Caifornia Purchase Agreement

							SoCAL Council Meeting
San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary
Irvine, California
February 14, 2009
Hosted by Sea and Sage Audubon

NOTES

Present:

Cat Waters, Sea & Sage,           Marquita Miller, Sea &            Mary Jane Roberts,
El Dorado, LA & Whittier          Sage                              Buena Vista
Ron Cyger, Pasadena               Letty Brooks, Whittier            Garry George, Audubon
Laura Garrett, Pasadena           Bob Brooks, Whittier              California
Mary Parsell, El Dorado           Anna Weinstein, Audubon           Scott Thomas, Sea &
Rob Roy van de Hoek,              California                        Sage
Whittier                          Stephan Lorenz, Starr             John Feenstra,
Jim Moore, San Fernando           Ranch                             Independent Biologist
Valley                            Jess Morten, Palos                Tom Ryan, Independent
Jim Hardesty, San                 Verdes/South Bay,                 Biologist
Fernando Valley                   National Audubon                  Gretchen, Sea & Sage
Dennis Huckabay, Buena            Terry Wold, San                   Mary Josephs, Sea &
Vista                             Bernardino Valley                 Sage
Mary Loquvam, LA                  Drew Feldman, San                 Cheryl Thomas, Sea &
Jay Miller, Sea & Sage            Bernardino Valley                 Sage
                                  Marian Porter, LA

Welcome –Jay Miller, Pres, Sea & Sage

       Jay welcomed everyone to the new San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary buildings and
        offered a tour of the new office of Sea & Sage Audubon.
       Introduction of participating individuals and chapters (see list above).

                                       Chapter Reports

Buena Vista (Dennis Huckaby and Mary Jane Roberts):
:
    Hired two part-time grant writers from Craig’s list for $500.00 per person per month.
    Mary Jane Roberts brought up the fact that Audubon is no longer providing bar
       coding for mailings and that they hand do their newsletter and will no longer be able
       to avail themselves of NP mailings. [This will affect the smallest of chapters with the
       least discretionary money]

LAAS (Mary Loquvam):

       First snowy plover scrapes since beginning Snowy Plover project at Dockweiler
        Beach.
       Announced their project of identifying sensitive species of birds in L. A. County.
       Announced results of first annual youth CBC from their targeted children program.
        [Excellent on every level]
      L. A. Audubon is providing the docents for the new urban state park in Baldwin Hills
       beginning April 18

Sea and Sage (Scott Thomas, Jay Miller, Marquita Miller, Mary Joseph, Cheryl Thomas, Cat
Waters, Gretchen McCauseland):

      They have started a conservation lecture series through their conservation
       committee thanks in part to grant from Audubon California.
      Their Cactus Wren study is up and running in partnership w/Starr Ranch/Robb
       Hamilton. Trained 20 surveyors
      Sylvia Gallagher is teaching a Birding by Ear II workshop.
      Bill Clark’s is doing 2 different workshops on raptors plus an eagle workshop.
      Paul Lehman is speaking at annual dinner March 20, and will give a workshop on
       tracking weather trends for migrant and vagrant birding.
      Annual donor appeal is down.
      Talked about the toll road death.
      And, Scott brought up the fact that Audubon Chapters are missing an opportunity to
       get legislation passed to keep parks, designated open areas, and set aside areas
       free of power line right of ways, toll roads, parkways, and other public projects that
       denigrate the purpose for what the land was intended. All present agreed that we
       need to be looking at how to keep development out of set aside for nature lands
       through legislation and want it to be a National Audubon policy.
      Also brought up that global warming alerts in general have brought other energy
       initiatives that are disturbing the landscape, to the table.
      Dan Taylor is our contact in Sacramento. Want the assurance that public land will
       stay open space and not developed for roads, etc. to be a National Audubon policy.
       Entire group discussed and agreed.

Whittier Area (Roy VanderHoek, Lettie Brooks, Bob Brooks):

      Announced March annual dinner.
      Gave a thorough history of L. A. Audubon Chapters in general.
      [L. A. Audubon split off 5 chapters].
      Announced project to write up history of Audubon Chapters
      Discover Center at Whittier Narrows report was given (Lettie). Draft EIR is still not
       completed. All projects are on hold. Staff at Mt and River Conservancy is furloughed.
      Roy reports an incredible history of the Whittier Narrows Area. (Is he going to write
       this up?) It included the fact that it was a National Audubon holding and had one of
       the first Audubon Science Camp. Area was turned over to Los Angeles County.

