8 th ANNUAL TURKEY VULTURE EST SET TO SOAR by Bob Barnes The 8th Annual Kern River Valley Turkey Vulture Festi- val is set to soar from the Kern River Preserve Friday-Mon- day, September 27-30, 2002. Come join us as we celebrate the annual phenomenon of the migration of 25,000-30,000 Turkey Vultures through the Kern River Valley on their jour- ney from interior British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California south to their wintering grounds in Mexico and points beyond. see Vultures page 3 HUMMINGBIRD CELEBRATION: A VISITORs VIEW by Les Chibana There was an extremely wonderful event, the Hummingbird Festival, at the Audubon-California Kern River Preserve over the weekend of August 3-4. The proliferation of hummingbird feeders at this Preserve at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada reveals what may be the true nature of southbound Rufous and Allen’s hummingbird migra- tion in California. For the past 4 years, Bob Barnes, the Preserve’s Outreach Di- rector, has been putting out a large bat- tery of hummingbird feeders to an in- creasing visitation of breeding and migrant trochilids [hummingbirds, ed.]. Large amounts of Rufous Hummingbirds, fol- lowed in quantity by Black-chinned, Anna’s, Allen’s, and Calliope, were noisily crowding and vying for position at feeders. By using a unit of measure called “Black- chinned Hummingbird Units”, or BCHU, the amount of sugar water consumed in a day by one Black-chinned Hummingbird, it was estimated that up to 2000 hummingbirds per day came to the Preserve’s feeders during the peak of activity be- tween Aug 18 and 23 in 2001. This year, with the continued use of feeders, that number is expected to reach 2500 Volume 6, Issue 2 RIENDS of THE KERN RIVER PRESERVE 1 see Visitor’s View page 2 A tiny guest and the tiniest North American bird, Leigh Ann Fieber, 4, of Wofford Heights and Don Mitchell release a banded Calliope Hummingbird. Photo by Bruce Webb. Bruce Webb and Les Chibana on net patrol in the Greenhorn Mtns. 2002 Calendar of Events September 1 - October 20, 2002 – 9 th Annual Kern River Valley Turkey Vulture Count. Contact Terri Gallion to sign up and be counted! 760-378- 4173. Email: [email protected]Saturday, September 21 – Kern Valley Pride Day Friday-Monday, September 27-30 – 8 th Annual Kern River Valley Turkey Vulture Festival see Calendar page 7 Summer / Fall 2002 CALIFORNIA Table of Contents Turkey Vulture Festival 1 Hummingbird Celebration 1 In Memoriam - Dave Harvey 3 Bluebird Box Season Summary 3 International Benefit Field Trips 3 Mid-year Appeal Update 4 Nature Trail Revision 4 Nature Ali - goes wild 4 Hummingbird Celebration Recap 4 Reptile Celebration Recap 5 Audubon California Board Mtg. 5 Summer Bird Count 5 Birding World 5 Summer Butterfly Count 6 Kern Valley Pride Day 6 Kelso Creek Campout 6 KRV 2002 Fires 6 WildPlaces Restoration Efforts 7 Photos from around the preserve 7 Eagle Optics Donation 8 New & Renewing KRP Friends 8 Dave Harvey Memorial Fund 8 About the Kern River Preserve 9 KRP Volunteer Workdays 11 KRP Friends Application 11 Directions to KRP and Maps 12 Vultures soar over KRP
The 8th Annual Kern River Valley Turkey Vulture Festi-val is set to soar from the Kern River Preserve Friday-Mon-day, September 27-30, 2002. Come join us as we celebratethe annual phenomenon of the migration of 25,000-30,000Turkey Vultures through the Kern River Valley on their jour-ney from interior British Columbia, Washington, Oregon,and California south to their wintering grounds in Mexicoand points beyond.
see Vultures page 3
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by Les ChibanaThere was an extremely wonderful
event, the Hummingbird Festival, at theAudubon-California Kern River Preserveover the weekend of August 3-4.
The proliferation of hummingbirdfeeders at this Preserve at the southernend of the Sierra Nevada reveals whatmay be the true nature of southboundRufous and Allen’s hummingbird migra-tion in California. For the past 4 years,Bob Barnes, the Preserve’s Outreach Di-rector, has been putting out a large bat-tery of hummingbird feeders to an in-creasing visitation of breeding and migrant trochilids [hummingbirds, ed.].
Large amounts of Rufous Hummingbirds, fol-lowed in quantity by Black-chinned, Anna’s,Allen’s, and Calliope, were noisily crowding andvying for position at feeders.
By using a unit of measure called “Black-chinned Hummingbird Units”, or BCHU, theamount of sugar water consumed in a day by oneBlack-chinned Hummingbird, it was estimated thatup to 2000 hummingbirds per day came to thePreserve’s feeders during the peak of activity be-tween Aug 18 and 23 in 2001.
This year, with the continued use of feeders, that number is expected to reach 2500
Volume 6, Issue 2
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1
see Visitor’s View page 2
A tiny guest and the tiniest North American bird,Leigh Ann Fieber, 4, of Wofford Heights and Don
Mitchell release a banded Calliope Hummingbird.Photo by Bruce Webb.
Bruce Webb and Les Chibana on netpatrol in the Greenhorn Mtns.
