Sep 2011 Stanislaus Audubon

8/12/2019 Sep 2011 Stanislaus Audubon

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Valley Habitat 1

The Valley Hab itatSeptember 2011

A Jo in t Pub li cat io n of th e St an is la us Aud ubo n Soc ie ty

an d th e Yo ku ts Gr ou p of th e S ie rr a Cl ub

Our September 16 Program: Defending Wild and Scenic Rivers

Ron Stork from Friends of the River Challenges Our Congressmen

The National Wild and Scenic River System was established to protect free-flowing rivers for posterity. One of our local congressmen, JeffDenham, has authored a bill that breaks the promises of that designation on the beautiful Merced River above Lake McClure.Our oth er con gressma n, Dennis Cardoza, is a co-sponsor. Passage of this bill would set a horrible precedent and do almost nothing to ad-

dress the serious water issues facing California.

Ron Stork is a national expert on water resources and the Wild & Scenic River System. And, he is the Senior Policy Advocate for Friends ofthe River. His testimony before Congress on this issue last June was masterful. Please join us for a fascinating discussion of our local rivers and

the very real threats they face.

The program will be held Friday, September 16th, at the Fellowship Hall of the College Avenue Church, 1341 College Ave. (at Orangeburg) in

Modesto. Refreshments and Socializing begin at 6:45 p.m., and the program starts at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

In Living Black & White: Sierra Club Legend Ansel Adams

On Display for the Carnegie Art Center's Inaugural Exhibit

by Brad Barker, Yokuts Chair

On June 30, 1916, a fourteen-year-old-boy with a brownie box camera arrived in Yosemite Valley for a family vacation. It

was the first time any of the family had been there. And for the young Ansel Adams, it was love at first sight.

Ansel went back to Yosemite every summer. In his autobiography he writes about those early years: "It is difficult to explain

the magic: to lie in a small recess of the granite matrix of the Sierra and watch the progress of dusk to night, the incrediblebrilliance of the stars, ...and the following sunrise on the peaks and domes around me. ...These qualities to which I still deep-

ly respond were distilled into my pictures over the decades. I knew my destiny when I first experienced Yosemite."

Capturing the light and shadow, Ansel Adams became one of the greatest photographers, one of the most beloved creativeartists of the 20thcentury. But, Adams was also a great champion of the conservation movement. The man who taught manyAmericans how to see wilderness and the natural world with his photographs was also a man who fought his whole life to

conserve wilderness and the natural world.

Ansel Adams joined the Sierra Club in 1919 (just five years after the passing of John Muir). For four years he worked at theLeConte Memorial Lodge, the club's Yosemite headquarters. In 1934 he was elected to the Sierra Club Board of Directorsand held that position for 37 years. Adams achieved many conservation successes including convincing Franklin Roosevelt

to make Kings Canyon a national park in 1940.

When Ansel Adams was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980, President Carter proclaimed: Drawn to thebeauty of nature's monuments, he is regarded by environmentalists as a monument himself, and by photographers as a na-

tional institution. It is through his foresight and fortitude that so much of America has been saved for future Americans."

Ansel Adams CALIFORNIA is the inaugural exhibit of the newly re-modeled Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock. The ex-hibit, opening September 10th, will showcase about 120 Ansel Adams photographs, some of the iconic shots of Yosemite,

but also some lesser known photographs from throughout California. Many opening events are scheduled; some are free andopen to the public including a lecture by Michael Adams on September 11th, and a panel discussion: The Yosemite Experience on Sep-

tember 29th. Check their website at http://www.carnegieartsturlock.orgfor updates and more information.
http://www.carnegieartsturlock.org/http://www.carnegieartsturlock.org/http://www.carnegieartsturlock.org/


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Valley Habitat 2

Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety

Half Moon Bay, 7-10-11

Merced Fledglings, 5-21-11

BIRD BOXES AT THE REFUGE

You may know that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, whichnow has a trail open to the public. What you may not know is that U.S.F.W.S. also maintains bird boxes on the refuge. Thisprogram has grown since the late 1990s, when volunteers from the M.J.C. Biology Department put up nesting boxes at Gard-ners Cove. Additional funding, materials, and volunteer hours have also been provided by members of Boy Scout Troop 414,

Ray & Bernice Grigsby, and Bill Amundsen, a long-time member of Stanislaus Audubon Society.

