When I think of the landscape that I call home, I immediately think of the oak. With twenty oak species

in California alone, it is not surprising they have been a part of my personal landscape since childhood. This is part of the reason why, as a student, I became interested in Sudden Oak Death—I couldn’t imagine a world without oaks, and I wanted to do something about it. Together with my conservation science col-leagues at Audubon Canyon Ranch, we are.

In California, oaks can be found everywhere from high mountains to deep valleys. So unlike

the dark and frightening forests found in fairy tales, California oak woodlands are inviting and friendly. Open branch architecture creates natural breaks in the canopy, allowing light to pool here and there on the forest floor. You may have also noticed that these canopies seldom overlap, so the understory is much more open, sunny, and dry than in a conifer forest. This patchy environment, often intermixed with grassland and chaparral, supports a rich as-semblage of plants and animals and makes oak woodland a unique and valuable habitat.

True oaks belong to the genus Quercus, meaning “fine tree.” Next time the oaks are in bloom, before the leaf buds burst, take a close look at the flowers. Male inflores-cences, called catkins, are actually long, pendulous collections of twenty or so individual flowers, which remind me of caterpil-lars. Female flowers are harder to spot and are found singly, scattered about the canopy. Oaks produce seemingly endless amounts of pollen —a necessity because the pollen

> Please turn to Oaks, page 6

Audubon CAnyon RAnChNumber 41 b u l l e t i n Fall 2007

California’s Unique Woodlands

oAks As hAbitAt And heRitAge

by Emiko Condeso

Of the nine

tree oaks

found in

California,

five are

common on

Audubon

Canyon

Ranch

preserves.

Page 2 Audubon Canyon Ranch

As a nature photographer, I roam the coun-tryside observing the intricacies of the natural world. My passions include unique landscapes and seascapes and the behavior of mammals and birds.

I write this article with thoughts of Audubon Canyon Ranch but am far from the preserves, traveling the wilderness of southeast Alaska. Presently I’m looking out over a misty fjord near Sitka, Alaska, where I have just photographed Tufted Puffins, murre colonies, a haul-out of Steller sea lions, a raft of fifty male sea otters and a pod of humpback whales.

What makes a photograph special? An image that captures the essence of the scene is special. The scene emerges as you join me in spirit on today’s boat trip. Watch the puffins and murres running along the top of the water, using the waves to launch their compact bodies into flight. Listen for the screams of bald eagles as they circle and dive, with talons extended, to catch an

unsuspecting salmon. Experience the quietness and ease of a spouting whale’s movement as it dives deeply, showing its tail flukes.

Now pick up your camera and capture both the image and the spirit of the scene!

As you walk one of the trails of the Bolinas Lagoon or Bouverie preserves, take time to let your senses soak in the moment. Hold a slip-pery wet newt. Smell the rich scent of the forest floor. Experience the wildness, and capture those images with your camera or in your mind. Recognize that the preserves of Audubon Canyon Ranch offer a unique and invaluable opportunity to appreciate wildlands that have been protected in perpetuity.

We appreciate your time and monetary support, and most of all we appreciate your commitment to the mission of Audubon Canyon Ranch.

Bryant Hichwa is ACR’s Board President.

EnvironmentalismA nAtuRe PhotogRAPheR’s PeRsPeCtive

by Bryant Hichwa

I’m often asked, “What’s happening with Bolinas Lagoon?”

Bolinas Lagoon is an exquisite coastal estuary. It’s a beautiful place to experience, full of nature’s sights, sounds, and smells. The lagoon is part of the Pacific Flyway and is recog-nized as a wetland of international importance by the RAMSAR Convention. Bolinas Lagoon supports a food web composed of an extraordi-nary diversity of species.

Audubon Canyon Ranch has been a guardian of Bolinas Lagoon since playing a major role in winning key battles to protect this wetland from destructive and inappropriate development in the 1960s and 1970s. ACR is also commit-ted to protecting the Bolinas Lagoon estuary as a primary food resource for the Great Blue Herons and Great and Snowy Egrets that make the redwood trees of Bolinas Lagoon Preserve’s

PRoteCting bolinAs lAgoon by Skip Schwartz

Audubon Canyon Ranch

BOARd OF diReCtORs

OFFICERSBryant Hichwa,

President Joan Lamphier,

Vice PresidentRobert Smith,

TreasurerAndy Lafrenz,

Secretary

DIRECTORSKen AckermanLeonard BluminTom BradnerSuzie ColemanStephen ColwellSam DakinRoberta DowneyLeslie FlintCarol GuerreroDiane JacobsonJoshua LevineValerie MerrinDan MurphyIvan ObolenskyAlan PabstTina PatterhsonPaul RubyRich SchillerApril Starke SlakeyJean StarkweatherLowell Sykes Francis Toldi Patrick WoodworthNancy Young

eMeRitUs diReCtORsDeborah AblinRichard B. BairdNancy BarbourL. Martin Griffin, M.D.Jack Harper Flora MacliseGeorge Peyton, Jr. Helen Pratt

AdvisORsJulie AllectaRuth BaillieTom Baty Gordon BennettPatti BluminNoelle BonHugh CotterPhyllis EllmanBinny Fischer James Gallagher,

Ph.D.Tony Gilbert Robert HahnJudi Hiltner Jim Horan Robert Kustel Alan Margolis, M.D. Jean Pauley Leslie R. Perry Barbara Ramsey Marty Rosen Gerry Snedaker Betsy Stafford Sue Stoddard Robert Yanagida

Audubon Canyon Ranch protects the natural resources of its sanctuaries while fostering an understanding and appreciation of these environments.

Bulletin 41, Fall 2007 Page 3

Picher Canyon their home during the spring nesting season.