September 1 - October 20, 2002 –9th Annual Kern River Valley TurkeyVulture Count. Contact Terri Gallionto sign up and be counted! 760-378-4173. Email: [email protected]
Saturday, September 21 – KernValley Pride Day
Friday-Monday, September 27-30 –8th Annual Kern River Valley TurkeyVulture Festival
Turkey Vulture Festival 1Hummingbird Celebration 1In Memoriam - Dave Harvey 3Bluebird Box Season Summary 3International Benefit Field Trips 3Mid-year Appeal Update 4Nature Trail Revision 4Nature Ali - goes wild 4Hummingbird Celebration Recap 4Reptile Celebration Recap 5Audubon California Board Mtg. 5Summer Bird Count 5Birding World 5Summer Butterfly Count 6Kern Valley Pride Day 6Kelso Creek Campout 6KRV 2002 Fires 6WildPlaces Restoration Efforts 7Photos from around the preserve 7Eagle Optics Donation 8New & Renewing KRP Friends 8Dave Harvey Memorial Fund 8About the Kern River Preserve 9KRP Volunteer Workdays 11KRP Friends Application 11Directions to KRP and Maps 12
Vultures soar over KRP
penstemon in theGreenhorn Mtns. at6100' elev. Two yearsago, Don discoveredthese patches and theassociated migranthummingbird activity.Even Sheri Williamson,author of the newPeterson’s Humming-bird Field Guide, toldDon when she sawthese fields that she had never seen such a concentrationof hummingbirds at a natural source of nectar.
The air was filled with the chuppety-chup-chup-chup”of pugnacious Rufous Hummingbirds as they defendedtheir tiny foraging territories within these fields of red.
Here, we used my Eurovan as a field banding station,something for which it seemed designed. Out of 18 hum-mingbirds captured, there were 14 Rufous, 2 Allen’s, and 2Calliope.
Back at the Preserve, at roughly 2600' elev., on the thirdday of banding, we targeted Rufous/Allen’s species togather data for Don’s work. Out of 37 birds captured, therewere 33 Rufous, 3 Allen’s, and 1 Calliope.
Although relatively common at higher elevations, Cal-liope are quite rare at the Preserve. So, over all three days,a total of 62 Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbirds were captured.The species breakdown was 55 Rufous, 6 Allen’s, and oneindeterminate intermediate bird. This comes out to nearly10% of all of the Rufous/Allen’s species being Allen’s.
In 2000, banding revealed a20 to 1 ratio of Rufous toAllen’s. Interestingly, as wewere wrapping up on the lastday, Don saw a female hum-mingbird at 18" which he was90% sure was a Broad-tailedHummingbird. This species, al-though having a small handfulof records in the Valley, had notyet been recorded on the Pre-serve.
Aside from the 6, and possi-bly 7, species of hummingbirds, other species seen on thePreserve included Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Southwestern Wil-low Flycatcher (Empidonax trailii extimus), and SummerTanager. I saw two Black Swifts at the Camp 9 boat rampover Isabella Reservoir off Sierra Way. At dusk over thePreserve, a large group of bats of at least 4 discerniblesizes (and possibly 2 to 4 times as many species) hawkedinsects as hummingbirds still darted by, a very interestingjuxtaposition.
I will “migrate” again with other flocks of birders to thePreserve next spring and summer to see the other speciesthat breed in the area. Les Chibana - Palo Alto
The Kern River Preserve is managed by Audubon-Californiafor the preservation of California's largest contiguous cotton-wood-willow riparian forest and the wildlife it supports.
The Friends of the Kern River Preserve is a membershiporganization that provides financial support for the Preserve. Yoursupport is critical to the success of the Kern River Preserve.
Please consider making a donation by filling out the attachedform and mailing it to the Friends.
PRESERVE MANAGER ............................. ..REED TOLLEFSONDIRECTOR OF KERN VALLEY OUTREACH ....... BOB BARNESNEWSLETTER EDITOR ...................................... BOB BARNESNEWSLETTER DESIGN & PRODUCTION....ALISON SHEEHEYWEBMASTER ............................................ ....ALISON SHEEHEYKRP FRIENDS LOGO & Checklist Cover ... ......KEITH HANSEN
to 3000 birds. One authority opined to Bob Barnes that if he putout twice as many feeders, he would get twice as many birds.“If you put out feeders, they will come.”
It is thought that this volume of hummingbirds have longbeen moving through the area. But in the absence of any nectarsource in the dense riparian corridor of the South Fork KernRiver, they were never detected because they continued to flysouthward rarely lingering in the area.
I had thegood fortune ofs p e n d i n gabout 18 hoursover three daysassisting hum-mingbird re-searcher, DonMitchell, in thebanding ofhummingbirds
at the feeders, as well as in the Greenhorn Mtns. He used a cagetrap at the feeders and mist nets in the mountain patches ofpenstemon blooms. He focused mostly on Rufous/Allen’s spe-cies, but he processed any Calliope that we managed to cap-ture.
On the first day, for a banding demonstration, Don pro-cessed all birds captured. To give you an idea of the speciesmix, Out of 26 captures, there were 8 Rufous (migrants), 8 Black-chinned (local breeders), 7 Anna’s (local breeders), 1 Allen’s(migrant), 1 intermediate Rufous/ Allen’s (migrant), and 1 Cal-liope (migrant). The Allen’s was ID’ed in-hand using feathermeasurement, shape and color, and by overall size.
