CUCKOO CALL!

February 2009

Winter - Spring 2009 Events, Festivals, Happenings, Walks, Research Projects, Maintenance Projects...  See our website - http://kern.audubon.org for these and more exciting developments at Audubon California's Kern River Preserve

Join the Kern River Preserve's social networking site on FACEBOOK

Upcoming opportunities

Beginning Bird Identification Workshop

Have you ever wondered what those birds at your feeder were called? Well, join the Outreach Director at the Kern River Preserve on Saturday, February 7th at 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. for a very basic workshop on how to identify birds at your feeder and how to narrow down where to look in your field guide during birding trips. Bring binoculars, field guides and a field chair.

The workshop will begin promptly at 9.

Upcoming Events

Leaving A Legacy for the land

Help the Kern River Preserve to protect this land in perpetuity. Leaving a bequest is one of the most powerful ways an individual or family can help create a lasting benefit for the wildlife, the land and the people at this Preserve. It is really simple to do find specific instructions on our legacy webpage. 

Volunteer Opportunities - ongoing

Monthly Event Coordinator

Qualifications: Skill and knowledge of local naturalists and historians desired. Ability or willingness to learn how to write Press Releases and flyers is required. Must have time and transportation to coordinate monthly educational events at the Kern River Preserve. Contact information and supervision will be provided by Kern River Preserve Outreach Director. Call Alison at (760) 378-2531 for information.

Friends of the Kern River Preserve

1st Friday of most months 1p.m.

Meet at the Sprague House to discuss projects, needs, and volunteer work assignments.

Volunteer Workdays at the Kern River Preserve

3rd Saturday of each month 8 a.m.

Meet at the KRP Headquarter for volunteer work assignments. Bring work gloves, hat, appropriate clothes to get dirty, and footgear or shoes that can get wet.

Volunteer Opportunities

Service Workdays—Help KRP staff and volunteers with work projects at the preserve!—for dates and time, see Calendar of Events. Bring a sack lunch and wear sturdy outdoor clothes. Contact Sean Rowe at srowe@audubon.org for details.

We Need—A team of people to serve as hosts, instructors, chaperones, materials preparers and general assistants for KRP visitors and special events. • A team of gardeners to take on the responsibility of lawn and garden care at KRP Headquarters. • People with painting, carpentry and/or electrical skills to do construction, repairs and maintenance on Headquarters’ buildings and equipment. People to conduct research on grazed vs. un-grazed areas looking at various environmental parameters – vegetation, animal diversity etc... We need help constructing Osprey Nesting Platforms

Wish List

Items and volunteer projects desperately needed at the Kern River Preserve.

CAN YOU HELP US? Have you noticed our trails becoming a little unkempt... our tractor keeps breaking down.

For maintenance

We NEED a new tractor desperately, so we can mow our trail without threat of more breakdowns and parts that can not be found.

What we need is a Medium Farm Tractor, Category III with a 3-point hitch, 4x4, approx 40 hp. Attachments needed include: Chipper, Box Scraper, Front end loader, Hydraulic Auger

Also needed a flatbed Trailer suitable for hauling a tractor or automobile.

Our Buildings

ROOF - Both the current Visitor's Center and the Audubon House at Sprague Ranch need new roofing. Help us with our campaign to fund the roof repair on these important buildings. We are beginning the process to reroof the building but even with volunteer labor, building materials alone will cost $4,000.

Paint/Wiring - The Audubon House at Sprague Ranch needs new wiring. All buildings in our compounds need paint. The Audubon House at Sprague Ranch high speed internet was partially funded by a generous donation from the Gordon Family Trust but we need funds to sustain the monthly charges.

Nature Trail

We need to buy interpretive trail signs and to rebuild the trail boardwalk. We need more benches and kiosks along the nature trail and need to repair the driveway and parking lot.

For our office

Oversized laser color copier for making maps, brochures and kiosk items.

For the planet

Land Protection – We have spent about $2.5M with money donated by various philanthropists on land protection over the last 2-3 years – we always are looking for willing sellers of pristine land and donations to buy the land.

We need an economy car for travel to events, errands, presentations and meetings, the preserve only has large trucks right now.

FOR RESTORATION PROJECTS

Ditch Improvements

a. Culverts, Risers, Concrete other materials
b. Labor
c. Equipment time

Riparian Restoration

a. Irrigation lines, emitters, materials
b. Planning and permitting
c. Labor

Tri-colored Black Bird Nesting Habitat Restoration

a. Materials
b. Labor for implementation and management

FOR THE NEW AUDUBON CENTER

1. Visitor Center – our planning grant from SNC was frozen... considering the deep fiscal crisis California is in, we don't know if it will be reinstated, please consider donating to our Center fund.

2. We will need several million for construction and operations of the Audubon Center.

3. Volunteer Help with Audubon Center Business Plan

Be a part of our riparian restoration and outreach programs in the Kern River Valley as a member and volunteer.  Looking for other ways to support Kern River Preserve? If you can help us with our wish list please contact Reed Tollefson for details.

About this newsletter

Cuckoo Call is published occasionally for those interested in the happenings at Audubon California's Kern River Preserve. If this e-newsletter has piqued your interest in the Kern River Preserve, consider taking the next step. If you are not already a member, please join us! To our current members, we greatly appreciate your continued support.

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Cuckoo song is © Doug Von Gausig, http://naturesongs.org, All rights reserved.

The cuckoo call is written by Audubon Kern River Preserve Outreach Director, Alison Sheehey, if you have questions or suggestions for our next e-newsletter, email her at krpfriends@audubon.org

Images © 2009 Audubon and Nature Alley®. Nature Alley and Nature Ali © are trademarks of Alison Sheehey. All rights reserved.