CIR and Santa Barbara Zoo Awarded Grants for Wetland Restoration!

Channel Islands Restoration and the Santa Barbara Zoo have been awarded two grants to continue restoration of the Andree Clark Bird Refuge along Zoo property.  Starting in 2010, both agencies (plus the City of Santa Barbara) partnered on the first phase of the restoration project, which involved removing large stands of invasive Myoporum trees and hundreds of other invasives, and the planting of over 900 natives.  Nearly 400 volunteers helped out with the project, which restored almost an acre of refuge.  What started out as a dark and dingy invasive-choked area was transformed into an open wetland habitat thriving with native plants, birds and other animals.

The second phase of the project will restore the remaining 1.5 acres of the Zoo property along the refuge margin.  We will plant 1,200 natives and remove many more Myoporum trees and other invasives will also be removed.  About $60,000 in grant funding has been awarded to the project, half from the County of Santa Barbara's Coastal Resource Enhancement Fund, which is a partial mitigation of impacts from the Point Arguello, Point Pedernales, and Santa Ynez Unit oil projects.  The other half will come from the Southern California Wetland Recovery Project, which also funded the first phase of the project. 

The Zoo project has been very popular with CIR volunteers.  On our first volunteer day, more than 100 people showed up to help out!  One of the reasons that the project is so popular is because volunteers are offered free admission to the Zoo at the conclusion of the work day.  The Bird Refuge is also a very scenic location, and the restoration sites are located in areas that the public do not normally have a chance to visit.  Watch for announcements seeking your volunteer help in the fall!

A section of the Andree Clark Bird Refuge phase I restoration before non-native plants were removed. 
Note crooked on right for reference.

The same view after non-native plants were removed (note crooked oak tree on right for reference). 
This photo also shows native plants right after installation

The same view after native plants have matured

Nearly 200 CIR Volunteers Help with Refugio State Beach Project

Nearly 200 CIR volunteers of all ages have helped plant natives at Refugio State Beach since January, and the work should continue for the next several months. The project will increase native habitat at the mouth of Refugio Creek by removing non-native flora and planting natives along the creek banks, in an area covering about 30,000 square feet. Starting in October, non-native trees, shrubs and grasses were removed by the State Park and CIR. These include Palms, Myoporum, Arundo, Black Acacia, Pampas Grass, Fennel, Castro Bean, Pepper trees, Eucalyptus, and annual grasses. In January, the planting of 3,000 container plants began, including native riparian trees and coastal scrub species.

The project is led and managed by our partner, South Coast Habitat Restoration, a local non-profit organization. CIR is providing assistance with the removal of non-native plants, and is arranging for the bulk of the volunteer help. California State Parks is another partner, and funding from the project has come from the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Earth Island Institute, the Wildlife Conservation Board and Southern California Edison. The last scheduled planting day is March 8, but volunteers may also be needed to help water the plants until they become established.

End-of-Year Holiday Party Brings Big Winners to CIR!

Photo contest 1st Place:
Tommy Wasden
“Island Bush Mallow and Hummingbird”

Photo contest 2nd Place:
Gretchen Ingmanson:
“Back to the Saddle”

On the evening of December 6, 2013 the CIR administrative office was transformed into a festive holiday gathering place with food stations, a wine pouring station, a photo gallery displaying the many entries in our first annual photo contest, a raffle table brimming with great prizes, and at the top of the stairs: the CIR reception table and friendly welcoming brigade!
 
If you missed this party, we hope you’ll attend in 2014, as it was a wonderful time enjoyed by over 70 people and included volunteers, members, friends, and family – all gathered together for an evening of good food, conversation, and fun!

Our dazzling “Holiday Queen,” was none other than CIR Board Member Tanya Atwater who, dressed in a festive gown and crown, was the one to thank for organizing the delicious eats that night. Her food stations were filled with delightful offerings and had something for everyone. She was joined in the kitchenette by food table “tsarina” and Board Member Monica Jones and assisted by CIR Treasurer Karen Telleen-Lawton.

Photo contest 3rd Place:
Roland Holzwarth,
“Stranded”

Board Member Joel Fithian helped hang lights and greeted party-goers, and CIR President Duke McPherson brought his world-famous guacamole and helped at the reception table. Board Member Dave Edwards and his wife Wanda brought finger sandwiches and decadence in the form of See’s Candy...who can resist!? There were so many helping hands pitching in that night to ensure everyone enjoyed themselves, and we are grateful to them all!

The wine station was manned by Volunteer Coordinator, Linda Benedik (since it was at her desk, after all!), along with volunteer Tim

Honorable Mention:
Roland Holzwarth,
“Rodrigues in Nature”

Kenney, a wine connoisseur who also poured at the CIR Social in September.  
CIR Accounting Department, Jane O’Dell, created the seasonal ambiance with her merry décor, and volunteer Jane Lumsdaine helped energize raffle ticket sales. Our Executive Director, Ken Owen, gave a rousing speech about CIR that got the crowd cheering and together with Tanya, judged the first annual CIR Natural History Photo Contest and announced the winners! 

The photo contest was a great success and we can’t wait to do it again next year. So keep a camera handy on all your natural adventures...you never know when that “Kodak moment” could turn into a prize-winning photo!

Congratulations to our 2013 Raffle Winners:

• Trip for 2 on Island Packers to Anacapa/Santa Cruz/Whale Watching: Jon Huber
• Collection of CIR Natural History Posters: Dale Parks and Susie Bartz
• Wildflowers of Santa Monica Mountains Gift Baskets: Phil Andrews and Jon Huber
• Wine & Candles Gift Basket: Greg Archbald
• Equestrian-Themed Gift Basket: Jarry Bartz
• See’s Candy: Dale Parks

CIR GEARING UP FOR BUSY EARTH DAY EVENTS

Join CIR and hundreds of other environmentally friendly organizations at any of the multiple Earth Day celebrations happening in April (and beyond) in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.   The Earth Day celebrations are CIR’s best opportunity to reach out to members of the public who want to become involved with environmental conservation.  In fact, many of our volunteers first heard about CIR at an Earth Day event.

