Stumbling along the coastal terrace above Tomales Bay at ACR’s Cypress GroveResearch Center, I am struggling to keep up with John Kelly as he darts agilelythrough the dense matrix of coyote brush scrub. It is early January. It is cold.

We are looking for a grassland restoration site that ACR volunteers and staff planted in the early1990s. As I emerge from yet another shoulder-high, shirt-ripping stand of scrub, I am suddenly sur-rounded by beautiful coastal prairie.

Large bunches of tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa) and blue wildrye (Elymus glaucus) riseabove a blanket of smaller native bunchgrasses, ferns, f lowers, and rushes, forming the dense moundedcanopy typical of coastal prairie. A Great Blue Heron stands stock still nearby. A pair of NorthernHarriers dance above us. Woven through the bunchgrasses is a network of vole runways so dense I canalmost hear the traffic below. No doubt, the birds sense it as well.

We have located the restoration site. John Kelly is positively delighted with what he sees. “Wow, thisreally took off!” He points to the fence posts that delineate the area that was planted with five nativegrass species over a five-year period beginning in 1990. “Everything from here to the ocean was basicallyweeds when we started,” he explains with a broad sweeping motion that takes in both the restoredcoastal prairie and the coyote brush scrub surrounding it.

AUDUBONCANYONRANCHNumber 38 Spring 2006B U L L E T I N

> Please turn to Grasslands, page 4

WHAT CAN GRASSLANDS TEACH US?

A Restoration Storyby Jeanne Wirka

Douglas iris and native grasses thrive in protected grassland habitat at ACR’s Toms Point. PHOTO BY JEANNE WIRKA

It’s 9:00 AM on a mid-December morning, and16 ACR volunteers and staff are standing on theshore of Tomales Bay, ready to count birds for theACR Annual Waterbird Survey. The data collectedwill also be entered in the Audubon Society’sannual Point Reyes Christmas Bird Count.

Rain begins falling as ACR Director ofConservation Science and Habitat RestorationJohn Kelly and Research Coordinator Katie

Etienne divide us intogroups and send us toour boats. As we headsouth, the rain and windrise in intensity, and wespend the day pretty wellsoaked while trying tocount every bird on thebay. Volunteers who par-ticipate in ACR bird sur-veys have to give it theirbest shot, with their besthumor, to collect theneeded data!

Did you ever thinkabout how Audubon Canyon Ranch functions?We have a marvelous staff. We have very generousdonors. We also have nearly 800 active volunteerswho influence every aspect of ACR’s operationsand programs. Volunteers provide the “face ofACR,” making the first impression on visitors tothe Bouverie Preserve and the Bolinas LagoonPreserve. Docents, Ranch Guides and WeekendHosts generously donate their time, completingrigorous training and then carrying out our educa-tion programs that reach 7,000 school childrenplus thousands of weekend visitors each year.

Many ACR volunteers come out for WorkDays to clear trails, pull weeds, and plant the nextgeneration of habitat. Others actively volunteer onour boards and committees: Bouverie and BolinasDocent Councils both have governing boards, asdo our Ranch Guides. Our Board of Directors issupplemented by the Board of Advisors and avery select Emeritus Board. Many dedicated peo-ple plan and strategize to make ACR the organiza-tion it is today! And our Board’s Diversity TaskForce, headed by Patrick Woodward, is working tobroaden the base of ACR volunteers.

Please take a moment to look at pages 10–11of this Bulletin, where our volunteers are recog-nized, and reflect on the generous spirit thatmotivates them (and you, perhaps!) to dedicatethousands of hours each year to AudubonCanyon Ranch.

Take advantage of ACR’s volunteer opportuni-ties! As a veteran volunteer myself, I know thatyou will benefit from a donation of your timeand effort. ACR volunteers never stop learning,whether by participating in training for docentsand Ranch Guides, attending fundraising andboard governance workshops, or just pursuingtheir own interests in nature. ACR has about 30scientific studies and restoration projects inprogress that require volunteer fieldwork. Folksinterested in participating in Habitat Restorationcan find info at Restore@egret.org and can signup for automatic announcements by emailingDan Gluesenkamp at gluesenkamp@egret.org.

To join us, please check our website atwww.egret.org, review the Calendar on page 9, orcall our offices at the Bouverie or BolinasLagoon Preserves. I look forward to volunteeringwith you soon!

Audubon Canyon RanchPage 2

A volunteer

assists with

habitat

restoration –

preparing to

plant a native

species – on

one of ACR’s

preserves.

DAN GLUESENKAMP

Dan

Murphy is

ACR’s

Board

President

and a 30-

year

volunteer!

ON THE JOY OF VOLUNTEERINGby Dan Murphy

Audubon Canyon Ranch is a guardian of natural environments through preservation, education and research.

I want to take this opportunity to let all ofACR’s friends and family know how our preservesfared in the 2006 New Year’s storm and high tide.At Audubon Canyon Ranch it is our goal to pro-vide a safe setting for our visitors, employees andfacilities through designs that work with theforces of nature whenever possible. I feel fortu-nate that the damage to ACR’s facilities and pre-serves was relatively minor and attribute this toprior planning, engineering and much work inresponse to large storm events in years past. Wedid, however, suffer some significant damage toACR’s Cypress Grove Research Center onTomales Bay and, after “putting our finger in thedike,” we are in the process of consulting withengineers and assessing options. At Bouverie

Preserve in Sonoma’s Valley of the Moonand ACR’s Bolinas Lagoon Preserve, mostof the damage was limited to slides,uprooted trees, stream rerouting and asso-ciated impacts on trails, bridges, pipes,driveways and parking. None of the build-ings have been seriously damaged. ACRstaff is working diligently to prepare forany further winter storms and to readythe preserves for the fast approachingpublic seasons. Of course we must alsomeet the challenge of these unexpectedexpenses and I hope you will considerproviding some additional financial sup-port to assist us with this work. Skip Schwartz is ACR’s Executive Director.

