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Close to Home Living with Wildlife in the East Bay |
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Close to Home: Living with Wildlife in the East Bay Field Trip Schedule for May 2008-April 2009 season: |
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| Each month we focus on a different species or aspect of wildlife in the East Bay. All trips are on Saturdays. Each trip will have several components including attunement time, investigation of habitat, sightings (hopefully) and a 2-4 mile hike. |
| May 10 (completed) A trip to Vasco Caves, a restricted area preserved by the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) near Livermore, will reveal the challenges we face as we try to protect birds as well as deal with global warming. Mike Moran will take us to see the habitat of golden eagles and to visit the windmills. All field trips include a 2-4 mile hike. |
| June 14 (completed) East Bay Regional Park Resources Manager Jessica Sheppard will take us to Sunol Regional Wilderness to explore the habitat of bobcats. Many have been seen here. |
| July 12 We’ll spend a beautiful day at Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Park in Oakland with Marilyn Latta of Save the Bay. Her specialty is native oyster beds, but she’ll also point out non-native marine creatures. |
| August 9 This trip will follow the Monday evening talk by Jon Young, founder of the Wilderness Awareness School, on “Six Degrees of Invisibility in the Woods.” Our trip leader, Cat Taylor (EBRPD) will take us to Morgan Territory to apply what we learned. |
| Sept 13 Ken Lavin, expert on Mount Diablo natural science, will take us for a hike in Mitchell Canyon, looking for signs of the yearly spider mating season. We may also spot a few tarantulas. |
| Oct 11 We’ll meet with (EBRPD) Stewardship Manager Joe DiDonato to look for the elusive deer families that inhabit the ridges of the East Bay hills. Location to be determined. |
| Nov 8 Wildlife biologist Doc Hale will take us to Del Valle Regional Park to stalk the wild turkey and other non natives who didn’t ask to come here. Wild boar and bullfrogs also live here, all brought by humans for sport hunting or food. (We won’t see any boar. They stay hidden til evening.) |
| Dec- Vacation month – no talk or trip |
| Jan 10, 2009 At the Monday night talk on Jan 5, Mike Moran (EBRPD) will do a presentation on the Pacific Flyway. On Saturday, he’ll take us to the Cosumnes area of the delta to watch the snow geese in motion. |
| Feb 14 We’ll spend part of Valentine’s Day watching the loving birds of the wetlands in Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Park in their nesting habitat. Joan Suzio (EBRPD) is an expert on herons, egrets and other wading birds, having spent 30 years at this site for the district. |
| March 14 As the dominant species of the East Bay, what can we humans do to live more harmoniously with our fellow species? We’ll round out our Living with Wildlife field trip program with a tour of some of the best native plant gardens in the East Bay to find out more about plants that attract wildlife, such as bees, butterflies, birds and bats. |
| April 11 We’ll finish our yearlong program with a hike to see the wildflowers at Black Diamond Mines and celebrate with a party. |
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Each Monday evening prior to the field trip (May through March except for Dec), we will have an expert speaker with slide show presentation tion (or live animal) help us understand that month’s species and how it fits into the ecosystem. These talks are also open to the public ($5 donation). They take place at Montclair Presbyterian Church Family Room in Oakland at 7:30 pm. The schedule includes: Brian Latta on raptors and windmills (May 5) Jessica Sheppard (EBRPD) on bobcats (June 9) Dr. Mary McGann on exotic creatures in the bay (July 7) Jon Young (Wilderness Awareness School) on “Six Degrees of Invisibility in the Woods (Aug 4) Linda Yemoto (EBRPD) on spiders (Sept 8) Joe DiDonato (EBRPD) on deer Doc Jim Hale on turkeys. bullfrogs and other non-natives (Nov 3) No talk in December Mike Moran (EBRPD) on the Pacific Flyway (Jan 5) Joan Suzio (EBRPD) on herons and egrets (Feb 9) Wildlife friendly yards talk on March 9.
Total cost for complete year-long program is $375 (all talks, field trips, fees and binder) To apply, please check Good Fit for You? and go to the Application For more information contact: Cindy Spring 510-655-6658 |