the valley habitat - sierra club
TRANSCRIPT
Valley Habitat 1
The Valley Habitat June 2015
A Joint Publ icat ion of the Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety
and the Yokuts Group of the S ierra Club (Next issue: September, 2015)
Join Us for the Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club Program, 7p.m. Friday, September 18, 2015 "A Visit with John Muir - The Scootcher of a Lifetime" To John Muir, life was a "scootcher," a
grand adventure! Geologist. botanist, explorer, adventurer, writer, philosopher, preservationist and political
activist, John Muir lived life to its fullest. His ideas and ideals have never been more relevant than they are today.
Frank Helling has adopted John Muir as his "Zorba" about twenty years ago and brings the great mountaineer
to life in his performance "A Visit with John Muir - The Scootcher of a Lifetime." Frank has performed for
schools, universities, environmental and civic groups, in the national Parks and for special events throughout
California. An active adventurer and naturalist himself, Frank has devoted much of his life to 'sauntering" in
Muir's footsteps. He has back-packed, hiked and climbed in the Sierras, Rockies, Cascades, Alps, Alaska, Ha-
waii and the deserts of the American Southwest. He has worked as a ranger/naturalist in Kings Canyon Natu-
ral Park and a professional wilderness instructor for Summit Expedition, a Christian Outward Bound school.
To find out more about Frank Helling, visit the website listed below.
http://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/live_presentations/helling
We are always open to suggestions about what other programs you would like to see in the future as well as comments
about what you liked in the past and what changes you would like to see. Contact Linda at [email protected] or
(209) 863-9137 and give her your ideas.
Location: College Avenue Congregational Church • 1341 College Avenue , Modesto, CA
Refreshments and socializing begin at 6:45 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7:00 p.m.
Non-members are always welcome! The program is free and open to the public.
!!!!!!Our October meeting will be our Membership Slide Show!!!!! Its early this year! So you might want to make sure you take lots of pictures of your summer
adventures to show in October of 2015.
June 12th Yokuts Potluck hosted by Doug Hardie!
Join us, bring a dish, some drinks and have some fun! The Potluck will be held at the home of Doug Hardie,
1009 Clarksburg Way, Modesto, CA 95355 at 6:00 PM. Clarksburg Way is just off Scenic Drive
between El Vista and Claus Road.
If you have an extra folding chair, bring it. If you get lost, call Doug at 209 524-6651.
Our June picnic will include a short program on the ACE Train proposed for Stanislaus County.
We're encouraging our members to grow native plants, but regardless of
what surplus plants you have in your garden, please bring one or more to share at our annual potluck
picnic. No, we will not be eating them! We're having a plant swap and hope you will participate!
Valley Habitat 2
Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety RECENT SIGHTINGS OF RARE OR UNCOMMON BIRDS
MERCED COUNTY
On April 25, Kent van Vuren had a GRAY FLYCATCHER, four CASSIN’S KINGBIRDS, and an uncommonly
large total of eight SWAINSON’S THRUSHES at Basalt Campground. During a drought monitoring survey on
April 27, Ralph Baker had a SOLITARY SANDPIPER near Wilson Road. Jim Rowoth and Kurt Mize had a
GRAY FLYCATCHER at the Merced N.W. Refuge on the same day. On April 29, Pete Dunten had yet another
GRAY FLYCATCHER at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. On May 1, Richard Jeffers, Rob Furrow and
Mike Roger had one MACGILLIVRAY’S and many NASHVILLE WARBLERS at Dinosaur Point, as well as yet
another GRAY FLYCATCHER. Among other birds during their Merced County Big Day, they picked up a
DUSKY FLYCATCHER at O’Neill Forebay and a SHORT-EARED OWL near Gun Club Road. Pete Dunten had a
female CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD at Dinosaur Point Road, in addition to a male and two female CALLIOPE
HUMMINGBIRDS at Pacheco State Park on May 4. Michael Rogers had a STELLER’S JAY at Pacheco State
Park on May 9.