Bolinas Lagoon’s complex food web supports many trophic levels. The estua-rine habitats include subtidal channels and intertidal mudflats, a flood-tide bar that has become an island, emergent salt marsh, brackish marsh, and ripar-ian habitat with associated plant and animal communities. The lagoon not only provides food to meet the demands of growing herons and egrets, but also provides important foraging habitat for hordes of over-wintering waterfowl and shore-birds and refueling support for birds migrating on the Pacific Flyway. Bolinas Lagoon offers breeding habitat for several threatened species, such as the Black Rail and a traditional roost for fish-eating flocks of pelicans, cormorants, and terns. The exposed mudflats of Bolinas Lagoon may appear lifeless to an inexperienced visitor, but they are full of life with algae, anemones, crabs, mud shrimp, and amphipods. Thirty-eight species of fish live in or use Bolinas Lagoon, including the threatened steelhead and Coho salmon. Bolinas Lagoon is an important haul-out site for breeding populations of harbor seals.

The Bolinas Lagoon ecosystem is complex and the advisability and goals of management are controversial. Fed by a daily cycle of tides

and freshwater from creeks and streams, the lagoon’s flow of sediment and nutrients is also a fundamental part of the ecosystem that warrants careful consideration in plans for protection and management. Some people are alarmed that Bolinas Lagoon is becoming shallower as trapped sediment builds visible mudflats and marsh – they feel that this trend is evidence of unacceptable changes and an unhealthy state and call for dredging to remove sediment. Others believe that the Bolinas Lagoon ecosys-tem is healthy and naturally evolving and are concerned that it could be irrevocably damaged by a misguided attempt to restore tidal action by dredging or other physical manipulation. Fortunately, we have the results of recent studies and time for good science to help us determine the best course. > Please turn to Lagoon, page 5

Bolinas Lagoon: a diverse habitat

u Feeding ground for ACR’s Bolinas Lagoon Preserve heron and egret nesting colonyu Wintering site for waterfowl and shorebirds u Traditional roost sites for fish-eating pelicans, cormorants, and ternsu Riparian stopover habitat for 25 species of aquatic birds of special concernu Breeding habitat for several threatened bird speciesu Refueling stop for migrating birdsu Habitat for native benthic animals, including anemones, ribbon worms, polychaetes, snails,

clams, cockles, scallops, mussels, crabs, mud shrimp, amphipods, and other small crustaceansu Habitat for 38 species of fishes, including steelhead and Coho salmonu Breeding site for harbor seals u Estuarine habitats, including subtidal channels and shallows, intertidal mudflats, flood-tide island,

emergent salt marsh, and brackish marsh, as well as riparian habitat

stAFFMaurice A. “Skip”

Schwartz, Executive Director

John Petersen, Associate Director

Education, consEr-vation sciEncE and Habitat ProtEction

Rebecca Anderson-Jones, Director of Education

John Kelly, PhD, Director of Conservation Science & Habitat Protection

Sherry Adams, HPR Project Leader, BP

Emiko Condeso, Research Coordinator

Dan Gluesenkamp, Ph.D., Habitat Protection & Restoration Specialist

Gwen Heistand, Resident Biologist, BLP

Claire Hutkins Seda, Weekend Program FacilitatorMark McCaustland,

Helen Pratt Research Fellow

Jeanne Wirka, Biologist-Educator, BP

PrEsErvE stEwardsHiP

Bill Arthur, Facilities Manager/Land Steward, BLP

David Greene, Land Steward, CGRC

John Martin, Land Steward, BP

Matej Seda, Maintenance Assistant, BLP

administration

Yvonne Pierce, Administrative Director/BLP Manager

Marian Hughes, Administrator, CGRC

Suzanna Naramore, Administrative Assistant, BLP

Leslie Sproul, Receptionist/Office Assistant, BLP

Nancy Trbovich, Administrative Coordinator, BP

FinancE and dEvEloPmEnt

Cassie Gruenstein, Director of Development & Communications

Jennifer Newman, Development Manager

Stephen Pozsgai, Controller

Bolinas Lagoon Preserve (BLP)

Bouverie Preserve (BP)

Cypress Grove Research Center (CGRC)

Early on a Saturday morning, the raucous sound of squabbling Great Egret and Great Blue Heron chicks greets volunteers as they arrive at Bolinas Lagoon Preserve’s Picher Canyon. A volunteer sets up a spotting scope in the picnic area and another is filling songbird feeders at the Bird Hide. Other volunteers can be heard in the staff room: “Did you see the board? 72 chicks!” and “Who wants to take the scope up the Griffin trail? Try to focus it on the egret nest with the two-week-old chicks – a great view for the visitors.”

These enthusiastic volunteers are Ranch Guides, and they are preparing for another day of the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve public season.

The Ranch Guide Council is part of the Audubon Canyon Ranch education program. The council was created in 1985 by then resi-dent biologist Ray Peterson, and the first train-ing class graduated the following year. Ranch Guides act as naturalist interpreters for the thousands of visitors who come to the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve on weekends and holidays an-nually from mid-March through mid-July. The guides spend their days sharing their knowledge of the heronry, life in the ponds, and many

other aspects of the natural and human history of the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve.

How do I know all of this? I’m a Ranch Guide, and it’s the most satisfying and fun vol-unteer activity in which I have ever participated.

I surely do wish, though, that I’d been in that first training class! I only learned of the program in 2002 when I volunteered as a public season host, who greets visitors upon their arrival to the preserve. Being a Host was great, but I soon real-ized that I wanted to be a guide, too. As a Ranch Guide, I can talk to visitors about the science of nature – like how big a heron egg is or why the coralroot orchid isn’t green. I most enjoy trying to connect science with the joy and magic of nature. I remember the first time I was able to coax a little girl into touching a newt with just one little finger. I then watched her look of surprise and delight as she allowed it to walk across her hand. Will she grow up to be a biologist? Maybe, maybe not, but perhaps her encounter with the newt will lead her into a lifelong appreciation and concern for the environment.