STAFF WELCOME

Audubon Canyon Ranch welcomes LeslieSproul as Bolinas Lagoon Preserve’s (BLP’s)new Receptionist/Office Assistant. Leslie bringsa wealth of experience to our administrativeteam, and hers is the cheery voice that greetsyou when you call ACR headquarters.

Leslie was born and raised in Marin County.Her grandmother brought her to ACR in the late1960s, and Leslie still remembers her sense of aweat first seeing egrets in their nests. She partici-pates in the BLP volunteer work days and hasenjoyed meeting many of ACR’s volunteers. Lesliesays, “Being hired by ACR is a dream come true!”

Additionally this spring, two new staff faceswill greet visitors to the Bolinas Lagoon Preserveduring the public season. Barbara Wechsbergjoins us as the new Cashier/Receptionist in the

bookstore. A Stinson Beach resident, Barbara is aworld traveler and an avid birder. Kira Steinberg,ACR’s new Weekend Program Facilitator, wasmost recently the Volunteer Coordinator for ACRneighbor, PRBO Conservation Science. She hasalso worked at Año Nuevo State Reserve, PortolaRedwoods State Park, and in the U.C. NaturalReserve System in Fort Ord.

Welcome to the ACR family, Leslie, Barbara,and Kira!

Page 3Bulletin 38, Spring 2006

(L to R) Leslie

Sproul,

Barbara

Wechsberg,

Kira Steinberg.

A credit to our community — Audubon Canyon Ranch is participating in the innovative Community Smart credit cardprogram! When cardholders name ACR as their designated non-profit and shop at participating local merchants, a portionof their proceeds from each qualifying transaction is automatically donated to ACR. For more information, visithttp://www.communitysmart.com.

STORM REPORTby Skip Schwartz

AN

E C

AR

LAR

OV

ET

TA

This one-hectare plot, along with five controlplots, were monitored for vole density. “The ener-gy in this system flows through the voles,” Johnexplains. “Our monitoring showed very clearlythat the voles congregated in the areas where thegrasses established a strong bunchgrass structure.”

There are few things more gratifying toresource managers than a successful restorationproject, especially when the other elements of theecosystem, like the voles, respond positively aswell. Yet, there are few types of vegetation morechallenging to restore than grasslands, especiallygrasslands that have been invaded by tough-to-control non-native species—as have virtually all

grasslands in California. The challenge of grassland restora-

tion is one that ACR staff and ourresearch collaborators are tackling headon, not just at Cypress Grove but atother ACR preserves as well. Indeed,the diversity of grassland types thatoccur on ACR properties provides animportant model for ecological restora-tion in general, according to ACR’sResource Management Specialist DanGluesenkamp. “Grasslands are really aperfect model for how to restore allecosystems,” he argues. “There is hugevariation among them, each grasslandhas many habitats within it, and eachhas its own personality.”

That grasslands have personality may be astretch for those who see all of that green turfystuff as “just grass.” But the more you get toknow the individual species, the more charismaticthey become. There are over 300 species of grass-es native to California; those most common atACR preserves include the hairgrasses, oatgrasses,wildryes, fescues and needlegrasses. Said aloud,their scientific names conjure a parade of strong,beautiful earth goddesses: Deschampsia.Danthonia. Elymus. Festuca. Nassella.

And earth goddesses they are, with roots thatextend deep into the ground, literally knittingthe soil to the surface of the earth. These deepand extensive root systems not only reduce ero-sion on hillsides, coastal dunes and streambanks,but they provide a network of fine channelsthrough which rain water can percolate, irrigat-ing other plants and animals and recharginggroundwater stores.

While grasses occur throughout California,from coastal dunes to high Sierra meadows, theterm “grassland” is reserved for those communi-ties where grasses and forbs (a fancy word for awildflower or other non-grass herb) make up themajority of the plant cover. By that definition,grasslands cover some ten million hectares—almost 25 million acres— in California. That’sone-quarter of the entire state!

California grasslands have historically beengrouped into a few main types, including coastalprairie, valley grasslands, and the understory ofoak savannahs and woodlands. On the landscape,however, there are no such neat divisions; grass-land types mix it up with each other and withshrub- and tree-dominated communities, creatinga matrix of habitat types that varies at both verylocal and regional scales.

One has only to look at our own ACR pre-serves to see this grassland diversity in action. TheBouverie Preserve, with its legendary wildflowerfields, contains examples of the same valley andoak-associated grasslands found in the drierCentral Valley and Sierra Foothills but shares

Audubon Canyon RanchPage 4

Restored

grassland at

Cypress Grove

Research

Center

JEANNE WIRKA

Meadow vole

ANE CARLA ROVETTA

Some Northern Californianative animals thatdepend on grasslands:

American KestrelGrasshopper SparrowBadgerNorthern HarrierBuckeye butterflyWestern MeadowlarkBurrowing OwlWestern racerCalifornia ground

squirrelWhite-tailed KiteCalifornia ringletHorned LarkFerruginous HawkLark SparrowGolden EagleMeadow voleGopher snakeSavannah SparrowWestern Bluebird

GRASSLANDS from page 1

many coastal prairie species with ACR’s coastalpreserves. At the Cypress Grove Research Centerand Tom’s Point, coastal prairie mostly rubsshoulders with coyotebrush scrub and saltwatermarsh, while at Bolinas Lagoon Preserve thescrub-grassland mix could be dotted with red-woods and Douglas fir as well.

