Ranch — wildlife sanctuaries and centers for nature education and research Bolinas Lagoon Preserve • Cypress Grove Research Center • Bouverie Preserve