TORREYANA

THE DOCENT NEWSLETTER FOR TORREY PINES STATE NATURAL RESERVE

Issue 380 January 2017

Another Successful Docent Holiday Party Docent General Meeting by Ray Barger Saturday, January 14, 9 am arly morning overcast skies gave way to bursts of sunshine Location: St. Peter’s Episcopal Rec Hall, Del Mar E for the approximately 140 guests at the 2016 Torrey Pines holiday potluck party held on Saturday, December 10 at Torrey Speaker: Bob Guza, Professor Emeritus, Scripps Circle next to the Lodge. Institution of Oceanography Topic: Beach Sand Loss Prof. Guza received his BA from Johns Hopkins University and his MS and PhD from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD. His research has included beach and cliff erosion; pollution transport and dilution in the surf zone; and regional wave networks. Refreshments: Docents with last names beginning with A– C will be responsible for providing snacks for this meeting.

Ingo expressed his appreciation saying, “Thank you, Class of 2016, for your terrific job in hosting a very successful holiday party. Folks had a great time bonding and this is an important aspect of keeping our docent society strong and fun!”

Photo by Ray Barger The Class of 2016 extends our gratitude to the many experienced docents who helped us conduct a successful, memorable holiday Hosted by the Class of 2016, who also decorated the Lodge, the event. In particular we party featured mulled wine and a wonderful collection of potluck recognize Denise Rivera Inside appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, and desserts prepared by the (Lodge decorations leader), President’s Letter 2 attendees. Under the guidance of Leigh Fenly, 17 brightly Jeannie Smith, Ingo Renner, Membership News 2 colored tables, with artful centerpieces, were arrayed adjacent to Frank Burham, Arlene the food and drink. Good cheer and holiday wishes were shared Weinerman, and Thomas Children’s Program 3 by the docents, rangers, aides, and friends of TPDS who attended. Stehlik and Jeff Elman (mulled Docent of the Year 4 wine), along with Park Aides President Ingo Renner presented awards for Docent of the Year New Docent Training 4 Johnson Jou and Jake to Pao Chau and Volunteer of the Year to Brian Fujita (see TP Book Club 4 Mumma for their invaluable pages 4 & 5). In addition, Ingo recognized three departing TPDS Volunteer of the Year 5 assistance. A key tradition once Board members, Frank Burham, Jan Lombardi, and Steve more closes with joy and best CEED January trip 5 Tarkington, along with 13 docents who achieved “Lifetime” wishes to all for a prosperous, In Memoriam – Paul Whitby 6 status for serving 10 years: Joan Adamo, Chuck Anders, fulfilling and service-oriented of the Month 6 Joellen Barnett, Rhea Bridy, Patricia Burke, Susan Buxbaum, 2017. Marian Casazza, Sherry Doolittle, Peggy Florentino, Ann Bird of the Month 7 Heinemann, Herbert Knüfken, Chris Richter, and Sally (photos on pg. 3) Bird Survey 7 Whitlock.