It is this very patchiness that makes grasslandsso biologically diverse and so important forwildlife. Indeed, about 90 percent of species listedon California’s Inventory of Rare and EndangeredSpecies occur in grasslands.

Sadly, a major reason that grassland plantsand animals are imperiled is because grasslandhabitat itself continues to be the real estate mostsought after by humans. Beginning in the early1800’s with intensive European settlement, grass-lands have been rapidly converted to agricultureor residential and urban uses. The vast majoritythat remain as open grasslands, whether on pri-vate ranches or in public preserves, have under-gone a major f loristic shift to non-native annualgrasses from the Mediterranean, like wild oats,soft chess, and annual ryegrass. Adapted to heavygrazing by livestock, these imported forage grassesarrived with the settlers and their animals andquickly expanded to the entire state, wholly out-competing native species in some grassland typeswhile forming an uneasy truce in others. Pristinenative grassland is now so rare in California thatit is listed as the eighth most endangered ecosys-tem in North America!

The challenge of preserving native remnantsand of restoring degraded grasslands has bothresearchers and land managers working overtimewithin the ACR network of preserves andthroughout the state. Grasslands are a centralfocus of ACR’s Conservation Science and HabitatProtection Plan (CSHP, or “Sea-Ship,” formerlythe Research and Resource Management Plan).Researchers in collaboration with ACR are consid-ering questions ranging from arthropod diversityand carbon cycling in native and non-native grass-lands to the most effective methods to establish

native grass seedlings.The CSHP Plan alsoidentifies priority “rapidresponse” actions to pro-tect ACR grasslands atall its preserves from fur-ther invasions of non-native species and laysout specific long-termmanagement plans forgrasslands.

So, the next timeyou visit the BouveriePreserve, don’t be sur-prised if you’re greetedby the sleepy eyes of ahappy bovine munchinggrass in the lower field.Prescribed grazing tocontrol non-native grass-es is one of the CSHPlong-term strategies actively under way. But cowsaren’t the only ones doing the work! HPR pro-gram leader Dan Gluesenkamp has ACR volun-teers and staff pulling, digging, and flaming weeds,from Bouverie’s lower fields to Tom’s Point.

It may seem a thankless task, but the resultsare visible today—witness the restored coastalprairie at Cypress Grove—and also hold promisefor tomorrow. A recent study at Tom’s Point, forexample, found that, once established, restoredcoastal prairie grasses eventually held their ownagainst exotics. “The good news,” says leadresearcher Dr. Jeffrey Corbin of U.C. Berkeley, “isthat we are not planting gardens that we’ll have tokeep tending. There is a pay-off eventually.”

Perhaps most importantly, ACR is leading theway in applying what we are learning aboutgrasslands on the ground. “We are more thanjust a think tank,” Gluesenkamp observes.“We’re a do-tank.”

Jeanne Wirka is the Resident Biologist-Educator

at ACR’s Bouverie Preserve in Sonoma County.

Page 5Bulletin 38, Spring 2006

Coastal prairie

at ACR’s Toms

Point property.

JEANNE WIRKA

Volunteers are the heart and soul of ACR pro-grams. Each year, hundreds of dedicated and welltrained volunteer docents share their time and pas-sion for the environment with more than 7,000schoolchildren. The students learn about localnative habitats and gain an appreciation for thenatural world and a desire to protect it.

The docents’ commitment to ACR begins witha 23-week intensive training program that includesa final project, one that excites them andadvances the ACR mission. Maria Quevedo andLydia Mendoza became Bolinas Lagoon Preservedocents in the spring of 2005 and, as their finalproject, chose to translate classroom training mate-rials into Spanish.

Many Latino students participate in educationprograms at ACR’s Bolinas Lagoon Preserve andBouverie Preserve. Several current volunteer initia-tives aimed at addressing these children’s needsinclude work on a translation of the free curricu-lum provided to teachers involved with theBouverie Preserve program in Sonoma County, aswell as the one described here.

We asked Maria and Lydia to talk about thegenesis and impact of their very special project.

As members of the Latino community, you bringa unique perspective to our programs and a valu-able sensitivity regarding issues of diversity. Howdid you initially learn about ACR?

Maria: In 1987, my husband and I immigratedfrom Sinaloa, Mexico. I was 18. We moved to SanDiego first, then Bakersfield. We arrived inBolinas about five years ago, and we just love it.My kids like living in a small town where theyknow everyone. I have three children—Richard, 18;Juan Carlos, 14; and Jonathan, 8. When the LandSteward at Bolinas Lagoon Preserve needed some-one to help with cleaning and gardening, I beganworking there three days a week.

Lydia: I came to this country in the 1960s fromCuba. In the ’70s we moved to San Francisco,and I started to work full-time. I was a biologymajor in college, and when my kids were little, Ivolunteered at the Academy of Sciences SteinhardtAquarium and the Waikiki Aquarium. I havealways intended on nature being a part of my life.My husband and I visited the Ranch often andhave always enjoyed the Bolinas Lagoon.

How has becoming a docent at ACR enabled youto combine your personal commitment to servethe Latino community with your love of nature?

Maria: Working at the Ranch, I noticed a lot oflot of Latino kids and their teachers and parents.They often asked me for directions or how to saythings, and I helped them communicate. Thedocent training was a beautiful experience for meand my boys. I brought movies and books homefrom the training to watch with my family. Carlos,my husband, was very proud of me for learning somuch about the natural world. Now Jonathan, myyoungest, loves science. I brought him with me tosome of the trainings, and he can’t stop talkingabout the animals—asking questions about thenewts, how animals are born, and what they do.He learned so much about how animals are a partof our life, and that we need each other to survive.