With funding from S.A.S., Bill has constructed over forty Wood Duck boxes, most of which he has installed on therefuge. For the past three years, Bill has also helped in monitoring many of the fifty-five Wood Duck boxes and eight WesternBluebird boxes that are spread out among the Buffington, Vierra, Hagemann, and White Lake areas of the refuge.

The boxes are cleaned and filled with fresh wood shavings in January and February to prepare them for the nesting sea-son. Bill makes repairs as needed during the winter, too. Then the boxes are monitored for nesting activity every two weeks,

from mid-March through the end of July.

Although Western Bluebirds and Wood Ducks are the targeted nesting species, Tree Swallows will often inhabit blue-bird boxes, and a few Western Screech-Owls will raise their broods in duck boxes. Nevertheless, this program is an ongoingsuccess for the birds it has intended to benefit. Based upon monitoring data and sightings, the number of Wood Ducks has in-creased with the increased use of nesting boxes on the refuge.

If you have questions about the program or would like to volunteer, you may contact Eric Hopson at [email protected].

BIRD BOXES AT THE REFUGE.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Valley Habitat 3

At the end of the 1993 movieJurassic Park,Dr. Grant and the other

survivors of the dinosaur attack arerescued from the island by helicopter.He gazes out the window, relieved athaving escaped the horrors of a cloningexperiment gone awry. The last framesof the film show a file of pelicans glidingeffortlessly over the sea. The image ofthose birds is an irony of wordlesspoetry.

The origins of birds are writtenby fossil records, an evolutionary scriptmore fascinating than can ever beconceived by Hollywood writers. Its plot

may fragmented and hotly disputed byexperts, but the upward thrust of crea-tures seeking to use air as their habitat isindisputable, when viewed through the

objective lens of scientific method.

To unravel the earliest strandsof this story, we must go back to thediscovery of a fossil of a single featherin 1861, two years after Darwins Originof Species was published. The theropoddinosaur that the feather was linked towas named Archaeopteryx, which trans-lates as original bird. Actually, anentire specimen of this creature had beenfound in 1855, but had been misclassifiedfor many years as a pterodactyl.Subsequently, nine more specimens ofArchaeopteryx would be dug out of lime-

stone quarries in Germany.

Archaeopteryx thrived duringthe late Jurassic Period, about 150million years ago, when northern Eu-rope was closer to the equatorial tropics.This creature, roughly the size of a raven,had many characteristics of dinosaurs

such as jaws with sharp teeth, a bony tail,and three fingers with claws. In addition,though, Archaeopteryx had feathers, theclassic feature of all birds. Even moreconvincing, these feathers had evolvedbeyond the scales of reptiles, to the pointthat they could be called flight feathers.

For decades, this genus ofdinosaur had been promoted as a directdescendant of the class of Aves (true

birds), but subsequent excavations haveshown that Archaeopteryx is a very

distant cousin on that family tree. Infact, there are now twenty-sevengenera of non-avian dinosaurs knownto have some type of feathering. Thisincludes recent, intriguing finds offeathered dinosaurs from Liaoning,Chi na that further weaken theArchaeop-teryx-avian link. Paleontologists are stillwrangling over that one.

The fiercest debate, however,concerns the age-old question: How didbirds begin to fly? The tree -downtheorists and their ground-up counter-

parts are stil l deadlocked over thismystery. The advocates of arborealismclaim that the earliest birds climbed up intrees and shrubs for cover or predation,and that the first flights were extendedglides from tree to tree, or down to theground. They note that the structure ofArchaeopteryx made the creature incapa-

ble of raising its wings above its body

for the upstroke necessary for flappingflight. The ground-to-air proponents

point out that Archaeopteryx hadasymmetrical feathers and broad tailfeathers, just like modern birds do. Inaddition, recent findings show hindwings stemming from its legs, whichwould have enhanced aerial ability.While this puzzle may never be answeredconclusively, more clues remain buried

in the earth.

Lets leave the scientists to theirindoor arguments and go outdoors, wherehundreds of species of order Avesare manipulating the air, water, and earth

rather expertly, due to their million-years-oldpractice. When you seen pelicans skimmingover the ocean in a locked glide, or hear a scrub-jay utter its primeval cry, or track a roadrunnergliding across the road and running away, youmay as well appreciate your role. After all, youare both witness and participant in the latestsequelnamely, Cenozoic Park: The Never-Ending Story.