January 2017 Torreyana 1 The Torrey Pines Docent Society publishes the Torreyana monthly, edited by Joan President’s Letter: Simon and Dan Hammer on alternate months, and is formatted and produced by 2017, Here We Come! Roger Isaacson. Submissions are due on or about the 20th day of the preceding month ew Year’s greetings from the Torrey Pines and may be emailed to N Docent Society Board of Directors. We wish [email protected]. you an engaging 2017, sharing the joys and Circulation manager: Marian Casazza mysteries of nature with our Reserve visitors. Extra copies of the printed Torreyana may Take the time to slow down and cherish Torrey be found in the docent library. Pines during this winter season. Look out for Gray Please send postal/ Whales as they pass by our coastline or scour tidal email address changes to: pools for marine life during minus tides. The Torrey Pines Docent Society chaparral is already bursting forth with new greenery after the first rains P.O. Box 2414, Del Mar, CA 92014 and hopefully the cold is chilling those pesky Ips beetles, hastening them Attn: Membership or email to to their demise. [email protected] Web sites: We welcome three new board members this year: Ray Barger as Vice TP Docent Society: torreypine.org President; Steve Neal and Pao Chau as Directors at Large. New to the TP Association: torreypines.org Nominating Committee is Don McGuire. We look forward to their fresh perspectives and are confident the docent society will continue to grow in Visitor Center phone: 858.755.2063 exciting new directions. TPDS 2016 Board Members: President: Ingo Renner I encourage you all to stay involved in the many activities around the Vice-president: Ray Barger Reserve and to spread happiness and intrigue on our trails. Treasurer: Gerry Lawrence See you on the trail, Secretary: Annette Ring Ingo Renner Directors-at-large: President, TPDS Pao Chau Roger Isaacson Steve Neal Lynne Small Membership News Janet Ugalde At the January 14 Docent Meeting: TPSNR Staff: Supervising Ranger: Dylan Hardenbrook Active Docents, who have completed and recorded the required Rangers: Kyle Knox, Jesus "Chuy" Salinas service hours and paid 2017 dues by January 1, may pick up "2017" Rodriguez, Mike Winterton labels (fluorescent yellow) for their light-blue docent parking pass. Sr. Park Aides: Louis Sands, Jake Mumma Supporting Docents, who have paid their dues by January 1, may Park Aides: Joy Inton, Johnson Jou also pick up their parking labels. (Interpreter) Lifetime Docents may pick up a "LIFE" sticker for their parking pass. © Torrey Pines Docent Society Since 1975 2017 State "VIP (Volunteers in Parks)" passes will also be available All rights reserved at the meeting for docents with 100+ (County Parks) and 200+ (State Parks) hours of service.

If you have questions, contact Carol Smith, Membership Coordinator FLASH From Joy Inton: Don’t at [email protected] forget to donate your ZooNooz magazines to the Museum Shop.

January 2017 Torreyana 2 (cont. from pg. 1)

Again this year, the Holiday Party was held at Torrey Circle, allowing the Visitor Center to stay open. Photos by Herb Knüfken

New Lifetime docents, L-R: Sally Whitlock, Chris Richter, Peggy Fiorentino, Sherry Doolittle, Joan Adamo, (Pres. Ingo Renner), Chuck Anders, Joellen Barnett, Herb Knüfken, and Ann Heinemann Not present: Rhea Bridy Patricia Burke, Susan Buxbaum, Marian Casazza

Children’s Program Welcome Winter — please bring us lots of rain! by Janet Ugalde, Children’s Program Director The Children’s Program resumes January 3, following the holiday break. This January we are pleased to host THREE Ocean, Whales, & Dolphins program -- a docent favorite. Docents, we still have opportunities for your participation. Here is our fall report card: we hosted 1500 students, grades 2-5, from 19 elementary schools. Thirty amazing President Ingo Renner and Docent of the Year Pao Chau docents donated 600 hours. THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to our success!

