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Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy 2015 ANNUAL REPORT Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy | 916 Silver Spur Road, #207, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 | www.pvplc.org | 310-541-7613 preserve restore educate enjoy Dear Friends The Conservancy, with a bold mission to preserve and restore large areas of natural land on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, was built by people with big ideas and remarkable resolve. Conserving over 1,600 acres of land and connecting people to nature has allowed our organization to grow over the past 28 years from a big dream to a wonderful reality. We now have dedicated staff fortified by an increasing volunteer base to undertake the ongoing requirements of land restoration, land care, nature interpretation and trail needs. We are pleased to share this 2015 annual report that shines a spotlight on our volunteers and celebrates the many hands, heads and hearts that support local conservation and education programs. Volunteers and generous financial contributors are vital to our success. This year we have added two new groups: a President’s Advisory Council and the Golden Poppy Heritage Circle. Preserve2014 land With your support in 2015, we were able to plant thousands of native plants, restoring habitat and offering opportunities andhig restorehligh ts for people to connect with natural land in their own community. Our commitment to preserve and restore these lands continues, and the needs are deepening. As an increasing number of people visit natural lands for respite and recreation, habitat for the we are increasingly challenged to balance the public visits with environmental considerations. We are also faced with a growing body of evidence that suggests declining participation by children and youth in nature-based outdoor activities. education and Now, more than ever, we need to engage people of all ages and inspire them to form a connection to nature. enjoyment of all. Thank you for your continued support of local land conservation, Cassie Jones Bill Swank Andrea Vona President, Board of Directors 2016 President, Board of Directors 2015 Executive Director 3 Bruce Biesman-Simons (center) with daughters Bria and Catalina; seated left to right Hale Field, Betty Field Strauss with dogs Linus and Lucy m 6 Preserve Restore Stewardshiphighlights Bruce Biesman-Simons and Hale Field Planted over 21,100 locally Bruce Biesman-Simons and Hale Field created a beautiful home for their family in San Pedro; however, their grown native plants throughout 7 different restoration projects “backyard,” a former missile site, was a mess. In the mid-1990s the San Pedro community came together to create a ____________________________ plan for White Point. One of the potential uses of the land was a nature preserve with the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Restored 5 acres of coastal Conservancy providing stewardship of it. Bruce and Hale liked the idea and got involved. sage scrub at Portuguese Bend, half-acre of Palos Hale was no stranger to the importance of preservation. She was raised in the upper Portuguese Bend area before it Verde blue butterfly habitat at was Rancho Palos Verdes. Her mother, Betty Field Strauss, was part of a trio of women who spearheaded the city’s Chandler Reserve, 1 acre of 2014coastal bluff habitat at Abalone incorporation in an effort to save the coastline from Los Angeles County’s high-density development plans. That period Covehi gandh 1 lacreig of hcoastalts provided a young Hale with a great civics lesson. “The power of a small group of people is amazing and when they set sage scrub at White Point, with help from AmeriCorps their mind to something… it carries forward.” employees and community volunteers Bruce took an active role in the White Point discussions, frequenting Los Angeles City Council meetings and ____________________________ speaking to community groups. His efforts were noticed by the Conservancy, and he was invited to join its board of Protected habitat by closing directors, more recently serving as its president for two years. In 2001, Bruce and Hale hosted the Conservancy’s first 140 damaging spur trails throughout the Palos Verdes fundraising event for the new White Point Nature Preserve. The event has since expanded into the annual White Point Nature Preserve and White Home Tour. Point Nature Preserve ____________________________ People often ask Bruce why natural space is so important to him. The South African native recalls his big Savannah Grew 39,000 plants in the experiences and having lots of access to the natural world. “For me, being in a natural outdoor setting is the best way native plant nursery to support to recharge my batteries.” restoration efforts and native plant sales ____________________________ Hale remembers a large meadow, now the Peninsula Center, where she and her friends played, and the haystacks in Lunada Bay. “There was just a lot of open space. ... And we had horses, and we used to ride up in what is now 838 locally grown native plants provided to the public the Portuguese Bend Preserve,” she