feb 2013 stanislaus audubon

8/12/2019 Feb 2013 Stanislaus Audubon

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Valley Habitat 1

The Valley Hab itatFebruary 2013

A Joint Pub l icati on of th e Sta n islaus Audubo n Soci ety

and the Yo kut s Group of th e Sie rra Clu b

A Wildlife Refuge of Genuine Consequence

by Brad Barker, Conservation Chair

Friday, February 1st, is the last day to submit com-ments on the proposed expansion of the San JoaquinRiver National Wildlife Refuge -- just a 15 minute

drive from downtown Modesto. Read more at http://go.usa.gov/YMWY.And then your comments, evenbrief ones, can be submitted to Richard Smith of theU.S. Fish & Wildlife Serviceat [email protected]. Considering thespectacular possibilities for restored habitat and in-creased wildlife viewing, the expansion is a no-brainer for nature-lovers and would bring many bene-

fits to our region.

Here's the "official" Yokuts Group comment on the

proposal:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

Pacific Southwest Region, Refuge Planning,

Attention: Richard Smith

Dear Mr. Smith,

On behalf of the management team of the YokutsGroup of the Sierra Club, I am writing to express ourstrong support for the proposed expansion of the SanJoaquin River National Wildlife Refuge. Please con-sider this letter as an official comment in the decision

process.Our Sierra Club group has over 800 members here inStanislaus County. And this proposal is exactly whatwe've been waiting for. The proposal is just what ourregion needs to restore a fraction of the lost naturalhabitat of the San Joaquin Valley,and to establish a

wildlife refuge of genuine consequence.

The Sierra Club's founder John Muir wrote about thisvalley as it was in the 19th century in "The Bee Pas-tures" from The Mountains of California. Everyspring, "the Great Central Plain of California...wasone smooth, continuous bed of honey-bloom, so mar-velously rich that in walking from one end of it to theother...your foot would press about a hundred flowersat every step...The radiant, honeyful corollas, touch-ing and overlapping, and rising above one another,glowed in the living light like a sunset sky -- one

sheet of purple and gold."

(continued on page 6)

February 15th, 2013 Yokuts Program: Member Slide Show

Join us for the always popular Member Slide Show as glorious scenes of summer hikes warms us in the depth

of winter. Bring your slides on a disc or thumb-drive and share your outing and wilderness adventures.

For more information, contact Alexandra Hoffmann, program chair, (415) 755-3092, or Anita Young,

Yokuts chair, (209) 985-9680.

Friday, February 15, 2013 at the Fellowship Hall of the College Ave. Church,

1341 College Ave. (at Orangeburg) in Modesto. Refreshments and socializing begin at 6:45 p.m.

The program starts at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
http://go.usa.gov/YMWYhttp://go.usa.gov/YMWYhttp://go.usa.gov/YMWYmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://go.usa.gov/YMWYhttp://go.usa.gov/YMWY


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Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety

Valley Habitat 3

Humans parcel the earth intocities, provinces, and nations, butwild birds travel and live anywhere,

heedless of local or national bounda-ries. They are fixed to habitats byinstinct, thriving wherever they can,across state and national borders,

even from one continent to the next.

For birds that migrate in theNew World, whether to call themNorth, Central, or South Americanbirds depends on how home is defined.We know what our homes aresanctuaries where we may live incomfort with our family, pets, and

perhaps yards or gardens. That defi-nition, however, becomes trickierwhen applied to wild animals. Wemay have built the most permanentstructures on Earth, but only wildlifeand especially migratory birdscan truly

earn the title of world citizens.

Of course, there are manybird families that dont migrate in theclassic sense, but are mostly sedentaryspecies. (I must use qualifiers, since

some species dont conform to the lifehistories of the others in their families.)Sedentary birds engage in post-breedingdispersal and may change altitudes

seasonally, but they dont performmass movements over long distances.Among those birds are quail andgrouse, pigeons and doves, corvidsand chickadees, American Dipperand Wrentit. This also holds true formost owls, most rails, some wrens,

somesparrows, andmostthrashers.

