The Sonoma County distinct population of the California Tiger Salamander (CTS) was listed last fall as a threatened species by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Concerns about the salamander's status prompted the creation of the Santa Rosa Plain Conservation Strategy Team, charged with developing a plan to conserve and enhance habitat for the CTS and certain listed vernal pool plant species, and at the same time address the concerns of private development in the county.

The salamander faces serious challenges even under existing conditions-busy roads, recently built subdivisions, cultivation, and too much irrigation at the wrong time of year have all contributed to its decline. In addition, the known range of the CTS in the Santa Rosa Plain covers a significant area planned for future development within the urban growth boundaries of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, and Cotati, as well as parts of the unincorporated areas of the west county. The effects of the listing pose an uncertainty to many landowners and developers, and also put a strain on the agencies that issue permits for the numerous projects already proposed for these areas.

The Conservation Strategy Team is composed of local, state and federal government agency representatives, one local environmental representative, a Laguna Foundation participant, and one private landowner consultant. Madrone Audubon, the California Native Plant Society, the Sierra Club and others are actively following discussions and voicing opinion through the Team's environmental representative, Keith Kallum.

The Salamander requires suitable breeding ponds and contiguous upland corridors for dispersal during the non-breeding portion of its life cycle. By identifying conservation areas within three zones on the Santa Rosa Plain, the Strategy Team has sought to ensure that conservation occurs where the species is known to exist, and that areas that haven't yet been studied will be treated with caution before development can occur.

The conservation strategy will provide suitability criteria to be applied to every parcel that is offered to the preserve system. Land with known breeding ponds and parcels bordering on high quality habitat areas will be considered the most valuable for preservation. In addition, the strategy will impose mitigation ratios on developers based on the degree of impact their projects pose to the species and its habitat.

Madrone's Conservation Committee made a donation to help fund a peer review by an independent panel of scientists with CTS field experience. This panel has reviewed the draft document, and its recommendations are now being incorporated into the document. Many competing interests have not yet been reconciled, but it is hoped that the plan will be ready for public comment by early summer.

The Strategy Team has no independent authority. The success of its efforts will ultimately depend on the whole community pulling together, with cooperation between local government and private landowners as well as funding mechanisms to acquire properties for habitat preservation. Our hope is that the public will support this process of balancing the needs of human beings with those of other species, to ensure that in the future the Santa Rosa Plain will not be solely dedicated to human uses.

Madrone strongly encourages your attendance at public hearings on this issue. We will post meeting dates in upcoming issues of the Leaves.

Walking out on a salt marsh or visiting a mudflat always holds some element of magic. Salt air combined with a feeling of life just below the surface… Join Audubon Canyon Ranch biologist Gwen Heistand to learn about some of the amazing life histories and
innkeeper worms and pea crabs; from egrets to horn snails and the creatures that live in them and back to egrets again.

Gwen Heistand has been Resident Biologist at ACR's Bolinas Lagoon Preserve since August of 2002. She has a Master's Degree in Environmental Science & Management and Applied Marine Ecology from UC Santa Barbara, where she was curator for the invertebrate collection at UCSB's Museum of Ecology and Systematics. At ACR, Gwen teaches classes to volunteers in all aspects of natural history and works with the ACR science staff on research and resource management programs.

COMING APRIL 18
"Petaluma's Public Wetlands - The Beauty, the Struggle, and the Promise" with Gerald Moore

The following Madrone Audubon members have donated the amount of their discount from purchases at Wild Birds Unlimited in Santa Rosa back to our chapter. We want to also thank store owner Tim Stewart for making this possible.

I want to thank all of you who responded so generously to our annual fund drive. Your contributions to Madrone Audubon will make it possible for us to continue with our valuable local programs and conservation work.

Madrone Audubon is a respected voice of the environmental community. We are able to influence important decisions about conservation in the community. Also, we sponsor many regular outings, plus special events such as our upcoming Migratory Bird Day celebration on May 14. Pee Wee Audubon gets young people interested and involved in nature, and our general meetings are educational and entertaining.

Your support to our organization makes these and all of our other activities possible. I would like to say a special thank you to Joyce Maclaury, who chaired the fundraising committee and composed the letter, and to Kathy Angell and Emile Houle, who spent hours opening mail and tracking contributions.

Thank you,

Sylvan Eidelman, MAS President

January would not ordinarily be considered an ideal time to visit Duluth but when there are rare northern owls in the lower 48, you can count on a contingent of hardy birders to seek them out. This year I was one of those many birders.

Large numbers of owls were being reported and my fear of ice and snow was overcome by the prospect of seeing these birds. On our arrival, the Duluth papers were full of owl information.

