Conservation Chronicle
Summer, 2011
Index:
Executive Director's Report
FLC Volunteers of the Year
Emerald Grove "Gem of a Volunteer" Recipients
Native Plant and Wildflower Team Report
Trails Council Report
Save Our Forest Report
Herpetologists Survey Our Preserves
Eagle Scout Rebuilds Footbridge
Thank You Fallbrook Businesses
A Gift to Fallbrook
Farewell to Le and Mac Werthmuller
FLC Meetings and Work Parties
Memorials and Dedications
Executive Director's Report
Key to our Future: Better Communication
by Mike Peters
Many years ago while exploring one of the many canyons in the Death Valley area , I came across a wall of communications from a people that either lived in the area or were passing through and stopped in the shade of the high cliffs to wait out the scorching sun. They left many pictographs of deer, lizards and symbols I didn’t recognize.
I have seen similar communications under
the trestles and in the tunnels of the rail system in the
northwest, but obviously done by a later generation; each
traveler had his own identification marker that he or she would
leave as a mark or status symbol. Sort of like a mountain lion
marking his territory or a grizzly using his front claws to
scratch the bark off a tall pine tree that’s at the edge of his
territory, or a hawk sitting in a high sycamore tree
communicating with a series of screeches to another hawk
somewhere across the canyon. Every human, animal and insect uses
their ability to communicate in one way or another.
Communication to our members and general public is a critical function of the conservancy. It keeps our members informed on new acquisitions, restorations and ways they can enjoy the outdoors by walking our trails or just reading about the many projects that the staff and volunteers are working on.
I don’t have enough fingers and toes to
count the times I’ve been out on the trail and stopped to talk
to
someone, and asked if they were a member of the conservancy
and learned that somehow they missed all the signs and brochures
at the trailhead and didn’t realize they were hiking on a
preserve managed by donations from the public, or for that
matter, didn’t even know the conservancy existed. This tells me
that I and the staff and even our members need to work harder to
inform and educate the public about what we stand for and our
mission to preserve and enhance the rural lifestyle and natural
beauty of our area.
Without our loyal members and the ability to attract new members, our mission would be no longer! We need to find new ways to reach out even further, and capture the attention of new members, by communicating on many levels and with different forms of communication.
In the FLC office, we have two new faces working hard behind scenes to ensure that we have good communication and stay on the path of excellence, trust and permanence in protecting open space.
New Faces in the Office
Debbie Crawford manages the accounting desk, keeping the books in order and streamlining the process. This is a complicated and tedious process with ten to twelve grants operating at any one time, and with multiple tasks that need to be tracked and entered along with the everyday accounting.
At the other desk, Jennifer Anderson manages the membership, responding to donations and updating our database. She is also responsible for organizing special events such as the Emerald Grove dinner and Stage Coach Sunday, our annual fundraiser.
Jennifer will be assisting with miscellaneous grants and helping Sue Thorne with the Conservation Chronicle as well as exploring new media. She will help us reach out in new ways to capture the attention of people who don’t read our trailhead signs or pickup our brochures.
She will be placing preserve photos and information on the Conservancy website, on our Facebook page, and in other areas to encourage prospective new members to make their mark on the wall as a friend and, we hope, to join the FLC.
We must create the next buzz … to be part of our local land conservancy and to preserve open space in North County for future generations ... by the way we communicate and the tools we develop for communications. Once the open space is gone, so is a part of us, and we will have to walk the canyons of some far away place, to feel the great silence and solitude of wide open spaces!
Grants, Bequests and Major Donations
This year FLC’s management team completed work resulting from grants at the Engel, Los Jilgueros and Dinwiddie Preserves, as well as several of the multi-year grants allocated for seeding and revegetation on Monserate Mountain.
All of these grants came from either the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service, or with or in conjunction with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Partners for Fish & Wildlife.
Thanks to the San Diego County Supervisors’ Neighborhood Reinvestment program, we now have a new barn located behind the Palomares House.