January 2017 Torreyana 3 out on time every month. Lest this pitch is running too Docent of the Year: long, I understand that there is a big team working with Pao Chau Nancy Woodworth to keep the Museum Shop running; Photo by Herb Knüfken there is the team of Jeannie Smith and the trainers and mentors who guide a new class every year; and behind eing named Docent of the Year makes one great the special and public walks are Ann Williamson, Jan B holiday present. Thank you! Perhaps I should explain Lombardi, and Roger Isaacson. what I have done and what I have learned, especially the I’m truly grateful to have so many great and talented activities I have spent a lot of time on. docents making my tasks easier. I need to thank you all. First, the TIK, where For more information on Pao: Torreyana November 2014 when I cut my teeth. The he was Docent of the Month: bottles are magically restocked. The books are masterfully New Docent Training 2017 balanced and kept. As Our docent training will begin again the last with most activities, Saturday of February. We have room for about five more trainees. If you meet someone interested in I have done only the becoming a docent, please direct them to the easy part. The TIK is Volunteering Section of our website where they will a good example that find an application to fill out and submit according regardless of the to the instructions. The application is required for activity, there is acceptance into the program. always someone or a -- Susan Buxbaum, Sherry Doolittle, Bruce & Patty team working Montgomery, Jeannie Smith, & Linda Zlotnik tirelessly and quietly behind the scene. At the TIK, Frank Burham is my model. I first picked up on Torrey Pines Book Club how he was keeping the TIK ticking. (Sally Whitlock, and When: Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2:00 pm now Karen Lisi, help with the scheduling, and Donna Where: Janet Speer's home in Del Mar Close does the books.) For the recycling job the docents What: Rarest Blue: “The Remarkable Story of an Ancient used to do, I remember how Frank and Bob Doolittle Color Lost to History and Rediscovered” by Baruch Sterman fixed the recycle bins and managed the storage shed, just so our smelly jobs were more bearable (while Amazon says: Marian Casazza did the scheduling). For centuries, dyed fabrics ranked among the most expensive objects of the ancient Mediterranean world, I routinely just show up with the Whacky Weeders and fetching up to 20 times their weight in gold. Huge fortunes the Seabees, but I know very well that Lynne Small were made from and lost to them, and battles were fought spends a lot of time scouting for trouble spots, and over control of the industry. The few who knew the dyes' Michelle Kurtis Cole did so with the maintenance sites. complex secrets carefully guarded the valuable knowledge. Lynne makes sure we have the tools and bags we need, The Rarest Blue tells the amazing story of tekhelet, or and likewise, Michelle and Jake Mumma, who is now hyacinth blue, the elusive sky-blue dye mentioned 50 times leading the Seabees, maintain a garage-worth of tools. in the Hebrew Bible. The Minoans discovered it; the Phoenicians stole the technique; Cleopatra adored it; and The Garden Committee required a lot of work to plan and Jews -- obeying a Biblical commandment to affix a single design the plaques at the Lodge and in Whitaker Garden, thread of the radiant color to the corner of their garments -- and Pete di Girolamo, who leads the committee, risked their lives for it. But with the fall of the Roman shouldered most of the key tasks. I just showed up. And Empire, the technique was lost to the ages. the same with the Children’s Program. There wouldn’t be any kids if not for Louis Sands and Janet Ugalde doing All TPDS docents are welcome. Meetings usually last a all the planning, as well as the recruitment of Title I couple of hours. RSVP to Janet Speer if you plan to attend. (Check Member List for email or phone number.) schools. As I try to meet the deadline for Joan Simon, I know she has a team to make sure the Torreyana gets Feb. 14 meeting: Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

January 2017 Torreyana 4 Volunteer of the Year: fact, they are very intelligent, passionate, dedicated, caring, hard-working people. Brian Fujita Kristine then told me about the San Elijo Lagoon Platoon where you get to work with a biologist and learn about the Lagoon. She also asked me if I wanted to help the Solana Beach Garden Club at the post office. I will leave those stories for another time. Being a volunteer at Torrey Pines has put me in my happy place. Being with Frank, Bill, Ingo, Pao, Steve N, Joe, Jim, Pete, Bob, Herb, Wes, Stuart, Lynne, Diane, Sherry, Steve T, Barbara B, Michelle, Donna , Kristine, Annette, Hilda, Jake and all the other docents makes it even happier. Can't forget master driller, Cliff. Since Kristine became a docent, we receive periodic requests to help her with roadside cleanups. You know what that means. Want to go pick up some trash? Photo by Herb Knüfken Thank you for choosing me for Volunteer of the year. t is quite an honor to be named Volunteer of the Brian became an employee with the Maintenance I Year. Working with the Whacky Weeders and Department at Torrey Pines in September 2015, but Seabees I have met so many good people, which keeps continues to volunteer with the docents on his days off. (For me coming back. I remember first coming to Torrey more about Brian see Torreyana, October 2015, p. 5.

