Weldon, CA – One precious moment volunteering in the field can reward one with nature for years to come if planned properly. Nature does this on her own every day but sometimes she molds a new future. This was the case with our local December floods.

Nature brought down a bounty of soil and nutrients along the South Fork Kern River and deposited more than humans could handle in a developed area. By allowing a forest and natural ecosystems to thrive and on occasion be rebuilt by nature, we have just a little work to do to repair human amenities such as roads, trails and fences. We have worked for several years to restore a natural desert habitat upslope of the riparian forest. This habitat is a unique buffer around our many canyon riparian corridors. It provides habitat to many species of birds, mammals, insects and plants. The December storm did some rearranging of our well planned irrigation lines and buried some of the plants.

Join staff and volunteers on Saturday, March 19 from 8 a.m. to noon for a morning of planting more upland vegetation and repairing the irrigation systems. For the past 30 years Audubon and volunteers have been living green by helping to restore nature where it had been altered enough to need a kick start in renovation. Now millions of birds either winter, nest or pass through the restored magnificent forest and upland habitats of the preserve. We continue to work on projects once a month from Fall through Spring.

Bring gloves, wear long sleeves and pants, sturdy shoes/boots and safety glasses if you have them. The preserve will supply the tools. Meet at 7:55 a.m. at the headquarters of the Kern River Preserve: 18747 Highway 178, Weldon, CA. Contact the Kern River Preserve Land Steward, Sean Rowe or call (321) 863-5709 to RSVP for the work party.

After the workday and a no-host picnic lunch; we will take a hike to enjoy nature's bountiful wildflowers. From 12:30-2:30pm, we will explore local fields. We will stop and interpret the bloom, identify the flowers and how nature provides a unique display each year. Binoculars, cameras, and a field guide are handy to have.

All monthly events at Audubon Kern River Preserve are held outdoors and begin at the preserve headquarters. They are free and appropriate for ages 5 and up. All interested persons are welcome (children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult). Please dress for cold to warm weather, bring drinks, a picnic lunch, sunscreen and bug spray. Binoculars, camera and a field guide are always a good idea if you have them.

For more information please contact us at 1-(760) 378-2531 or rtollefson@audubon.org.

The next scheduled nature exploration will be a wildflower and spring migration hike - April 2nd.

The next scheduled volunteer project will be trail maintenance in preparation for the Spring Nature Festival - April 16th.