Newsletter of the Marin Audubon Society, Volume 52, No. 3 November 2009 THE ClapperMARIN AUDUBON Rail SOCIETY SPEAKER SERIES Free and Open to the Public MAS Honored With Regional Award Richardson Bay Audubon Center 376 Greenwood Beach Road Tiburon, California 94920 For Bahia Marsh Restoration Information: 415/388-2821 By Barbara Salzman FRIDAY, NOV 6 8 PM At each State of the Estuary Conference the Friends Levees were breached and lowered and fi ll was Fascinating Adaptations: Surviving of the San Francisco Estuary presents awards for removed to restore 377 acres of tidal marsh habitat. Extreme Conditions outstanding Comprehensive Conservation and Broad expanses of transition zones were created With Doug Cheeseman Monitoring Program (CCMP) projects. Th e Bahia adjacent to the restored tidal areas by grading the fi ll In a fast-paced photo presentation, Marsh Restoration Project was one of three winners of material that was removed, and 14 acres of seasonal Doug Cheeseman will describe how 2009 awards. MAS completed the Bahia Restoration wetland were restored and enhanced. Board member wildlife adapt in unexpected ways to in October 2008 in partnership with CALFED, Jude Stalker accepted the award for Marin Audubon. survive the tough conditions of the Wildlife Conservation Board, California Department Other CCMP award winners this year were: the pristine areas of the Falklands, South of Fish and Game, US Fish and Wildlife Service South Bay Salt Pond project, which is well on its way Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. Focusing on seven species of Private Stewardship Program, National Fish and to restoring 15,100 acres of tidal marsh; and KQED’s penguins, albatross, seabirds, Wildlife Foundation, the State Coastal Conservancy multi-media program, QUEST, which features fur seals, sea lions, whales, and and several private foundations. science and environmental stories about Northern invertebrates, including courtship and Bahia project, a wetland restoration and wildlife California on weekly TV programs and radio spots, a nesting behavior, Doug's program protection eff ort on MAS’s bayside property in website, and postings on ITunes and You Tube. is an educational and entertaining adventure fi lled with great images and Novato, met CCMP objectives by expanding habitat Th e State of the Estuary Conference is presented natural history. for the endangered California Clapper Rail, Salt every other year by the San Francisco Estuary Well known for his enthusiasm Marsh Harvest Mouse as well as many species of Partnership (formerly Project). about these remote regions and a migratory shorebirds and waterfowl. popular speaker for many Northern California Audubon chapters, you won't want to miss this program! Christmas Bird Count Anti-Poaching Bill December , Governor Schwaarzenegger signedd a new anti- FRIDAY, DEC 4 8 PM poaching bill intot law that createt s tough new penalties.s Th anks go Marinn Assemblyman Jared Create Some Magic: Build a Great rare birds are out there — help us fi nd them, Huff man who authored AB 708 annd Audubon Pond for Birds, Dragonfl ies and along the way, identify and count all the more California. Late last year, California Audubon and other Wildlife common ones too!! began pushing for legislation that would increaase With Kathy Biggs Please join us for a day of fun and birding on penalties for poachers after learning of an the annual CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT. Teams Build a pond to create a habitat to alarming increase in poaching. attract wildlife to your property and will cover the whole southern part of the county, Poaching violations rose from 6,583 in 2003 learn how wildlife ponds and ponds for from Terra Linda to Bolinas Lagoon to the Golden to 17,840 in 2007. Waterfowl have been hit exotic Koi and/or tropical plants differ. Gate Bridge. We need lots of good birders in the You’ll learn how to use native plants particularly hard, with sensitive species of ducks fi eld!! If you would like to stay at home that day and special pond-building techniques and geese at greatest risk. Th e bill contains and count birds that appear at your feeders, we can to encourage, not discourage, our increased penalties, including increased monetary native fauna -- including birds, include your numbers in the count as well. dragonfl ies, butterfl ies and mammals. fi nes. Until now, California’s poaching laws have A birder since the 1970s, Biggs Continued on page 6 been among the weakest in the country. became obsessed with dragonfl ies when she built a pond for wildlife in IN THIS ISSUE 1996. Habitat Stewardship Program President’s Message 2 The author of: Common Dragonfl ies We are getting our properties ready for the upcoming rains and need to remove of California (recently updated and revised), Common Dragonfl ies of the invasive non-native plants