Preserving wildlife involves more than protecting natural habitat. Take the so-called 3rd Street Ponds, for example.

One of the Madrone Conservation Committee's hottest issues has been the City of Santa Rosa's plan to develop an 83-acre Place to Play regional sports complex and wildlife preserve on the present site of three man-made treated-wastewater ponds and an adjacent hayfield.

The sprawling site, between West 3rd Street and Santa Rosa Creek, east of Fulton Road, is surrounded by houses. Yet it abounds with migratory waterfowl and shorebirds in fall and winter and is a popular area for bird watching.

Committee member Claire Shurvinton has recorded 96 species on the site in systematic surveys over the past three years. Her most recent report is on the front page of the May 1999 Leaves. Six more species-including a Peregrine Falcon-have been recorded since then.

The original Place to Play concept was approved by the City Council in 1997. The design has been juggled several times and is still conceptual due to lack of funds, but the project is very much alive.

The long-term plan includes six baseball diamonds, eight soccer fields, a skateboard park, a mammoth parking lot, and a concession stand on the hayfield and land created by filling in the two eastern-most ponds. The other pond would be the heart of what is being touted as a 20-acre wildlife preserve. It would do double duty as a reclamation lake for watering the ballfields. A multipurpose pavilion would be located on the lake's eastern shore, with paths going out along the bank in both directions.

The Youth Athletic Trust--a non-profit organization comprising city, county, school, and sports league officials--is the moving force. It is chaired by Councilman Mike Martini.

The Trust outlined a first-stage development plan April 7, after a survey conducted for it in March found that residents would not support a proposed parcel tax of $38 a year for 20 years to fund the full complex. The Trust hopes to break ground on the hayfield this summer for three soccer fields, a sewer line, irrigation system, and parking for 200 cars. This would be financed by Sonoma County's $2 million share of the park bonds approved by voters in State Proposition 12 last March and another $1 million from other public or private sources.

Madrone Audubon has deep reservations about the project.

We are doubtful about the Trust's ability to create a successful wildlife preserve so close to the intense human activity of a sports complex," President Joannie Dranginis explained.

"Wildlife preserve or urban duck pond?" skeptical Conservation Committee members ask.
Among their reservations and concerns: The Trust has no environmental representative. Two of the three ponds would be lost. The pavilion and paths are incompatible with a wildlife preserve. One phase of the project would get all $2 million allocated to Sonoma County from the park bonds. In any event, there should be continuing scientific monitoring and assessment of the complex's impact on wildlife.

At the April 7 meeting, Martini offered Madrone membership in the Trust and invited it to join in the fund raising and oversight to ensure that wildlife interests are protected. The Conservation Committee probably will make a recommendation to Madrone's Board of Directors at its May meeting.

Dranginis urges anyone interested in helping ensure a successful outcome for wildlife at the 3rd Street Ponds to contact her (523-4373) or Conservation Committee chair Diane Hichwa (579-1182).

National Audubon Society and Madrone Audubon reached a final negotiated
agreement with the City of Santa Rosa in March on an alternative pipeline
alignment through the Mayacamas Mountain Sanctuary for the Geysers
Recharge Project. After extensive study of three alternative routes, all
of which had some impact on the Sanctuary, Audubon agreed to a route that
follows an existing PG & E easement under the power lines along a
stable ridgeline of the property. It was determined that the original
Pine Flat Road alignment was not appropriate, because of unstable soil
conditions and year-round springs that surface on the Sanctuary, and
would be disrupted by the pipeline construction.

Terms of the agreement include $1,000,000 to be paid to Audubon, which
represents a percentage of the cost savings associated with this choice
of an alignment with significantly lower engineering and construction
costs. The money will be used to hire a manager for the sanctuary and to
protect the property against habitual acts of vandalism and trespassing.
Restoration projects and public access enhancements are included in the
plans for the Sanctuary's future. Madrone will play an active role in
management decisions for the Sanctuary.