I was also thinking about my country. InMexico, people feel differently about animals. Butonce they are here, they look at them in newways. I can help teach people in my communityabout respect for animals: animals are life. I alsolearned that if we live in the world, we have totake care of it. In my home we now recycle andconserve energy and paper.

Lydia: I went back to graduate school and earnedmy Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley.At that time, I promised myself I would give backto the Latino community and use my Spanish tohelp them. When I heard about the docent pro-

Audubon Canyon RanchPage 6

TRANSLATING A LOVE OF NATUREby Melissa Irish

Children

hear the

language,

but the

meaning

is lost in

transla-

tion, which

keeps

these kids

from really

under-

standing

respect

for the

animals,

the ideas

of con-

servation.

gram at ACR, I never thought I would have thetime to do it. I asked at work if I could go downto 90%, and they agreed. For me personally, thevolunteer work I do at the Ranch is such a con-trast from the work I do as a Health Educator ina prenatal clinic. It adds so much balance to mylife! When I eventually retire, I want to go back tonature and kids. When we start right with chil-dren, it really puts the world in a better direction.

In our newly approved Education Plan, ACR hasrecognized the need to develop materials andtechniques for reaching people who speak lan-guages other than English (see note in margin).Could you please describe your project, which hashelped move us in this direction?

Lydia: Before the children visit an ACR preserve,docents go to the classrooms to familiarize themwith the natural history they will see at the pre-serve. We present slides that talk about what youwill find at ACR during the different seasons. Wetranslated the slide presentation into Spanish andthen made six copies of the slide kit that the kidscan use to follow along. On one side of the lami-nated cards is a picture of the slide, and on theother side they can read in Spanish what thedocent says about it. That way the kids who speakmore Spanish than English can follow along andunderstand.

Maria: It was not an easy project because the namesand scientific terms didn’t translate directly intoSpanish. We didn’t know the word for ‘egret’ or‘evergreen’ in Spanish, so we described them. Wejust explained a lot of the scientific terminology.

Why is it important to have these materials avail-able in Spanish for children?

Lydia: There are a lot of Latino kids in theschools in Oakland, San Francisco and Marinwhere we teach. I have Spanish-speaking kids inevery one of my classes and hiking groups.Coming to Audubon Canyon Ranch has a greatimpact on some of the children originally from ElSalvador, Mexico or Guatemala: they discovernature and feel just fabulous. Many of them

began growing up in the countryside at homeand have now moved to very urban environ-ments. They just love being at ACR. It is some-thing new for them and they feel free. It mighteven remind them a little of home.

Maria: Some have just arrived and don’t knowhow to speak English. They miss out on so much.The children hear the language, but the meaningis lost in translation, which keeps these kids fromreally understanding the respect for the animals,the ideas of conservation. Often other docents askus how to say things in Spanish, because there areso many Latinos who come here from San Rafaeland San Francisco. It is important to me that theyunderstand and that I help them. I am inspired tohave more Latinos come.

How can ACR and the docents take this initiativeone step further to continue to create a welcom-ing atmosphere for English language learners?

Lydia: We are doing an audio version of the slidepresentation in Spanish as well, so the whole pres-entation could be in Spanish. Having this infor-mation in Spanish is really a welcoming thing.

Maria: The other docents got very excited aboutthe project. Everybody was very supportivebecause they see a real need for it. I want to thinkof new ways to reach out to the Latino communi-ty, posting flyers in laundramats and restaurants,and get them to visit this beautiful place.

Melissa Irish is a consultant in ACR’s

Development Department.

Page 7Bulletin 38, Spring 2006

Lydia

Mendoza (left)

and Maria

Quevedo.

MELISSA IRISH

A bilingualguide to

some

common birds

of ACR's

preserves, just

completed

and enclosed

in this Bulletin,

is the latest

example of

new projects

aimed at

meeting the

needs of

ACR's diverse

participants

and visitors.

Also, a

complete bird

list for Bolinas

Lagoon

Preserve is

available

when you

visit. For

information

online, see

www.egret.org

Former Bouverie docentGeorgiana deRopp Ducas, whotrekked the Himalayas and visit-ed the Kingdom of Bhutan inher late 70s and traveled aCentral America river by canoein her early 80s, has created agift for the causes she loved asimaginative as the life she lived.

The Georgiana deRoppDucas Charitable Lead Trust willpay substantial yearly income toseven charities—AudubonCanyon Ranch among them—over the next 15 years. (See the box below.)

“The estate received significant estate tax ben-efits from her plan,” her attorney, GeorgeAguilar of Red Bank, New Jersey, said. “But tax

benefits were nother concern: heremphasis was onthe charities.

“She was adelight,” Mr.Aguilar added. “Shehad a zest for lifeand had me laugh-ing all the time.”

When he heardabout his client’splanned CentralAmerican canoetrip, he told her,“There are a lot ofalligators downthere.” Undeterred,she traveled theriver with a non-profit organizationthat has preserved

thousands of acres of riverbanktropical forest.

He described Mrs. Ducas—“Georgie” to those who knewher—as well-traveled and athletic.She loved horses, drove a horseand buggy around in her home inSaratoga Springs, New York, livedin Italy for a number of years, andhad close friends on both coastsof the U.S. After her family, herfirst love was the environment.

“She felt strongly that it washer duty to help preserve the envi-

ronment,” Mr. Aguilar said. That is how ACR biologist John Petersen

remembers her from her Bouverie years. “Georgiehad a passion for botany and gardening,” he said.“She shared them enthusiastically with the othervolunteers and visiting children.”

Mrs. Ducas, who died in September of 2005,lived for two years in a cottage at ACR’s BouveriePreserve and served as a docent there after com-pleting docent training in 1988. She was a closefriend of the late David Pleydell Bouverie, afterwhom the preserve is named.