STANISLAUS COUNTY
On April 27, Xavier Sandoval saw a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT eating mulberries in an unusual location—
behind his house near Graceada Park in Modesto! Harold Reeve had a SNOWY PLOVER on May 10 at the
Modesto Water Quality Control Facilities. John Harris and Sal Salerno had a WILLOW FLYCATCHER at Valley
Oak Recreation Area on May 12.
STANISLAUS AUDUBON SOCIETY JOINS MEETUP
Stanislaus Audubon Society has made a Meetup group that includes Audubon field trips and programs. It’s
easy and free to join this Meetup, after which you will automatically be sent announcements of upcoming
events. Encourage your friends to do so, too; this group is open to anyone, not only Audubon members.
Spring is here, get on the trails! Here is the link: http://www.meetup.com/Stanislaus-Audubon-Events/
Gray Flycatcher
© Pete Dunten
Calliope Hummingbird
© Pete Dunten
Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety
Valley Habitat 3
“For there is nothing either good
or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
From Hamlet, by William Shake-
speare
Every so often, I get in a philo-
sophical mood, even about birds.
In order to do that, however, I
need to make three self-evident
statements. One, humans are an-
thropocentric. We act mostly upon
the belief that we are the central
focus, even the chief purpose, of
the universe. We can’t help it—
after all, we’re only human. Two,
humans are not birds. Three, birds
are not humans. What do those
over-obvious facts mean in our
relationships with birds?
Humankind has historically
treated wild birds in predictable
ways. If certain birds were known
for having cultural or economic
value, either for their flesh or eggs
as food, or for their plumages as
ornaments and clothing, those
birds have been harvested in over-
whelming numbers from the wild.
If other birds were seen as pests,
as devourers of crops, they have
been roundly harassed and exter-
minated. Even if some birds were
judged are benign, or as having no
value, they were still attacked and
slain with acts of casual cruelty in
past societies. Thankfully, those
bad old practices have been de-
creasing, mostly because birds are
receiving protections in the devel-
oped countries. Nevertheless,
birds are still seen as “good” or
“bad,” depending on how we need
them, how we judge them—by the
selfish rule of thumb, what’s in it
for us?
It’s important to keep in mind
that there is an unbridgeable gap
between birds and humans. Try as
we might through observation and
scientific experiment, we may
never completely know how they
are think, what they think, or if, in
fact, their thought processes are
anything like our own. The same
might be said for their emotions—
if they have feelings, what are
they, and do they resemble any-
thing like ours? These mysteries
may ultimately be unknowable.
We do know, however,
that humans live in moral and reli-
gious realms that birds do not
share. Our concepts of good and
evil are constructs of religion and
ethics that govern our lives,
whereas the lives of wild birds are
governed exclusively by instincts
and physiological needs. Inevita-
bly, problems arise when we judge
birds according to our anthropo-
centric point of view. Take the
idea of evil, for example. A person
who does an evil act is considered
someone who does harm to anoth-
er or others, especially when there
is a choice not to do that harm.
The essential idea is that of free
will exercised so wrongly that
someone else will be hurt. But
how can that same idea of “evil”
ever be applied to wild birds that
live in nature, where there appears
to be no moral dimension?
If you observe birds long
enough, you will eventually see
birds of prey taking rodents or
even other birds. During a recent
walk in my neighborhood, I wit-
nessed a Cooper’s Hawk grabbing
a Western Scrub-Jay just before
the jay could flee under a bush.
The hawk sat on the jay for the
moments that it would take to sub-
due it. You, too, may have felt as
I did then—namely, sympathy for
the victim. It would have been
inappropriate for me to intervene
in such an inevitable act, so I
walked on by.
The point is, what I felt for
the jay were empathy and compas-
sion, which may be partially in-
nate emotions, but they are also
learned through human culture.
What those birds felt were in-
stincts, instilled from birth and
governed by hormones. The hawk
felt hunger and acted successfully
with skill. The scrub-jay felt fear
and acted unsuccessfully, with
some skill but worse luck. That
Cooper’s Hawk was no more
“evil” than the jay was “good.” In
fact, that Western Scrub-Jay may
have killed and eaten a mocking-
bird’s fledgling just hours before it
was killed. In all cases, those
birds were only “doing what
comes naturally.”