In addition, the City agrees that it will not give permission for
irrigation off the pipeline north of Bear Canyon on the lower
portion of Pine Flat Road. This provision will help preserve the natural
resources in the region and discourage hillside development. It does
allow for irrigation for fire protection and environmental enhancement on
the Audubon property.

Pumpstation facilities will be set into the land and screened with
native vegetation. When the City determines that the pipeline will
no longer be needed (a 20-30 year time frame), it will remove the
pumpstation and restore the site to its natural state. Key players in the
negotiation process included John McCaull, Legislative Affairs Director
for Audubon California, Sanctuary Committee Chairman Bill Payne, Diane
and Bryant Hichwa, Jeff Holtzman, and Joan Dranginis.

After diligent review of the City's biology and engineering studies, and
Audubon's own independent studies, the Madrone Board concluded that the
route chosen was the best available option.

Roger Sanborn, a Madrone member from Kenwood, recently graduated as an Audubon Canyon Ranch Bouverie Preserve Docent. During the graduation ceremonies he reports that he was called upon to recite the following:

Bird watchers top my honors list.
I aimed to be one, but I missed.
Since I'm both myopic and astigmatic,
My aim turned out to be erratic,
And I, bespectacled and binocular,
Exposed myself to comment jocular.
We don't need much birdlore, do we,
To tell a flamingo from a towhee;
Yet I cannot, and never will,
Unless the silly birds stand still.
And there's no enlightenment so obscure
As ornithological literature.
Is yon strange creature a common chickadee,
Or a migrant alouette from Picardy?
You rush to consult your nature guide
And inspect the gallery inside,
But a bird in the open never looks
Like its picture in the birdie books-
Or if it once did, it has changed its plumage,
And plunges you back into ignorant gloomage.
That is why I sit here growing old by inches,
Watching the clock instead of finches,
But I sometimes visualize in my gin
The Audubon that I audubin.

PROGRAM: THE FARALLON ISLANDS

Please join Keith Hansen, local wildlife artist, photographer, birder and world traveler, for a wonderful evening discovering "another world" in our own backyard, "The Farallon Islands". He will take you on a trip to this 211acre piece of paradise. We will observe myriad creatures from tide pools to white sharks. Get to know the birds, both breeding and visitors, the seals, butterflies and plants. It will be a show you surely won't want to miss. Keith will be bringing an array of his art works as well.

The program will follow a potluck dinner and short business meeting in which the Chapter's achievements for the year will be reviewed and officers for 2000-2001 will be installed.

All Madrone Audubon members and friends are invited to attend. Please bring a potluck dish for six (entrée, salad or dessert), along with your own dishes and utensils. The Chapter will provide beverages (sorry, no alcoholic beverages at the church). Arrival time is around 6:00 PM; dinner will be served at 6:30, and the program will follow at 7:30. Come early or stay late if you can help set-up or clean up. If you can volunteer to help set up at 5:00 PM, please call Joannie at 523-4373.

Recent dramatic increases in Common Raven (Corvus corax) in the San Francisco
Bay Area have coincided with more frequent observations of ravens in heron
and egret nesting colonies. In 1998 Great Egrets at ACR's Bolinas Lagoon
Preserve suffered severe nest predation by ravens. Most nests were lost or
abandoned, and only 30 young egrets successfully fledged, compared with
100-150 in other years. In 1999 ravens destroyed fewer nests, possibly
because they failed in their own nesting attempts. These and other
observations around the Bay Area suggest an urgency to understand the threat
of raven predation to waterbird colonies.

Last year ACR, in collaboration with the Point Reyes Bird Observatory,
launched an investigation into the breeding and foraging ecology of the
Common Raven, with emphasis on predatory behavior at heron and egret nesting
colonies in the northern Bay Area. Preliminary results from radio telemetry
of ravens in West Marin revealed that breeding ravens often occupy very small
home ranges. Road surveys conducted last year by ACR volunteers indicated
that ravens concentrate along the outer coast and in some urban/suburban
areas, and have a patchy distribution throughout the region. Many heronries
in the region were not disturbed by ravens in 1999, but it was clear that
some specialized on heron/egret populations.