A native of San Francisco, Mrs. Ducas waspredeceased by her daughter Nancy and is sur-vived by her son, Gardiner Howland Meyer, Jr., ofCarson City Nevada, by her daughter SallyConnellan of Sydney, Australia, and by fivegrandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Audubon Canyon Ranch is proud to includeMrs. Georgiana deRopp Ducas as a posthumousmember of its Clerin Zumwalt Legacy Circle,which honors those who have included ACR intheir estate plans. For information about theLegacy Circle, contact Cassie Gruenstein at 415-868-9244 or cassie@egret.org.

Phil Murphy is ACR’s planned giving consultant.

Audubon Canyon RanchPage 8

Georgiana

Ducas loved

nature and

adventure, and

she cared

about

preserving the

environment.

COURTESY

GARDINER MEYER

“GEORGIE” DUCAS LEAD TRUSTby Phil Murphy

HOW A CHARITABLELEAD TRUST WORKS

Lead trusts pay income to charity first

and then pass whatever remains to the

family. The interest of the charity “leads” the

interest of the family.

Lead trusts both trigger a gift tax when

funded and provide a gift tax deduction

based on the value of the cash flow com-

mitted to charity. That gift tax deduction may

offset the gift tax in whole or in part.

A lead trust delays the distribution of

wealth to a child or grandchild until they

reach a certain age, helping charity while

the child matures. No matter what the value

of the trust at time of transfer to the family,

no further tax is due.

For an analysis of how a lead trust may

meet your charitable and planning goals,

contact Cassie Gruenstein at 415-868-9244

or cassie@egret.org.

Page 9Bulletin 38, Spring 2006

Bolinas Lagoon Preserve opensto the publicSATURDAYS, SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS

MARCH 18 TO JULY 16, 200610:00 AM TO 4:00 PMCome view the nesting herons and egretsand hike the more than eight miles of trails.On weekdays (except Mondays) the preserveis open to the public by appointment. Call415/868-9244 for more information.

Guided Nature Walks BOUVERIE PRESERVEMARCH 18, APRIL 1, APRIL 22, MAY 13,MAY 20 • 9:30 AM TO 1:30 PMThis is your chance to experience the beautyand rich natural history of this 500-acrepreserve. Our half-day guided nature walksare on Saturdays throughout spring and fall. Call 707/938-4554 to register one monthprior to the walk. No charge but donationsappreciated. Docent Council of BouveriePreserve.

Spring & Fall Work DaysBOUVERIE PRESERVESATURDAYS, MARCH 4 AND SEPTEMBER 30 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM (1:00 PM LUNCH)Come help spruce up the preserve byworking on the trails, in the native plantgarden, around the formal gardens, in thelibrary, or cooking the lunch (which weprovide). Bring your favorite tool foroutdoor projects! Call 707/938-4554 toregister. Free, but please call to register so wecan plan on enough food! ACR Staff.

Spring & Fall Work DaysBOLINAS LAGOON PRESERVESUNDAY MARCH 5 – PICHER CANYON

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7 – VOLUNTEER CANYON

9:30 AM – 1:00 PM (1:00 PM LUNCH)Come help friends of ACR ready theBolinas Lagoon Preserve for our springseason. Help us with trail work, librarywork, pulling weeds, or cooking the lunch(we provide). Call 415/868-9244 to register.Free, but please call to register so we canplan on enough food! ACR Staff.

Habitat Restoration PartiesTOMALES BAY PROPERTIESMARCH 11 • 10:00 AM TO 2:00 PMCome help remove invasive plants on ACR’sTomales Bay Properties. Drinks, tools, andlunch will be provided. Please bring workgloves if possible. LOCATION TO BE DECIDEDAPRIL 8, 2006 • 10:00 AM TO 2:00 PMPlease call or email Dan Gluesenkamp at707/935-8417 or gluesenkamp@egret.org toregister. You can also ask to receive regularHabitat Restoration Party emailannouncements by contacting Dan.

Mother’s Day BBQ VOLUNTEER CANYON, BOLINASLAGOON PRESERVESUNDAY, MAY 14, 2006For almost 50 years, the Marin AudubonSociety has hosted this delightful fundraiserat Audubon Canyon Ranch on Mother’sDay, bringing families and friends togetherfor a great day of delicious food and goodfun in the beautiful setting of this coastalwildlife preserve. Proceeds from this annualevent, held in the magnificent meadow atVolunteer Canyon, benefit the educationaland conservation programs of Audubon

Canyon Ranch and Marin AudubonSociety. Call Betsy Richardson at415/454-5469 for information. $20 peradult; $10 children under 10; payable toMarin Audubon Society. Mail yourcheck to: MAS, 1540 Center Road, Apt.387, Novato, CA 94947. Your check

guarantees your reservation.

Land Steward Work Days BOUVERIE PRESERVEMARCH 13, APRIL 10, MAY 88:15 AM TO 12:30 PMCome help clear trails, repair trail steps, pullnon-native plants, or work in the nativeplant garden. Bring gloves, a lunch and lotsof energy as this will be strenuous trail work.Drinks and tools will be provided. Trail daysare limited to 15 participants for each day. Call 707/938-4554 to register. ACR ResourceManagement Staff.

Docent TrainingBOLINAS LAGOON PRESERVEWEDNESDAYS, SEPT. 2006 TO MARCH 2007ACR’s Bolinas Lagoon Preserve’s nexttraining session begins September 6th.Classes meet once a week on Wednesdaysfor 23 weeks. Included are such diversetopics as birds, insects, pond life, andteaching techniques. Upon graduation,docents have the knowledge and confidenceto lead extremely valuable field trips forschoolchildren. Exciting supplementalenrichment classes are offered throughoutthe year so docents may add to theirknowledge. Orientations are scheduled forMay 24th and August 23rd. Call 415/868-9244 for more information and to confirmparticipation in orientation. There is a $120fee to cover the cost of training.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

ANE CARLA ROVETTA

WISH LIST

We are looking for the following items,which are tax-deductible when

donated to ACR.