Experiences like the one with the little girl are the reason why I continue volunteering and why, too, I sign up for more and more days each year.

It’s such a joy to be able to participate in an excellent nature education program.

There’s even more to the Ranch Guide experience than interacting with and teaching ACR visitors: we have potluck meetings, social gatherings, and refresher classes. I find that the additional activities enrich my experi-ence and have strengthened my ties to Audubon Canyon Ranch.

I hope I have peaked your interest. The next Ranch Guide Training starts in January 2008. Classes meet Satur-

Become a Volunteer Naturalist

RAnCh guide tRAining At the bolinAs lAgoon PReseRveby Anna-Marie Bratton

Bolinas Lagoon

Preserve Ranch

Guides share

their knowledge

of the heronry

and life in the

ponds, including

this Rough-

skinned Newt.

Page 4 Audubon Canyon Ranch

days from January 26 through March 15, 2008. Hosted by Audubon Canyon Ranch science staff and local experts, classes focus on the history of west Marin, native plants and animals, pond life, and the Great Blue Herons and Great and Snowy egrets that nest on the preserve every year. Classes take place in Picher Canyon of the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve and include lectures and trail walks. Orientation is Saturday, January 19, 2008, where you can talk with seasoned

volunteers and get a feel for the program.

If you have ques-tions or want to sign up for orientation, call the Audubon Canyon Ranch

office at 415/868-9244. I hope to see you in January!

Anna-Marie Bratton is the President of the

ACR Ranch Guide Council and an active

Ranch Guide volunteer.

Recently, the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS), part of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has dedicated resources and a full-time staff posi-tion to help determine what, if anything, can or should be done with regard to Bolinas Lagoon. The GFNMS has joined the Marin County Open Space District, the Army Corps of Engi-neers and the California Coastal Commission to work with the local communities to lead a public engagement process and convene a working group of agency scientists to develop a Locally Preferred Plan (LPP) for Bolinas Lagoon. I hope you will stay informed and become involved with the public process of developing an LPP.

Monitoring Bolinas Lagoon is essential, regardless of the ultimate decision of whether to dredge or otherwise intervene. If we determine the best course is to attempt a project to restore more tidal flow and/or modify the existing habi-tats, monitoring will be essential in evaluating the success of the project, as well as in detecting any unintended negative results. Long-term monitoring is the key to any adaptive or change-able management strategy for Bolinas Lagoon. As an important first step, a tide gauge is being installed. In addition, a monitoring framework is

being developed and a bathymetric survey of the lagoon will be completed in 2008.

As we protect this habitat for native plant and animal species, we will also need to carefully monitor the presence and potential ecological effect of opportunistic invasive species. We should recognize that monitoring will require a real long-term commitment with associated costs, and the local communities will need to work together to find funding sources to support these efforts.

Audubon Canyon Ranch is proud of our historic role as an advocate for Bolinas Lagoon, with a 45-year vested interest in a vital, healthy Bolinas Lagoon ecosystem. ACR’s Bolinas Lagoon Preserve Resident Biologist Gwen Heistand and her colleagues will continue to serve on advisory committees and will participate in the debate and decision making process to help determine the future of Bolinas Lagoon.

In any event, rest assured that Audubon Canyon Ranch will work to ensure the health and longevity of Bolinas Lagoon and its diverse and complex ecosystem.

Skip Schwartz is ACR’s Executive Director.

LAGOON, from page 3

Bulletin 41, Fall 2007 Page 5

Harbor seal.

ANE CARLA

ROVETTA

Chipmunk

and acorns.

ANE CARLA

ROVETTA

is carried by wind and its abundance helps to ensure successful fertilization.

Of the nine tree oaks found in California, five are common on our preserves: valley oak (Quercus lobata), Oregon oak (Q. garryana), blue oak (Q. douglasii), black oak (Q. kelloggii), and my personal favorite, the coast live oak (Q. agrifolia). The former three have a common evolutionary lineage and belong to a taxonomic group known as the “white oaks,” while black oak and coast live oak are considered “red oaks”. Of the five, only the coast live oak is evergreen, retaining its leaves throughout the year (though they do shed a bit in the driest months of summer). At the Bouverie Preserve you will find species that can withstand drier summers such as blue oak, in addition to valley oak, Oregon oak, and coast live oak. Take a walk at the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve, and you will encounter a more closed-canopy coastal combination including coast live oak and tan oak (not a true Quercus oak).

Oaks form the foundation of a rich habitat. If you could look just beneath the soil, you would see networks of fungal hyphae connect-ing the roots of one tree to another, in what is known as a mycorrhizal association. Mycor-rhizae are species of fungi that work with plants in a cooperative way: the fungi provide mineral nutrients to the plant, and the plant provides food to the fungus. Recent research has indi-cated that this network of mycorrhizae may also transport water and nutrients from tree to tree, spreading the wealth when resources become scarce in one part of the forest and richer in another. Of course, some species of fungi can be quite detrimental to oaks, and aside from fire and weather, pathogenic fungi are the major

cause of mature oak mortal-ity in undisturbed forests.

Invertebrates, birds, and mammals also directly depend on oaks for food in the form of wood, leaves, pollen, and acorns. The nooks and crannies of the oak are fantastic places for nesting and shelter for birds and small mammals. Even the fallen leaves of oaks are important habitat—the thick litter on the forest floor provides a home to

numerous invertebrates and salamanders.While researchers are still working hard to

manage Sudden Oak Death, Audubon Canyon Ranch is doing its part to ensure that oak wood-lands continue to be a part of our landscape. By protecting large, contiguous woodlands in per-petuity, we are preserving an important genetic legacy. California’s protected oak woodlands may prove to be a critical source of disease-resis-tant individuals in the years to come. This will not only be essential to restoration, but may also play an important role in bringing the epidemic into balance.