Also, based on a recommendation from Supervisor Bill Horn, we have just received an additional Neighborhood Reinvestment grant for resurfacing the Los Jilgueros Preserve parking lot. This award is valued at $10,900.
The Fallbrook Angel Society also approved a $5,000 grant to maintain the Firescape Garden at Los Jilgueros, as well as support of the Hellers Bend “Kids and Coastal Sage Project” and trail maintenance on that preserve.
Donald & Diane McNutt Honored as FLC's Volunteers of the Year
Wallace Tucker (left) presents the 2011 award to Donald and Diane McNutt
Major contributors to the Fallbrook Land Conservancy (FLC) were honored at the 11th Annual Emerald Grove Recognition Dinner held at the home of Don and Peggy Durling in Rolling Hills.
The FLC’s “Gem of a Volunteer” award for 2011 was presented to Diane and Donald McNutt for years of volunteer work with the Save Our Forest branch of the FLC.
“Diane has been instrumental in creating and developing ideas for outreach programs that encourage volunteerism in the community, and involving school children in Save Our Forest programs,” noted Wallace Tucker, FLC chairman. He described Don as “a Jack-of-all-trades in helping with the Treescape project and maintaining benches in the downtown area..”
Also attending the awards event was Haley Peterson representing Supervisor Bill Horn. She presented a proclamation from the County of San Diego to former board members Lila and Jack Sandschulte for their 23 years of service on the board, during which time they helped to raise the profile of the organization in the community and encouraged scores of generous individuals, families and organizations to make significant contributions of time and funds especially for the annual Stage Coach Sunday event.
Mike Peters, Conservancy executive director, outlined the many restoration projects now underway on FLC’s preserves and other projects in the works in his “state of the conservancy” report.
Emerald Grove members qualify by donating land or more than $1,000 in a year to the Conservancy. In 2010, there were 40 organizations, businesses, couples and individuals who contributed at that level.
All current Emerald Grove donors are also listed on the oak tree mural plaque in downtown Fallbrook on the corner of Main and Hawthorne.
Over the course of 23 years of operation, the FLC has acquired and permanently protected 1,848 acres of land and 666 acres of conservation easements valued at $10 million at the time of acquisition, and has spent $2 million to manage and enhance the land. More than 80% ($720,000) of funding for these programs has come from contributions by individuals, businesses and community organizations.
Le Werthmuller receives plaque in recognition
of her 7 years of service
Emerald Grove "Gem of a Volunteer" Recipients
|
2001 |
Shogo Yamaguchi |
| 2002 | Jim Freda |
| 2003 | Howard Sansom |
| 2004 | Al & Donna Gebhart |
| 2005 | Phee Sherline & Ken Graydon |
| 2006 | Connie Freese |
| 2007 | Jody Williams |
| 2008 | Carolyn Major & Bert Hayden |
| 2009 | Ken Weaver |
| 2010 | Gary & Jan Beeler |
| 2011 | Don & Diane McNutt |
Pop Goes the Weasel!
by Jan Beeler, NP&WT
All around Los Jilgueros Preserve the Native Plant and Wildflower Team saw the weasel.
Yes, they are weasels. Long-tailed weasels to be precise. Most people think that we have ferrets living in Fallbrook, but we actually have a weasel that is native to this area, the long-tailed weasel.
The long-tailed weasels’ nests are usually found in rock piles, old burrows, or junk heaps. It just so happens that the Fallbrook Land Conservancy added several very large piles of rock in Los Jilgueros Preserve for small creatures just like them.
The weasel’s diet consists of small rodents, and sometimes birds and other animals. They can be seen during the day, but are most active at night.
The Native Plant and Wildflower Team (NP&WT) strategically placed large clay pipes in hidden locations on the preserve to give additional shelter to small animals such as the weasel. No sooner was that done than out of the rock pile popped a masked long-tailed weasel who promptly headed into the shelter of one of the clay pipes.
