March CIR Membership Party and Natural History Walking Tours Fun and Educational!

In March, CIR members were treated to a gorgeous day for our annual membership appreciation party at Rincon Beach Park in Carpinteria.  Each available picnic table was filled to the brim with the smiling faces of CIR members snacking on chips, salsa, and Duke McPherson’s delicious homemade guacamole, not to mention whole fruit and granola bar baskets to tease the appetite, in anticipation of the feast to come.

CIR Membership Party at Rincon Beach Park. 

As festivities got underway, everyone enjoyed the delightful sounds of musician, Lawrence Wallin and the Glendessary Jam, who generously donated their tunes, talents, and time in exchange for helping themselves to the pot-luck buffet and barbecued fare.  With a sighting of coastal bottlenose dolphins from the pavilion, outstanding ocean views and sunny skies, one couldn’t have asked for a better setting.

One entire twelve-foot picnic table was absolutely overflowing with pot-luck goodies from salads, sides, and snacks to delectable desserts—it truly was an impressive turnout of culinary contributions that satisfied everyone.  After

The Glendessary Jam making great music!

the feast, which featured marinated chicken and veggie burgers provided by CIR and barbecued to perfection by Mr. President himself, Duke McPherson, we all enjoyed a presentation given by Executive Director, Ken Owen, during which he crowned Ron Nichols the first-ever CIR volunteer of the year!  Ron was applauded and awarded a commemorative wooden plaque, as well as a brand new Anacapa Island t-shirt and CIR cap.

Following the picnic, CIR members took a short drive to the Carpinteria Bluffs Preserve where

CIR Board President Duke McPherson and Gretchen Ingmanson prepare BBQ chicken.

Wayne Ferren was the first to speak about the ecology and the plant communities of the area.  Members were then treated to a talk with Tanya Atwater on the beach about local geology, as well as a docent-led program at the Carpinteria Harbor Seal Sanctuary.  The final tour was a visit to the Carpinteria Tar Pits Park.  Here, members were addressed by Wayne Ferren, Tanya Atwater, and John Johnson of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History about the history of the tar pits and the ancient flora and fauna that had been preserved there.

Ron Nichols received an award as CIR’s first member of the year at the CIR Membership Party.  Ron has participated in dozens of CIR volunteer events on the Channel Island and on the mainland.

CIR Busy on San Nicolas Island

CIR is working in partnership with several organizations on four distinct restoration projects on San Nicolas Island.  Starting in February, CIR started growing up to 7,000 native plants in the island nursery.  The nursery was constructed by CIR staff and volunteers in 2012 to grow plants

for an erosion control project.  The latest batch of plants will be used to enhance habitat for the island night lizard and also to mitigate the impacts from a wind generation construction project.  The nursery is now filled to capacity with thousands of plants covering all three of the huge nursery tables.  An expansion of the nursery space is in the planning stages. 

The island night lizard (restricted to just three of the Channel Islands) was recently removed from the endangered species list, because lizard numbers have increased markedly with conservation efforts led by the Navy and the Park Service.  To help insure that the species continues to thrive, Navy staff on San Nicolas have designed a project to enhance the habitat of the lizard.  CIR is growing several plant species that the lizard is known to favor for habitat including, box thorn and three species of cactus.  In the wild, these plants grow in impenetrable thickets that protect the lizards from predators.   The plants will be installed with the help of CIR in the fall.

CIR recently welcomed Sheri Mayta to our staff to oversee the nursery on San Nicolas.  Sheri has over

nine years of experience in native plant nursery management and native plant propagation. She owns and operates Estero Natives, a native plant nursery in Carpinteria.  She worked for Coastal Restoration Consultants (CRC) as a senior restoration ecologist and nursery manager. With CRC she managed the production of up to 50,000 plants per year at on-site nurseries.  Sheri was raised in Ventura, Ca. where she currently resides with her two children.

In addition to growing plants, CIR is helping to eradicate invasive plants that are a priority for the Navy, who owns the island.  Several CIR staff and volunteers have also been helping to eradicate two invasive plants that are particularly troublesome, ecologically.  Sahara mustard (brassica tournefortii) was introduced to the island several years ago and is a highly invasive species that has devastated the ecology of many areas in our mainland deserts.  Carnation spurge (euphorbia terracina) has recently spread to many new areas throughout California, and several populations have been found on San Nicolas.  The Navy is working with CIR and other contractors to eradicate both of these highly invasive plants before they spread any further on the island.

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