Great Gray, Northern Hawk, and Boreal Owls regularly come "south" from Canada to search for voles and other small rodents in northern Minnesota, but this year their numbers are exponentially greater than in any other year in recent history. Whereas a maximum of 50 Great Gray Owls had been previously recorded in a winter, 1600 Great Grays had been counted by mid-January of 2005. The bad news is that many of them are starving, the number of bodies being recovered having also set a record. The cause of these deaths is the failure of the small mammal population this winter after a bumper crop of owls last summer.

Details of the trip? Rarest bird seen-a Boreal Owl. Most sought after bird-Northern Hawk Owl, 7 seen. Owl seen most frequently-24 Great Grays, of which two were on the shores of Lake Superior outside the breakfast area of our hotel. Most plentiful bird-Common Redpoll (hundreds). Closest miss-one Snowy Owl at the Duluth Airport that evaded us at every turn. Best non-birding memories-glorious sunrises over Lake Superior, and an enchanted ride through rural Minnesota on snow-covered roads lined with unending snow-laden trees.

About the weather for that week in Duluth? Never below zero or above freezing! It had been -24° F the previous week, and was predicted to be -8° F the next night after we left. We led a charmed life while there.

Exquisitely photographed, creatively directed and thoughtfully scripted, this charming documentary about a feral flock of Cherry-headed Conures captures your attention from the very beginning. And through the next hour and a quarter there is thought-provoking dialogue, wit, and warm family friendly entertainment with a truly unexpected surprise ending.

While much of the film centers on the care that a homeless man provides for these birds, the film also gently chronicles his changing attitudes toward his own life, as well as that of his adopted charges.

There may be discomfort among some Madrone Audubon members who are used to this organization championing only free-flying wild birds in their native habitats. However, a wide range of alternative points of view on how to handle feral animals, including the ideas of conservationists, are clearly, if briefly, presented. And the eventual decisions regarding the future of the flock seem both compassionate and appropriate.

This film is now playing at the Rialto Theater in Santa Rosa.

Diane Hichwa, education director at the Bird Rescue Center in Santa Rosa, will tell us all about our local owls and then we will meet some of the Bird Rescue Center's educational birds, including "Wowl" and "Knuckles", the Great Horned Owls. This program will go on even if it rains. Afterwards, weather permitting, we will go for a short walk around the neighborhood to look for the wild Barn owls that live nearby-or you can stay inside and make an owl mask! Dress warmly and wear shoes that can get muddy. Bring a flashlight for the walk.

Please call Claire at 527-6118 to reserve, and to get directions to Bird Rescue.

Coming in April:
Bats at the Topolos
Saturday, April 24, 5:00 to 8:00 PM at Topolos Restaurant & Vineyard

A "batty" adventure featuring an awesome presentation by bat expert Patricia Winters with her live bats and the unique opportunity to watch hundreds of bats fly overhead into the vineyard at dusk. A program organized and coordinated by Girl Scout Troop 413. Space is limited-call 938-2406 to reserve a spot or e-mail Iamcarlson@aol.com.

Thinking ahead!
Madrone Audubon Society's 3rd Annual Children's Bird Art Competition

Submissions are due by April 30 in order to be considered for prizes. Artwork must be original! You can draw, paint, color or make a collage on 8½" x 11" paper of a bird that is found in Sonoma County. Prizes will be awarded to nine entrants: three in each of three age groups, and one entrant will be chosen as the grand prize winner.

Selected artwork will be displayed at the Madrone Audubon Society International Migratory Bird Day celebration on Saturday, May 14, and on the Madrone Audubon Society website (<www.audubon.sonoma.net>).
For more information or questions please contact Claire at 527-6118, or cshurvin@earthlink.net.

Watch next month's Leaves for more details!

THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE
By Judy Brinkerhoff

Expect the Violet-green Swallows back this month! Have you opened up their nesting boxes and cleaned out last year's debris? Do it now, so they return to a tidy homestead.

Barn Owls are nature's answer to gopher control. If you're lucky and live where Barn Owls might reside (near an open area), put up a box or two for them. You may tempt one of these beauties to move in. Barn Owls are losing habitat as large trees with holes, and especially old open hay barns, are being removed from our landscape.

Barn Owls and their brood are large, the adults being about 16" tall and weighing about one pound. The box should be a good 22" wide and deep, and maybe 24" tall. It should have a roof overhanging the front hole, and the entrance hole should be about 10" square. Dimensions do not need to be exact. Barn Owls build no "nest," but you can put an inch (not more) of pine shavings on the floor when you hang it. Use no sawdust, as it is breathable.

