Greetings!
During these first days of summer, I am filled with joy and serenity watching my garden in Inverness pulsing with pollinator life. Honeybees are busy collecting pollen from blackberry flowers. I love seeing native bumblebees rolling around inside California poppies. Shimmering hummingbirds search for nectar in tubular blooms.
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Complex Web of Life
Butterflies and moths are also visiting the flowers. Their caterpillar population has been nourishing our native fledgling birds. After my flowers bloom, I leave them to go to seed. The birds feed on them and enough drop to the ground to grow again next year. Creating natural habitat in our gardens, with no synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, extends the Park’s pollinator highway.
Photo by Carlos Porrata
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Celebrating our Park's Pollinators
While bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds often come to mind first when we think of pollinators, there are other pollinators, such as bats and birds, that are important pollinators too. In fact, in our opinion, we are even going to say that we have some special "pollinators" right here in our human community who help our work take root and nurture a new generation of Park protectors and Earth stewards.
Maureen Kennedy is one of these pollinators. Longtime PRNSA supporter and board member, Maureen funded the
'Legacy Now' conservation initiative
in 2018. Thanks to this initial grain of "pollen", PRNSA is thrilled to announce our first Science Communication Intern, Meghan Garfink, to our team! Meghan's love for Point Reyes blossomed when she was a camper at our Point Reyes Summer Camp. Below, Meghan tells us about the Myrtle's silverspot butterfly, a species that relies on an intact coastal dune habitat to survive.
Pollinators like the Myrtle's silverspot butterfly remind us that we are all connected through a complex web. In a time when many of us are still social distancing, we praise our pollinators for keeping us all connected, hopeful, and resilient.
Sincerely,
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Julia Burke
Development and Membership Coordinator
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Morgan Horse Ranch 50th Anniversary
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Morgan Horse Ranch.
Click HERE
for a fantastic history lesson by Brenda Tippin.
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Tribute to Buckeye
Los Reyes Veradez, affectionately known as Buckeye, died in peace on May 28, 2020 at the age of 29. He was a longtime patrol horse and provided countless hours of calm and joy for thousands of visitors each year. Buckeye is mentioned quite often in Brenda Tippin's acticle above on the history of the Morgan Horse Ranch. We all loved and will miss him.
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Park Updates June 27, 2020
• Many trails in the Park are accessible, with the exception of Mesa Road from the Commonweal entrance to Palomarin Trailhead, Chimney Rock Road, Mount Vision Road, South Beach Access Road, Sir Francis Drake Blvd. southwest of its junction with Drakes Beach Road to the Lighthouse. Please check the
Park website daily for updates.
• Visitors should keep six feet away from people not in their own household.
• Please carry a mask and if you need to be closer than six feet, put the mask on.
• One person at a time will be allowed in restrooms.
• Loop trails at Bear Valley will be one way only.
• Campgrounds, visitor centers, and picnic tables are still not yet open.
• There will be no access to water fountains, so bring extra water from home.
• Please bring your own food and supplies as the towns of Inverness and Point Reyes have limited food and restaurants are closed or offering limited take out.
• Bring everything you need - including water, food, and hand sanitizer - and take everything home.
Leave No Trace.
For the latest details on what parts of the Park are accessible, visit the National Park Service's
Point Reyes website.
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Reflections on Summers at Point Reyes National Seashore
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Meghan pictured here as a Point Reyes Summer Camp Counselor in 2018.
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As a kid, I remember looking forward to PRNSA's Point Reyes Summer Camp (PRSC) all year. At camp I had my first experiences hiking, backpacking, seeing whales, hearing owls, and more. It’s through PRSC where I learned to appreciate and care for the outdoors and is also what inspired me to go into STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). I am so excited to join PRNSA to share my appreciation for Point Reyes through science communication.
– Meghan Garfink, PRNSA Science Communication Intern
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Myrtle's Silverspot Butterfly
by Meghan Garfink, PRNSA Science Communication Intern
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Happy Pollinator Week! Why celebrate pollinators? More than 75% of Earth’s flowering plants depend on pollinators like bees, butterflies, birds and bats. Pollinators help plants stabilize soils, and supply oxygen. Plants aren’t the only ones depending on pollinators though. Nearly 75% of agricultural crops provide us with food due to the work of pollinators. This amounts to nearly $30 billion dollars in crop production annually in the United States ($19 billion of which is just from honey bees!).
In Point Reyes, we celebrate our very own Myrtle’s silverspot butterfly this week. Point Reyes is home to one of three remaining populations of the federally threatened species who reside in native dunes and coastal grasslands. The butterflies rely on dog violets (
Viola adunca
) to lay their eggs, since it’s the only plant that the larva can feed upon once they hatch. Eggs are laid in the late summer and grow into caterpillars throughout the winter. Adult Myrtle’s silverspots take their first flight in mid-June, meaning that some butterflies are soaring along the coast for the first time right now!
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Important Community Information
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Free Community COVID-19 Testing For West Marin Residents
Who Should Get Tested?
- Public facing essential workers
- Anyone who is feeling sick
- Anyone who thinks they've had contact with someone who has COVID-19
Location:
Point Reyes Coastal Health Alliance Rear Parking Lot
Date:
Thursdays ONLY
Time:
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Questions? Call 415-663-8666
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2020 Census
If you still haven't filled out your 2020 Census, you still have time (until 7/31/20). Taking the time to complete your census is easy and quick.
Your response helps to direct billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities for schools, roads, and other public services. It takes 5 minutes and can be done online.
Click HERE
to fill out yours today.
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Thanks to those of you who are PRNSA monthly supporters. If you can, we invite you to help us invest in a future where healthy ecosystems thrive, historic legacies are preserved, and people of all ages and backgrounds can experience the beauty of Point Reyes National Seashore. While we work hard with our small but mighty team to reimagine our programs for the short, medium, and long term, here is what your monthly contribution will support:
- Wildlife conservation and research
- Invasive species management and habitat restoration
- Local wildlife population monitoring
- Historical building renovation
- Educational programming to schools, youth, and community members
Your monthly donation helps sustain our work year round. Go green and 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 hope you’ll share what you’re up to with us
through our #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,
and photos at heatherc@ptreyes.org.
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Point Reyes National Seashore | (415) 663-1200 x 310 | development@ptreyes.org | www.ptreyes.org
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