January 29, 2021
Dear Friends,
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Just like the rains that are beginning to replenish and fill our ponds, streams, and watersheds, I am feeling full of gratitude. What delights you today? What are you noticing outside? The vibrant bursts of green popping up in the soil and hillsides? The full Wolf Moon last night? Or, if you are this bobcat, you are probably most grateful for tasty gophers that offer you energy to keep you healthy and strong (thank you Ranger Anela for this amazing photo!). I love it all and am so grateful for the beauty in these cycles and the magic of this beautiful planet and park.
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Resilient Community, Resilient Park
Being grateful, as it turns out, is one of the qualities (along with many others) of resilience. Thanks to you, PRNSA survived a tumultuous year (I like to call it the “whiplash year”). We are bouncing back from 2020 resilient and healthy. You attended our webinars, read our newsletters, engaged in our social media, participated in our field classes, and helped us meet our year-end fundraising goals. Thanks to you, we just launched a new monitoring program to study the impacts of the Woodward Fire on wildlife in the park. Do you want to know which populations were most impacted? Scroll down to listen to our third episode of The Natural Laboratory podcast. It’s our best one yet and a huge thanks goes out to our science communication intern, Jeremiah Oetting, for his work with us these past three months. His final day with us is today. Thank you friends for helping us fund this important new monitoring program.
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Well Being and Safety
Despite being closed for almost three months (due to the pandemic and Woodward Fire), you showed how much you care for this park. Here’s a staggering statistic - park staff reported that there were 2.2 million visitors last year! July, November, and December had the highest number of visitors ever recorded for Point Reyes National Seashore! Just to give you a benchmark, annual visitation has been between 2.2 and 2.6 million visitors for the past six years. Parks have been essential during the pandemic. Point Reyes is an oasis and a place that soothes and heals. A huge thank you goes out to our rangers and park staff who are keeping visitors safe. Not only are they keeping up with facilities and trails during this surge in demand, but winter swells are dangerous. Ranger Chris Lish recently was commended for saving lives one day during a particularly large swell at North Beach. Thank you for being safe and respectful of the staff and trails when you visit. #RecreateResponsibly.
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Gifts From Our Community
Here is a haiku one of our members was inspired to write during a recent hike while participating in our January #NatureFit challenge (read more in my P.S. below if you’d still like to participate).
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I'm thrilled to introduce Phyllis Silverberg, a wonderful volunteer who has faithfully helped us (from home) during the pandemic. She joined our High Tide monthly Supporter program in 2019 at $10 per month and reached out the other week to let us know how much the park means to her and asked to increase her monthly giving to $20 per month. Read below how much Point Reyes means to Phyllis and how she gives back. Click here if you’d like to join us as a High Tide Monthly Supporter (we now have over 100 members!).
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Thank you for helping us come out of 2020 resilient and strong. I wish you a wonderful weekend filled with awe and wonder in nature. Here is another January gift that makes me smile. Do you know what it is? |
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Heather Clapp
Director of Development and Community Engagement
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P.S. There are still a few days left in January to join our #NatureFit group. If you were out in the park this month to get fit, please register here and join us on Friday, February 5 at 5pm as we swap stories of our fitness adventures. Don't delay! It's never too late to get #NatureFit! Register HERE. Once you register, we will send a link for the group meeting on Feb. 5.
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Welcome Superintendent
Craig Kenkel!
Superintendent Kenkel joined Point Reyes National Seashore last week. Craig was recently the superintendent at Cuyahoga Valley National Park and prior to that he spent four years as superintendent of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
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Point Reyes National Seashore Closures and Seasonal Updates:
Some areas, roads, trails and facilities in Point Reyes National Seashore continue to be closed due to the Woodward Fire, COVID-19, and road work. Visit the park's web site for the most current information.
Annual Closures due to Elephant Seal Activity:
Drakes Beach Closure Alert - To protect the elephant seal pups from disturbance and to keep the public safe, Drakes Beach will be closed starting at the southern edge of the cove in front of the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center and continuing southwest to the end of Drakes Beach. This closure is in effect from December 31 through March 31. Learn more about the elephant seals at Point Reyes here. (Note: dogs and drones are NOT permitted.)
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Podcast: Episode 3
How Wildlife Withstand Wildfires
By Jerimiah Oetting,
PRNSA Science Communication Intern
Point Reyes is home to a great variety of animals. Half of North America's birds have been spotted in the park, not to mention its reptiles, amphibians, fish and mammals. How do these creatures respond to a fire? In this episode, Jerimiah Oetting speaks to park scientists to learn how certain vulnerable species might be impacted by wildfires. Join us as we hoot for owls and track one of the more elusive and curious species in the park, the Point Reyes mountain beaver.