The box can be constructed of just about any wood, such as exterior plywood, 3/8" to 1/2" thick. Don't paint or finish off the inside. The box should be mounted high in a tree, a barn, or on a pole. Place it 15-25' high, with the hole facing away from the wind, and as far away from human clatter as possible. The Bird Rescue Center in Santa Rosa has more information if you need it.

Now is the time to expect our little Allen's Hummingbirds back from their winter migration below our borders. They're the tiny ones that leave in late summer; they have a fiery red throat and a green and rusty-brown body. They're much smaller than our year-round Anna's, which have a fuchsia-purple throat. Just a quick reminder to clean and fill your feeders with white sugar water (four parts water, one part sugar); no red dye or honey, please!

Plant something native, beautiful, and utilitarian for our birds: one of the Rhus species. This is the sumac family, and for us easterners, they are NOT like the sumac we're familiar with. Our California sumacs have leathery evergreen leaves, and are attractive for the leaves alone. But they also give us pretty, nectar-filled flowers, followed by fruit for the birds.

The native sumacs are from dry chaparral country, so give them full sun and no summer water after they've become established. You can use one as a specimen tree, or use them as hedges, as foundation plantings-anywhere you need a barrier or a hedgerow. Look for lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia); laurel sumac (R. laurina), which can be used in a container or as a tree; sugar bush (R. ovata); and squaw bush (R. trilobata), which is deciduous in winter and will accept some shade. Call our native plant nurseries for availability. Planting them while the ground is moist will lessen your watering chores for now, but they will need some watering this summer.

Our three preserves are bursting with spring and all its bounteous beauty. We especially welcome our Audubon Chapter Members to join us for one of the following occasions:

Bolinas Lagoon Preserve
Our public season opens March 19 and runs Saturdays, Sundays and holidays through July 17. Come view the nesting herons and egrets and hike some of our eight miles of trails. On weekdays (except Mondays) the Preserve is open to the public by appointment only-call our office at (415) 868-9244 to reserve.

Weekend Hosts. We are especially grateful to those of you who can volunteer a weekend day to help us greet visitors to the Preserve. In return for your gift of time we can promise you a closer-up view of all the heronry's antics, the ponds' critters, the Preserve's workings, and an invitation to our popular Volunteer Appreciation Picnic in the fall. Please join us-call as above for more information.

Spring Work Day, Sunday, March 6, 9:30 AM -1:00 PM, lunch at 1:00 PM. Help us with trail work, library work, pulling weeds, planting native flowers or cooking lunch (which we provide). Please call our office to register, so we can plan on enough food!

Bouverie Preserve
Guided Nature Walks. March 12; April 2, 16, 23; May 14, 21. 9:30 AM -1:30 PM. Here's your chance to experience the beauty and rich natural history of this 500-acre Preserve in Sonoma's Valley of the Moon. Our half-day guided nature walks are on Saturdays throughout the spring and fall. To receive a form for the lottery, please visit our website at <www.egret.org>, or call 938-4554. Audubon Chapter Members receive priority, so be sure to mention that you are a member.

Resource Management Days. March 21, April 18, May 16, 8:15 AM - 12:30 PM. Please come help clear trails, pull non-native plants, or work in the native plant garden. Bring gloves, a lunch, and lots of energy. Drinks and tools are provided. Call 938-4554 to register.

Wondering and Wandering with Wildflowers. April 9, 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM. $45 fee. A special talk and walk with ACR Education Director and Biologist Rebecca Anderson-Jones. Rebecca will discuss the art of wildflower identification, help you get started on the path to accurate field identification, and review key characteristics of a few common California plant families. Best of all, you'll hike the preserve with her, enjoying Bouverie's beautiful wildflower display. Call (415) 868-9244 to register by March 20.

[Many Madrone Audubon members will have read the short article in the Monday, February 14, Press Democrat summarizing the warning from the California Department of Fish and Game about bird feeders. The complete text of this warning is quoted below.

Martha Bentley and Alida Morzenti of the Santa Rosa Bird Rescue Center have been following this report. They would like to refer concerned individuals to an article by the US Fish and Wildlife Service that BCR published in 1996, called "Coping with Diseases at the Bird Feeder." This article concludes by saying that "birds do get sick" and sick birds can spread diseases at feeders, but that by following proper precautions it is possible to "continue to enjoy healthy wild birds." Bird Rescue will be happy to mail a copy of this detailed article to callers who leave their name and address.]

Here is the text of the recent bulletin from the California Department of Fish and Game:

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is encouraging northern California residents to remove bird feeders for at least one month to help slow an outbreak of salmonellosis, a disease affecting small brown birds known as pine siskins that live primarily in wooded areas.