such as ice plant, Dittrichia or stinkwort, and radish. Field Trips 3 Southwest, and Dragonfl ies of North If you are interested in these work days, or would like to be notifi ed if additional America, a Color and Learn Book/CD, dates are chosen later, please contact Bob Hinz at 415/383-8688. Jr Bird Watchers 4 Biggs gives programs and workshops about dragonfl ies and about building Triangle Marsh: November , December Bird of the Month 5 ponds for wildlife throughout the West. Come hear how to create magic! Bahia: November & , December Birdlog 7 November 2009 1 BOARD OF DIRECTORS All phone numbers are in the 415 area President’s Message code unless otherwise noted. Questions? Please contact the committee chair. By Barbara Salzman President Barbara Salzman 924-6057 During the past month, the MAS board updated our A huge thank you to an anonymous donor whose Vice President Lowell Sykes 388-2821 Secretary Mariah Baird 456-3355 Policies and Procedures and reviewed and approved generous contribution helped us pay some of the Treasurer Josephine Kreider 381-1910 our income tax return. Even though we are a 501c(3) Bahia restoration contractors who have been waiting Finance Chair Greg Block 479-8254 organization and do not pay federal taxes, we still more than a year for payment. Conservation Phil Peterson 898-8400 must fi le. Th e tax forms for nonprofi ts have become We recently heard that our CALFED contracts Barbara Salzman 924-6057 Earthshare Jude Stalker 668-1242 increasingly complicated over the last several years. have been approved to resume, and to our great Legal We also are updating our website and expect pleasure, checks followed in less than two weeks. A Field Trips Helen Lindqvist 789-0703 the new site to be unveiled soon. Our thanks to Jo special thank you to Assemblyman Jared Huff man, Membership Bob Chilvers 444-0875 Fundraising Richard Bohnet 331-3217 Kreider for her work on the policies and tax forms and his aide, Jenny Calloway, who were most helpful Programs Lowell Sykes 388-2821 and Richard Bohnet for his work on the website. in getting CALFED to pay attention to paying our Special Projects Jude Stalker 668-1242 Th e Christmas Bird Count is coming up. Planning invoices. Nominating Josephine Kreider 381-1910 has been underway since August. We welcome our Th ank you to all who ordered our birdseed. Buying Volunteers Bob Hinz 383-8688 Property Mgt. Ed Nute 457-9241 new compiler, Dominik Mosur, and thank him and seed through MAS helps us, and the birds, who will Publicity Nancy Okada 987-8800 our Count Committee: Meryl Sundove, Dianne doubtless enjoy the birdseed. BAAC Reps Lowell Sykes 388-2821 Sierra, Roger Harris, and me. Th e nationwide We apologize to Bahia residents for the sulfi de Barbara Salzman 924-6057 Christmas Counts have proven most useful. For odor from the small pond on our property near the DIRECTORS MEETINGS example, National Audubon is using the data to Petaluma River. Our volunteers moved quickly to Meetings open to members. analyze the impacts of climate change based on bird address the problem by hand digging a hole in a levee 7:30 PM, fi rst Tuesday of the month Richardson Bay Audubon Center distributions. Visit our website to sign up for this to get more tidal action and increase circulation in 376 Greenwood Beach Road year’s count at www.marinaudubon.org. the pond. Special thanks to Lowell Sykes, Ed Nute, Tiburon, California 94920 Please consider volunteering for MAS. Volunteers Bob Hinz, Jude Stalker, and Richard Bohnet for their MAS telephone: 721-4271 are the backbone of our organization. Everything we work, and to the California Air Quality Board, which Marin Audubon Society is a non-profi t accomplish is because of our volunteers, as we have was most helpful in addressing the problem. 501(c)3 organization. All memberships no paid staff . Currently, we have two board openings Waterfowl migration is in full swing. Th is is and contributions are tax deductible to for partial terms of less than one year. We also need the most exciting time in the bay for viewing birds. the extent allowed by law. The Clapper Rail is published ten times a year by the volunteers to work on our speaker programs and Do join us for a fi eld trip and get out and bird on Marin Audubon Society on 100% recycled organize our volunteer program. Please call Jo Kreider your own. paper. Edited by Nancy Okada, 987-8800, 415/381-1910 or me 415/924-6057 if you can help. [email protected]; layout by Sue Morrison, and assisted by David Weinstock, staff photographer and other members of MAS. Deadline is the fi rst of each month. Conservation ©2009 Marin Audubon Society By Barbara Salzman MISSION STATEMENT Marin Audubon Conservation Committee reviews critical environmental issues related to wildlife habitats and To conserve and restore natural comments to cities, agencies, and other jurisdictions.