The second day of banding was done in a large patch of
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Visitor’s View cont. from page 1
Hummingbird banding; tools of the tradeRufous Hummingbird
NOTE: Lost 60 birds/eggs in June 2002 due to a black beartearing up 13 boxes; 57 Tree Swallows or eggs, 3 WesternBluebirds. DBH
Vultures: contin-ued from page 1
The upcomingVulture Fest is de-signed to be relax-ing and fun, yet fullof memorable expe-riences. On tap forthis year are experi-ences with, ofcourse, vultures,vultures, and morevultures throughvulture lift-offs anddrop-ins, field trips,
displays & booths, speakers’ forums, and children’s ac-tivities. But, that is not all. The Turkey Vulture Festival willalso offer an astronomy evening, a binoculars workshop,birding field trips, bird banding, a California Condor Re-covery Program report, Kern River Preserve research &stewardship updates, a moth workshop, and reptiles & am-phibians.
John Schmitt, internationally renowned wildlife artist,has come up with a wonderful, new design for the 2002 TVFest t-shirt and poster. John will be present to sign t-shirtsand posters for festival attendees for an hour or two start-ing at Noon on Saturday.
Steve Kenton, Weldon Postmaster, has adapted part ofJohn Schmitt’s new design as the basis for his special andofficial United State Postal Service Vulture Station postalcancellation. First Class stamped commemorative enve-lopes for collectors and for use will be available at cost inthe KRP information booth (must be used by October 27th).
A special addition to this year’s Turkey Vulture Festi-val is a good, old-fashioned, early fall picnic on the lawn atKern River Preserve Headquarters on Saturday evening.Bring your blanket and picnic basket and join us to sharein the fun and friendship.
For more details, check out the Official Program for thethis year’s Vulture Fest which is included as an insert inthis newsletter. Join us and watch the vultures soar. Forlate breaking news see: www.valleywild.org/TVfest.htm.
Once again, Murrelet Halterman is offering a field tripto Costa Rica and Jim Royer one to Veracruz, Mexico. Bothtrips are benefit fund-raisers for the Kern River Preserveand the Southern Sierra Research Station.
Jim’s trip will take place this coming October 2002 andMurrelet’s in January 2003. Both of these trips are centeredaround some of the world’s best known nature experiences;the amazing raptor migration in Veracruz and the tropical di-versity of Costa Rica. Visit www.valleywild.org for details.
In 2001 and 2002, Dave ranour Bluebird Nestbox Program inconjunction with the CaliforniaBluebird Recovery Program. Ac-cording to his family, Dave men-tioned that the bluebird project
was one of his most rewarding endeavors. The results ofDave’s efforts this year are summarized in an accompany-ing article. In addition to his work on behalf of WesternBluebirds and Tree Swallows, Dave helped out on all kindsof Preserve projects including Kern Valley Pride Day.
From Dave’s biography: “David Bryan Harvey was bornJuly 17, 1946 in Pasadena. He graduated from CaliforniaState University, Sacramento with a Bachelor of Arts de-gree in Environmental Studies. Dave served his countrycourageously as an Army medic during the Vietnam con-flict. He retired in September 2001 from the U.S. Forest Ser-vice after 20 years, having worked 10 years previously forthe Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of land Manage-ment in both Minnesota and Arizona”...
“...Dave was an avid marathon runner and hiker. Heenjoyed photographing the great beauty of God’s creation.Dave was a member of the Friends of the Kern River Pre-serve, Kern County Search and Rescue, and the Sierra Club.He volunteered with many local organizations includingCamp Owen and was very concerned with protecting ournatural environment.”
The family has set up a Dave Harvey Memorial Fundfor the Kern River Preserve to receive donations to per-petuate the bluebird nestbox program conducted so wellby Dave. If you would like to contribute to this fund, makeyour donation out to “NAS/KRPFriends” and mail to POBox 833, Weldon, CA 93283. Indicate Dave Harvey Memo-rial. All funds in this account will go towards the Preserve’sDave Harvey Bluebird Nestbox Program.
Dave Harvey was a great and valued Friend of the KernRiver Preserve and a very good friend to all of us here atthe Kern River Preserve. He was kind and giving beyondmeasure. He passed away at his home in Mountain Mesaon August 4, 2002. David Bryan Harvey will be missed.
3���� �)� �������� ������ ���Join the KRP Friends’ email list to receive timely and
low-cost communications. Our list is NOT shared with any-one else. To join, send an email [email protected]. Thanks.
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Thanks to donations from over 100 of our 700 Friendsof the Kern River Preserve, our 2002 Mid-Year Appeal hasbrought in over $7000.00 as of the third week of August.When added to those of you who made donations in April,May, and June - prior to the appeal mailing - over $12,000.00has been raised to support the ongoing activities of theKern River Preserve.
With a budget approaching $100,000, your donationsare critical to our success. Although we are not self-sus-taining as yet, we are hopeful of increasing our 700+ Friendsmembership several fold so our basic operating expensesare covered. This will leave us in a position to pursue pro-gram expansion; particularly our education program.