Riding Lawnmower • Slide Projector

If you can help, please call Yvonne Pierceat 415/868-9244.

For complete information on theevents listed here, see our website,www.egret.org. Or call (415) 868-9244 between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PMweekdays, or e-mail acr@egret.org.Participation is by advancereservation.

Audubon Canyon RanchPage 10

Deborah AblinNancy AbreuKen AckermanDawn AdamsKristen AddicksToby AdelmanJoan Ann AlbersDrew AldenBonnie AlexanderJulie AllectaJane A. AllenJudy AllenKathy AllenLeslie AllenLinda AllenSarah G. AllenHelen AlvarezLinda AlwittRobert AlwittRosemary AmesBob AndersonCarolyn AndersonJanica AndersonMarie AndersonTina AnnGinelle Ann MarieJudith AnnaRichard ArendtThelma L. ArlomBarbara ArmstrongMegan ArmstrongChristina AtwoodFrancine AustinShirley Austin-PeekeBob BaezAnnie BaileyRuth BaillieNorah BainRichard B. BairdAnkie BajemaBruce BajemaTed BakkilaRachna BaliNatalie BaltlanaNancy BarbourGail BarrettRyan BartlingPatricia BartonKaty BatyTom BatyAnne W. BaxterHelen BealeCaitlin BeanDenali BeardLeslie BellisFrank BenadaretDouglas C. BenderGordon BennettJedel BensonMary Benziger

Betty BerensonPeter BergenEvelyn BergerGail BergerSteve BergerJim BerklandMary BicknellLouise BielfeltSherman BielfeltMark BirBobbi BirdShirley BiscottiGay Bishop

Laurie BissellEdith Black

Bonnie BlackallerRose Marie BlakeAnnabel BlakeySara J. BlaumanDonna BleyMichael BlickDiane BloomJulie BlumenthalDr. Leonard BluminPatti BluminEllen BlusteinShirley BogardusEve BolingNoelle M. BonAndrea BondSuzanne BondVirginie BooneMelanie BorgesJanet BosshardGeorgia BostedtJaimie BowenTom BradnerEllen BrantleyAnna-Marie BrattonJeanine BrayJoan B. BreeceEleanor BriccettiEmily BrockmanJayne BroganMary Lee BronzoBill BroughanKathleen BrownLili BrownMichael Ann BrownSam BrownStephen BrownJanet BrunoAdriana BuckThanhtam Bui

Shannon BurkeElizabeth BurridgeMimi BurtonNeil T. BurtonPhil BurtonKathy BurwellDenise CadmanCathleen CannonBarbara CarlsonJoyce Carlson

William CarlsonKate CarolanJeannette CarrKathy CarrollAnn CassidyLisa Cassidy

Rudy CastilloKris Catching

Linda CederborgCandy ChaillauxDavid ChalkLeigh Anne ChandlerJulie ChangMs Robin ChaseMay ChenDave ChenowethAlbert ChinWally ChinDonna ChinlundClaire ChowCamille ClarkJudy ClarkSara CleggAbby ClowJohn W. ClowMary Ann CobbSteve CochraneMalcolm CohenSuzie ColemanPeter ColosantiStephen ColwellCarole ConnellSuzanne ConradRobyn ContiniGlenda M. CookJim CookeMickey CookePatti CookeMichelle CoppolettaJeffrey CorbinCaitlin CornwallBob CossinsSue CossinsHugh CotterJames CowperthwaiteMary Anne

CowperthwaitePatti CravesChuck CrawfordEleanor Crawford

Jeanne CrawfordSylvia CrawfordLisa CrowellShiloh CrowlF. Rigdon CurrieLinda CurrySharon DadoKit DaineSam DakinKimberly DalyAnn D. DavisMelissa DavisRon DavisSarah DavisCarol DeanDonna Lee DeBaetsEleanor DeckerCheri L. DegenhardtJody DeikeMary DeJesusDiana DeMarcoLinda DemersNancy DeStefanisGinny DeVastoGwen DhesiJack DineenCarolyn DixonNancy DolphinCia DonahueFairfax DonovanLeslie K. DoughtyWendy DoughtyJed DouglasKim DouglasGiselle DownardRoberta DowneyJoe DrennanJudy DuganSherrie DyeBob A. DyerAlexandra EastmanDavid EastonMichelle EatonBetsy EcksteinIrene EhretDavid ElliottPhyllis EllmanNancy ElsnerBeth ElyMary EngebrethCathy EvangelistaTodd EvansJules EvensKaren EverardMarjorie EveridgeNancy FalkBob FarnhamLisa FarnhamKatie FehringJane L. Ferguson

David FerreraAndy FieldJohn FingerJoan FinkleBinny FischerAlbert FiskRuth FiskPhyllis FitzgeraldCynthia FleischerVirginia FletcherLeslie L. FlintAnnette FloydChristine FontaineMark ForneyKristine FowlerLeone FowlerCarol FrakerMike FranklinBecca FreedAndrea FreemanVince FrenchJamie FreymuthSatchel FriedmanMichelle FriendMiriam FryeCandice FuhrmanPatricia FurlongElsia GalawishDr. James GallagherGeorge GambleGeorge GardinerJanet GardinerAmanda GardnerDavid GardnerSharon GarellLaurie GaynorDaniel GeorgeJyoti GermainMarjorie GibbsTony GilbertMary Ann GillesGretchen GillfillanDr. Jan GilmanKeith GishAlice Glasner