This season ACR biologists are radio-tracking ravens and studying their
behavior at heronries where raven activity is frequent, such as the nesting
colonies at West Marin Island and ACR's Picher Canyon. The work at Picher
Canyon will augment a related investigation of "conditioned taste aversion,"
a potential management technique that uses illness-producing prey to alter
nest predatory behavior. Results of the study will address fundamental
ecological questions about ravens and provide information for management
options for colonial nesting waterbirds.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS....

Bolinas Lagoon Preserve

Open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays through July 9 (please
note date change).

Docent Training Orientation: May 31 and August 30. Share your love of nature
with schoolchildren. Call 415/868-9244.

Bouverie Preserve

Guided Nature Walks: May 6 and 13, Sep. 16, Oct. 14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9. Call
707/938-4554 for lottery form.

Trail Day: May 15. Drinks, tools and lots of appreciation will be provided;
call to register.

Audubon Ranch is an independent non-profit organization which owns and administers 3 educational nature preserves in Marin and Sonoma Counties. It is supported by 4 Bay Area Audubon chapters including Madrone Audubon Society.

Would you like to turn your back yard into a bird-friendly oasis? Besides
knowing which plants will provide nectar, berries or seeds, one of the first
things to do is evaluate your yard to see if it has shelter enough to keep
birds safe while they eat at the feeders and bathe in the bird baths you
supply.

Birds need dense thickets of bushes and shrubs that give them shelter from
predators, not only from cats, but also from woodland hawks. Many folks are
surprised to discover that there are hawks that catch and eat other birds.
These woodland hawks are small, slim, and very quick, designed to fly through
the trees and catch unsuspecting songbirds on the wing.

I watch them in my own yard; a Cooper's or a Sharp-Shinned Hawk will swoop
out of nowhere after a sparrow or junco at my platform feeder in the oak.
Poor guy, I've never seen him catch a hapless songbird, and I'm sure it's due
to the fact that the feeders are placed such that the hawk doesn't have a
clear shot at the birds. The feeders and water are all placed near or in the
midst of shrubby thickets where the birds can make immediate escapes at the
first sign of danger, either from hawks or ground predators such as cats.

Of course, shrubby cover also gives birds nesting areas, as many birds build
nests in branches. But shrubs serve another purpose for birds; they use them
as corridors to hop and flit from one area to another, much as we use
highways. They are thus always under safe cover and away from the keen
eyesight of hawks.

If you have a dead or dying tree in your yard, and as long as it doesn't
create a hazard to humans or your home, leave it standing as long as
possible. Insects burrowing under the bark will be an important food supply
for nuthatches and woodpeckers. You can always hide the dead trunk by
planting a nectar-producing vine at the base, perhaps our native honeysuckle
or clematis.

If you have the space to spare, make a pile of dead branches, a brush pile,
which will also serve as cover for birds. You'll soon note that it will be a
haven for birds as they hop about in the twigs and on the ground beneath,
searching for insects.

Dripping or splashing water is irresistible to birds. As soon as I turn on
my sprinkler system, the birds are there, bathing and fluffing their
feathers. Try suspending a water-filled plastic bottle with a hole in the
bottom over a bird bath. It will drip and attract birds to the area. Any
water you supply should have cover nearby, but not so close that a cat could
hide and surprise the soggy bird.

The same goes for your feeders; the brushy cover nearby should be just close
enough to be useful to the birds as an escape route, but not close enough to
hide a predator.

Another important point...Make certain you can see the feeders and the water
from your windows! Seeing the birds enjoy what you've given them is half the
fun! The other half is knowing you are helping in the efforts to recover lost
habitat for our birds.