Take even the egregious exam-
ple of European Starlings, which
are commonly considered pests by
farmers and managers of urban
forests. Their introduction to
North America was an immense
human blunder, for the starlings
compete successfully with many
native cavity-nesting species of
birds. But even they don’t
(Continued on page 6)
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE NEUTRAL by Salvatore Salerno
Stanislaus Audubon Society
Board of Directors: Bill Amundsen, Ralph
Baker, Eric Caine, Lori Franzman, Jody Hall-
strom, David Froba, Jim Gain, Daniel Gilman,
John Harris, Harold Reeve, Salvatore Salerno.
Officers & Committee Chairs
President: Sal Salerno 985-1232
Vice President: Eric Caine 968-1302
Treasurer: David Froba 521-7265
Secretary: John Harris 510-504-2427
Membership: Revolving
San Joaquin River NWR Trips:
Ralph Baker 681-3313
Other Field Trips: David Froba 521-7265
Christmas Bird Counts Coordinator; Secre-
tary, Stanislaus Birds Records Committee:
Harold Reeve 538-0885
How to Join Audubon
To become a member of the National
Audubon Society, which entitles you
to receive Audubon Magazine and
Valley Habitat, send your check for
$20.00 to:
National Audubon Society Membership Data Center
P.O. Box 42023
Palm Coast, FL 32142-6714
To keep current, check the member-
ship expiration date printed on your
newsletter label, or call Member
Services at 800-274-4201.
Visit our web site at
https://sites.google.com/site/
stanislausaudubonsociety/
LIKE S.A.S. ON FACEBOOK! JOIN MEETUP GROUP
Valley Habitat 4
Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety AUDUBON FIELD TRIPS
June 21, July 19, August 16, September 20. The San Joaquin River
National Wildlife Refuge near Modesto is huge and offers the most diverse
habitats in the area, including mixed species transitional areas, riparian forest,
oak woodlands, grassland, and seasonal wetlands. Trip leader, Ralph Baker
([email protected]) chooses the particular habitats to visit
each month based on conditions and season. Meet at the Stanislaus County
Library parking lot (1500 I Street, Modesto) at 7:15 a.m. We will return to
Modesto mid afternoon.
June 6-7. Sierra Birding Overnight. Join Stanislaus Audubon on a birding
trek up Hwy 120 through Crane Flat Meadows, Tioga Pass and down to
Mono Lake. We will leave Modesto early on Saturday June 6th and return on
Sunday, June 7th. Please contact Jim Gain for more information and exact
times, [email protected], 602-4596.
June 20, Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Altitude makes all the difference.
Nesting warblers, Pileated Woodpeckers, and lots of good stuff. Trip leader,
Sal Salerno. Meet at the Starbucks parking lot at 2213 Claribel Road in
Riverbank at 7:00 a.m. We’ll be back mid afternoon. Participants should
bring a bag lunch, water, insect repellent, and they be prepared to carpool.
RSVP by June 13 at 209-985-1232.
August 29, String of Pearls. These aptly-named series of small riparian
parks on the Stanislaus River between Oakdale and Knights Ferry attract
migrating birds, and we’ll visit those that seems to be the most active at the
time. Trip leader, TBA. Contact Dave Froba for more info, 521-7265,
[email protected] at the Stanislaus County Library parking lot (1500
I Street, Modesto) at 7:15 a.m. We will return to Modesto early afternoon.
September 5, Snelling area. This area in Merced County along the
Tuolumne River should be hopping with fall migrants.Trip leader, TBA.
Contact Dave Froba for more info, 521-7265, [email protected]. Meet at the
Stanislaus County Library parking lot (1500 I Street, Modesto) at 7:15 a.m.
We will return to Modesto early afternoon.