UDUBON FIELD TRIPSAugust 27, Saturday. Modesto Parks. The shorten-ing days and lengthening rays of the sun will thisweek prompt a number of birds now to the northand east of us to begin their annual fall migration

back to the tropics. We'll be there to meet thosewho choose to pass through our city parks on Satur-day. Many species are true migrants in that theyonly pass through here briefly twice a year and donot nest or winter here. The brief window of time tosee them has arrived. We'll be looking for warblers,flycatchers, tanagers, and others. Meet at 7:30 a.m.at the Stanislaus Library parking lot at 1500 IStreet. We'll be back before noon.

September 3, Saturday. Stanislaus RiverParks. Fall migration is now reaching its

peak. We'll hunt the riverine forests for both

migratory and resident treasures. Meet at 7:00a.m. at the Stanislaus Library parking lot at1500 I Street. We'll be back about noon.

September 24. O'Neill Forebay /San LuisReservoir. The wooded areas attract late mi-grant vagrants. We'll also check the water forearly winter birds. Meet at 7:00 a.m. at theStanislaus Library parking lot at 1500 IStreet. We'll be back early afternoon.

October 1-2. Monterey Coastal and Pelagic.This is a Sacramento Audubon trip. It is a low-cost opportunity to take a boat trip out intoMonterey Bay to see pelagic species, those

that spend their whole non-nesting life, dayand night, at sea. Contact Mark Cudney,[email protected],916-987-2422.

October 22. Modesto Reservoir and area.Wintering birds should have arrived by nowand be ready for our inspection: water birds,tree birds, and hawks and eagles. Meet at 7:00a.m. at the Stanislaus Library parking lot at1500 I Street. We'll be back about noon.

November 12. Woodward Reservoir. "Thebest underbirded area in the county" says onelocal expert. We'll look for raptors as well aswater and perching birds. Meet at 7:00 a.m. atthe Stanislaus Library parking lot at 1500 IStreet. We'll be back about noon.

December 10. Merced National Wildlife Ref-uge. For all-around birding (water birds,shorebirds, perching birds, raptors) this may

be the best place to bird near Modesto and itwill be in high season. Meet at 7:00 a.m. atthe Stanislaus Library parking lot at 1500 IStreet. We'll be back early afternoon.

LETS GO LOOK AT DINOSAURS! Salvatore Salerno
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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StanislausAudubon SocietyBoard of Directors: Bill Amundsen, Ralph

Baker, Eric Caine, Joe Devine, Lori

Franzman, Jody Hallstrom, David Froba,

Daniel Gilman, John Harris, Harold Reeve,Salatore Salerno, Dale Swanberg.

Officers & Committee Chairs

President: Sal Salerno 985-1232

([email protected])

Vice President: Eric Caine 968-1302

([email protected])

Treasurer: David Froba 521-7265

([email protected])

Secretary: John Harris 848-1518

([email protected])

Membership: Revolving

San Joaquin River Refuge Field Trips:

Bill Amundsen 521-8256

([email protected])

Other Field Trips: David Froba 521-7265

([email protected])

Christmas Bird Counts:

Harold Reeve 538-0885

How to Join Audubon

To become a member of the NationalAudubon Society, which entitles you

to receive Valley Habitat and Audubon

Magazine, send your check for $20.00 to:

National Audubon Society

Membership Data Center

P.O. Box 51003 - Boulder, CO 80323-1003

Visit our web site at www.stanislausbirds.org

Valley Habitat 4


EARLY BIRDERS CLASS, FALL 2011

Salvatore Salerno is offering another Early Birders class through the M.J.C. Community Education Depart-ment. This course is designed for the beginning or intermediate bird watcher in the identification of birds.

There is one classroom session on Thursday, September 8. One field trip is scheduled to Knights Ferry onSaturday, September 10. Early Birders is listed in the mjc4life catalog. Register at www.mjc4life.orgor call

575-6063.

RECENT SIGHTINGS

COMMON POORWILL

(c) Daniel Lee Brown

LESSE R NIGHTHAWK

(C) Daniel Lee Brown

BLACK TERN

(c) Joe Devine
http://www.mjc4life.org/http://www.mjc4life.org/http://www.mjc4life.org/


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Valley Habitat 5

Yokuts Group of the S ierra Club

Saturday, Sept. 10

Day Hike (3C)

Yosemite National Park, CloudsRest

This difficult 14 mile roundtrip hiketo Clouds Rest(elev. 9922' ) takes offat the Sunrise Lakes trailhead parkingat Tenaya Lake (elev. 8000' ). Thereis an approximately 3000 feet of totalascent on the trip. Hikers should carryminimum of two litters of water (leaderwill have water filter avaible). Use ofa pair of hiking staffs is highlyrecommended. Reservations are

required for the hike, as maximumnumber of hikers is ten(10).