Stafford Lake & McInnis Park, Wednesday, March 1, 2000
Under a beautiful blue sky, 17 birders joined Lew Edmondson at Stafford Lake in Novato where they were greeted by a Red-breasted Sapsucker in the trees next to the parking lot. The resident Spotted Sandpiper put in its usual appearance, unlike the absent Ross's Goose. High water appeared to be responsible for a reduced bird population. At McInnis Park, the same held true. The oxidation pond islands were devoid of Black-crowned Night Herons, and egrets. At McInnis, a solitary Sandhill Crane was seen south of the service road just beyond the first north/south service road (and many miles out of its normal range). A total of 55 species was seen. Betty Burridge

Bodega Bay, Wednesday, March 15, 2000
On a pleasant, sunny day 19 other birders joined Jean and Jim Tonascia
at the Rail ponds. With a minus .4 foot tide, viewing shorebirds was
difficult without a scope. In spite of this, 95 species were seen.
Notable were a Glaucous Gull at Porto Bodega that almost ate chips from
Jack Troutfetter's hand, and a Plumbeous Vireo at Owl Canyon that is
supposed to be in the Rocky Mountain area. Jean and Jim Tonascia

Shollenberger Park, Thursday, March 23, 2000
Twenty seven birders led by Lew Edmondson birded Shollenberger Park and US Filters Corporation's oxidation ponds in Petaluma finding 48 species. It was a balmy spring day. A nesting Mute Swan and a Marsh Wren's nest were found along the north levee at the park where some also got a glimpse of the elusive Virginia Rail. We have reached that time of year when waterfowl numbers are rapidly dwindling. Lew Edmondson

Bodega Bay, Wednesday, April 5, 2000
Twenty seven birders joined Jean Tonascia at Bodega Bay on a cold overcast day. A total of 81 species sere seen. The highlight of the day was watching a Peregrine Falcon eating what appeared to be a Caspian Tern and a Turkey Vulture trying to get his share. The Peregrine finally took the bird to a small rock in the water to get rid of the vulture. Jean Tonascia.

ENVIRONMENTAL WORKSHOP
Due to the overwhelming success of the first Sonoma County CEQA workshop in February, the Planning and Conservation League will sponsor another citizens workshop on Saturday, May 13, 2000 at the Sebastopol Masonic Center from 9 to 3.

This is a good opportunity for the layperson to become familiar with
California's premier environmental protection law, and learn how we, as
citizens, can impact public agency decision-making. For more information
and reservations please call Ann Maurice at 874-3855, or contact PCL at
(916) 444-8726.

AUDUBON ADVENTURES FOR 4TH -6TH GRADES
Audubon Adventures is National Audubon Society's in-class environmental
education program. Audubon members and their friends can enroll classes in their communities. You too can be a part of this unique program that brings a wonder and appreciation of nature to elementary school students.

Here's how you can participate in Audubon Adventures:

1). Any 4th - 6th grade class can enroll. Some teachers with older or
younger students have modified the lessons to fit their grade level
standards. You may select a school, a particular class and teacher; or your
donation my be left to the discretion of the education committee.

2). A one-year subscription fee is $35.00 per classroom. Each class
receives 32 student newspapers on 4 different topics and a Teacher's Guide
explaining each lesson. In addition, each class receives a special poster
and video.

3). Send check or money order, made payable to Madrone Audubon Society:
Nancy Ryan, P.O. Box 1003, Glen Ellen, CA 95442

4). Subscriptions must be in by May 31.

BIRD-A-THON UPDATE
The Roadrunners (Dennis Beall, Betty Groce, Jean and Jim Tonascia) update their sponsors list with thanks to the following: Dorothy Small, Lise Stevens, Harriet Draper, Frances Kohn, A.J. Kroha, Gene Wachspress.

The Featherquesters received contributions from Virginia Fallon, Sally Keenan, and Deneene Amone.

The Gray-headed Seersuckers (Betty Burridge, Bill Payne, Ian Morrison, Becky Olsen and Ken Wilson) started counting birds at the top of Pine Flat Road on March 5 at 6 AM in 34 F temperatures. Twelve hours and 132 birds later they finished the day by walking around Shollenberger Park in pouring down rain. BUT, they had a good time, and are very grateful to all of their sponsors who supported them so generously.