Pines in 1970 when I went to the Lodge and Fat Man's Misery. In 1997, I met Kristine Schindler. She asked me to pick up some trash with her and I said “okay.” Later she asked if I wanted to hike in Torrey Pines with her and that day we hiked every trail in the Reserve. In 2011, Kristine started training as a docent and took me to the Extension to practice what she'd learned on me. She told me about the Whacky Weeders and suggested I might be interested in working with them. That's when I met Lynne Small and found out what a phenomenal leader she is and what awesome people are in her group. After joining the Whacky Weeders, Kristine told me about another group, the Seabees, she thought I'd be interested in. So I built some boxes with Sheldon Krueger and his group. Some months later, Kristine told me that Ingo Renner needed help on the Parry Grove Trail putting in some eye-rods. There I saw this very Can you identify where this photo was taken? (Not in ) serious hard-working woman, who I later learned was Answer is at the bottom of pg. 6. Photo by Dan Hammer Michelle Kurtis Cole, the future head of the Seabees and another awesome leader. On one of my first days CEED trip with the Seabees I came with six different tools. Who Date: Thursday, Jan. 19 comes with exactly the same tools, plus one? Donna Time: Leave @ 7:30 am; arrive @ 10:00 am Close, also known as "Redline," the energizer bunny, kick Place: Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife ass, and two step. At that point, I started thinking: Who Duration: 4 - 6 hrs are these docents? They are not average people. In

January 2017 Torreyana 5

In Memoriam: Paul Whitby We were sad to learn that Lifetime Docent Paul Whitby passed away in Winter Park, Florida on November 16, 2016. He and his wife, Bobbi, became docents in 2002 and were active for more than 10 years. They were chosen as Docents of the Month in 2005. Bobbi died in March 2014. A memorial service is planned and details will be forthcoming on the TPDS Google Group. Paul lived a rich and varied life as you can see from this obit: Click here for obituary

Plant of the Month: Shaw’s by Margaret Fillius oes any plant in the Reserve remind you of asparagus? D This month’s plant, Shaw’s Agave (Agave shawii), is related to asparagus. Some botanists consider it to be in the Asparagus family and Agave subfamily, while others consider it to be in the Agave family. In both cases it is in the Order . Certainly the flower stalk resembles asparagus. Shaw’s Agave has dark green leaves with toothed margins, showing as yellow and red when the sun is behind them. This rosette-forming perennial forms colonies of smaller rosettes, eventually covering an area up to 8 feet across. After reaching maturity (usually in about 10 to 20 years), the plant sends up its asparagus-like flower stalk 3 to 12 feet tall around this time of the year. The yellow flowers appear later, usually in the spring, and are pollinated by butterflies and bees. Could the hummingbirds that are attracted to the flowers also contribute to its pollination? Other species of Agave (e.g., in Arizona and Baja California) are pollinated by bats and/or hawkmoths. The type of pollinator attracted to the Agave flowers depends on factors such as flower color, sugar type and concentration, and scent production. There are differences of opinion about whether the Shaw’s Agave at TPSNR are there naturally or were originally planted by Guy Fleming. Shaw’s Agave (named for Henry Shaw, the founder of the Missouri Botanical Garden) was abundant in Southern California at the

beginning of the twentieth century. Of the several known

populations, only those at Border Fields State Park, north of Vegas Las question: photo 5 pg. to Answer , are regarded as being definitely native. The Shaw’s Agave is regarded as being critically endangered in California but also grows on coastal bluffs in NW Baja California.