There is an old saying that an oak lives for a hundred years, and then dies for two hundred. The life of a human is like the wink of an eye to the mighty oak, but by striving to protect our beautiful oak woodlands, we will ensure they continue to outlive us for ages to come.

For more information on Sudden Oak Death, refer to Emiko’s article in the Fall 2007 edition of The Ardeid, ACR’s annual science publication, which is available in print and online (www.egret.org).

Emiko Condeso is ACR’s Research Coordinator.

OAks, from page 1

Page 6 Audubon Canyon Ranch

By protecting

large, contiguous

woodlands

in perpetuity,

Audubon

Canyon Ranch

is preserving an

important genetic

legacy.

Coast live oak

leaves and

acorns.

ANE CARLA

ROVETTA

Bulletin 41, Fall 2007 Page 7

Audubon Canyon Ranch Advisory Board Member Julie Allecta has a law degree, an MBA and an impressive resume in investment law. What she didn’t have until recently was a will or living trust.

“This was a burden that weighed heavily, especially since I am single, and it’s not obvious where my assets should go,” she said. There were also personal reasons behind her unease. Allecta, 60, had seen her mother institutionalized with Alzheimer’s at age 70 and lost a sister age 65 to cancer.

Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Executive Director Skip Schwartz encouraged her to call planned giving specialist Phil Murphy and mailed her ACR’s wills kit, which prepares people to see an estate planning attorney.

“Even though I’m a lawyer who knows about trusts and estates, it was useful to have someone neutral and knowledgeable to speak to,” she said. “It was surprising what I didn’t know.”

Through Phil she learned that Carolyn Farren, a Marin estate planning specialist, is also an ACR supporter. Julie worked with Carolyn to complete her estate plan. “Carolyn made it very easy,” she said. “Now I’ve done it, and I feel relieved and organized.”

Her trust includes a bequest to Audubon Canyon Ranch. “I want my gifts to have impact,” she said, noting that she selected only a few organizations for major bequests rather than making smaller bequests to many. “I have clear views of how I want what’s left in my estate used,” she added. “I selected local organiza-tions with a strong current mission and strong balance sheet.”

Her thirty years of legal experience in invest-ment management also led her to ask how she could protect her bequests. “If I were an estate beneficiary, like ACR, I wouldn’t want health

care costs eating up a bequest meant for me.” So, for example, she purchased long-term health care insurance not so much for herself but to “insure my gift to ACR”.

Doing her estate plan brought other benefits: a clearer notion of the value of her estate, a basis to consider larger lifetime gifts to individuals and charities, protection from estate tax, and the satisfaction of letting her favorite charities know they are in her plans.

“They know I have chosen them,” she stated. “They know in a real, tangible way that they have my support and future resources.”

Visit www.egret.org to learn more about Julie’s experience in planning her estate and how smart planning can benefit your family, as well as the programs of Audubon Canyon Ranch. To order an estate planning kit, contact Cassie Gruenstein at 415/868-9244 ext. 13 or cassie@egret.org.

Audubon Canyon Ranch is honored to enroll Julie Allecta in its Clerin Zumwalt Legacy Circle. The Legacy Circle recognizes all donors who have remembered ACR in their estate plans.

Phil Murphy is ACR’s planned giving specialist.

estAte PlAnning bRings Relief to AttoRney/ACR volunteeRby Phil Murphy

In her estate

planning

process,

Julie Allecta

“selected

organiza-

tions with

a strong

current

mission

and strong

balance

sheet.”

Page 8 Audubon Canyon Ranch

DistinguisheD benefactors

($100,000 +)Estate of David Pleydell BouverieEstate of Grace & Hubert Dafoe

Major benefactors ($50,000 – 99,999)

Frank A. Campini FoundationEstate of Jane M. FehrensenUnited States Fish and Wildlife

Service

benefactors ($25,000 – 49,999)

AnonymousBouque Family TrustCommunity Foundation Sonoma

CountyChris & Bob Hunter, Jr.Marin Community FoundationDennis and Carol Ann Rockey Fund

of Marin Community Foundation

Patrons ($15,000 – 24,999)

Steve Kinsey, Marin County Board of Supervisors

Carolyn Moore on behalf of The George L. Shields Foundation

leaDing sPonsors ($5,000 – 14,999)

Winifred & Harry B. Allen Foundation

Jobst BrandtSheila & Francois BrutschRobert J. & Helen H. Glaser Family

FoundationEstate of Alice GrammJosephine Lawrence Hopkins

FoundationEstate of Adelaide KirkbrideJan & Louis LeeTina Patterson & Jason GreenQuigley/Hiltner Fund of San Fran-

cisco FoundationThe San Francisco FoundationThe Schow FoundationThe John A. Sellon TrustJean Starkweather

Major sPonsors ($1,000 – 4,999)

Arthur & Deborah AblinJulie AllectaDonald & Nancy BarbourBarbara R. BarkovichBishop Pine FundLeonard & Patti BluminTom BradnerAnna-Marie BrattonSusie Tompkins Buell Fund of the

Marin Community FoundationHelen CahillMary Ann Cobb & Peter Wilson

Fund of the Vanguard Public Foundation

Louis Cohen & Rebecca VesterfeltStephen Colwell & Ann ShulmanBill Deyo & Valerie MerrinRoberta & Paul DowneyBinny & Chuck Fischer