If you are one of our 600 members who have not yetresponded to our appeal, please considering doing so. Wetruly need and want your support. We believe we use yourdonations very efficiently and effectively. Thank you foryour consideration.
����� ���� �������� ���)����We are happy to announce the
completion of the new Kern River Pre-serve Nature Trail guide, trail & sign-posts alignment, and new directionalsigns. Check them all out on your nextvisit to KRP. Thanks to the followingpeople for their help on different aspectsof this project: Bob Barnes, Bill Foster,Birdie Foster, Terri Gallion, Jeff King,Dave Kurdeka, Patt Nichols, AlisonSheehey, Reed Tollefson, MaryWhitfield, and Sandra Wieser. Addi-tional thanks to those who created andrevised the first Nature Trail and guide:Rick Hewett, Dave Kyser, Lynn Overtree,and Ron Tiller.
���2$!� 0� ����� ����444Alison Sheehey, Friends of the Kern River Preserve
newsletter graphic artist, webmaster, and database man-ager, has been very busy producing new and updated prod-ucts. All of the following have been published and areavailable in the KRP Visitor Center.
In addition to rewriting and designing the new KRPNature Trail Guide, Alison has thoroughly updated the
Kern River Preserve fact sheet (in-cluded in this newsletter) and co-authored the “Bird Checklist - KernRiver Preserve & South Fork Val-ley” (Audubon-California, July2002).
She also designed the KRPFriends 2002 mid-year appeal, up-dated the “Kern River Valley &Southern Sierra Nevada Bird Check-list” (Audubon-California, July2002), designed the “Kern RiverValley Hummingbird Identification& Finding Guide” (Audubon-Cali-fornia, August 2002), designed the“8th Annual Kern River Valley Turkey Vulture Festival”official program, and all of the hand-out materials for theAugust 2-5 Hummingbird Celebration.
Currently, Alison is working on checklists of area am-phibians & reptiles, butterflies, dragonflies, mammals, trees,and wildflowers.
You can find out more about Alison Sheehey’s work byvisiting one of her five web sites. You can start by visitingwww.NatureAli.com.
[NOTE from NatureAli: Bob Barnes is the author/co-author of many of these materials, except for the TV Festguide which was written by Bill & Birdie Foster. ]
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The 4th Annual Kern River Valley Hummingbird Cel-ebration held at the Kern River Preserve this past August2-5 was an unqualified success. Three hundred eighty-seven visitors were hand tallied during the four day cel-ebration including over one hundred each from the KernRiver Valley and Bakersfield area. The Ridgecrest/IndianWells Valley was well represented with fifty visitors. Inaddition, attendeescame from as faraway as Sacra-mento, San Diego,San Francisco,Idaho (Twin Falls),Nevada (Las Ve-gas), New Mexico(Los Alamos), andWisconsin.
Thanks to the following for helping with this year’sHummingbird Celebration: Bob Barnes, Donna Bundy, LesChibana, Eagle Optics (Middleton, Wisconsin), Birdie Fos-ter, Herp-Ecology, Allan Jaffe, Kern River Valley Revitaliza-tion, Kern Valley Reptile Society, Jeff King, Doug Lemmons,Buz Lunsford, Janine McCabe, NatureAli, Patt Nichols,Sherry Nichols, Cathy Nishida, Rich Pelletreau WildlifeGallery & Studio, Alison Sheehey, South Fork School Dis-trict, Wes Thomas, Reed Tollefson, Bruce Webb, MaryWhitfield, and Sandra Wieser. A special thanks goes to
continued from page 4Donald Mitchell our guest hummingbird expert whocame in from Wisconsin and led field trips and work-shops for three full days.
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The inauguralCalifornia Amphib-ian & Reptile Cel-ebration was hostedJune 15-16 at KernRiver Preserve Head-quarters. Despite ahuge attendancedrop on Saturdaywhen heavy smokefrom the destructiveBorel fire inundatedthe preserve, two
hundred seventy-four visitors attended on Saturdaythe 15th and eighty-three on Sunday the 16th.
This celebration was restricted to public educa-tion and conservation of native California amphibiansand reptiles. Thanks go to the following people formaking this celebration a success: Bob Applegate,Bob Barnes, Jason Blackstone, Yvonne Gomez, Herp-Ecology, Steve Kenton (Weldon Postmaster), Kern Val-ley Reptile Society, Jeff King, Doug Lemmons, BuzLunsford, Norma Martinez, Dell McCollough (L&MLumber), Carol Miller, Linda Moore, NatureAli, AnnPeters, Deborah Reams, Linda Ryan, Sequoia NationalForest (Cannell Meadow Ranger District), Alison Shee-hey, Reed Tollefson, Turtle & Tortoise Club of theCentral Valley, Turtle & Tortoise Club of Bakersfield,Jean Watson, Carol Wermuth, and Sandra Wieser.
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Audubon-California’s Board of Directors and staffcame from all over the state June 14th and 15th to holdtheir regularly scheduled meetings.
Since the meeting was hosted by the Kern RiverPreserve, board and staff had excellent opportunitiesto learn about Audubon’s efforts at the Kern RiverPreserve and in the Kern River Valley including landprotection & stewardship, restoration & research, andeducation & community outreach.
The results of the meetings and field visits havealready yielded more effective and coordinated ben-efits for Audubon-California and the Kern River Pre-serve.