says. “We were kind of wild; well, not wild—free.” for drought tolerant gardening through plant sales at the White The importance of land preservation continues. “We’re only going to get more people in California, so there’s Point Nature Preserve, at the always going to be a population pressure,” Hale says. “And that’s why it’s so important to support things like South Coast Botanic Gardens, the California Native Plant the Conservancy.” Society and special events 3 4 6 Education Educate Enjoy highlights Evi Meyer Field Trip Programs reached 37,976 students and 8,195 The more people know about the natural wonders in their own backyard, the more likely they are to enjoy it—and the parent volunteers since it more likely they are to care for it, and protect and preserve it. began over 20 years ago ____________________________ “Once people make that connection, you can really excite them,” says Evi Meyer, a volunteer for the Palos Verdes 3,367 students and 696 Peninsula Land Conservancy’s Third-Grade Naturalist Program. The program, which began in 1995, was designed to parents/teachers enjoyed get people involved with nature at a young age. In four classroom sessions, volunteers like Meyer teach the children the Third Grade Naturalist about the area’s unique geology, wildlife, and early inhabitants. Those lessons then culminate with a field trip, often Program and Science Students to the White Point Nature Center or the George F Canyon Nature Center, where they immerse themselves in the as Stewards Program ____________________________ natural, outdoor classroom. 2014highlights Nature Centers and their “Being outside and exploring nature is not something the children do on a regular basis,” Meyer explains. “When we programs impacted 12,458 take them out on the walks, we let them use all of their senses. We let them touch, we let them smell.” patrons ____________________________ Meyer began volunteering in 1999 after learning about it in her son’s third-grade class. “I thought, ‘This program is so 390 participants attended 13 cool. How can I be a part of this?’” presentations and workshops For her part, she infuses what she loves—education, science, the outdoors, birding—and gives that knowledge and on such topics as water conservation strategies, passion to younger generations. drought-tolerant gardens, and backyard birding Meyer’s involvement with the Conservancy doesn’t stop with the third-graders. An avid birder, she has participated in ____________________________ two of the Conservancy’s Citizen Science projects: a five-year bird monitoring project at the Three Sisters Reserve in Rancho Palos Verdes and the Peninsula-wide Cactus Wren Monitoring project. Meyer and other volunteers noted an 1,000 patrons attended increase in native bird populations, especially the California gnatcatcher and cactus wren, as more natural habitat has the first Conservancy presentation of the Wild been restored. & Scenic Film Festival ____________________________ While working on the cactus wren project, Meyer became familiar with a particular pair, a male and female she called Bravo and Charlie. She followed the two birds for about six months and photographed them through courtship and 17 Citizen Science volunteers parenthood. Meyer shared their story and her exceptional photographs in the book “A Bravo for Charlie,” published did weekly wildlife tracking to benefit the Conservancy. and cactus wren monitoring to document breeding activity Meyer, born and educated in Switzerland, a land famous for its natural beauty, says she is “very impressed” with the and territory Conservancy’s efforts. “They just really get it right,” she says. “Conservation is top priority for them—and it is top priority for me as well.” 5 l “I believe education is the key to success Volunteers for the preservation and future protection Celebrating of open spaces. Students participating in the Conservancy’s Third Grade and S3 programs gain an understanding of how important open spaces are for “Having grown up in environmentally aware Elizabeth Eastman their own personal health as well as the Germany, it was natural to join the Conservancy. health of the planet. When working with Being an active member for 25 years and Russ Richer the students I see a very encouraging seeing the Conservancy evolve from a group of enthusiasm which increases my optimism dreamers to a widely respected land preservation about our shared future.” organization has been the thrill of my life!” Elizabeth Eastman, Docent, White Point Anke Raue, Nature Walk Leader Nature Center and 3rd Grade Program Amy Friend Anke Raue Pat Benjamin “Having been involved from the very inception of the effort to create the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, “Having hiked across much of the USA, I particularly enjoy working with the I have seen first-hand the enormous “The peace of wild things--that’s why I volunteer volunteers who willingly give their amount of work that goes into establishing for the Land Conservancy--to protect the lovely time and energy to help protect the a sustainable trail structure and this landscapes and pleasant paths, the special critically rare habitat and who enjoy motivates me.