September 13, Point Reyes National Seashore. Leader, Ralph Baker (209)
681-3313 [email protected]. September is the best time to
find vagrant migrants, birds that are migrating outside the limits of their
customary range, and Pt. Reyes is one of the state’s best-known birding desti-
nations. Participants will meet the leader at the Stanislaus County Library
Parking lot (1500 I street, Modesto) at 6:00 a.m. for carpooling. They may
also meet the group at the Bear Valley Visitor Center at 8:45 a.m., upon prior
notice. All participants please RSVP to the leader by September 6th This long
day trip likely will not return to Modesto before 7:00pm. Bring a lunch and
warm layers of clothing.
Audubon Field Trip Email List If you would like to be on a group email to advise you of all Audubon field
trips, please email: Dave Froba at [email protected].
Valley Habitat 5
Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club
Many of my friends are
changing to drought tolerant land-
scaping, including our group
Secretary Sandy Wilson and
Conservation Chair Brad Barker
[note: his wife Monica is the real
gardener in the family]. The
Habitat editor, Nancy Jewett, is a
long-time water conserver with
her lawn-free, native plant garden
in Turlock. At my home, with its
large lot size and relatively small
dwelling footprint, we are planning
for drought tolerant landscaping in
stages, with the easiest projects at
the top of the list. We already use
drip irrigation extensively, but
the traditional lush grass that
surrounds us is naturally thirsty
and will have to go.
We experimented with a native
sedge several years ago, only to
have the Bermuda grass return and
reassert its invasive dominion. A
recent letter to the editor in the
Bee by Bruce Frohman reminded
us of the natural air conditioning
provided by grass and shade, and
warned of hotter urban summers
without the evaporative cooling
they provide.
Yet, when the well runs dry, and
the utility companies that meter
our water use start charging a
small fortune for the luxury of nat-
ural cooling, who among us will
still be irrigating our green badges
of shame. So do what Mother
Nature does and grow the plants
that thrive in the various micro-
climates that are found in the San
Joaquin Valley. Many of these
non-thirsty natives are green, have
brilliant flowers and interesting
shapes.
Learning about native plants can
be a challenge, but you will get a
good start by reading the beautiful
publication by the City of Modesto,
Water-Wise Gardening Guide,
available free at City Hall and
many local libraries, and at their
website:
http://www.modestogov.com/pwd/
water/conservation/water-book.pdf
One of my favorite books is
Growing California Native Plants,
by Marjorie Schmidt. It can be
found in many area libraries,
where you will also find plenty of
books on drought-tolerant garden-
ing. Sunset Magazine has long
been a leader in water-wise
gardening (droughts didn’t start
just 4 years ago, after all); check
out the magazine’s publications
and website. Pinterest fans are
already a step ahead when they
search for gardening information
and the hundreds of posts on water
-saving garden tips.
While the summer months are not
good ones for establishing new
plantings (wait for cooler and
possibly wetter fall days for that),
summer is a perfect time for
making garden plans and starting
to rid yourself of the scourge of
the West, those thirsty green
lawns and annoying sprinklers that
keep soaking up our precious
water supplies.
View from the Chair – June, 2015 by Anita Young, Co-Chair, Yokuts Group
Going Native – Using California Native Plants in Home Landscapes
Chaparral Sage
Monica Barker, Modesto
Wilson’s Wabler
in Del Puerto Canyon
© Jim Gain
Valley Habitat 6
Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE NEUTRAL
(Continued from page 3)
“know” wrong from right; they are only obeying the
dictates of their genes. If our country had a mynah
bird with the same genetic coding for aggression,
and if that bird were introduced in Great Britain,
then that country would be dealing with an
“American invasion.”
I am not saying that whatever situation exists
is right. I applaud the restoration efforts for Tricol-
ored Blackbirds and other threatened species, and if
starlings were somehow to disappear from America,
the immediate increase of more native nest-cavity
birds would be excellent news. I am only saying
that so many of our activities with regards to birds,
whether hands-on or hands-off, depend on subjec-
tive and often flawed judgments, often leading to
unforeseen and irreversible results.