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The results for thisyear’s South Fork KernRiver Rapid Assess-ment Summer BirdCount are available online at http://www.valleywild.org/summer_2002.htm.Twelve observers insix parties tallied 105 and 6,777 individuals.
Thanks to the following participants: Bob Barnes,Lance Benner, Kathi Ellsworth, Terri Gallion, RozellaMattingly, Barbara Reifel. John Schmitt, Jeff Seay, Ali-son Sheehey, Susan Steele, Deb Wilson, and JohnWilson.
The April 2002, issue of “Bird-ing World,” “Europe’s premiermonthly magazine for keenbirdwatchers,” has an articlehighlighting the Kern River Val-ley and the Kern Valley BioFest.The article is entitled “The KernValley BioFest, California.” It waswritten by Terry Marshall from Essex, England. Terryattended the 2001 BioFest.
In the article Terry states, “The BioFest was not allbirding;...the Kern River Valley abounds with addi-tional recreational opportunities...It was a wonderfuleight days, with the sun shining from 5:30am-8:30pmevery day. On one day, we did see a cloud, but it dis-appeared faster than a migrating bird.”
Bob Barnes, Audubon Kern River Preserve Out-reach Director states, “More and more birders fromEurope are including the Kern River Valley in theirCalifornia birding itineraries because of it being fea-tured in the book ‘Birding Northern California’ and onour web sites. Many Europeans have even stated thatthe Kern River Valley was their favorite birding area inour Golden State.
This statement has been made in comparison tosuch premier birding locations as Monterey andYosemite! Frankly, I have been surprised, albeit verypleasantly so, at those statements. We should take‘em where we can get ‘em! We heartily invite readersof Europe’s ‘Birding World’ to visit our rich birdingarea as well during the mid-April through early Octo-ber peak birding and general recreation period.”
in five count partiestallied 1,411 individualbutterflies of sixty-sixspecies on the 2ndAnnualNorth Fork Kern But-terfly Count. Based onlast year’s NorthAmerican ButterflyAssociation pub-lished count results, the sixty-six species tallied thisyear may very well place among the top ten butterflycounts in the United States and Canada. Thanks tothe following participants: Herb Clarke, Olga Clarke,Ken Davenport, Claude Edwards, Mary Freeman, NickFreeman, Terri Gallion, Fred Heath, Margaret Huffman,Paul Johnson, Michael Klein, Jack Levy, RozellaMattingly, W. D. Patterson, Julie Pierce, Mary Prismon,Erin Seidner, Alison Sheehey, Susan Steele, and BruceWebb. The results are available online at http://natureali.com/wildbutterflycount.htm. A great timewas had by all.
���� ����� � )���� �� Every year mem-
bers of the Friends ofthe Kern River Pre-serve participate inKern Valley Pride Day;a valley wide clean-upeffort which will beheld this year on Sat-urday morning, Sep-tember 21st. Theclean-up is followedby a free BBQ lunchand awards ceremony.The last two years theKRP Friends team hasplaced in the top threeamong all participatingteams. All participantsreceive a Kern ValleyPride Day t-shirt as well. We would love to conduct aneven more effective clean-up effort this coming Sep-tember 21st. If you would like to be a part of the KRPFriends team for this year’s Kern Valley Pride Day,contact Sandra Wieser via e-mail [email protected] or by phone at 1-760-378-2531.
Weekend & Campout is set for Saturday, and Sunday,October 19th and 20th. This strikingly beautiful 156-acre Audubon-California Sanctuary is located along-side Kelso Valley Road fifteen miles south of the KernRiver Preserve. Each year Preserve and SanctuaryManager Reed Tollefson puts together a list of ser-vice projects for participants to complete. The pace isset to suit individual needs with plenty of breaks forlively discussions, fun, and friendship. Those who donot wish to camp may stay at the Lakeview Motel (W:www.oldiesradioonline.com/get/lakeviewmotel/, P: 1-760-379-8250) or Lake Isabella RV Resort (W:www.LakeIsabellaRV.com, P: 379-2046) off Hwy. 178 inMountain Mesa. Mountain Mesa is a thirty minutedrive from the Kelso Creek Sanctuary. Or, you will findnumerous motels in Kernville, forty-five minutes away.If you would like to participate in all or part of thisyear’s Kelso Creek Sanctuary Service Weekend, con-tact Reed via e-mail at [email protected] orby phone at 1-760-378-2531.
����,� ���,� �9���� � ����This summer the Kern River watershed experienced
three major wildfires named Borel, Deer, and McNally.Together, asof August20th, the fireshad burned153,000 acresof land anddestroyed 54homes and 92outbuildings.
MehmetMcMillan, ofWildPlaces,is looking forvolunteers to coordinate a rapid response effort tostabilize some of the more critical areas on the NorthFork Watershed. “WildPlaces is currently building the
Volunteer Emer-gency ResponseTeam (VERT) to helpin the effort to aid inthe recovery of ourforests”. See his ar-ticle on page 7.
We will recap theentire 2002 fire sea-son in more detail inour next newsletterincluding restorationefforts and the effecton the Kern RiverPreserve.