Seersucker sponsors: Linda Allen, Susan Bass, Martha Bentley, Pam Buesing, Richard Cuneo, Marianne Caratti, Catherine Daley, Liz Donath, Joannie Dranginis, Jeff Holtzman, Ted Eliot, George & Phyllis Ellman, John Ferrari, Karen Gare, Bud Getty, Di Grinsteiner, Eleanor Guilford, Jack & Deyea Harper, Robert Herman, Tim Hicks, Don & Louise Johnston, Ellen Krebs, Charlotte Ludemann, Marie Ludemann, Laurel Lueds, Joseph & Linda Maloney, Carla Miles, Don Moore, Clark Nattkemper, Mike Nelligan, Peter & Aletha Nelligan, Clyde Nelson, Mike Parmeter, Bill Payne, Charles Payne, Gail Payne, Oscar Payne, Mr. & Mrs Wm. Payne Sr., Linda Petrulias, Bob & Bertha Rains, Rhio Reigh, Ann Rudesill, John Sedlander, Ernie Smith, Jean Smith, Sherrie & Bob Thomas, Kathleen Thompson, Don & Marilyn Toms, Viansa Winery (Sam & Vicki Sebastiani), Jerry & Karen Wagner, Terry Watson, Alan Wight, Wild Birds Unlimited (Tom & Barbara Hendricks), Richard & Anne Marie Winterhalder, Larry & Mary Yabroff.

Jim and Elinor Taylor of Sonoma did their Bird-a-Thon on Sunday Feb. 5th in the Temelec Area of Sonoma near Rogers Creek, and at Sonoma Regional Park on the Arnold Road side near Sonoma Creek. They identified a total of 41 species. In addition, they are lucky enough to have an Anna's Hummingbird nest in their yard. Up to 7 different bird singing and calling at the same place provided a challenge: the reedy voice of the Varied Thrush is their favorite. The Taylors generously sponsored themselves for Madrone Audubon's Bird-a-Thon 2000. Thank you!

RADIO BIRD TRIPS
Madrone field trip leaders will be happy to learn that the Board
approved purchase of four 2-way radios for use in car caravans to
favorite birding spots. Many times on field trips to outlying areas, the
people in the lead car will see something interesting, and the cars in
the rear have no idea what is going on. The radios come in handy for
passing the information to the other vehicles.

Ken Wilson, field trip leader for the Beginner Bird Walks was the
proponent of the idea, and offered to purchase the radios for Madrone and
have them ready for use in September. The radios will be funded by
donations made to Madrone's John McDonagh Memorial Fund; Virginia
McDonagh noted that her husband was a great birding enthusiast who
favored the use of 2-way radios to enhance the experience for everyone.
John passed away in January, 1999.

SUBCRIPTION RATE HIKE
Beginning in September, 2000, Madrone Audubon will increase the annual
subscription rate to the Madrone Leaves from $10 to $12. Even though the
cost of printing the newsletter has risen steadily, we have not changed
the subscription rate in over ten years. We are doing our best to
maintain the high quality of our award-winning publication, and we hope
you will continue to renew, and enjoy the Madrone Leaves.
Those of you who are members of National Audubon Society receive the
Madrone newsletter automatically, and are not affected by this
increase.

BOOKS DONATED
Madrone Audubon member Mannie Calderone is retiring to Washington State,
and has recently donated some bird books and bird picture albums to the
chapter for study purposes. Some of the publications date back as early as
1927. Many of us know Mannie as a loyal supporter of Madrone Audubon and a
regular attendee at our general meetings. Mannie claims to be a 50 year
member of National Audubon. We wish to thank her for the donation, and wish her well
in her new home.
Those of you interested in borrowing the books may contact Janet Bosshard
at 526-5883.

LETTER OF APPRECIATION
April 7, 2000
Audubon California
Dan Taylor, Executive Director

Dear Joannie,

In the wake of the settlement announcement at Mayacamas, I want to express to you and your fellow Madrone Audubon board members, my real appreciation for your energy, concern and your sense of care for the preserve during a trying period.

