December 1, 2020
Dear Friends,
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One of my favorite things to do is to walk under the light of the full moon. Outreach Manager Brandon Barragan and I hosted eight intrepid moonwalkers last Saturday during our November Full Moon Monthly Member Hike. It’s been one year since we launched this wonderful community building program. I get to see who else loves walking in the light of the full moon, even when the chances are slim of the moon revealing herself.
How are you welcoming the light into the darkness this year? Where are you finding silver linings? This year has brought its share of darkness - in many shapes and forms. Despite these challenges, we have remained inspired by the way in which our members - YOU! - our park-loving community - have come together to protect this beautiful Seashore and ensure we continue to steward this land for present and future generations. As for one of my favorite silver linings… read how bird song in the Bay Area got quieter and more effective this year.
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Celebrating the Light
The above homemade sentiments from our community lined the entrance to the park for weeks and they remind us that we have much to be grateful for. Even as the pandemic rages on and the shorter days and cold nights shift us indoors, if we look to nature, we find light, friendship, healing, and wisdom. While our operations were impacted by COVID-19 and a wildfire, we never lost sight of connecting you more deeply to our park to experience the incredible cultural and natural gifts that Point Reyes has to offer.
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Giving Tuesday - $20,000 Match Through December 18
Today we kick off our most important fundraiser of the year. We have a goal of reaching $180,000. If you’d like to honor the park you love, any gift you make today (Giving Tuesday) through December 18 will be doubled by a generous donor, up to $20,000. Please use this link to make your gift today.
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Where will your funds go?
These funds will go towards critical post-fire research, management, and educational programming, as well as conservation of key species most impacted by climate change (Coho salmon, Elephant seals, Tidestrom’s lupine, Eelgrass, the Point Reyes mountain beaver, Spotted Owls, and so much more).
These funds will also allow us to proceed with welcoming new faces to our incredibly diverse park through environmental education and community building programs (Full Moon Monthly Member Hikes, Field Institute Classes, and our Park In Place Webinar Series).
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Youth Programming and Fire Ecology Curriculum |
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Point Reyes Mountain Beaver Monitoring and Research |
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Invasive Species Monitoring and Management
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Memories of Vision and the Woodward Fire
In case you missed it during our recent Dinner on the Pacific Plate, below is a touching video created by Dale Dualan, NPS Environmental Protection Specialist, which brings home how we found light through the darkness and despair we experienced this year. In addition, our Science Communication Intern, Jeremiah Oetting, offers a snapshot of how the 2020 Woodward Fire compares to the 1995 Vision Fire. Please continue to his post below.
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Find Your Silver Lining
While any time of year in Point Reyes is marvelous to behold, I encourage you to enjoy these short days, bustling with incredible wildlife and viewsheds, and come to the park to find your own silver lining. Thank you for considering making a special year-end donation to PRNSA to ensure that we continue to fund critical research, conservation, and education.
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Yours in light and gratitude, |
Heather Clapp
Director of Development and Community Engagement
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Point Reyes National Seashore is now PARTIALLY OPEN.
Hazardous conditions exist. Conditions can change rapidly.
Visitors are reminded to respect trail and road closures. All trails that go into the Woodward Fire burn area remain closed. Keep yourself and park personnel safe by staying out of the closure zone. go.nps.gov/pore/woodwardfire
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Memories of Vision
By Jerimiah Oetting, PRNSA Science Communication Intern
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In October 1995, an illegal campfire in Point Reyes National Seashore ignited the largest wildfire to hit the area in sixty years. The Vision Fire, as it came to be known, scorched more than 12,000 acres, affecting not just the seashore’s flora and fauna, but also the private lands of nearby residents. Dozens of homes and other structures were destroyed. Memories of Vision have haunted Point Reyes ever since, especially as catastrophic wildfires have reached unprecedented levels elsewhere in California and across the Western U.S.
This August, only a couple of months shy of Vision’s 25th anniversary, a rare lightning storm sparked a new blaze that threatened Point Reyes and its neighbors, rekindling fears of a devastating fire in the area. But the Woodward Fire was different.... Read more
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TONIGHT!
Point Reyes Lighthouse:
150 Years of Light
Tuesday, December 1, 6 pm – 6:30 pm
FREE WEBINAR
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Celebrate 150 years of light at Point Reyes with a virtual birthday bash with the park rangers! Built in 1870 and first lit on December 1 of that year, this beacon was an important signal for the guidance and safety of mariners who traveled up and down the Northern California coastline. The National Park Service has preserved this historic building and original Fresnel lens since 1975, and continues to tell the story of the light to visitors from far and wide today. Join us for a special virtual birthday celebration for our favorite lighthouse, and learn about this coastal treasure.
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Winter Birds of Point Reyes: Abundance and Diversity |
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Thursday, December 10, 6pm – 7pm
A Park In Place Webinar Series
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Point Reyes National Seashore has a large diversity of birds in the winter. Our mild weather conditions are much more favorable to birds compared to colder interior areas. Over 200 species have been monitored over the past decades, including several that have not been seen anywhere else in the country. Come learn with David Wimpfheimer on population trends that have been observed over many years on our seashore and have a chance to ask your birding questions with an expert. Register for this free webinar today.
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Drawing the Colors of Winter
Saturday, December 12, 10am – 12pm
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Autumn is the perfect time to explore colored pencil techniques with all the beauty of the changing leaf colors, seed pods, gourds, and berries. Their unique colors provide the opportunity to practice mixing and layering color. Learn to create rich reds, browns, and purples. We will explore a variety of colored pencil techniques including layering, blending, and burnishing. |
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This class will be held online, via Zoom. We will spend time mixing colors, drawing your leaf or fruit, and coloring with demonstration and time for questions and answers. All drawing levels are welcome. A supply list will be provided.
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Select title of class for more information on these and other upcoming classes. |
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Saturday, January 9, 10am – 2pm
Friday, January 15, 9:30am – 3:30pm
Saturday, January 16, 10:30am – 5pm
Saturday, January 23, 10am – 4pm
Sunday, January 24, 9am – 4pm
A Five-Part Series: Tuesdays, January 26 – February 16, - 7pm – 9pm
Saturday, January 30, 10am – 2pm
Sunday, January 31, 10am – 4:30pm
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Thanks to those of you who have joined our High Tide Monthly Supporter program. Your monthly donations help sustain our conservation and environmental education programs, and allow us to bring more faces out to the Seashore. Donate this "Giving Tuesday" 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 | [email protected] | www.ptreyes.org |
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