Starr Ranch (Stephan Lorenz):

      Continuing established programs
      Announced adult naturalist program
      Donations are down

South Bay (Jess Morton, Terry Wold):

      Elected new slate of officers.
      Chapter also participating in Cactus Wren survey, Snow Plover Survey @ Cabrillo.
       Annual Awards dinner first Saturday after Earth Day.
      Audubon Yes continues – 20 students. First (paid) staff volunteer will take over
       managing the program.
      Rec’d and are pursuing Audubon California grant(s).
      Education program is beginning to concentrate on the more “edgy” high schools for
       ongoing Audubon Yes.

San Bernardino (Drew Feldman):

Showed Press Enterprise article from Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009. Wonderful front page article
on climate change science from Audubon showing wintering birds moving further North due
to climate change.

Everyone wants to know “Who are you suing?”

      The department of the interior. Chapter joined with Ctr. For Biological Diversity in
       suit.
      Notes some land purchases and negotiations are in a flight pattern because of cutoff
       of State funds.
      Opposes LADWP “Greenpath North through Morongo Valley IBA, Greenpath South,
       Power lines to Johnson Valley through all these preserves. Note that they are green
       washing their major power projects with names. Projects are destroying, marching
       though set aside lands.
      Notes the new trend to “green” washing major power projects with words:
       Greenpath, Parkway, etc...
      Brings up a complete lack of respect for previously designated natural areas by
       utilities, municipalities, road builders, etc.
      Brings up that Miscount Parkway – San Jacinto west along Ramona Expressway
       (these are really freeways). Through the center of the El Sob ante Preserve, Mott
       Preserve, Gaveling Hills, too. Route through entire natural areas. 3 – 4 billion dollar
       project that is being set up with an end destination to be a yet unbuilt cargo hub for
       trucking.
.
Asked for support from Chapters [Sea and Sage offered up]. Talking of partnering with
California Desert Coalition and contacting Dianne Feinstein. Group needs to:

     Identify transmission corridors.
     Contact Dan Taylor
     Get legislation passed to stop onslaught of development in nature areas
    
Tabled to a discussion at end of meeting. [Please see above comments on National Audubon
Policy, Dan Taylor, and legislation to stop onslaught of development to nature areas].


Pasadena Audubon (Ron Cyger, Laura Garrett):

      Working on the coyote trapping and rodent poisoning program @ Huntington Library.
       Working with them to try and solve issue. [Roy V. explained coyote reproduction and
       gave very reasoned comments on having coyote hunting laws redefined].
      Conservation, Laura continues to sit on “open space advisory council” for City of
       Pasadena. Just completed the purchase of 20 acres of open space in Pasadena.
       Recall citizens and neighbors of projects created their own assessment taxation
       district to support the land. Lots of hope. Excellent to have a voice for birds on the
       Advisory Council.

El Dorado Audubon (Mary Parsell):

      In conjunction w/ Audubon and El Dorado Nature Center City Council funded a
       children’s coloring book about not feeding the ducks and wildlife.
      Fourteen dead Red tailed Hawks in El Dorado Park last winter – poisoning.
      Gave a complete report on status of Los Cerritos Wetlands. Access to Hellman
       property for the first time. Frozen funds Wildlife Conservation Board.
      Explained purchase of land.
      Explained that City of Long Beach has stepped in and worked a land exchange for
       acreage along L. A. River corridor for wetlands. Public is very suspicious.
      El Dorado Audubon is positioning for an agreement for access to current wetlands for
       scientific and educational representation Los Cerritos Wetlands noting that there is
       no public access yet and no easement for access.
      Chapter’s survey program at Seal Beach Weapons Station continues.
      Mary L. talked about gaining permission to use a definitive paper on rat poison and
       raptors and making it available for all Chapters to use on their website.
      They finally have a tree policy for City of Long Beach and a task force to write it. .

San Fernando (Jim Hardesty):

      Reported annual dinner is up coming
      Annual conservation awards will be at same time
      Continuing to monitor birds in the region for e-Bird through Southwest Bird Study
       Group

San Diego

No show.

National Audubon Board Report by Jess Morton.

Jess reported on National’s policy on coal and power.
Will suggest the above as policy about building through set aside land (See earlier comments
about open space, Dan Taylor, etc...

Finances were at top of list at Phoenix Board Meeting.

The general economy will be exerting pressure all across Audubon.

Question from group? Will they close Washington office, New York office? No answer.
Jess noted that with economy in the tank, smaller donations will likely be affected most and
reduction in the smaller donations will ultimately reflect Audubon’s importance/stature in the
giving community. It will reflect on membership, too.