Calendar cont. from page 1September 14-15 – Schaeffer Barrier Seed Collection -Golden Trout Wilderness, Inyo National Forest, 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. daily, call (760) 378-3081September 29 - October 9 – Veracruz, Mexico HawkWatching & Birding KRP Fundraising Field TripOctober 5-6 – Habitat Monitoring on Mahogany Roadin Manter Fire Sequoia National Forest bufferingDomeland and South Sierra Wilderness9 a.m. - 3 p.m. daily, call (760) 378-3081October 5-6 – Manter Fire’s Kern River Daisy SeedCollection and Restoration and Monache MeadowFence Maintenance Sequoia National Forest bufferingDomeland and South Sierra Wilderness 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.daily, call (760) 378-3081Saturday, October 19-20 – Annual Kelso Valley workparty campout and barbecueNovember 2-3 – Schaeffer Barrier Site RestorationMonache Meadows in Golden Trout Wilderness, InyoNational Forest - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. daily, call (760) 378-3081Saturday, November 16 – KRP Volunteer Work DaySaturday, December 14 – KRP Volunteer Work DayJanuary 4-18, 2003 – Costa Rica Natural History &Birding Field Trip to Benefit KRP
��$0��:��� �0$#� �%2"��Saturday, December 14 – SpringvilleSunday, December 15 – BakersfieldSunday, December 15 – China LakeThursday, December 19 – Red RockSaturday, December 21 – ButterbredtSunday, December 22 – Buena VistaThursday, December 26 – TehachapiFriday, December 27 – Bear ValleySaturday, December 28 – Kern ValleySunday, December 29 – South Forksee www.valleywild.org for details
�������� ������ �����by Mehmet McMillan
WildPlaces Ecological Resto-ration and Education continuesvolunteer-driven restorationprojects in the Manter Fire regionand is currently developing (withUS Forest Service) a volunteerresponse to the McNally Fire (Vol-
unteer Emergency Response Team).Devastating events such as the McNally Fire have a
profound impact on our communities. Emotions of loss, an-ger and helplessness are common, and communities oftenrally in support of actions that have immediate and directimpacts on what has happened. Acting directly is a healingopportunity for individuals, families and groups. It is also away to help the burned forests recover.
WildPlaces is currently building the Volunteer EmergencyResponse Team (VERT), consisting of people like you whowant (and need) to help in the effort to aid in the recovery ofour forests.
It is our mission to restore, preserve and protect ournations wild places through volunteer-driven restorationactivities, and we invite you to join us. .Please stay tuned towww.WildPlaces.net for more information or call us at (760)378-3081.
Top - Quiet section of theSouth Fork Kern on theeastside of KRP - 1 June 2002Left -Female Purplish Copper,east end of the Kern River Pre-serve - 8 June 2002Right - Overview of the SouthFork riparian forest lookingfrom a hill west of Fay RanchRd. - 6 July 2002.
������ �)���� �������As part of its ongoing sponsorship of Valley Wild (Kern
River Valley) nature festivals and events, Eagle Optics,Middleton, Wisconsin made a July, 2002 donation to theKern River Preserve of an Eagle Optics Raven 80mm angled20X-60X zoom spotting scope, jacket cover, and Velbontripod. This $500+ retail donation arrived in time for use atthe August 2-5 Hummingbird Celebration. Over the lastfour years, Eagle has donated over fifty pairs of binocularsto the Kern River Preserve for use by Kern River Valleycommunity organizations, school groups, and KRP visi-tors. Eagle Optics may be reached on the web atwww.eagleoptics.com or by phone at 1-800-289-1132.
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We regret any omissions or misspellings. Please let us knowso we can provide recognition in the next KRP Friends news-letter. A special thank you to all of our anonymous donors.
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Dan Portway Kerncrest Audubon
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Tom & Debbi Adams George & Judy BeattyLloyd Bulmer Ronnie BurnsB. W. Catlin Cunningham Don & Emily DigglesDonald & Margaret Cope Emery Gary M. FileLisa Fimiani Ernie & Nancy FloresBill & Birdie Foster Eleanor Fraser, M.D.Bruce Garlinger Joseph & Carol HaltermanClaire Hemingway Dave KurdekaDenise LaBerteaux Harold LaFontLarry & Karen Lee Gary & Marietta LindquistBarbara Maxwell Martine MetzenheimJill Minar Charles E. ParkerJames & Phyllis Ross Thelma T. RoyerMaggie Seely Vern & Beaujourn ShullBob & Susan Steele Kemer ThomsonPeter Watkins Elaine White
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Walter Allen Ann AntonBill Barclay William BrabenderMichelle Brodie Barbara BurkeJane Cassidy Karen ClarkeRoger & Barbara Coley Bob & Bonnie EdwardsRichard Elke Michael GolubCharlotte & Don Goodson Helen GreenCarlyn Halde Dave HarveyCleoBell Heiple-Tice Lynn HeminkPaul Klahr Robert KnoxNobuko B. McClure Robert & Bernice MeadeJan Montgomery Debra Newton
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Katie & Estaban Olivares Tom & Kathy StephensDr. Richard Svihla, DVM Jeff & Jeanne WheatonClarita Woodworth