The true world citizens are the200 or so species of birds, at least a fewin most families, called Neotropicalmigrants. These birds live for up tosix months in their breeding ranges inNorth America, but then they migrateto Central or South America, or theCaribbean islands, in the winter. Thedemarcation that determines whether

a species is considered Neotropical isthe Tropic of Cancer, which runs

across Mexico at 23 N. latitude.

About 60% of our residentbirds in the U.S. are Neotropical migrants,flying north in the spring, breeding inthe summer, and returning south inthe fall. These are the bird families thatdelight us by providing so much colorand song to our environmentswarblers and hummingbirds, swallowsand swifts, tanagers and orioles, flycatch-

ers and vireos, grosbeaks and buntings.

Other bird families, calledNearctic migrants, have more exten-sive ranges. Many shorebirds flyfrom one end of the Americas to theother. Red Knots and White-rumpedSandpipers, for example, nest in thetundra of northern Canada, and theywinter in Tierra del Fuego, flyingmore than 10,000 miles. The Arctic

Tern is the champion of such a cycle,since it circumnavigates from theArctic to the Antarctic, a distance of

22,000 miles, every year.

Those migratory patternspresent an intriguing question. WhenNorth American birders see a Protho-notary Warbler, are they beholding aresident native or an exotic visitor

from a foreign land? Exactly where is

this birds home?

The simple answer would

seem, A birds home is where itbuilds a nest and raises young. Inmost cases, however, those tasks do

not comprise the majority of a birdslife cycle. Once the young havefledged, many birds abandon thatarea and roam over wider territory oncemore. Parenting is a cyclical condition,

not a permanent one.

A substitute answer might

be, A birds home is where it spends

the most time. In the case of manyNeotropical migrants, that might beat their wintering quarters. But whatabout all of the staging areas that mi-gratory birds use during the year?How much time birds spend on thosebeaches, in those forests and plains,varies according to human obstacles, thevagaries of weather, and even theamount of fat they have stored. Mi-grants may live in staging areas, theirbedrooms and dining rooms, for

weeks or even months yearly.Conservationists understand

that migratory birds belong to bothcontinents. The Prothonotary War-bler breeds in North American wood-ed swamps and river bottom forests,and projects are underway to pre-serve those habitats. Our counter-parts in Costa Rica and three othercountries in South America are doingwhat they can to preserve the vanish-ing mangrove forests, where this

warbler winters for seven monthsyearly.

Whose birds are they?Thats a trick question, for in an ecolog-ical sense, they are neither oursnortheirs. Its a seamless world, afterall. Wild birds belong wherever theyhappen to be, and wherever we roam,we are always traveling through the

WHOSE BIRDS ARE THOSE, ANYWAY? by Salvatore Salerno

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER

Tom Grey


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StanislausAudubon Society

Board of Directors: Bill Amundsen, Ralph

Baker, Eric Caine, Lori Franzman, Jody

Hallstrom, David Froba, Jim Gain, Daniel

Gilman, John Harris, Harold Reeve, Salvatore

Salerno.

Officers & Committee Chairs

President: Sal Salerno 985-1232

([email protected])

Vice President: Eric Caine 968-1302

([email protected])

Treasurer: David Froba 521-7265

([email protected])

Secretary: John Harris 848-1518

([email protected])

Membership: Revolving

San Joaquin River Refuge Field Trips:

Bill Amundsen 521-8256

([email protected])

Other Field Trips: David Froba 521-7265([email protected])

Christmas Bird Counts Coordinator;

Secretary, Stanislaus Bird Records Committee:

Harold Reeve 538-0885

How To Join Audubon:

To become a member of National AudubonSociety, which entitles you to receiveValley Habitat and Audubon Magazine, send

your check for $20.00 to:

National Audubon SocietyMembership Data CenterP.O. Box 422250

Palm Coast, FL 32142

If you are a current member, please check theexpiration date on the mailing label, so thatyou may rejoin in time to continue receiving

our publications.