More information on meeting place,time, and reservation available fromleader, Frank, at email:[email protected],

ph. (209) 962-7585.

Sunday Oct. 9 Day Hike

(1C)

Eightieth Birthday Hike toMount Hoffman, Yosemi-

te National Park,

Leader Frank's annual hike to the ge-ographic center of Yosemite, Mt.Hoffman (elev.10850' ) - ascendsfrom the May Lake trailhead parkingarea ( 8000' ) for a totalround distance of 3.5 miles. Carrysack lunch, one plus litter, snacks etc.

etc.

Hiking staffs highly recommended.Due to limited numbers of hikers, areservation is required. For meetingplace, time, and reservation, contactleader, Frank, email [email protected],

ph. (209) 962-7585.

September 23-25, 2011 Friday-Sunday

Camping w/ Dayhike (1A)

Pinecrest Lake, Emigrant Wilder-ness (Yokuts)

Meet at Pinecrest Lake Campgroundon Friday after 4:00pm. The sitesnear the lake are convenient. Wellhike around the lake and up to CleosBath on Saturday. Bring all your owngear/food. Bring something for a pot-luck dinner on Saturday night. Sun-day morning, we can go hiking or

relax. Departure time is negotiableamong the group. Its $20 per site pernight, 6 people/2 vehicles per site,elevation 5700, piped water, flushtoilets, hot showers available at near-by Pinecrest Store. Call 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov for more info.Contact Monica [email protected] .

October 1, 2011 SaturdayDay Hike (1A)

Bear Lake, Emigrant Wilder-ness (Yokuts)

This is approximately a six mile hike,beginning at Crabtree at elevations ofabout 7,200-7,700ft with a moderateuphill on the way in. Swimming is anoption, if warm enough. Bring lunch,ten essentials, and money for dinner

at Mi Pueblo in Sonora on the wayhome. Meet at Dennys parking lot inOakdale at 8:00 a.m. Contact MonicaCasey at [email protected] ,or co-leader, Alan Bernikoff

at [email protected] .

Fall Hike Along the River

Saturday, September 17

(1A)

4 miles, 1A hike alongthe Tuolumne Riverfrom LegionPark. Meet at the parking lot byAmerican Legion Hall (1001 S.Santa Cruz Ave.) at 9 AM. Dogsand children welcome. DorothyGriggs, leader, Jim McGurrin, co-

leader.

Info: 549-9155 early afternoon.
http://us.mc362.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://us.mc362.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://us.mc362.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://us.mc362.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://recreation.gov/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://recreation.gov/http://us.mc362.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://us.mc362.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]


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Valley Habitat 6


Yosemite Backpack Reports,by Elaine Gorman

The Tuolumne River level was unusually high this sum-mer, and we bit our fingernails as we anxiously awaited

our July 20 departure into the Grand Canyon of the Tu-olumne. Two days before the hike we heard an encour-aging report that Yosemite backpackers had been safelyhiking the 32 miles from Tuolumne Meadows to WhiteWolf. We set out on a casual stroll through the northernhalf of Tuolumne Meadows, with only knee-deep cross-ings of Delaney and Dingley Creeks. We had our firstglimpse of the Tuolumne's power at Tuolumne Falls --the kinetic energy of the water was rushing and roaringwithin its confines of granite. Further downstream, Le-Conte and Waterwheel Falls displayed magnificent"rooster tails". Spending 3 days hiking and camping

along our beloved Tuolumne was magical. We even metand chatted with John Muir (actually Howard Weamer,who portrayed John Muir in the recent PBS special of

Muir's life in America)!!

Laurel Lake Camp

Our steep ascent to Harden Lake was ameliorated bygreat views, a long lunch stop at Morrison Creek, andyodeling opportunities. Other highlights of the trip in-cluded rock art in Pate Valley, wildlife (rattlesnkes, bears,and deer), and lush gardens of wildflowers. Thanks toTim, Jerry, Anita, Jim, Russ, Chris, and Paul for joining

me.