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Barbara Anderson Peter BakusesDave Ball William BergerBarbara Berilla John BradleyBeverly Brock Lloyd BrubakerJoan & Doug Buddenhagen Daniel G. BurnettThomas Byrd Greg CampbellDebra Campbell-Wingerden Rosalie R. CapeMichael & Rita Carey Carol Jean CoulterPhil Craighead Michael ErpinoJim Freda Don GallupSharon Garcia Theo GlennDorothy Gould John & Mariam G. GrahamMargaret & Warren Harmon Elizabeth Ann HeflinA. Carl Helmholz Penny HernandezMary Lou Hill Lauren HughesBill & Ruby Jenkins Michael KlinkenbergGraham & Mary Ann Matthews Frank & Connie MadiaWilliam McCausland Donna McKennaMark Mercer Susan MooreGillian & Donald Moreland Susan & J. Jerre MurphyBarbara Orr Oasis Garden Club of IWVJoan B. Perron Judith & Julian PlowdenPavana & Tim Plunkett Wayne PrayBarbara Reifel H.T. & Marguerite RichterRichard Sandvig Jack ShawAlison Sheehey Francis ToldiG. N. Van Essen David & Debbie WarrenDavid & Sharon Wheeler Peter Woodman
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Kerncrest AS Kern ASMorro Coast AS Pomona Valley AS
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Elva & John Affel Jim AndersonBob Barnes Beverly & Jerry BaugesCannell Meadow Employee Social Committee, Sequoia NFRuby Currie Geri DanielEugene & Ivalene Hamlin Paula HarveyGeorge & Myra Jane Harvey Diane L. HestonLinda & John Iacona Clell & Lou JonesGladney & Mandi Jennings Jeff KingHelen Kirby Ray & Sheila McFarlandRuby O’Cain Ralph & Jane OrrickHelen & Jack Pierce Alison SheeheyReed Tollefson Cecil & Bertha WallaceMary Whitfield Sandra Wieser
LOCATION: The preserve is located alongthe South Fork Kern River, 57 miles north-east of Bakersfield, along State Highway178 near Weldon at the site of the historicA. Brown Ranch.
HISTORY: The South Fork Valley issteeped in fascinating history. TheTubatulabal were the indigenous people ofthe valley. They lived in this area for centu-ries before the arrival of European settlers
shortly after 1850. Mining was the main in-dustry of the hillsides, while cattle grazingand hay growing dominated the agriculture-based valley. A flour mill, built in the 1870’s,stands as a reminder of the pioneer indus-try of A. Brown, the original owner of theproperty.
GEOGRAPHY: The preserve lies within theSouth Fork Kern River Valley near the south-ern terminus of the Sierra Nevada. Eleva-tion is moderate, ranging from 2600 to 2700feet. The South Fork of the Kern River flowsthrough the property from east to west.Several small irrigation ditches and beaverponds are scattered about the land. Onthese rich alluvial soils with their accompa-nying high-water table a dense growth of
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riparian trees and shrubs is supported,known as Great Valley Cottonwood Foresthabitat. Most of the preserve is a dedicatedriparian forest sanctuary although each yearsome of our acreage is leased out for cattlegrazing and farming. The surrounding prop-erty on three sides is in private ownership.Immediately to the west is the Sequoia Na-tional Forest’s South Fork Wildlife Area.
FAUNA: Wildlife in the preserve is bothvaried and abundant. The Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, endangered in California,uses the riparian growth for nesting sites,as do many species of hawks, owls andsongbirds. More than 240 bird species havebeen observed, including nesting WoodDuck, Red-shouldered Hawk, and South-western Willow Flycatcher. In addition, the
preserve includes the northwestern mostrange extension of such southwest desertriparian nesting species as Brown-crestedFlycatcher and the neon red Summer Tana-ger. Mammals found here include mule deer,coyote, beaver, dusky-footed wood rat,long-tailed weasel, California ground squir-rel, American black bear, bobcat, and an oc-casional mountain lion. As one means of
monitoring the preserve’s rich insect life,an annual butterfly count is conducted un-der the auspices of the North AmericanButterfly Association. In addition, annualcounts of preserve birds are conducted inspring, summer, and winter under the aus-pices of Audubon.
FLORA: The riparian forest, although tre-mendously productive contains only twomajor tree species: Fremont cottonwood andred willow. Intermixed with these trees aredense stands of mule fat, sandbar willow,and stinging nettle. Cattails, tules, and yerba
mansa abound in wet areas. The beautifulalkali mariposa lily grows in moist mead-ows near the river. The flora of the preservehas been inventoried and the list can befound on our website and in the visitor’scenter. The South Fork Valley contains thelargest contiguous riparian forest in Cali-fornia.
ACCESS: The preserve is open dawn todusk each day. Feel free to explore the visi-tor center and follow our self-guided na-ture trail. A trail guide is available in themailbox at the beginning of the trail. Pleasereturn the guide to the box or help us de-fray printing costs by depositing a dollar inthe bird box in the visitor center. Schoolsand other groups may contact the PreserveManager or Outreach Director in advanceto arrange guided tours.
DIRECTIONS: The preserve is 57 miles eastof Hwy 99 in Bakersfield along Hwy 178.From the Central Valley: At State Hwy 99take Hwy 178 east. Drive through the beau-tiful Kern River canyon and along southshore of Isabella Reservoir to KRP in Wel-don. The preserve is exactly 1.15 miles be-yond Sierra Way (the Kernville turn-off).