Leslie L. FlintJames J. Gallagher Family FundTony Gilbert & Laurel WrotenTony & Caroline GrantCharles GreshamengelbergPhillip & Naomi HolmSusan H. HossfeldEllie InsleyKiwanis of San FranciscoJoan LamphierPaul & Barbara LichtLocal Independent CharitiesAlan MargolisMarin Audubon SocietyMarine Spill Response CorporationDorothy C. MartinAlice T. MayMill Valley MarketEdna O’ConnorRotary Club of PetalumaCarol Joyce SheerinSonoma County Fish & Wildlife

CommissionKathryn A. Taylor & Thomas SteyerThe C.A. Webster FoundationTed & Lisa Williams

sPonsors ($500 – 999)

Gayle A. AndersonAnkie BajemaThe Barth FoundationBunker & CompanyNancy & Dale CoxTim & Tara DalePoint Reyes National SeashoreBarbara E. DittmannKatie & Serge EtienneDon & Janie Friend Family Philan-

thropic Fund of Jewish Community Endowment Fund

Candice FuhrmanRobert & Barbara GlauzL. Martin Griffin, Jr., M.D. & FamilyRobert E. & Julie M. HahnGerald & Madelon HalpernVirginia Martin & DeAnna HansonJack F. & Deyea HarperJames & Rosemary JepsonThe Keon-Vitale FamilyHarriet & Tom KosticEverdina LampeKit & George LeeLaurie Lewis, Spruce and Maple

MusicL.G.& Flora MacliseLinda MarshikS. B. Master & James SymonsDon & Mara Melandry

Dan MelvinJane MillerAlan & Virginia PabstDiane E. Parish & Paul GelburdGeorge S. Peyton, Jr.Jeanne PriceBill & Betty RhoadesLes RowntreeNeil Rudolph & Susan CluffMargaret SaulsberryPatagonia, Inc.Steve ShafferElizabeth & Frank SmithRobert Smith & Janet HusebyApril Starke SlakeyNatsu Ota TaylorLisa TeotJoel TosteSue Zimmerman

frienDs ($250 – 499)

Stephen & Carlene AbborsRosemary AmesRichard BairdBank of America Matching Gifts

ProgramJulie BarneyMr. & Mrs. Douglas BasfordLorraine BazanPaul & Sue BergnaKate Bordisso & Ken SchwartzBrende & Lamb Tree & Shrub CarePatricia BrennanNeil & Mimi BurtonGerald K. Cahill & Kathleen S. King

FundPeter & Eugenia CaldwellCalifornia Alpine Club FoundationCalifornia State Automobile

AssociationClaire & Paul ChowGeorge & Sheri ClydeEarl & Sue CohenAnthony & Robyn ContiniCordell Bank National Marine

SanctuaryMrs. Robert DanielsonPatricia DonchinWendy & John DoughtyBill & Gisela EvittMark ForneyMarya Glass & Geof SyphersJohn Gruenstein & Carolyn

Buffington

Judith Hanks & Richard NelsonRon & Pamela HarrisonDick & Eileen HastingsJim & Rosemarie HoranIBM CorporationMark Jackson & Esperanza UruenaMary Jean JawetzCarolyn J. Johnson & Rick TheisKristine Johnson & Timothy DattelsKatherine Delmar Burke SchoolStephen R. Koch & Kathryn NyropAndy & Diane LafrenzLamphier-GregoryRobert & Linda LeheMardi LelandEileen & Gordon LibbyStephanie & William MacCollMarin Garden ClubG. Steven & Gail MartinGeorge & Marie McKinneyPurple Lady/Barbara J. Meislin FundMelmon Family FoundationAnna MeyerRoss & Jess MillikanCharles & Julie MuirDan & Joan MurphyAnn Needham-YoungTerry NordbyeMary Belle O’BrienKirk Pessner & Russ MillerPG&E Corporation Campaign for the

CommunityChristine Pielenz & William LavenBarbara & William RamseyJoyce SchnobrichMaria & David ScottMarion & Willis SlusserNicki & Tom SpillaneJoan SteinbergJeffrey & Rachel StreetStreet Family Gift FundAnne TellerJudith ThigpenCarolyn TimminsRuth & Alan TobeyFrancis & Leigh ToldiPeter John WatkinsJessica WheelerLyle & Timathea WorkmanJanice WrightPeter & Nancy Young

The generosity of Audubon Canyon Ranch supporters makes it possible to continue our mission of nature preservation, education, and research. We thank all the individuals and organizations who contributed during this last fiscal year (July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007). A permanent list of donors whose cumulative gifts are $5,000 or more—ACR’s Grove of Honor—is

located in the display hall at Bolinas Lagoon Preserve.

ACR keeps careful records of every contribution we receive. We regret that limited space makes it impossible to publish the name of every donor. In case of errors and omissions, we apologize and ask that you contact us with corrections.

Bulletin 41, Fall 2007 Page 9

Donors ($100 - 249)