January 2017 Torreyana 6 Bird of the Month: Bufflehead by Jack Friery Photo by Herb Knüfken uring the winter, we frequently see a delightful little D duck, called a Bufflehead, in Peñasquitos Lagoon. It appears black and white (although the male's head is actually a lovely iridescent green and purple). It's the smallest duck we see in the Reserve — they average a little over a foot long and weigh only 9.5 to 19.4 ounces. The Bufflehead travels to the boreal forests of North America in the summer and is small enough to nest in old woodpecker holes. Why is the Bufflehead like a buffalo? Well, its name is a corruption of "buffalo head," which is a reference to its oversized head (particularly when the male has puffed up the feathers of his head). And the bird's scientific name, Sources: Bucephala albeola, carries on that theme — Bucephala allaboutbirds.org/guide/bufflehead/id, derives from a Greek phrase meaning "bullheaded." audubon.org/field-guide/bird/bufflehead, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bufflehead, and borealbirds.org/bird/bufflehead.

Torrey Pines Docent Society Bird Survey: December 3, 2016

Number of species: 88 Brown Pelican 29 Mourning Dove 40 California Thrasher 6 ( +1 other taxon) Great Blue Heron 2 White-throated Swift 25 Northern Mockingbird 1 Great Egret 3 Anna's Hummingbird 26 European Starling 25 Gadwall 30 Snowy Egret 2 Allen's Hummingbird 7 Orange-crowned Warbler 5 American Wigeon 127 White-faced Ibis 4 Belted Kingfisher 2 Common Yellowthroat 8 Mallard 22 Osprey 2 Nuttall's Woodpecker 7 Yellow-rumped Warbler 85 Blue-winged Teal 2 White-tailed Kite 2 Northern Flicker 3 White-crowned Sparrow 56 Northern Pintail 51 Northern Harrier 1 American Kestrel 4 Golden-crowned Sparrow 3 Green-winged Teal 4 Cooper's Hawk 1 Merlin 1 Savannah Sparrow 3 Canvasback 2 Accipiter sp. 1 Peregrine Falcon 2 Song Sparrow 7 Redhead 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Black Phoebe 9 California Towhee 27 Lesser Scaup 12 Red-tailed Hawk 4 Say's Phoebe 12 Spotted Towhee 7 Surf Scoter 56 American Coot 80 Cassin's Kingbird 15 House Finch 37 Bufflehead 30 Black-bellied Plover 1 California Scrub-Jay 6 Lesser Goldfinch 22 Red-breasted Merganser 4 Whimbrel 3 American Crow 8 House Sparrow 5 Ruddy Duck 22 Long-billed Curlew 4 Common Raven 13 California Quail 4 Least Sandpiper 1 Tree Swallow 10 Observers: Kathy Dickey, Red-throated Loon 1 Spotted Sandpiper 1 Barn Swallow 1 Bob Glaser, Jim Wilson, Jack Pacific Loon 1 Willet 41 Bushtit 12 Friery, Marty Hales, Herb Pied-billed Grebe 4 Bonaparte's Gull 100 Rock Wren 1 Knüfken, Frank Wong, David Eared Grebe 4 Heermann's Gull 1 House Wren 4 Walker, Gary Grantham, Western Grebe 117 Ring-billed Gull 12 Marsh Wren 1 Andy Rathbone, Molly Clark's Grebe 1 Western Gull 41 Bewick's Wren 2 McConnell, John Bruin, and Brandt's Cormorant 6 California Gull 11 California Gnatcatcher 8 Anonymous Double-crested Cormorant 21 Forster's Tern 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3 Eurasian Collared-Dove 4 Wrentit 35

Monthly Bird Surveys are available back to 2005 at torreypine.org/nature-center/birds/birdsurveys/

Herb Knüfken’s amazing photo gallery, including many birds, may be found here: pbase.com/herb1rm

January 2017 Torreyana 7 Torrey Pines Docent Society PO Box 2414 Del Mar, CA 92014 (858) 755-2063 torreypine.org

January 2017 Torreyana 8