Lake Eleanor Camp

Our 17th annual Summer Backpack began with a hikeacross the unusual "buttressed arch" dam of EleanorLake. After a brief lunch stop at Frog Creek cabin, weascended almost 2000 feet to Laurel Lake, where we hada much anticipated dinner. Day 2 took us to VernonLake, where several of us took advantage of splashing inthis beautiful granite-rimmed lake. On Day 3, three ofthe party had to reverse course and leave the scheduledhike due to a minor injury that prevented one person fromcontinuing upwards as planned. Meanwhile, the rest of

us began some serious off-trail hiking on Day 3, as wenegotiated rock ledges and exposure on our way to se-cluded Branigan Lakes. The three fishermen in thegroup happily practiced catch-and-release with thetrout. On Day 4, we continued our cross-country mean-derings through talus and brush, as we skirted the otherBranigan Lakes. When we reached Falls Creek and theJack Main Canyon trail, the mosquitos were out in fullforce. At our campsite at Mahan Lake, we enjoyedswimming in the refreshingly cool water, but beat a hastyretreat to our tents at sunset, thanks to the mosqui-tos. We descended Moraine Ridge on Day 5, dropping

about 4000 feet, and camped at relatively luxurious FrogCreek cabin site. The next morning, we were back at thevehicles by 10 am, and we enjoyed a leisurely lunch atBlack Oak Casino (we recommend the lunch buf-fet). Thanks to Randy and Jerry for co-leading and or-ganizing, and to Tim for help with cross-country route-finding. Kent, Jean, Sylvan, Patty, & Christi joined uson this fun adventure.


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Valley Habitat 7


Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

Management Committee

Chair Brad Barker 526-5281

Treasurer Sylvan Bupp 524-0074

Secretary Anita Young 529-2300

Programs Alexandra Hoffman 985-1575

Conservation Sandy Wilson 577-5616

Membership Kathy Clarke 575-2174

Hospitality Candy Klaschus 632-5473

Publicity Dorothy Griggs 549-9155

Outings Randall Brown 632-5994

Newsletter Nancy Jewett 664-9422

Mailing Kathy Weise 545-5948

Politics Jerry Jackman 577-5616

Population Milt Trieweiler 664-1181

Fundraising Leonard Choate 524-3659

Website Jason Tyree [email protected]

Check out our Website:

http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts

To send stories to the Habitat, e-mail: [email protected]

Sierra Club Membership

Enrollment Form

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FREE GAS FOR CARPOOLING

Form a new carpool or register your existingcarpool and receive a $50 gas card FREE! For

additional information, contact CommuteConnection at 1-800-52-SHARE or visit ourwebsite at www.CommuteConnection.com.
http://www.commuteconnection.com/http://www.commuteconnection.com/http://www.commuteconnection.com/


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The Valley Habitat September 2011

Yokuts Group

Mother Lode Chapter

Sierra Club

P.O. Box 855

Modesto, CA 95353

Non-Profit

Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Modesto, CA

Permit No. 139

CURRENT RESIDENT OR

YOKUTS ANNUAL GARAGE SALE: JOIN US!

DONATIONS NEEDED SEP 30 OCT 7

Clean out the clutter and help the Yokuts. Drop off donations at the home of Jerry Jackman from Sep 30 through Oct 7st2011. We live at 704 Tokay Avenue, off Sunrise, two blocks north of Briggsmore. Donations can be left on the porch. Call Jer-ry (209) 577-5616 if you need assistance.

WINE AND CHEESE AND PRICING PARTY FRIDAY, OCT 7 5PM - 9 PM

Mark your calendar for the best Wine and Cheese and pricing party ever. Oct 7, 5-9 PM, 704 TokayHelp us organize and price donations and bring some wine or cheese to share, or just yourself! We always have fun. We love to

meet new people.

GARAGE SALE\FUND RAISER SATURDAY, Oct 8 8AM - 3PM

Join us to help out or shop for lots of bargains and great stuff that is always donated. Contact Sandy at 209 577-5616(evenings) ifyou are interested.

7AM9 AM - The sale starts at 8 AM but the first two hours are always busy. We need extra people to get organized in the

morning. Posting signs and fighting off the early buyers.

9 AM3 PM - Help with Yard sale. Come for a few hours or all day.3 PM4 PM - We need people to help pack up and/or haul away leftovers to charity and recycling.

Sep 2011 Stanislaus Audubon

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