Christopher & Jane Adams • Adobe Systems Inc. Matching Gift Program • Jane Allen • J. Garth Alton • Daniel & Ruth Alves • Robert & Linda Alwitt • Robert Ansara • Arkin Tilt Architects • Marsha Armstrong • Bryan Bajema • Rod & Cris Baker • Law Offices of James T. Ball • Percival & Kerry Banks • Deanne Barney & Rob Morton • Hathaway Barry • Joan & Carl Basore • Alfred & Mary Baxter • Anne Baxter • Ted & Alleta Bayer • Lisa K. Bell & Thomas C. Williard • Claude & Carol Benedix • Gordon Bennett & Kate Carolan • David & Anne Bernstein • Sam Black • Bill & Patty Blanton • Robert & Marion Blumberg • Bolinas Childrens Center • Jerry & Lynnette Bourne • Nancy & Henry Bourne • Nick & Marilyn Bowles • Tomas & Linda Bozack • Mary Bresler • Judith Brown • Tom Brown • Doris Todd Brown • Thomas W. Browne • Wendy Buchen • Peter & Elaine Bull • Maya & Reed Butterfield • Theani L. Callahan • Norman Carlin • Chris & Karen Carpenter • The Cavallaro Family • Robin Chase • Steven & Karin Chase • Dave & Margaret Chenoweth • Stephen & Joanne Clark • Brian Cluer • Terry & Zeo Coddington • Barbara Coler • Jackie Collins • Leroy E. Colombe • John Coltart • Community Smart • Hugh Cotter & Susan Coghlan • William & Karen Cox • Carol Ann Cramer • Nancy Curley • Rigdon Currie & Trish Johnson • Philip D. Darney & Uta Landy • John Daugherty & Jeanie Ahn • Ann & Ken Davis • Russell Dedrick • Larry DeGrassi & Nancy Dolphin • Romeo & Mary DeLaroca • Carla Della Zoppa & James Ingram • Barbara Dengler • John & Nona Dennis • Terrence & Susan Dermody • Barbara & Barry Deutsch • Ernest & Florence Dickson • John Dillon • Cia & Pat Donahue • Daniel & Lee Drake • Judy Dugan • Diane Ely • Sharon Enright • Environmental Forum of Marin • Jay Ernst • Hugh & Ann Evans • Falik-Cohen Family Trust • Farallone Pacific Insurance • Albert & Sheila Faris • Paul Feigenbaum & Mary Kemeny • Robert Feist • Brian & Stephanie Felch • Craig Fischer • Joel & Myriam Fontaine • Cornelia Foster • Carol Fraker • Michael & Donna Franzblau • Lynn Ludlow & Margo Freistadt • Gary Fry & Lynn Dinelli • Mary Anne Gailliot • Steve & Marjorie Garner • Ingrid Gillette • Della Gilmore Living Trust • Glen Ellen Village Fair • Mr. & Mrs. F. Goepp • Golden Gate Audubon Society • Jerry Griffin & Janice Schwartz • Michael & Sue Grousd • Ralph & Marsha Guggenheim • Marjorie & David Guggenhime • Doris Hadley • Hansi Hagemeister • Glen & Marjorie Haggin • Karlene Hall • Richard Hall • Christopher Hamilton & Donna DeDiemar • Melissa J. Hamilton • Philip & Susan Hammer • Don & Lillian Hanahan • Douglas Hanford • Dolores M. Hansen • Laura Hansen • Gary Harrigan • Jeffrey Harrison • David Hartley • John & Sara Hartwell • Roy & Barbara Heistand • Bruce & Joan Herriges • Rick & Mary Hicks • Richard & Marina Hill • Dorothy Hines • Alan & Christie Hochschild • Gary Holloway • Lisa Honig • Jeannette & Barry Howard • Matthew & Joan Howarth • John Hummer • Alan Humphrey & Eleanor Boba • Jim Hurt • Janet & Raymond Ickes • Melanie Ito & Charles Wilkinson • Diane & Ken Jacobson • Lucy James • Norma Jellison • Ross & Karen Jennings • Alan Johnson & Donna Dolislager • Phillip & Kathie Johnson • Clinton & Mimi Jones • Linda Josephs • Nancy Olmsted Kaehr • Robert & Sharell Katibah • Steve & Julie Kimball • Anonymous • Norman & Vida Kirshen • Justin Kitzes • Mirka Knaster & Larry Jacobs • Nancy Kolliner • John Kouns & Anne Baele Kouns • Janet Leventhal & David White • Ronald & Shoshana Levy • Tom Lockard & Alix Marduel • Mimi & Charles Lowrey • Anne Lynn • Bucky & Gail Mace • Bill & Jackie Mackey • Art & Lyn Magill • Calvin Malone • George Marchand • Dean & Julia Mayberry • Brette McCabe & Simion Bulldis • Julian & Charlene McCaull • Ed & Amy McElhany • Flora Mcmartin & Becky Dowdakin • Lois Meltzer • Milt Mermit • Ann Merrill • Michael & Constance Mery • Amy Meyer • Mark & Anita Meyer • Spencer & Roberta Michels • Charles & Katherine Miller • Robert Miller • Stanley & Irene Miller • David & Robin Minor • Mission Avenue School, Room 3 • Mission Avenue School, Room 4 • Mission Avenue School, Room 5 • Bridger & Katherine Mitchell • Jim & Melinda Moir • Gerald & Mary Edith Moore • Mrs. Albert Moorman • Anne & Tom Morton • David Mostardi & Arlene Baxter • Henry Moulton • Fraser & Helen Muirhead • Kevin Mullally • Phil & Anne Murphy • Howard & Vivian Naftzger • Laurance Narbut • Josephine Nattkemper • James Nelson • Network For Good • Nell Newton • Oakland Museum • Tom & Olivia Orr • Mr. & Mrs. Melville Owen • Judy O’Young & Greg Hauser • Kevin & Nancy Padian • Larry Pageler • Denise Patterson • Lois & Warren Patton • Penelope Pawl • Tony Paz • Beverly Perrin • Paul & Judith Peyrat • Piedmont Garden Club • Rudolph & Eugenie Pipa • Wally Plahutnik & Victoria Walton • Myfanwy Plank • Lee & Stuart Pollak • John & Warren Poole • Gillian Printon & Richard Ney • Maris Purvins • Patricia & Charles Raven • Jean Rhodes • Ralph Roan • Ron Rosano & Susan Morrow • Herman H. Rose • Ben & Barbara Rosenberg • Arthur & Lois Roth • Melinda & Eric Ruchames • Mel Ruiz • Tom Rusert & Darren Peterie • Randolph Rush • Ilene Sagall • Sausalito Woman’s Club • Carolyn Schanberger • Richard Schiller • David Schurr & Ramune Watkins • Maurice A. “Skip” Schwartz • Ida Schwartz & Debra Estrin • Linda Scott • Maggie & Contee Seely • Mr. & Mrs. Seipp, Jr. • John & Elinor Severinghaus • Ken Shannon & Elizabeth Corden • Mrs. Agnes Shapiro • Virginia G. Shea & Andrew Mendelsohn • Douglas Sherk & Mike Goins • Steve & Susan Shortell • Brad & Sue Shuster • William & Lori Simerly • John Skinner & Leontine Vaysace • Sam & Jennifer Skinner • Karen Snell • Jeanette Spangle & Alan Walfield • William & Anne Spencer • Gary & Cathy Spratling • Richard O. Sproul • Bruce & Susan Stangeland • Charles & Carla Stedwell • John & Sarah Stephens • Stuart & Elizabeth Stephens • Errol & Ellen Stevens • Ms. Carol Stewart • Susan Stoddard • Mrs. Donald B. Straus • George & He-lene Strauss • John & Alexa Sulak • Larry & Barbara Taylor • Scott & Tish Teaford • Martin & Elizabeth Terplan • Elizabeth & Theodore Theiss • Jeffrey & Evelyne Thomas • William & Margaret Thomas • Charles Thompson • Martha Doerr Toppin • Mary Turner • Corneilus & Francina Van Der Hoek • Linda Vida • Janet Visick • Renee Vollen & Eugene Shapiro • Rita Vrhel • Tanis Walters • Peter Weiner • Jim & Ann Wellhouse • Carter & Betty Wells • Peter Wells • Matthew Werdegar • David & Kay Werdegar • Mildie & John Whedon • Cathy Willis • Mason Willrich • James Wintersteen • Courtenay R. Wood & H. Noel Jackson, Jr. • Patrick Woodworth • Alan & Jane Woolf • James L. Wrathall • Ms. Diane Wren • Kathryn & Jay Wright • Wright Institute • Glea Wylie • Emily Wynns • Chris Yates • David & Shelah Young • Peter & Midge Zischke • Matt & JoAnn Zlatunich • Emil Zollinger • Bill & Diane Zuendt • Jill & Don Zumwalt