NP&WT Workdays
A loyal group of NP&WT volunteers can be seen tending the wildflowers and native restoration at Los Jilgueros Preserve every Wednesday morning.
Some recent projects include:
· Building native bee habitat and structures.
· Hanging a successful barn owl box way up high in a Western Sycamore tree.
· Spreading California native wildflower seed in several areas on the preserve.
· Planting, restoring, and maintaining native habitat for wildlife.
If you haven’t been to Los Jilgueros Preserve in a while, please come join the team at 8:30 a.m. any Wednesday morning and enjoy the new habitat.
News from the Santa Margarita Trail
by Donna Gebhart, Trails Council
It has been a very busy year for the Trails Council. We have had three large workdays, in addition to the work done by the smaller Thursday group led by Ted Wortman and Bert Hayden.
New Markers for the Trail
We now have trail markers in place with GPS markings and locator numbers and letters. All of these trails markers and GPS coordinates have been given to the Sheriff's Department, Cal Fire, and the Fire Department of Fallbrook for downloading into their systems to make emergency responses much more efficient.
If individuals have an emergency while on the Santa Margarita trail, they need to call 911 and specifically ask for the Fallbrook Fire Department or Sheriff's Department in Fallbrook and tell the responding office their location which is indicated on the brown signs throughout the trails.
We have partnered with the County on a Volunteer Patrol Program. We are the eyes of the rangers, and we see and report. Our goal is to patrol and educate.
Trails Council members also worked with the San Diego Sheriffs to clean up an area of Fallbrook known for drug activity and vandalism.
Enjoying a hike on the Santa Margarita trail are the Marovich Family.
Cleaning up after the Rains
After this year’s heavy winter rains, much cleanup has been needed to get the trails of the Santa Margarita River back into shape. Trails Council volunteers have spent hours working on the cleanup. They are still in the process of checking the river crossings and trying to repair them and trimming brush and cutting up downed trees.
There were several areas where our large culverts were washed out. But Al Gebhart came to the rescue with an enormous backhoe and lots of help from the volunteers to get the culvert crossing back where it was then cover and secure it..
The photo above proves that it’s all worth while, when you can see a family with their dog on a leash enjoying the river along with the many equestrians who come from all over San Diego and Riverside counties to enjoy the Trails of the Santa Margarita.
Al Gebhart drives a big Tucson Arizona backhoe while Donna Gebhart
and Curt Jones assist.
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Making a Green Impression in Fallbrook of Primary Importance to Save Our Forest
by Jackie Heyneman, Save Our Forest
Winter is planting and pruning time. Crews have been working on structural pruning of the trees that were planted in the last grant program. These included a large number of trees at Mike Choate Early Childhood Development Center and other locations in town. We’ve included an estimate for additional professional pruning in our 2011 budget. Each year trees in the immediate downtown area are evaluated to meet road standards. Since most trees are now beyond the ability of volunteers because of height, this becomes a very vital need.
Save Our Forest (SOF) has been working with the Village Association at the intersection of East Mission Rd. and North Main Street to enhance that main entrance into downtown Fallbrook. We have begun to plant trees there and will be planting more in the near future. Other elements of the Village Association’s plan include painting, new signage, and flower pots.
Plans to plant more native plants on the Pico Promenade are in the works. Providing native plants for this linear park which began in 1997 with the planting of 100 trees seems to be an ongoing project. This is a perfect project for Cub Scouts, in fact, Scouts of all ages. Our nursery continues to supply natives for the Pico Promenade and FLC preserves. Volunteers Howard Sansom, Gary Beeler, and Jody Williams can be found at the “Patch” three days each week.
Our volunteer force has had some cuts lately and new volunteers are needed and encouraged to contact Jackie to find out more about what the main volunteer groups do. Telephone (760) 728-5395.
La Paloma Students Complete Planting Project
On January 13, 2011, fifth grade students from La Paloma Elementary School enjoyed a field trip to Hellers Bend preserve to replant sage seedlings that they had placed in pots last May.