Visit our website: www.stanislausbirds.org

Valley Habitat 4

Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety

Audubon Field Trips

February 16 and March 17. San Joaquin River National WildlifeRefuge is huge and offers the most diverse habitats in the area, includingmixed species transitional savannahs, riparian forest, oak woodlands,

grassland, and seasonal wetland. Trip leaderchooses the particular habi-tats to visit each month based on conditions and season. Meet at the Stan-islaus Library parking lot at 1500 I Street. at 7:00 a.m. We'll be back ear-ly afternoon.

February 23. Merced National Wildlife Refuge. For all-around birding(water birds, shorebirds, perching birds, raptors) this may be the best

place to bird near Modesto and it will be in high season. Meet at 7:00a.m. at the Stanislaus Library parking lot at 1500 I Street. Trip lead-er, Bill Amundsen, 521-8256,[email protected]). We'll be back

mid afternoon.

March 9. San Luis National Wildlife Refuge and Santa Fe GradeRoad. These two birding jewels near Los Banos offer wetlands andgrasslands habitats that can be expected to be rich in their respective

birds this time of the year. Trip leader, Dave Froba, 209-521-7265, [email protected] at the Stanislaus Library parking lot at 1500 I

Street. at 7:00 a.m. We'll be back mid afternoon.

Audubon Field Trip Email List

If you would like to be on a groupemail to advise you of all Audu-

bon field trips, please email:

Dave Froba at [email protected]

STANISLAUS AUDUBON SOCIETY RECEIVES GRANT

The board members of Stanislaus Audubon Society have been participat-ing in Audubon Californias Im for the River campaign since June of2012. They were able to collect 897 communications during that time,more than any other participating chapter. At the recent general meeting,Meghan Hertel of Audubon California awarded S.A.S. the final paymentof the grant, for a total of $1,700.
http://www.stanislausbirds.org/http://www.stanislausbirds.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.stanislausbirds.org/


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Valley Habitat 5

Yokuts Group of the S ierra Club

Saturday, February 2ndDay hike, (2B)

Toro County Park

Toro Park, in Monterey County

west of Salinas, is a prime locationfor a mid-winter hikerollinghills, mixture of open fields, oakwoods, and various shrubs. Thehike will be loop of approximately9-10 miles and 1,200 ft. elevationgain. For further information, in-cluding the meet-up time and place,please contact Yokuts trip leader

Randall Brown at 209 632-5994

February 10, Sunday

Sierra Club Day Hike (1A)

Snowshoe trip at Crane Flat,

Yosemite National Park.

Snowshoe from parking area to theCrane Ridge lookout and helicopterbase, an easy 400 feet climb in 2miles. Lunch at the lookout, andthen return to trailhead. Adverse

weather conditions will cancel.

Details and reservations required fromleader, Frank, phone 209-962-7585,

email: frank [email protected].

Sierra Club Calendars

Sierra Club Calendars will be forsale at meetings. There are twochoices, Wilderness Wall Calen-dar, $14, and Engagement Calen-

dar, $15. Calendars may be pur-chased by mailing an order to:

Sierra Club Calendars, P O Box 855,Modesto CA 95353, or by phoningDoug at 209-524-6651. These calen-dars make great gifts and are alwaysappreciated the first of the year. Thisis a great fund raiser for the Yokuts.

An owl species called a Long-earedOwl has been making local appear-ances lately in a lot of urban com-

munities. Jim Gain saw this one inStockton November 27, 2012, atthe Rural Cemetery.

