Events & views - March 2009
In This Edition
|
March 2009 Newsletter for Friends of the E.V. |
Navigation |
For the Love of Clapper Rails
by Allan Berkowitz, Executive Director
It is not very graceful. |
|
Construction on our new home in the Palo Alto Baylands has stopped for a few weeks so that we can be respectful of the Clapper Rail, an endangered species that lives in the bay marshes. This planned shut-down is to allow biological monitors to survey for breeding pairs of Clapper Rails near the construction site. If found, then our construction process might be delayed until the end of breeding season. Have the Clapper Rails found true love near our new home? Is it true that this ungraceful, chicken-like bird breeds for longer than you can imagine? For the answers to these and other Clapper Rail love facts, check out the FAQs below. Clapper Rail FAQs Q: I heard a rumor that clapper Rails are quite amorous. Is this true? A: It may walk like a chicken and dress in bland colors, but the California Clapper Rail breeds for 8 months of the year (it must rely on its great personality). February through September is breeding season. Q: How was the biological monitoring conducted? Q: Have the Clapper Rails found true love near our new home? Results of Survey #1: It was a clear and crisp morning in early February. 48 degrees, no wind, and just before sunrise. A beautiful day for Clapper Rail romance. And yes, there were several Clapper Rails. Approximately 900' away, 9 Rail calls were heard. We can only presume they were looking for love in all the marshy places. Results of Survey #2: Again it was a clear and crisp morning just before sunrise in mid-February. Another beautiful day for Clapper Rail's in love. 13 Rail calls were heard far off in the distance. But it is a cruel world out there and on this day, a Red-tail Hawk attacked a juvenile Northern Harrier (using our roof for its feast!). But the amorous Clapper Rails remained focused on love. Q: What Does All This Mean For Construction? All this talk about Clapper Rail romance inspires me to want to learn more. Where can I learn more about the life and habits of Clapper Rails? Cornell Lab of Ornithology Save The Bay |
Become an EV
by Brittany Sabol, Education & Training Director
We are always looking for volunteers who have a love of nature and want to share the wonder of the natural world with local children. As a volunteer with the E.V., you would work with small groups of children and involve them in hands-on, discovery-based learning. No experience required! Our training programs provide you with all the skills and materials that you need to become an Environmental Volunteer. We have only one more training module this spring so don't delay! |
 |
Explorations in Ecology This module covers all of our subject areas that teach students about the amazing variety of ecology that is right here in the bay area, from the forests, to the ocean, to the wildlife visiting our own backyards! When: Thursdays, March 5 - Apr 16 from 9:00 am - 1:30 pm Don't worry if you miss the first class or two - we'll make room for you! For more information click here or contact Brittany. |
|
Camp News
by Vandy Shrader, Summer Programs Coordinator
It may seem like a long time until summer, but for me, summer has already begun! I've been having a good time planning the 2009 S.N.A.K.E. Camp and Explore! Programs, and I'm ready to share our exciting plans. For more camp information and schedules, please click on the Snake Summer Camp logo to the right. |
 |
Who's News: Davy Davidson
by Jan Whitmer
Our new Board member, Davy Davidson, took the fall training in 2007 and jumped in right away to help with the Birds and Blooms fundraiser last year. A lifelong environmental activist, Davy has served on the boards of many organizations fighting to preserve and protect the natural environment. While on the EV Board, she will focus on fundraising, something she is passionate and enthusiastic about where the environment is concerned. Davy believes that her love of the natural world comes from her upbringing. |
|
Raised in New Jersey, Davy always felt at home in the outdoors. Her mother's garden was also an inspiration, with its unstructured, natural look. Interested in spiritual development, Davy feels that her inner life is fully supported when she is out in nature. Davy works hard at leaving a low carbon footprint and has been a vegetarian for 34 years and a vegan for 17 years. Before coming to California a decade ago, Davy lived in New York City for 19 years where she had an acting career. A single parent to son Ben, she acted, as she puts it, "off-off-off Broadway", but was forced to take TV commercial and soap opera jobs to make ends meet, so left the business. She became a communications consultant for McKinsey & Company, teaching executives how to deliver press messages. Her work took her all over the world, an opportunity of which she took full advantage. One of her most vivid experiences was in India on an adventure tracking tigers. Davy is never happier than when she is close to the wildness of nature. Davy's move to California came because she wanted to open an organic, vegetarian restaurant and felt the population in San Francisco would support a health-oriented venture. Unfortunately, her restaurant became a casualty of the dot-com bust. Four years ago, Davy moved to the Peninsula to be with her partner Al Whaley. Recreational activities for Davy include gardening, hiking, and eco-travel. She recently visited Costa Rica where she was awakened by howler monkeys at 4:00 AM and watched whales breaching. It doesn't get any better than that for Davy! She also loves food and cooking, trying different combinations, colors, and textures and, especially, eating from her own garden. We salute, you, Davy, for your passion and commitment. |
Wild Crush 2009 Gala and Raffle Tickets Available!
by Sue Trautmant, Executive Assistant
Capture a chance for an aerial Bay tour in a 1954 E-model Beechcraft Bonanza piloted by Brittany Sabol's flying partner; stroll in the lovely outdoor plaza to the sounds of live music as you sample wines from local vintners and show your guests some of the EV activities on display; and, enjoy dinner among friends and bid on exciting and unique auction items. These experiences will be yours at: Wild Crush 2009 Enter the raffle, even if you can't come to the event, and secure a chance (or many chances with many tickets) to win a 4-day Sierra exploration, guided by one of EV's favorite naturalists, Diane West-Bourke.
You can purchase event tickets and raffle tickets online by clicking here. |
|
May I borrow your burrow?
By Esperanza Sanz Escudero
|
"Did you see the owl sitting on the white sand patch? "-- Asked Phillip. The characteristics of those raptors are: yellow eyes, short body, able to live 9 |
years in the wild and around 10 in captivity, with reversed-size dimorphism (male is slightly larger than the female; normally in other raptors is the opposite), accustomed to living close to humans, hunting from the air or by foot, day or night. Burrowing owls are one of the smallest owls in the world (a little bit larger than an American Robin). They are the only ones that live underground, taking over burrows from other animals like ground squirrels. They are also the only owl that eats fruits and some seeds, and lays more eggs that any other bird of prey (12 to 13 compared to 1 to 6 for other raptors.) Protecting the owls, as everything in life, is not that simple. Many consider ground squirrels pests, but they construct the burrows that this little cute owl uses. Similarly, prairie dogs can damage farm crops, so programs have been created to eradicate them. But these programs are harming the owls too, due to the fact that prairie dogs live side by side with burrowing owls, and owls benefit by taking the burrow that prairie dogs build. Taking care of one species requires thinking about the other species we impact. What would happen if we remove one of the pieces of this complex puzzle? Only then, we will understand that we are included in that puzzle. If we take care of everything in our environment, from the prairie dog, to the ground squirrel, to the burrowing owl, we take care of ourselves too. Picture: Yamil Saenz |
Photo Credits
For EV and student photos: Leonard Brzezinski, Judy Kramer
For Clapper Rail, flower and owl: Wikipedia
Other pictures provided by subjects