CIR Booth at the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival, 2013

Earth Day began when Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson witnessed the ravages of the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara.  The first event took place in 1970 when 20 million Americans all over the country demonstrated for the environment.  It has since become a global event, held on weekends and centering on April 22^nd, the anniversary of the first Earth Day.

CIR has participated at the Santa Barbara Earth Day event since 2007, and our booth has evolved from a couple of simple displays into a showcase of habitat restoration work on the Channel Islands and mainland.  We prominently display maps and photos of the Channel Islands, and talk to many hundreds of visitors throughout the two-day event.  CIR Board member Cindy Kimmick provides a fascinating display of vertebrates for young people and adults alike, and many people learn about the Channel Islands for the first time at these events.

The Santa Barbara event features two full days of live music, speakers, family activities and interesting exhibitors, including many environmental non-profits.  CIR has become a contributing “sponsor” of this very worthy event.

Since these events keep us very busy, we increasing rely on volunteer “ambassadors” to help us staff the booths.  We pair less experienced volunteers with experienced ones or CIR Board members, so no one will feel overwhelmed.   Being a CIR ambassador at Earth Day is a lot of fun, and it’s a great opportunity to share your experiences of the islands and environmental volunteerism with the public.  We even provide soft drinks and snacks to those who help out.

Become a CIR Earth Day Ambassador! Volunteer at these events:

April 5: Thousand Oaks/Oxnard
April 19: Ojai
April 26: Ventura
April 26 – 27: Santa Barbara and Los Angeles Zoo
May 18: WorldFest (Lake Balboa, Los Angeles)

CIR to Offer Additional Mainland Educational Tours

CIR to Offer Additional Mainland Educational Tours

CIR will again offer our popular educational tours to fabulous mainland locations in 2014.  Led by Geologist Tanya Atwater, Botanist Steve Junak and birding experts, these trips have become very popular and often sell out early!

White Mountains (July 4—7, 2014)

Tanya Atwater discusses geology with participants on
the 2012 CIR White Mountains tour

Participants on the 2012 CIR White Mountains tour enjoy
music around the campfire

This will be our fifth tour of the fascinating White Mountains of Eastern California. Last summer 25 participants joined us from all over California as we spent four days visiting ancient trees, spectacular vistas and exceptional geology. We stay at the Crooked Creek research station, which is set in a bristlecone and limber pine forest at 10,200 feet in altitude. Station staff cook all of our meals, and we are treated to evening presentations by Tanya Atwater and Santiago Escruceria, our local birding expert. The ancient bristlecone pines are one of the most exotic and interesting features of the White Mountains. These are the oldest trees in the world; one of them has been dated at nearly 5,000 years old! We hike in two of these groves in guided explorations of the trees, wildflowers, birds and other animals that inhabit these high-altitude ecosystems. July is spring time in the high mountains!  Each day we take auto tours and short to medium length hikes to the pines and many great views and wildflower spots.  We also visit Barcroft Station, a unique facility for high-altitude research, and we offer an optional hike up nearby Mount Barcroft, at just over 13,000 feet.  For more information about the CIR White Mountains trip, visit the trip web site: cirweb.org/whites

Top: participants in the CIR Death Valley tour pose for a photo
at Aguereberry Point, a spectacular view point above  Death
Valley.  Bottom: big-horned sheep seen on the 2012 CIR
Death Valley tour.

Death Valley National Park
(March 12 - 16, 2014)

This will be our third tour to the park. The five day adventure begins with a visit to the Maturango Museum in Ridgecrest. We then head for camp at the Trona Pinnacles, which has some of the most unusual geological features in the California Deserts. The next day we enjoy many botany and geology stops and a spectacular view of Death Valley from Aguereberry Point. We stay three nights at Furnace Creek in the floor of the valley. We stay in the campground, or participants can stay in their own RVs or in the nearby hotel (at their own cost)  Over the next two days we enjoy a spectacular drive through Titus Canyon, a hike up Mosaic Canyon, and visits to Ubehebe Crater, Dante’s View, Zabriskie Point, Badwater, the Salt Creek pupfish ponds, and various botanical and birding sites.  Even though 2013 was a dry year, we still found some stands of lovely desert wildflowers, so we will be looking for those again!  We even got a close-up look at big-horned sheep near Aguereberry Point!  For more information on the Death Valley trip, visit the trip web site: cirweb.org/dv.

Central Coast Natural History Tour (May 31—June 3, 2014)

This will be our third tour of Central Coast natural history sites, with special emphasis on the geological history of California with Dr. Tanya Atwater. This is a travelling, four day camping trip, with the option to stay in hotels. We camp at Morro Bay State Park, Pinnacles National Park, and Pfeiffer-Big Sur State Park. 

Point Piedras Blancas Lighthouse on the 2012 CIR
Central Coast Natural History Tour

Our days include explorations of Avila Beach, Morro Rock, Parkfield and the San Andreas fault experiment, Pinnacles and fault offsets through old-town Hollister.  Steve Junak joins us for tours of Point Lobos State Park and other sites on the Big Sur coast.  We also receive a special tour of the Point Piedras Blancas lighthouse.  Both the lighthouse and the surrounding grounds have been beautifully restored.  We then visit the nearby elephant seal rookery.  This is an excellent way to learn about the geological history of California, while visiting spectacular natural history sites along the way.  For more information on the CIR Central Coast Natural History tour, visit the trip web site: cirweb.org/ccg