Beryl GlitzDohn GlitzSally GmelinEllen GoldstoneMarilyn GoodeAnne Goodwin

Patrick GormanGeri GottbraithDonna GraberBarbara GrayPhilip GreeneDr. L. Martin Griffin, Jr.Deborah Grima-LoweBetty GroceMaureen J. GroperBonnie GrubbauerBill GrummerSally GudeCarol GuerreroMarjorie GuggenhimeBrenda GunnBeth GurneyRoshan HabarakadaDr. Robert E. HahnLinn HakalaKarlene HallEdythe HallidayMadelon HalpernLauren HammackDon HanahanLillian HanahanSheila HandleySherri HansellFred HansonRosemary HansonElizabeth HarperJack F. HarperJim HarrisonRoger HarshawMary Lou HartElizabeth D. HartsookJim HastingsAlison Hastings-PimentelHelen HawkinsNancy HaysNancy Jo HeatonDavid HellerChristian HellwigMike HenkesBill HeringSuzanne HeringBryant HichwaDiane HichwaCatherine HickeyJoanne HickoxHolly HigginsPat HildrethAnne Hillsley

Judi HiltnerDiana B. HindleyAngela HinzJohn HirtenWyn HoagJake HobsonJohn HokeEllen Holden

THANK YOU ACR VOLUNTEERS!

Audubon Canyon Ranch salutes the hundreds of individuals listed below for their dedication to ACR and for generouslydonating time and energy as Docents, Ranch Guides, Ranch Hosts, Field Biologists, Researchers, Habitat Restoration andWork Day Volunteers, Directors, and Advisors. You are the backbone of this organization! For all you do, we thank you!

M.A. “Skip” SchwartzExecutive Director

Dan MurphyPresident, Board of Directors

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Marjorie HollingerJean Holroyd-SillsJim HoranRich HorriganTerri HorriganRuth HostyRoger HothemAnn HowardDonald K. HowardHelen HowardJohn HowardJoan HowarthSteve HowellAnne HudginsLisa HugRobert HulbertTom HulseDiane HuntoonLinda HustedMary IanniccheriLeslie ImbodenDascha InciarteEllie InsleyCharlotte IrvineJenifer G. JacksonJoli JacobsDiane JacobsonJeri JacobsonIsa JacobyBarbara JanisNorma JellisonRene JenkinsRosemary JepsonDr. Erv JindrichAnn JoergensonRick JohnsonCalvin JonesGloria JonesMarlene JordanLinda JosephsLinda B. JuddGail KabatLynnette KahnBlanche KaiserPatty KarlinGuy KayThomas KehrleinJoanne KeimCarol KeiperCarole KelleherShirley KellyRichard L. KettlerDiana KingMarian KirbyAnn KircherApril KirkmanRichard F. KirschmanMargaret KleinSarah KlobasKaren KnudtsenEce KocakGary KohlhassFran KorbHarriet L. KosticMartin KoughanEllen Falconer KrebsCarol KuelperKaren KustelRobert KustelPat LaBergeAndy LaCasseNorah J. LaffanAndrew LafrenzDiane LafrenzSherry LambertJoan LamphierJean-Michel LapeyradePete Larsen

Judy LaursenOlin LeasherGaye LeBaronBarbara LederLouis N. LeeSharon LeeLaura LeekLamar LelandBill LenarzStephanie LennoxRobin LeongSharon LeongGail LesterKeith LesterBev LeveTish LeveeKate LewisSeela LewisMichele LiapesEileen LibbyKarin LienartSharon LinderKirsten LindquistKaren LoidaRuth LombardBert LombinoPatricia LonackerZoe LorentsonNancy LowneySusan LuberTeri LunnAnna LyonsLaurie MackayFlora E. MaclisePhil MaddenArt MagillLyn MagillLaRee MaguireTina MaldonadoJoie MalpassJean MannDr. Alan J. MargolisMarty MaricleJoann MarkerGloria MarkowitzRoger MarloweSandra MartensenCharlotte MartinJanaea MartinRoz MartinVirginia MartinRichard MartiniPeter MasonSherry MasonCarol MastersonNancy Mavis, MDShirley MaxsonTom MaxsonChris McAuliffeBetty McBrachenMarie Annette McCabeRita McClainBarbara McCoardDavid McConnellGary McFarlandJeanne McHenryCarolyn McKennaLeo McKennaMarie McKinneyTeri McLaughlinBill McNicholasRachel MedanicLydia MendozaMaeve MepzerDiane MerrillSusan MerrillValerie MerrinMichael Mery

Barbara MeyerSheri MichaelsRegina MilavecBob MilbournAudrey MillerJean MillerFlavia MillikanAnn MintieLourdes MirilloJudy MissakianJan MoffetChristopher MoiJim MoirCarol MollerCorinne MonahanMark MonroeElaine MorenoBeverly MorganIan MorrisonAnne MurphyDan MurphyJoan MurphyNancy MurrayKaren J. NagelAngela Nardo-MorganLeonard NelsonSherry NelsonWally NevilleMark NewhouserLinda NicolettoKenneth E. NiehoffSpencer NielsenMadeline NonnenbergTerry NordbyeEd NuteTilly NylinPatricia O’BrienEdna O’ConnorSheila

O’DonnellJoe O’NeillJohn O’Reilly

Ivan ObolenskyMark OlsonRudolf OppenheimerCarol OrmeAnita OstromRobert OvaninHarold OyenJanet OyenAlan PabstCari PaganiniBriggitta PageRenee PalaceRichard PanzerJennie PardiRobert J. ParkerLorraine ParsonsCarol PatelChristina PattersonLois E. PattonRay PaulaJean PauleyMeg PaulivitchTony PazJoelle PeeblesPrecious PeoplesJamie PerhamBeverly PerrinLeslie R. PerryKate PeterleinJeff PetersonRay L. PetersonCatherine Petru