$10,000 +Tommy F. AngellSam & Skye DakinFullerton Family Foundation of

Marin Community FoundationChris & Bob Hunter, Jr.John Osterweis & Barbara Ravizza

Osterweis$5,000 - 9,999

Julie AllectaShirley & Peter BogardusJane & Douglas FergusonDick LemonOutrageous FoundationKen & Marjorie SauerThe Schow FoundationBetsy & Bob Stafford

Partners in eDucation PerManent funD for

eDucationThe Kustel Family

corPorate Partners in eDucation

AutodeskPaul, Hastings, Janofsky & WalkerWells Fargo

trilliuM ($5,000+)

Peter & Katherine DrakeEstate of Georgiana De Ropp

DucasJane SinclairJan Gerrett Snedaker & Diane

Krause

Diogenes lantern ($2,500 – 4,999)

John & Ruth BaillieNoelle & Richard BonPhyllis & George EllmanPhillip & Naomi HolmLenore & Howard Klein

Foundation

WooDlanD star ($1,000 – 2,499)

Julie AllectaMary & Mike BenzigerLarry & Brennie BrackettSam & Skye DakinRobert & Michelle Friend Founda-

tion of the Jewish Community Foundation

Messing Family Charitable Foundation

Glenda & Harold Ross

Marilyn & Don SandersSanta Rosa Sunrise Rotary ClubJean F. SchulzHeidi Stewart & John Weinstein

sky luPine ($500 – 999)

Ken Ackerman & Gloria Markowitz

Gerald & Jane BaldwinRobert & Leslee BoninoJimmy Clidaras & Elise GrattonJohn & Abby ClowDavid & Lee DevineWalter & Linda HaakeJack F. & Deyea HarperBryant & Diane HichwaKimberly M. HughesMarian KirbyGaye & John LeBaronMadrone Audubon SocietyKaren & Ted NagelLinda & Jeff ReichelJohn & Dianne SamplesPhyllis SchmittDaphne SmithNoellene & Michael SommerValley of the Moon Lions ClubDeborah & Joe VotekDon & Annette Wild

frienDs of bouverie

Friends of Bouverie make a special annual contribution of $500 or more to support the programs at the Bouverie Preserve.

Partners in eDucation

Audubon Canyon Ranch Partners in Education make an annual commitment of $5,000 or more to directly

support ACR’s environmental education programs.

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The Cypress Grove Research Center of Audubon Canyon Ranch welcomes Marian Hughes as the center’s new Administrator. The conservation science and habitat protection staff, which is based at Cypress Grove Research Center, is pleased to have Marian on board to assist with administrative tasks in this new part-time position.

About her new role with ACR, Marian says, “I have a great respect for the work done here and the people responsible for protecting these beautiful preserves.”

With a background in acupuncture, Marian states, “I have done a lot of science but all of it with humans. I am excited to learn more about birds and biology, hopefully through direct expe-rience at Cypress Grove.”

Welcome to the ACR family, Marian!

The native habitat of ACR’s Bouverie Pre-serve is receiving new attention under the care of Sherry Adams, the new Habitat Protection and Restoration (HPR) Project Leader for the Bouverie Preserve. In a new position reflecting the organization’s focus on habitat restoration, Sherry will implement the Preserve’s vernal pool restora-tion project, coordinate HPR volunteer activities, and assist with ACR’s invasive plant early detec-tion/early response program.

Ask her about her new job, and Sherry will tell you it’s all about partnerships. “When you think on a landscape scale, ACR preserves are quite small,” she says. “However, there is a crucial element in conservation that ACR really gets. That’s partnership. Our collaborations with other groups happen at all levels: our volunteers learn and teach at the other places they volunteer, the children who visit our preserves teach their families, and our staff publish research and partici-pate in partnerships with other conserva-tion organizations.”