Now it was time to retrieve these seedlings from the SOF nursery, and under supervision of SOF and the Fallbrook Garden Club (who provided funds for bus transportation to and from the preserve), the students returned the young plants to the preserve.
The main objective of this two-year program is to educate the students about the importance of native plants and trees to cope with dwindling water supplies.
For many of these students, this was the first opportunity to work together learning and providing a community service at the same time. They also really enjoy these outdoor projects that they can observe indefinitely.
Herpetologists Survey Our Preserves
Earlier this year, the Fallbrook Land Conservancy granted permission to volunteers from the North American Field Herping Association (NAFHA) to conduct a herpetological survey on conservancy properties. The survey will benefit both FLC and NAFHA in gaining knowledge regarding the diversity and density of the native amphibian and reptile species residing on conservancy land.
NAFHA is an all volunteer organization consisting of private and professional herpetologists from the USA, Canada and Mexico who are dedicated to the better understanding and management of native North American amphibians and reptiles.
Over 600 NAFHA volunteers contribute data collected from the field to an online database on a daily basis. The NAFHA database, known as the Herpetological Education & Research Project (HERP) is made available to researchers, wildlife management organizations, federal and state government agencies and others working towards better management of our wild populations of North American herps.
NAFHA California Chapter members Lee Hull, Richard Dunn, Kent VanSooy and Steve Bledsoe initiated the FLC survey in April, 2011 and will continue to work with additional volunteers over the next few years gathering data and photos of the species they find on FLC properties and entering that data into the NAFHA database and FLC records.
NAFHA Membership
Membership of NAFHA is open to anyone who is interested in field herping and contributing data regarding our native amphibians and reptiles, and is free to anyone of at least 18 years of age.
If you are interested in becoming a NAFHA member, you can register at www.nafherp.com where you will be given access to entering your field data into the HERP database. For even more information regarding what the North American Field Herping Association does, who they are, and how they operate, please visit the NAFHA website at www.nafha.org
Special Stage Coach Sunday Reptile and Bird Shows
FLC director Gary Beeler, who is serving as this year’s Stage Coach Sunday chairman, has invited Steve Bledsoe of NAFHA to bring along some snakes, lizards and other reptiles for display at the FLC’s annual fun event on Sunday, October 2.
This is a great chance for would-be “herps”, young and old, to learn more about these little creatures!
Another new featured show on Stage Coach Sunday will be Dave Morgan, Falconer. He will fly the falcon to a lure in Palomares Park, and answer questions about birds of prey.
Eagle Scout Rebuilds Footbridge
Boy Scout Michael Morris recently completed his Eagle Scout project of rebuilding a foot bridge at Los Jilgueros Preserve. The original foot bridge was destroyed by vandals leaving it dangerous and unsafe to cross.
According to Mike Peters, Michael’s project is the twenty-ninth Eagle Project completed on Fallbrook Land Conservancy property. Michael had to raise the funds to buy the materials and also had to recruit the help to install it.
“Eagle Scout Projects are a big part of our mission to preserve and enhance the rural character and natural beauty of the area,” Mike Peters states, “and it’s always a pleasure to work with these outstanding young men, and to see them spread their wings and jump from the nest and soar with other Eagle Scouts, young and old.”
Eagle Scout Michael Morris poses (lower left) with his team of helpers.
Thank You to All the Fallbrook Businesses Who Have Supported Us Throughout the Years!
Your “in-kind” services have been invaluable in helping us accomplish our mission of preserving the natural beauty of our community. Here are just a few special mentions from your grateful “FLC Land Manager”:
A BIG thank you to:
· Fallbrook Waste & Recycling (formerly known as Fallbrook Refuse) for your overwhelming support in keeping Fallbrook (and our preserves) litter free.
· Scrappy’s Tires & Auto Repair — for fixing our vehicles whenever we ask..
· Snow Irrigation for providing irrigation supplies for the Palomares House at no cost, and helping on other projects.