Report on current Board issues of National:

      Chapters have the strongest voice they have ever had.
      1/3 of board is regional directors.
      Carol Browner resigned to work with Obama on energy.
      This is a unique opportunity to set the board on better chapter representation.
      Once again suggesting once again Chapters team up for projects, support.
      Blend regional directors into a working caucus that tasks the National Audubon
       Board to more openly address Chapters’ desires.
      Improving regional representative election process. Wants to modify it. More
       streamlined.
      Believes doing this will allow regional directors to more actively target people they
       want on the Board representing the chapters.
      Explains the election process

Question? What’s the chance of any funding from National?
Question? Is National Audubon’s membership static? If so, why?

Presentations and Programs:

Anna Weinstein – Sea bird IBA’s

      Anna is introduced as Coordinator for Audubon seabird conservation program that is
       funded through 2011. Supervisor is Gary Langham. She’s out of Berkeley. Grant
       from the Homeland Foundation through 2011. Study area is the California current.
       Co-founded Island Conservation. Marine invertebrate expert.

      Explains project and set up
      Working with Bird Life International.
      Southern California Chapters’ participation is necessary to success of the program.
      She will do the listserv address distribution.

Chapters feel contact with her is important and want to know if they can pay her airfare?


Tom Ryan Snowy Plover report.

Reports on status of L. A. Audubon project for Snowy Plovers and accomplishments such as
fence size, knowledge of birds, movement, dates of migration, where to look for them.
Protecting from grooming, decisions on enclosure sizes.
You tube video done by students.
GPS scrapes.

Announces beginning of bird observatory. Southern California Center for Avian Studies. Info
can be gotten from emailing Tom at tryanbio@gmail.com .
Jon Feenstra about the Tricolored Blackbird.

      Tricolored Blackbirds in southern California in 2009. Project needs $22,000.00 to
       get matching funds from USFWS.
      Bird shows signs of being a unique subspecies of Southern California through DNA
       testing paid for by SoCAL Chapters Sea & Sage, LA, Pomona Valley, CDFG and
       Audubon Caifornia.
      Showed range maps and distribution and habits. They live on the periphery of
       human settlement.
      Most of their historical habitat is gone. They require fresh water marsh with adjacent
       grassland.
      Notes a significant decline in population. (Why?) 20,000 in 2005 to 5,000 in 2009?

      A prioritization framework to quantitatively rank colony sites by their conservation
       need.
      This sets the stage for the next phase: site protection and conservation action.
      Beginning in 2009 they will be an annual two-phase (April to June) breeding colony
       surveys for knowledge of the population dynamic. And in January, 2010 census
       population and locate sites of wintering Tri colored Blackbirds.
      Needs Chapter support for volunteers, funding. “Will work for food?”

Contact Jon if you would like to financially support this effort: feenstra@alumni.caltech.edu

Scott Thomas, Cactus Wren in Orange County

      Sea and Sage decided to address issues of declining population of Coastal Cactus
       Wren and partnered with Starr Ranch and Robb Hamilton.

      Launching a pilot study with 40 volunteers
      http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/cacwnetwork - everything about project is
       online.
      Goals: 1 sq. mile plots at four OC locations for suitable habitat and cactus wren
       presence
      Monitor breeding pairs and fledglings on MROC properties
      Use the experience to develop a larger and ongoing volunteer program


Garry George – Audubon California

      Description of grants available to chapters. He has everything posted online at
       www.ca.audubon.org/chapters.php
      Audubon California’s science team has done fantastic science on climate change
       and impacts on 305 species of California’s birds.
      Assembly theme is Future of Conservation. Garry offered to extend deadline for his
       “home council”.
      Chapters need to begin formulating a recession plan. Audubon California has
       information and help available.

Group discussion of conflict between renewable energy and birds/conservation
      Notes that Julia Levin has been appointed as a California State Energy
       Commissioner.
      Drew. Form a group from Chapters who might want to engage in this.
      LADWP Greenpath is the state of things to come.
      Sunrise Power link.
      Also mentions: California Desert Coalition – string of town north of Joshua Tree,
      U. S. Military needing buffers, Western Region Environmental Council…
      Mary L. agrees to provide names.
      Suggests consulting Brian Rutledge, Audubon Wyoming.
      Need to overlap wind power, wind energy maps with IBA’s
      Comprehensive studies in wind project areas versus migratory corridors.

Adjourned with no set resolution or plan to, as a group, follow-up on the above.


NEXT MEETING:

Saturday, May 9, 2009
Hosted by El Dorado Audubon
El Dorado Nature Center
7550 E. Spring St.
Long Beach CA 90815
562-570-1745