Human exposure to and contraction of the disease from wild birds is rare and unlikely, especially if basic precautions are taken. However, pets can contract the disease, especially if they are exposed to fecal matter below the feeders.

Pine siskins are brown, streaked birds with yellow patches on the wings and tail. Their diet consists primarily of seeds, making bird feeders particularly attractive. Birds contract the disease from one another, most often by eating fecal-contaminated food - but also by sticking their heads inside tube feeders where their eyes come in contact with the feeder itself.

California's West Nile virus hotline has received many tips from concerned citizens reporting dead pine siskins throughout the forested areas of northern California, from Grass Valley to Eureka. Salmonellosis is a bacterial disease and is not related to the West Nile virus.

To help control the disease, DFG biologists are urging residents to discontinue feeding birds for at least 30 days, and when feeding is resumed, to:

* Replace all food in birdfeeders and water in birdbaths daily. Clean up old food around feeders daily, and only use small amounts of food.
* Decontaminate feeders by using a 10 percent solution of household bleach in water, preferably cleaned just prior to adding new food.
* Spread small amounts of seed over a large area in the sun, instead of using bird boxes or feeders. Also, vary the location of seeds to avoid encouraging a concentration of birds at one site.
* Replace wooden bird feeders with plastic or metal. Wood harbors salmonella bacteria and cannot be sanitized as effectively.
* Use gloves when handling dead birds and bird feeders and wash hands with anti-bacterial soap when finished.

This is the second time in less than a year that DFG has asked that birdfeeders be removed to slow the spread of a disease affecting birds. In July 2004, DFG asked that all bird feeders be removed for the purpose of slowing an outbreak of trichomoniasis in California's mourning dove and band-tailed pigeon populations. More detailed information about that disease and tips on controlling it and other avian diseases can be found at <www.dfg.ca.gov/news/news04/04060.html>.

March is "gear-up-for-babies season" at the Bird Rescue Center in Santa Rosa. We need dozens of new volunteers, both men and women, juniors and seniors, to staff the rush of work from mid-April to mid-September. We are open from 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM, seven days a week. Most volunteers work a 4-hour shift, but schedules are very flexible. Needed are: baby bird feeders, Admission Desk receptionists, transporters, field rescuers and speakers for public events. Audubon members are particularly helpful on the Admissions Desk because they already know the answers to many questions.

Interested? Adults are asked to please attend one of the following volunteer orientation sessions:
March 5, 26 or April 9 at Noon
March 13 or April 3 at 2:00 PM
March 9, 17, 25, 28 or April 5, 13 at 6:30 PM
Juniors (ages 12-17) may attend one session on either March 14 or 15, or April 11 or 12 at 7:00 PM.

Questions? Call Martha Bentley at 545-5501.

Central Valley Preserves, Wednesday, January 26
In spite of the rain in Santa Rosa, 12 members of Madrone Audubon met with Jack Troutfetter at the McDonald's in Fairfield for a day of birding at the Isenberg Crane Preserve and Consumnes River Preserve near Lodi. More than 85 Sandhill Cranes lined up for a photo moment at the entrance and as the rain ceased, Tundra Swan, various ducks and shorebirds were observed on the water. The walkabout at the Consumnes River area (without rain) included Yellow-rumped Warblers, kinglets, towhees and, at the last moment, an Eastern Phoebe. Sixty-three species were seen and the ride home was "rainless."

Sebastopol, Thursday, February 3
On a mild sunny day twenty-five birders joined Gay Bishop on the Sebastopol outing. Areas visited were the Laguna de Santa Rosa, Hallberg Butterfly Garden and Ragle Ranch Park. Highlight of the day: the Great and Cattle Egrets standing together, allowing the group many opportunities to compare the two. Missing from their usual roosting site at the Hallberg Garden were the two Great Horned Owls who, hopefully, are busy at an undisclosed nesting site. A total of 57 bird species were seen.

The Conservation Committee needs to fill two volunteer positions, to represent Madrone Audubon on the Russian River Watershed Council and also on the Sonoma Coast State Park Advisory Committee. Our present representative, Scott Barrow, is moving out of the area.
The Russian River Watershed Council is a community-based council to protect, restore and enhance the biological health of the Russian River and its watershed through open communication and active collaboration among all interested parties. The Council meets every two months on a Saturday morning, usually at the Cloverdale Veterans Hall. The Madrone Audubon Conservation Committee has been actively involved since the council's beginning in 1998. You can find more information on the Internet at <www.rrwc.net> or <www.russianriverwatershed.net>.
Russian River Watershed Council Projects
1. The Russian River Interactive Information System
2. Plan of` Action for Development of the Russian River Watershed Management Plan
3. The Russian River Watershed Management Plan's Scope of Work
4. Russian River Middle Reach Stormwater Survey
5. Support for Willow Creek Environmental Assessment and Education and Mendocino County Roads Assessment

The Sonoma Coast Advisory Committee provides input and guidance to the Department of State and Parks concerning management of the Sonoma Coast State Park. They meet every four months in the evening, usually at the Jenner Community Center. Madrone's involvement in this committee dates from the early 1970s.