The preserve is on the left. Please turn intothe property cautiously as oncoming traf-fic can be difficult to see around the bendin the road. From the Mojave Desert, fromState Highway 14, turn westbound ontoHwy 178. Drive 30 miles to Weldon. Ob-serve Fay Ranch Road and the South ForkSchool on your right, drive 0.8 miles be-yond this road to the preserve entrance onthe right.
RIGHT OF WAY into the preserve. Theaccess road is an easement through privateproperty, do not stop in the pasture as it isa working cattle ranch. The forest beforeyou is Audubon property. Please drivethrough the forest and at the headquartersturn to the left and park in the lot by theport-a-potties.
MANAGEMENT: A full habitat restorationand research program has been initiated onthe preserve, including planting of cotton-wood and willow saplings, floral and faunalinventories, and vegetative monitoring.These efforts have resulted in significantbenefits to a number of rare species as wellas their habitats.
PUBLIC SUPPORT: The Kern River Pre-serve is owned and managed by Audubon-California, a private non-profit conserva-tion organization. Audubon’s goal is to pre-serve natural diversity and educate the pub-lic about its importance. Audubon and theKern River Preserve depend on your gen-erosity to continue this mission. Please con-sider becoming a member by making a do-nation of $20 or more to “NAS/KRPFriends”and sending it to our PO Box in Weldonlisted below. Additional information andeducational materials may be obtained inthe Visitor Center or by inquiring with thePreserve Manager or Outreach Director.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: TheKern River Preserve offers a wide range ofopportunities for individuals or groups tohelp us carry out our mission. If you haveskills in education, sci-ence, construction,maintenance, agricul-ture, or any other fieldthat you feel can ad-vance our mission,please contact the Pre-serve Manager or Out-reach Director.
���������� (760) 378-2531 – Preserve Manager ������������� ������������������ ������������������ (760) 378-3044 – Outreach Director P.O. Box 833P.O. Box 1662 [email protected] Weldon, CA 93283Weldon, CA 93283 http://www.kernriverpreserve.org
Kern Valley Pride Day: September 21, 2002Meet 8 a.m. at KRP Headquarters. See the article on page 6for all of the details. We took 2nd place in trash collectedlast year, will you help us place 1st this year?
4th Annual Kelso Creek Campout and Service Weekend.Help clean and plant the Kelso Creek Sanctuary. See page 6for all of the details.When: October 19-20, 2002 9 a.m. - Sat. & 8:30 a.m. Sun.Bring: sleeping bag, work gloves, and a lunch. Wear sturdyoutdoor clothes and shoes. We will provide drinks.
KRP - General Workdays - November through FebruarySaturday dates below. Call for work details.
November 16 December 14 January 18 February 15Bring work gloves, and a lunch. Wear sturdy outdoor clothesand shoes. We will provide drinks. Please call KRP andleave a message or speak with Reed at (760) 378-2531. Letus know how many people will be coming with you. We canprovide volunteers with a good campsite on the preservewith rustic accommodations. Work starts at 9 am.
Volunteer Opportunity - Skilled volunteer painter, electri-cian carpenter and/or plumber - we will supply materials anda place for you to stay and/or camp. We will do our best tomake you comfortable and welcome.
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Please send me informationon planned giving.
Please send me informationon volunteer opportunities.
Application for: New Member Renewal _______ $1000 Raptor Circle ________ $20 Friend _______ $100 Pacific Flyway Patrol ________ Additional Contribution _______ $50 Supporter Total $ ________________
All members in the Friend and above categories receive our newsletterNew members in the $50 Supporter and above level are eligible to receive a KRPFriends T-shirt
Please indicate size if you wish to receive a t-shirt.� small � medium � large � XL � XXL
Mail to: ��������������� ���� ������ �������� � P. O. Box 833 � Weldon, CA 93283
For more information about restoration, workdays, orany volunteer opportunity contact: Reed: (760) 378-2531or email: [email protected] and for festival workcontact: Bob (760) 378-3044. or email:[email protected].
VOLUNTEERS are needto help during the follow-ing special projects andevents:♦ Festival & Preserveinformation and KRPFriends membershiptables at the Vulture Fest.♦ Nature Trail mainte-nance.
♦ Visitor Center upgrade.♦ Sign making for Preserve Headquarters and trails.♦ Parking, set-up, take-down, and gopher assistance atpublic events.♦ Butterfly/Hummingbird Garden maintenance.
�)� ����� ���Do you have any items on our “Wish List” or would
like to make a tax-deductible donation of any kind to theKern River Preserve? Contact Reed at the Preserve. Call:(760) 378-2531 Email: [email protected].♦ Flatbed Trailer suitable for hauling a tractor or car.
♦ Medium Farm Tractor, Category III 3-point hitch
Sandra Weiser & Eunice Cornstaff KRP booth at 2001Turkey Vulture Festival
The Kern River Preserve is located 1.1 miles east of the intersec-tion of State Highway 178 and Sierra Way in Weldon, Kern County,California.
Driving time from:Los Angeles ............................................................. 3.5 hoursSan Diego ................................................................ 5.5 hoursSan Francisco .......................................................... 6.5 hoursReno......................................................................... 7.5 hours
Cal Trans current road conditions: 1 (800) 427-7623 1 (800) gas-road