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Doing the Backyard Bird Count Big This Year
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Thursday, February 11, 6pm - 7pm
Free #Park In Place Webinar Series
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Birds are everywhere, all the time, doing fascinating things. Join us in February, when the world comes together for the love of birds, from home! This webinar will show you how you can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count from right outside your door, no matter where you live. Our speakers will give you some tips and tricks to consider and inspire you to get outside with your family or roommates, making it a great Covid-safe activity. Whether you’ve been birding for years, or thinking about starting, sign up for this free webinar and join us for another community science project.
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Events From Other Parks and Community Partners |
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California Academy of Sciences NightSchool
Seabirds: Thursday, February 4, 7:00 pm
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Come virtual birdwatching with us to explore the world of pelicans, gulls, snowy plovers, waders, and other coastal birds. California Academy of Sciences hosts NightSchool: Seabirds. Travel from Louisiana's Gulf Coast all the way up to Point Reyes National Seashore with biologists, researchers, and science writers as your guides. Matt Lau, Snowy plover ecologist for Point Reyes National Seashore will offer insights into this threatened species and how we can all contribute to their recovery.
This Free NightSchool livestream will be available on YouTube and Facebook.
All NightLife virtual programming is intended for audiences 21+.
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San Geronimo Valley Community Center presents: |
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Part One of Three: February 8, 2021, 6:30-8:00 pm
As shelter-in-place restrictions begin to lift, we will all face yet another transition: reentry. If you are feeling uneasy about what lies ahead with reentry, while continuing to process the trauma from the last year, you’re not alone. The ever-shifting demands on families in this pandemic has led to stress, anxiety, and depression — for adults and youth.
Don Carney, Executive Director or Youth Transforming Justice and champion of Marin County Youth Court, Jasper Thelin from High School 1327 and Maria Niggle from Marin Promise Partnerships have created a three-part series for West Marin families to help us heal and to provide tools to navigate the coming months. This first session is focused on parents, providing space to process concerns, connect with others, and leaving with tools to support your children and family. Don, Jasper and Maria will lead breakout room discussions in a world cafe style evening. Register through Eventbrite here!
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Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park Presents: |
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A Distinguished Author Series:
Crooked River Reads
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Join us for a new series as we (virtually) host five distinguished authors throughout 2021. Together with Richard Louv, January 26; Winona LaDuke (pictured), March 22; Dr. J. Drew Lanham, May 13; J.R. Harris, August 12; and Angelou Ezeilo, October 6, we’ll explore the crucial impact connecting with nature has on human kind. Embark on a journey of self discovery, hike in someone else’s shoes and explore the world from the comfort of a good book (or a few!).
Tickets: $10/person or $8.50/member For more information or to register click here.
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WINTER CLASSES AND UPDATES |
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Saturday, February 6, 10am – 4pm
Learn tips and techniques to enhance your birding skills while observing birds in a variety of habitats at Point Reyes.
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Winter is actually the time of greatest abundance for many birds at Point Reyes. The varied coastal habitats are rich feeding areas for many ducks, shorebirds, and other water birds. Hawks, falcons and other raptors occur in large numbers due to these rich feeding conditions. Warblers, thrushes, flycatchers and other land birds are also found here in high numbers. The result is that this is an exceptional place to discover and enjoy birds. Register here.
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Sunday, February 7, 10:30am – 1:30pm
Forest bathing is a guided nature meditation, a slow meander in the forest. Slow down and experience the natural world through your sense.
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A Forest Bathing walk is about connecting deeply with the more than human world and ultimately connecting with the deeper place within.
Participants are encouraged to slow down and experience the natural world through their senses.
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Know Anyone Interested
in Joining our Dynamic Team?
Communications and Development Coordinator
Works with the Development Director to develop, execute, and evaluate a comprehensive communications plan to increase organizational visibility and support. This position organizes all marketing functions across the organization and supports fundraising and education events as well as membership and major donor campaigns. This role helps with brand positioning, voice, and consistency across channels to our community. Learn more and apply here. Please send inquiries to jobs@ptreyes.org.
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Your monthly donations help sustain our conservation and environmental education programs, and allow us to bring more faces out to the Seashore. Donate this month and sign up to join our rising tide! Become a High Tide Monthly Supporter today. It is the easiest, and greenest way to show your love for the park!
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We partner with the National Park Service to create opportunities for all people to experience, enhance, and preserve Point Reyes National Seashore for present and future generations. |
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Point Reyes National Seashore | (415) 663-1200 x 310 | development@ptreyes.org | www.ptreyes.org |
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