Sonoma Coast Advisory Committee Projects
1. Reviewing the Sonoma Coast General Plan
2. Supporting Park acquisitions of Carrington Ranch and Willow Creek
3. Providing guidance on Park changes and activities

If you are interested in volunteering for one or both of these positions, please contact Diane Hichwa at 579-1182 or <dhichwa@earthlink.net>. For more information on these two groups' activities, please contact Scott Barrow at 529-6770 or <sbarrow@sonic.net>.

The Ninth Annual San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival was held from January 21 to January 23 in Vallejo. This was another wonderful gathering of birders celebrating our feathered friends and the importance and beauty of the San Francisco Baylands.
I want to acknowledge the contributions that Madrone members made to the success of the festival. Bob Dyer was the champion birdwalk leader, leading three walks at Shollenberger over the weekend. Thanks also to Betty Groce and Richard Hurley for leading a walk at Viansa Winery Wetland. I would like to thank Jessica Martini-Lamb for helping me with an outing at Hudeman Slough on a freezing cold Sunday morning. These outings are very important to the festival, and are usually very well attended.
Claire Shurvinton brought our outreach table to the festival headquarters. She was assisted by our extremely active Petaluma members: Carol Brant, Gary Compari, Andy LaCasse, Sharon Mansfield, Gerald Moore and his wife, Mary Edith, Len Nelson, John Richards, Tommy Smith, Ron Storey, Wayne Till and Bob Dyer.
Claire also had a very lively table for children's activities. She lost count of all of the Owl Masks created at the table, but there were more than 30. The Flyway Festival should be on everyone's calendar for next year.

A very big thank you goes out to LandPaths and the 35 volunteers who showed up ready to work on January 29. We spent the morning and part of the afternoon clearing fallen trees, casualties of the Geysers Fire, and overgrown brush along the Clark Foss Trail.

LandPaths, founded in 1996, is dedicated to fostering a love of the land. LandPaths creates ways for people to experience the beauty, understand the value, and assist in healing the land in Sonoma County.

Remember that the second Saturday of each month is Volunteer Day at the Sanctuary. The next Volunteer Day will be March 12-we will meet at Ferguson Spring (just before mile marker 5.0) at 9:00 AM. Details such as planned activity and recommended gear, as well as info regarding cancellations, will be announced a day or two before each workday on the Sanctuary announcement/voice-mail line at 780-0256.

Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation: (For information and registration for these two events, call 527-9277 x2 or e-mail mary@lagunadesantarosa.org.)

Docent-led walk. Saturday, March 5, 9:15 AM. See how spring comes to life on the Laguna.

Laguna Keeper Work Day. Saturday, March 12, 9:00 AM to Noon. We'll spruce up the Sebastopol Preserve before the birds start nesting.

29th Annual Environmental Dinner and Dance. Saturday, March 12, at 5:30 PM at the Sebastopol Veteran's Auditorium. The speaker will be Mark Massara, Director of Sierra Club's Coastal Programs. The evening will include environmental awards and a silent auction. Sponsored by the Sonoma County Conservation Council and the Sierra Club. For information or reservations, call 544-7651 or 578-0595, or go to the website: <www.envirocentersoco.org/dinner.htm>.

General Plan 2020 Workshop. Saturday, March 12, 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM at the Sebastopol Veterans Hall. A panel discussion on "Effective Local Activism." Come to Sebastopol earlier and stay for the Environmental Dinner!

Viansa Wetlands Tours. Every other Sunday from March 6 to May 29, beginning at 8:30 AM ($15 fee). For information or registration, call (800) 995-4740 or visit the website at <www.viansa.com>.

Coming up in April…

10th Annual Godwit Days, Spring Migration Bird Festival. April 15-17 in Arcata, California. Highlighting the bird species and their habitats on California's rugged, scenic and wild Redwood Coast. Information at <www.godwitdays.com> or by phone: (800) 908-9464 or 442-0339.

AND DON'T FORGET MADRONE'S MIGRATORY BIRD FESTIVAL ON SATURDAY, MAY 14. DETAILED INFORMATION TO COME IN THE APRIL LEAVES.

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