· Pacific Western Bank for allowing us to maintain safe deposit boxes at no charge.
· Fallbrook Public Utilities Distict (FPUD) for supporting our downtown tree maintenance program.
Community Service Group Presents "A Gift to Fallbrook"
Jackie Heyneman, center, with participants in Fallbrook Seventh Day Adventist Church project.
“How wonderful can it get?” asks Jackie Heyneman, FLC vice chairman. For the second year in succession, the Save Our Forest branch of the Fallbrook Land Conservancy received a tremendous gift of time and labor.
Approximately 35 young people from various parts of the U.S. came to Fallbrook for two days through a community service project by the Fallbrook Seventh Day Adventist Church .
Under the leadership of Seong Cho of Orange County, and Jeff Harper, Youth Pastor of the local church, the group called KAYAMM tackled the job of refinishing five benches on Main Street which were originally installed as part of the fund-raising efforts to support the SOF Treescape Project as far back as 1996.
Many of these downtown benches were designated as a memorial or “A Gift to Fallbrook” by the donors, but throughout the years these handmade, white oak benches were truly weathered. Some had already been refinished as many as five times, but this summer the community service group carefully filled all the cracks again, sanded, then repainted each bench with solid stain. This should extend their lives for another few years.
This year’s camp participants hailed from Albuquerque, New Mexico; Denver, Colorado; Dallas, Texas; Portland, Oregon; Arizona; as well as Modesto, San Jose, and all parts of Southern California.
“We appreciate their efforts in sharing fellowship and providing community service of such benefit to Fallbrook,” Heyneman notes.
Their vow to return a third year was received with great enthusiasm.
Back to IndexFarewell to Le and Mac Werthmuller
The FLC bid farewell to long-time friends and a valued employee in June.
Le Werthmuller, who wore many hats during her time at the FLC, and her husband Mac, a volunteer of the year for the Save Our Forest branch, pulled up stakes and returned to their native Arkansas.
Since 2004, Le was a fixture in the FLC office as she worked on the books, the membership, processing the many organizational and special event forms that need to be filed, and interfacing with the public both in person and on the telephone. Her cheerful personality, common sense, and knowledge of corporate history will be missed. Good luck on your new adventure, Le and Mac!
FLC Meetings and Work Parties
Trails Council
Second Monday of the month at 7:00 P.M. at the Palomares
House. New members encouraged.
Trails
Maintenance
Third Saturday at 8:00 A.M. Meet at the Sandia Creek Trail Head.
Save Our Forest
Meetings: 4th Monday of the month, 7:00 P.M. at the
Palomares House.
Work Parties: Third Wednesday of the month at 8:30
A.M. and last Sunday of the month at 7:30 A.M. at the Village
Square.
Adopt-A-Highway: 2nd Saturday of the month at 8:00 A.M.,
at the Pala Mesa Resort entrance.
Technical
Advisory Board
The next meeting will be Thursday, October 6, at 7:00 P.M. at
the Palomares house.
FLC Board
Meeting
The next meeting of the FLC Board is Wednesday, October 26, at
5:00 P.M. at the Palomares House.
Memorials and Dedications
The FLC thanks the following donors for recent memorial contributions
In Memory of Connie
Adler
Beverly Warburton
In Memory of
Gus Albers
Wallace Tucker
In Memory of Carol Cullen
Otis & Linda Heald
In Memory of Maja & Henry Eddy
Edward & Barbro Hutchison
(Bench dedication on Main Street)
In Memory of Esmeralda Kanlund
The Kanlund Family
In Memory of Princess Diana
British Friends of Fallbrook & Bonsall
(Tree adoption on Main Street)
In Memory of Denise Seiders
Dale Seiders
In Memory of B.J. (Bernie)
Thompson
John W. Berkley
Tom & Margaret Curtis
In Memory of Maureen Thompson
Dennis & Pat Munyon
In Memory of Audrey Walden
Barbara Swearingen
In Memory of Janet Wortman
Wallace Tucker