Welcome aboard, Sherry, we’re glad to be in partnership with you.

Page 10 Audubon Canyon Ranch

stAff WelComes

Marian Hughes

(left) and

Sherry Adams.

ACR PHOTOS

Audubon Canyon Ranch’s e-Newsletter

To keep up-to-date on latest Audubon Canyon Ranch happenings, sign up for the ACR e-newsletter. Published once every two months, the free email newsletter highlights updates

from the Preserves, including school group visits, latest findings from ACR science staff, volunteer opportunities, ways to come explore ACR nature sanctuaries and more.

Visit www.egret.org and click e-newsletter to sign up or to view past issues.

Shorebirds

in saltmarsh

habitat.

ANE CARLA

ROVETTA

Bulletin 41, Fall 2007 Page 11

CAlendAR of events

the bouverie backyarD naturalist seriesbouverie Preserve9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. u $25.00 each seminar u Saturdays

October 20, 2007 – Natural History of OaksNovember 10, 2007 – Beginning Birding

April 5, 2008 – Flowers and PollinatorsMay 10, 2008 – Grasses

The Bouverie Preserve of Audubon Canyon Ranch is offering an exciting new program of field courses designed for adults who wish to hone their own naturalist skills while learning more about the flora and fauna of the Valley of the Moon in Sonoma County. Classroom and field activities included. Sign up for one seminar or the whole series! Easy to moderate hiking required, so wear hiking shoes, a hat and sunscreen. Bring water and a bag lunch. Class size is limited. Please e-mail leslie@egret.org or call 415/868-9244 to register.ACR Staff

guiDeD nature Walks bouverie PreserveSaturdays, Oct. 13, Nov. 3, Dec. 1, 2007Jan. 26, Mar. 8, Mar. 29, April 12, April

19, May 17, 20089:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.Here’s your chance to experience the beauty and rich natural history of this 500-acre Preserve. Our half-day guided nature walks are on Saturdays throughout fall and spring. We will begin accepting reservations a month before each respective hike date. To make a reservation, e-mail nancy@egret.org or call 707/938-4554.No charge but donations appreciated. Docent Council of Bouverie Preserve

Winter Work Daybouverie PreserveSaturday, January 5, 20089:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - LUNCHCome help spruce up the Preserve by working on the trails, in the native plant garden, around the formal gardens, in the library, or cooking the lunch (which we provide). Bring your favorite tool for outdoor projects! E-mail nancy@egret.org or call 707/938-4554 to register.Free, but please e-mail or call to register so we can plan on enough food!ACR Staff

fall & sPring Work Days bolinas lagoon PreserveSaturday, October 13, 2007 –

Volunteer CanyonSunday, March 2, 2008 –

Picher Canyon9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. • 1:00 p.m. - LUNCHHelp us with trail work, library work, pulling weeds, planting native flowers or cooking the lunch (we provide). Bring your favorite tool for outdoor projects! E-mail leslie@egret.org or call 415/868-9244 to register.Free, but please e-mail or call to register so we can plan on enough food!ACR Staff

restoration WorkDaysbouverie PreserveSupport ACR’s Habitat Protection and Restoration Program by signing up for restoration workdays at Bouverie Preserve. E-mail Sherry Adams at sherry@egret.org for more information.ACR Staff

unDer the heronrybolinas lagoon PreserveSaturday, October 27, 20079:30 a.m. social, 10:00 a.m. start We’ll finish around noon.Join former Resident Biologist Ray Peterson for an exploration UNDER the Heronry at Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. You’ll be able to see the amazing architecture of Great Egret and Great Blue Heron nests, and you’ll learn about ACR’s history in this very special setting. Don’t forget to bring friends for this short walk. Free, but please e-mail leslie@egret.org or call 415/868-9244 to register. Space is limited to 20 participants. Ray Peterson

ranch guiDe trainingbolinas lagoon PreserveSaturdays, January 26 - March 15, 2008 (Orientation January 19, 2008)This eight-day Saturday training program is designed to convey basic information about Audubon Canyon Ranch history, the Preserve, trail techniques, pond life and BLP’s nesting colony of herons and egrets. Those interested in sharing knowledge and appreciation of nature during ACR’s public weekends, please e-mail leslie@egret.org or call 415/868-9244. Gwen HeistandBolinas Lagoon Preserve Resident Biologist

DRAWINGS BY ANE CARLA ROVETTA

the headquarters ofAudubon Canyon Ranch is located

at the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve.www.egret.org

email: acr@egret.org

wheN tO visitBolinas Lagoon PreserveMid-March to mid-July: Saturday, Sunday and holidays. 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Weekdays by appointment only; call415/868-9244. Closed Mondays.Bolinas Lagoon Preserve is adjacent toBolinas Lagoon on Shoreline Highway One,three miles north of Stinson Beach.

Cypress Grove Research CenterBy appointment only. 415/663-8203.

Bouverie PreserveBy appointment only. 707/938-4554.See schedule of events, inside.

The Mission of audubon canyon ranch t Audubon Canyon Ranch protects the natural resources of its sanctuaries while fostering an understanding and appreciation of these environments. We educate children and adults, promote ecological literacy that is grounded in direct

experience, and conduct research and restoration that advances conservation science. t

Audubon Canyon Ranch4900 Shoreline Highway OneStinson Beach, CA 94970415/868-9244www.egret.orgacr@egret.org

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

Non-profitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDMailcom

The Audubon Canyon RanchBulletin is published twice

yearly by Audubon CanyonRanch as a free offering to

ACR donors and supporters.Edited by Jennifer Newman.

Designed by Claire Peaslee. Photos by Wyn Hoag unless

otherwise noted. © 2007 Audubon Canyon Ranch.

Printed on recycled paper(30% post-consumer)using soy-based inks.

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