George S. Peyton, Jr.Cathy PharisBilly PierceLenore PimentalMyfanwy PlankSally PolaJulia PollockHelen M. PrattMary C. PremoKatherine PrescottJorge PresserJeanne PriceMaris PurvinsMaria QuevedoBarbara RamseyPatricia RandallAshley RatcliffeAlison Rayner-HoosonPaula RectorConnie Rector-KinnisonJoan ReganJeanne ReggioDr. Jeff ReichelLinda ReichelDon ReinbergJean RhodesDiana RhotenRudi RichardsonBeverly RiverwoodChristine RobertsTom RobinsonRamona RobisonCurt RoccaJayne RosantssonAnna-Marie Rosatton

Emily RoseMarty RosenDominique

RosenbergGlenda RossJeff RothmanPaul J. RubyLiz RuellanAnne Ruffino

Mel RuizDeAnn RushallPearl SaadEllen SabineMaryla SaltDianne SamplesRoger SanbornJeff SanchezMarilyn SandersLen SansomeSharon SavageDr. Richard SchillerPhyllis SchmittHarry SchoonbaertCraig SchorrGordon SchrempAlice SchultzCraig H. ScottMarilynn ScottSheryce ScottBill SeidelLee SeidnerAsha SettyCyndy ShaferRobin SharpJohn ShellenbergerRichard B. ShippsAllen ShirleyMark ShirleyRobert SholtzWill ShonbrunChillie ShumannSam ShumannClaire Shurvinton

Rachel SimpsonDolly SimunovichJane SinclairPaul SkajUna SkellyDaphne SmithErnestine I. SmithJoe SmithJoseph SmithMarjorie SmithPat SmithRobert SmithJan Gerrett SnedakerCraig SolinKaren SommerNoellene SommerMarianne SonntagBob SoostAmy SouthwickKryss SpeegleLinda SpenceAnne SpencerRobert SpoffordSue SpoffordCraig SpriggsJane SpriggsBetsy StaffordRich StallcupBarbara StarkeApril Starke SlakeyJean StarkweatherKaren SteingartGay SternLarry SternLiz SternsMartha StettnerLaurel StevensonMichael StevensonHeidi StewartLinda StewartSusan StoddardRon StoreyJohn SutherlandKimiko SuzukiLowell SykesKate SymondsThuong TangCharles TarkingtonBarbara TaylorLarry TaylorJudy TemkoMike TerwilligerJanet ThiessenJennifer ThomasMary Ann ThompsonWayne ThompsonDorothy ThomsonPeggy ThorpeMona TiecheCarolyn TimminsAlicia ToldiFrancis ToldiLeigh ToldiWilliam TrbovichSusan TremblayLouise TrudeauKwang TsengRebecca TudenJoan TurnerBob TuttleCathy TylerKathleen UntiJulie VaderRich VallarioSusan Van Der WalLee Van GiesenLeticia Van SickleZoltan Vasvary

Natalia VicinoSylvia VictorLinda VidaNorma ViteSasha VitomskiNancy ViziDeborah L. VotekMary C. WagnerStephany WaiteSandra WaldSusan WalkerRoberta WallVaria WalleTom WalshTanis WaltersChristine WalwynSarah WarnockThomas WartonCara WasdenRichard WassonRyan WatanabeKathleen WatsonPenny WatsonDavid WattAnna WebsterLynn WebsterFay WeimerJudy WeinerArlene WeisCarol WeiskePatrick WelchJim WellhouseJane WellingtonWendy WhalenMildie WhedonDebra WhiteHeather WhiteJim WhiteRosilyn WhiteTom P. WhiteKatie WhitmerAdeline WhitmoreDanya WiebalkDiana WilkiemeyerPhillip WilkiemeyerJulia WilkinsonDe WilliamsDiane WilliamsPhyllis WilliamsLiz WilliamsonJessica WilsonKate WilsonKathy WilsonKen WilsonMarilyn WinkleyJon WinterWigay WixPat WolffeAngie WolfowAllison WolteringMadeleine WoodCat WoodsPatrick WoodworthKathryn WrightRobert YanagidaCindy YoungNancy YoungPeter YoungKaty ZarembaIngrid ZimmermanSuzanne ZimmermanJill ZumwaltLoretta Zweig

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The Audubon CanyonRanch Bulletin is published

twice yearly by AudubonCanyon Ranch as a freeoffering to ACR donors

and supporters. Edited byCassie Gruenstein and

Melissa Irish. Designed andproduced by Claire

Peaslee. ©2006 AudubonCanyon Ranch.

Printed on 50% recycledpaper (20% post-consumer)

using soy-based inks.

WHEN TO VISIT

Bolinas Lagoon PreserveMid-March to mid-July: Saturday, Sundayand holidays, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.Weekdays by appointment only; call(415) 868-9244.Closed Mondays.

Bolinas Lagoon Preserve is adjacent toBolinas Lagoon on State Highway One, threemiles 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.

Audubon Canyon Ranch

4900 Highway One

Stinson Beach, CA 94970

(415) 868-9244

Non-profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDMAILCOM

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

The Mission of Audubon Canyon Ranch ♦ Preserve, protect and manage ACR properties as sanctuaries for native plants and animals. ♦Educate children and adults about the natural environment and the need to protect it, through the experience and enjoyment of ACR sanctuaries.

♦ Support research and conservation efforts that enhance the preservation and management of ACR sanctuaries.

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www.egret.orge-mail: acr@egret.org