Request for Assistance- Frogs

in the City

Do you have or know of an urban or

suburban pond or waterway that has

hadamphibian activity (i.e. frogs, toads,

salamanders)? Graduate student from

California State University, Stanislaus

needs tips and permissions to

access urban and natural ponds and

waterways for thesis project that will

be looking at breeding success of am-

phibians across Stanislaus and San

Joaquin Counties. Examples of ponds

and waterways needed (may be perma-

nent

or seasonal): backyard/frontyard, golf

courses, cattle ponds, stormwater

ponds, parks, businesses, apartments,

etc. Project set to start spring

2013. Even if you have a pond with no

known amphibian presence, please

contact: Felicia De La Torre at e-mail:

[email protected] phone:

(209) 324-5532

Felicia De La Torre

Graduate Student

M.S. Ecology and Sustainability

California State University, Stanislaus

Long-eared Owl

Jim Gain
http://us.mc362.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://us.mc362.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://us.mc362.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]


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Valley Habitat 6

Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

(Wildlife Refuge, continued from page 1)

Those flower fields that Muir saw are mostly gone.And, the riparian forests and wetlands -- they're most-ly gone too. We've dammed, diked, drained and di-verted too much water. The herds of tule elk are gone,and the pronghorn. Hundreds of thousands of salmonmigrating up our rivers are mostly gone, and the ea-gles that fed on them are rarely seen. The lowlandbears that became the symbol of our state, the Califor-

nia grizzlies, they're gone forever.

Very little of the natural land of our valley remains

today. So much of our natural heritage has been lost

that when the chance comes to acquire and restore ri-

parian land for future generations, we must act deci-

sively. Valley residents are greatly under-served in

terms of educational and recreational opportunities on

natural lands. California residents who live in coastal

regions, mountain regions, and desert regions have

many different ways to access natural lands and to

explore the natural history of the places they live. But,

because our San Joaquin Valley landscape has been so

drastically altered for agricultural and urban uses, val-

ley residents are sadly disconnected from the rich, nat-ural world that once existed here. This expansion

would help to mitigate some of that imbalance.

We feel that the increased recreational and education-

al opportunities resulting from the expansion would

generate new tourist dollars for our area, and this new

revenue would more than offset the rather slight loss

of farmland. We have heard no compelling arguments

against the proposed expansion.

The Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club strongly encour-

ages the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to proceed

with plans to expand the San Joaquin National Wild-

life Refuge, and to do so without delay. And we ask

other organizations and public agencies to support you

in this very worthy goal.

Thank you for considering our comments.

--Brad Barker, Conservation Chair, Yokuts Group of

the Sierra Club

Vernal Pools Trip

Here's an invitation to see some flowers and vernal

pools. The Great Valley Museum has organized a

FIELD TRIP TO JEPSON PRAIRIE.

This is Saturday March 30 7:30 am to 4 pm.

A docent will lead as the group explores the clay-panvernal pools and native bunch grass prairie. Cost: $20

Great Valley Museum members and $25 non mem-

bers.

Call ( 575-6196) or come into the museum, 1100

Stoddard Ave, Modesto, CA, to register.

Valley Habitat in an

electronic format

We are making slow progress towards offering the

Valley Habitat in an electronic format. Please bear

with us as we give members the opportunity to "opt-

in" to receive monthly links to our beautiful color

version of the Habitat online at our website. Send an

e-mail to this address to opt-in:

[email protected] the body of the

message type SUBSCRIBE MOTHERLODE-

YOKUTS-NEWS first name last

name. For a look at our website use the following

link:

http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts/Yokuts/

Home.html
http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdWDOGf1QIXsALb1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB2bDFxNjhiBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDE5OV8yMTM-/SIG=12u7dl725/EXP=1358793294/**http%3a/maps.yahoo.com/dd%3ftaddr=1100%2bStoddard%2bAve%26tcsz=Modesto%2bCAhttp://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdWDOGf1QIXsALb1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB2bDFxNjhiBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDE5OV8yMTM-/SIG=12u7dl725/EXP=1358793294/**http%3a/maps.yahoo.com/dd%3ftaddr=1100%2bStoddard%2bAve%26tcsz=Modesto%2bCAhttp://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdWDOGf1QIXsALb1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB2bDFxNjhiBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDE5OV8yMTM-/SIG=12u7dl725/EXP=1358793294/**http%3a/maps.yahoo.com/dd%3ftaddr=1100%2bStoddard%2bAve%26tcsz=Modesto%2bCAmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts/Yokuts/Home.htmlhttp://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts/Yokuts/Home.htmlhttp://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts/Yokuts/Home.htmlhttp://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts/Yokuts/Home.htmlhttp://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts/Yokuts/Home.htmlmailto:[email protected]://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdWDOGf1QIXsALb1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB2bDFxNjhiBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDE5OV8yMTM-/SIG=12u7dl725/EXP=1358793294/**http%3a/maps.yahoo.com/dd%3ftaddr=1100%2bStoddard%2bAve%26tcsz=Modesto%2bCAhttp://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdWDOGf1QIXsALb1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB2bDFxNjhiBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDE5OV8yMTM-/SIG=12u7dl725/EXP=1358793294/**http%3a/maps.yahoo.com/dd%3ftaddr=1100%2bStoddard%2bAve%26tcsz=Modesto%2bCA


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Valley Habitat 7

Yokuts Group of the S ierra Club

Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

Management Committee

Chair Anita Young 529-2300

([email protected])

Treasurer Steve Tomlinson([email protected])

Secretary Maryann Hight 417-9114

([email protected])

Programs Alexandra Hoffmann (415) 755-3092

([email protected])

Conservation Brad Barker 526-5281([email protected])

Membership Kathy Clarke 575-2174([email protected])

Hospitality Candy Klaschus 632-5473([email protected])

Publicity Dorothy Griggs 549-9155([email protected])

Outings Randall Brown 632-5994([email protected])

Newsletter Nancy Jewett 664-9422

([email protected])

Mailing Kathy Weise 545-5948

([email protected])

Population Milt Trieweiler 664-1181

([email protected])Fundraising Leonard Choate 524-3659

Website Jason Tyree

([email protected])

Check out our Website:

http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts

To send stories to the Habitat, e-mail:

[email protected]

Sierra Club Membership

Enrollment Form

Yes, I want to be a member of the Sierra Club!

Yes, I want to give a gift membership!

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ADRESS

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If you prefer your name not be included, please check here.

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES (check one)

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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

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Enclose payment information and mail to:

P.O. Box 421041, Palm Coast, FL 32142-1041

Yokuts Sierra Club joins MeetupThe Yokuts Sierra Club group, along with the Delta Sier-ra and Tuolumne Groups have formed a Stockton-Modesto-Sonora Meetup group that includes Sierra Cluboutingsand events. Its easy and free to join this Meetup,

just go to the link below and sign up. Its not necessary tobe a Sierra Club member to join. Once you sign up, youwill automatically be sent announcements of new and up-coming Meetup events. Join the fun and get active in theSierra Club. http://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/

Link to the

Yokuts

website

Yokuts Group

F94QN09051
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/http://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/http://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/http://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/http://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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The Valley Habitat February 2013http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts http://stanislausbirds.org/

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

These are the things that Raymond Nichols will recyclefor you, if you will bring them to the Yokuts monthlyprograms: (Look for the receptacles. They look likecut-off Gallon Milk Containers.)

Household Batteries, including coin-types,CFL's (Compact Fluorescent Bulb's),Old Eyeglasses,Old Cell-Telephones,Magazines,Books.

The hazardous things will be dropped off at theMorgan Road Recycle Center, whenever Ray is in thatarea and they are open, which is only 9AM - 1PM onFridays and Saturdays.

You cannot put these things in the trash.It is I-L-L-E-G-A-L, and by yourself you probablywont use enough to warrant a drive to the Recycle

Center.

Old Eyeglasses will be given to The Lions Club fordistribution to those who need them.

Old Cell-Telephones are converted to TelephoneCalling Cards for overseas military personnel.

Magazines and books are distributed to local areahouse-bound Veterans, by The American Legion, andalso to The Vet Center. When the new VeteransAdministration Center opens in early 2013 they willalso get some.

You can bring recyclables to our Sierra Club meetings

feb 2013 stanislaus audubon

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