Are wild birds good or bad, neither, or a mix-
ture of both at the same time? As members of Stani-
slaus Audubon and Sierra Club who enjoy watching
birds and their behaviors, we might want to take a
few steps back and try to view them in a more holistic
framework. Perhaps we can take on more of the
Swiss attitude with regard to the inescapable
conflicts in nature. Let them be, fellow earthlings,
and then let them be.
ONLINE NEWSLETTER REQUEST CONTINUES
Stanislaus Audubon Society is continuing to collect email addresses from those who wish to receive Valley
Habitat issues in color online. Choosing to do so will help in defraying the costs of printing and mailing.
You can email [email protected] with “Online Newsletter” as the subject. Put your membership
name in the body of the text with your postal zip code.
Phainopepla female in Del Puerto Canyon
© Jim Gain
Semi-palmated Plover at Merced NWR
© Jim Gain
Valley Habitat 7
Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club
Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club
Management Committee
Co-Chairs Anita Young & Candy Klaschus
Treasurer Steve Tomlinson 544-1617
(stomlinson015@gmail,com)
Secretary Sandra Wilson 577-5616
Programs Linda Lagace 863-9137
Conservation Brad Barker 526-5281
Membership Anita Young 529-2300
Hospitality Candy Klaschus 632-5473
Publicity Dorothy Griggs 549-9155
Outings Randall Brown 632-5994
Newsletter Nancy Jewett 664-9422
Mailing Kathy Weise 545-5948
Population Milt Trieweiler 535-1274
Fundraising Leonard Choate 524-3659
Website Jason Tyree
Check out our Website:
http://www.sierraclub.org/mother-lode/yokuts
To send stories to the Habitat, e-mail:
Sierra Club Membership
Enrollment Form
Yes, I want to be a member of the Sierra Club!
Yes, I want to give a gift membership!
______________________________________________________________________
NEW MEMBER NAME(S)
________________________________________________________
ADRESS
______________________________________________________________
CITY STATE ZIP
______________________________________________________________
TELEPHONE (optional) EMAIL (optional)
From time to time, we make our mailing list available to other worthy organizations.
If you prefer your name not be included, please check here.
MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES (check one)
INDIVIDUAL JOINT
Special offer $15
Regular $39 $49
Supporting $75 $100
Contributing $150 $175
Life $1000 $1250
Senior $25 $35
Student $25 $35
Limited Income $25 $35
Contributions, gifts and dues to the Sierra Club are not tax-deductible; they support
our effective, citizen-based advocacy and lobbying efforts. Your dues include $7.50
for a subscription to SIERRA magazine and $1 for your Chapter newsletter.
PAYMENT METHOD: (check one)
CHECK VISA MASTERCARD AMEX
______________________________________________________________
CARDHOLDER NAME
___________________________________________________________
CARD NUMBER EXPIRATION DATE
_____________________________________________________________________
SIGNATURE
GIFT MEMBERSHIP: A gift card will be sent for your use. Enter your name
and address below and the name and address of the gift recipient above.
_____________________________________________________________________
YOUR NAME(S)
_____________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS
______________________________________________________________________
CITY STATE ZIP
______________________________________________________________________
TELEPHONE (optional) EMAIL (optional)
Enclose payment information and mail to:
P.O. Box 421041, Palm Coast, FL 32142-1041
Yokuts Group
F94QN09051
Link to
the
Yokuts
Web-
Yokuts Sierra Club Joins Meetup
The Yokuts Sierra Club group, along with the Delta
Sierra and Tuolumne groups have formed a Stockton-
Modesto-Sonora Meetup group that includes Sierra Club
outings and events. It’s easy and free to join this Meetup,
just go to the link below and sign up. It’s not necessary
to be a Sierra Club member to join. Once you sign up,
you will automatically be sent announcements of new and
upcoming Meetup events. http://www.meetup.com/
Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/
The Valley Habitat June 2015
http://www.sierraclub.org/mother-lode/yokuts
Yokuts Group
Mother Lode Chapter
Sierra Club
P.O. Box 855
Modesto, CA 95353
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Modesto, CA
Permit No. 139
CURRENT RESIDENT OR
https://google.com/site/stanislausaudubonsociety/
Sal's Early Birders Class - May 9, 2015