Greetings!
This weekend my partner, Maddie, and I attempted to return to normalcy. On Saturday afternoon, we made a short trip to our favorite, local birding spot. For a brief moment, we felt like nothing changed. Some of our old friends peaked their heads out of the brush and flaunted their feathers as they waded in the water, while others were preoccupied with their fledglings. Our hearts melted as a mother Mallard showed her ducklings around the pond for the first time.
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As we quietly made our way, we came across some of our favorite “social distancers.” Often heard but rarely seen, a Sora came out of the tules to greet us. We were also lucky to spot the nod of the elusive Wilson’s Snipe along the rocky bank (see photo). These hidden gems recognized our need for community and decided to pay us a visit. I’m so grateful for the role nature plays in my everyday life. Even in the most uncertain times, wildlife lifts my spirits.
While our regular classes, programs, and retail stores at visitor centers are closed, we also invite you to continue supporting our important partnership with the National Park Service and groups like The River Otter Ecology Project. Please consider
supporting our work
during this difficult time so we can continue our conservation, education, and community building efforts.
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Sam Chiriboga
Assistant Director
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Virtual Brown Bag Science Lecture
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Changing the River Otter Range Map - Brought to You by Community Science!
Megan Isadore, Executive Director
Thursday, April 2 - 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
FREE!
Join Executive Director Megan Isadore of The River Otter Ecology Project to hear about a community science initiative that changed the range map for river otters in California. What does that mean and why does it matter? Stop in to see videos, photos and maps, and some surprising results from camera trapping files. Suitable for all ages!
REGISTER HERE
for this webinar. Instructions and link will be provided upon registration.
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THE RIVER OTTER
ECOLOGY PROJECT
The River Otter Ecology Project's mission is to engage the public in supporting conservation and restoration by linking river otter recovery to the health of our watersheds through education, research, and community science. They are a recipient of a grant from the
Neubacher Marine Science Fund
to support their research on "Seasonal Food Habits of the North American River Otter in Tomales Bay and Drakes Estero." Learn more about and support their work by visiting their
website
.
Neubacher Marine Science Fund
The
Neubacher Marine Science Fund
was established in 2012 thanks to a generous $100,000 gift by an anonymous donor who made the gift in honor of long-time Point Reyes National Seashore Superintendent Don Neubacher. Administered in collaboration with the Park's Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center, the Fund was created to support research designed to advance understanding of the Point Reyes marine environment. Through the fund we have supported 15 research projects. You can support this work by making a donation to the
Neubacher Marine Science Fund
. Gifts up to $10,000 will be matched.
CURIOUS ABOUT OTTERS?
What role do otters play in their ecosystem? In the health of a watershed? What makes a good home for a river otter? Do they stick together as a family? Watch this fun video to see some of these adorable creatures in action.
Otterly Fun Facts
- Otter pups are born February through March in our latitude.
- Otters require reasonably clean water with plenty of healthy fish to survive and a healthy riparian buffer as they spend lots of time on land as well as in the water.
- They are carnivores, but not picky. They eat any kind of meat they can. More on this during our upcoming virtual brown bag this Thursday!
- Otter pups remain with their mothers for at least one year, sometimes longer.
- Adult males and females don't spend time together except during mating.
- Mothers often have "helper" females, related females who remain with sisters or mothers and help with pups.
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Otters Pups at the Giacomini Wetlands
Video footage provided by The River Otter Ecology Project
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We hope you’ll share what you’re up to with us through this new #ParkInPlace campaign!
Stay tuned on social media and don’t forget to tag us in your posts and stories on
Facebook
and
Instagram
.
#ParkInPlace and #PointReyes_PRNSA
If you do not use these platforms, please email me your ideas, stories,
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Point Reyes National Seashore | (415) 663-1200 x 310 | [email protected] | www.ptreyes.org
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