This has been hard. But in retrospect I think we have done the best job possible to protect the environment and create an outcome that will produce good things for Mayacamas for years to come. Thanks again for all your work.
With best regards,
Dan

Acknowledgement of general contributions from individuals:

Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Troutfetter
Richard Cuneo

Red-necked Grebe 3/1 Bodega Bay BG
Red-necked Grebe 3/8 Pt. Reyes Fish Docks BG
Laysan Albatross 4/1 Pt. Arena Cove, Mendocino Co. GS
Greater White-fronted Goose 3/5 Stage Gulch Rd. @ Hwy. 116 DN
Snow Goose 3/5 Stage Gulch Rd. @ Hwy. 116 DN
Ross' Goose (5) 3/5 Stage Gulch Rd. @ Hwy.116 DN
Mandarin Duck 3/1 Lake Ralphine BG
Mandarin Duck Apr. Seasonal stream, Santa Rosa KM
Blue-winged Teal (2) 3/1 Shollenberger Park BG
Redhead 3/1 Shollenberger Park BG
Canvasback (several) 3/1 Carmody Ln. BG
Black Scoter (4-6) 3/8 Pt. Reyes Fish Docks BG
Glaucous Gull (late 2nd winter) 3/1-15 Porto Bodega M.Ob
Caspian Tern (2) first arrivals 3/26 Petaluma River @ Lakeville ponds DN
Caspian Tern (15) 4/8 Rodeo, Contra Costa Co. DN
Wandering Tattler 3/1 Bodega Head BG
Long-billed Curlew (30; 50) 3/21; 26 Sanford Rd. @ Occidental Rd. CS
Merlin 3/1 Carmody Ln. BG
Peregrine Falcon 3/31 Annadel S.P. KC
Wild Turkey (3) 3/15 Yard-birds, Post St., Petaluma DN,TCN
Rufous Hummingbird 3/14 Larkfield GR
Rufous Hummingbird 3/24-31 Yard, near Willowside Rd. CS
Western Kingbird - first arrival 4/8 Lakeville Hwy. DN
Barn Swallow (3) 3/18 Seavey Rd, off Spring Hill Rd. DN
Rock Wren 3/15 I St., Petaluma DN
Cassin's Vireo 3/10 Owl Canyon DN
Plumbeous Vireo 3/15 Owl Canyon LP,DB
Indigo Bunting (imm. male) 3/21 @ feeder, Santa Rosa PG,BP
Lawrence's Goldfinch 4/2 Doran Park BS,SB,fide NC.
Lark Sparrow (2) 3/27 San Antonio Rd @ I St. DN
Rufous-crowned Sparrow (4) 3/8 Pine Flat Rd., Mayacamas Sanctuary CS,JD
White-throated Sparrow 3/1 Yard-bird, Santa Rosa J&JT,BG
Dickcissel (male) thru 4/8 Santa Cruz, feeder visitor M.Ob
Tricolored Blackbird 3/1 Carmody Ln. BG
Tricolored Blackbird (flock) 3/8 Pt. Reyes BG
California Thrasher 3/10 McDonagh Hts, Healdsburg DN
Swainson's Hawk 3/11 Hwy 80 @ Solano/Yolo Co. line TC
Red-breasted Sapsucker 3/16 Mountain View Ave, Petaluma CC
White-throated Sparrow (2) 3/16 Gehricke Rd., Sonoma KN
Mandarin Duck 3/11 Spring Lake Park, Santa Rosa EB

Contributors: Dennis Beall, Susan Bell, Ed Brucker, Betty Burridge, Christine Cohen, Terry Colborn, Nancy Conzett, Kimberly Copley, Joannie Dranginis, Paul Gravel, Betty Groce, Kyoko Morrison, Karen Nagel, Dan Nelson, Tyler Cannon-Nelson, Bill Payne, Linda Petrulius, Gail Roper, Claire Shurvinton, Grace Steurer, Barbara Stover, & Jean and Jim Tonascia.

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