After a restful, and for some an adventurous summer, Madrone's Board of Directors met August 14 at the Bouverie Preserve for our annual planning meeting and pot luck. We spent a little time catching up over gourmet treats, then it was time to get down to business.

At these meetings we review the previous year to look at what was successful or not, examine the organization and recognize problems, discuss future plans and events, and consider how we can make our organization more effective. I am always surprised when I begin to consider all of the things that Madrone does and all of the wonderful people who contribute their time to make this organization what it is. We do so many good things-it always makes me proud.

We work hard to keep our membership informed. A great newsletter and website keep members and others in touch with important environmental concerns, birding tips, special events, and scheduled bird walks. We educate our public through Pee Wee Audubon, at monthly programs, in Petaluma at Shollenberger Park, and on our many outings. We take a lead role on many environmental fronts in the county, and also participate at the state and national level. Last year we tried a new event, the International Migratory Bird Day Festival, and were pleasantly surprised at the enormous turnout. This is by no means a complete list of everything that our chapter does, but it gives the reader an idea of the scope of our activities.

All of these things take money to keep us going, and we have had great success with our Birdathons and fundraising appeals. I am thankful to all who plan and participate in these efforts, and also to our generous membership. I hope that all of you who contribute to Madrone Audubon feel, as I do, that your gifts are being used properly.

I am blessed to work with many talented, dedicated, and just "nice to be around" people who make all of these things happen. We have a membership of around 2000, and in any year more than 200 give time and effort to Madrone. However, this year we have many job vacancies in the organization. Some are board member positions-for example, we need a new Recording Secretary and a Corresponding Secretary. These are vital positions in the organization and do require a commitment of time every month, but other "jobs" are less demanding and more fun-such as serving as a greeter at meetings, or helping with refreshments. Please consult the companion article on page 4 to see the specific jobs that are open at this time, and how you can volunteer or get more information.

With summer nearly over, and our season of monthly meetings and events about to begin, I am looking forward to another successful year.

If you like your birds up-close, you're going to love this show. Bay Area bird/nature filmmaker Larry Arbanas has whipped up a bevy of bird "mini-movies" to watch at our September meeting. You'll see White-tailed Kites, Burrowing Owls, the amazing "water ouzel"-better known as the American Dipper-plus recent, close-up footage of our national symbol, the Bald Eagle.

The Exxon Valdez oil spill motivated Larry Arbanas to leave the commercial video world to pursue what has become his life's passion-bird and nature filmmaking. Shortly thereafter, he was shooting footage and producing finished pieces for Earth Day celebrations, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and wildlife rehabilitation centers.

Today Larry lives and works throughout California and Oregon, where he shoots high-definition footage for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. He believes strongly in the mission of nature festivals and produces video for their "parent" organization, Watchable Wildlife. He also makes videos for organizations and individuals involved in avian/environmental study, research and education.

Two September Meetings on Preserving Habitat for Tiger Salamander and Vernal Pool Plants
From Joannie Dranginis (For the past five months Joannie has been tracking the progress of the Santa Rosa Plain Conservation Strategy Team for Madrone Audubon.)

The Draft Conservation Strategy Plan has been released for public review and comment. It can be found on the City of Santa Rosa's website and as part of the critical habitat designation announcement by U.S. Fish and Wildlife service in the Federal Register of August 2, 2005 (hard copies of the Plan are available in libraries):
City of Santa Rosa website:
http://ci.santa-rosa.ca.us/default.aspx?PageId=1536
Fish & Wildlife website:
http://www.fws.gov/pacific/sacramento/

1) The Strategy Team is hosting a meeting on Monday, September 12, from 7-9 PM at the Veterans' Building in Santa Rosa to receive public input on the Draft Plan. The public comment period will end September 17. Local environmentalists would like to see stronger habitat safeguards, and are concerned about changes the cities might make in implementing the Plan. The Strategy Team asks that comments be mailed to Ed Brauner, P.O. Box 551168, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96155, or e-mailed to edbrauner@earthlink.net

2) The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will conduct two sessions on critical habitat designation for the California Tiger Salamander on Thursday, September 8, from 1-3 PM and 6-8 PM at the Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa. Public comments will be accepted until October 3.

RECENT ACTION: The Sonoma and Santa Barbara populations of CTS were restored to endangered status by a federal court ruling on August 19. The Center for Biological Diversity brought the suit after homebuilders and local governments had pressured the Fish and Wildlife Service to de-list the salamander to threatened status. In this case the judge said, "The diminishing of protection for the Sonoma and Santa Barbara salamanders was contrary to the recommendations of the federal agency's scientific advisers and was not supported by any evidence or analysis."

Your Help Needed to Save Arctic Refuge!
From Diane Hichwa, Madrone Audubon Conservation Chair

The fight over the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is heating up and HELP IS NEEDED IN SEPTEMBER! Audubon, at all levels, is making a big push to save the pristine wilderness in Alaska from harmful oil drilling.

As you may recall, in very close votes last spring the House (by three votes) and Senate (by five) paved the way for drilling in the budget resolution. Each body will vote in September on the Budget Reconciliation Bill, the legislation that will officially make this drilling legal. Please take a moment and urge your lawmakers to protect this one-of-a-kind habitat. Encourage them to keep provisions for oil AND gas drilling out of any final budget reconciliation bill. If you have friends in the critically important target states of CT, DE, IA, IL, MD, MI, MN, NJ, NY, PA, SC and WA-call or e-mail them and urge them to also contact their representatives.

The Arctic Refuge is home to countless wildlife, from the great predators to the Porcupine Herd, one of the largest caribou herds in North America. Make it a point to call, write or e-mail your elected officials today! Every member of Congress will be voting on this measure and right now it's too close to call.

No Expansion for Redwood Landfill
From David Yearsley in Petaluma

The final environmental impact report for the Redwood Landfill expansion permit was released on July 15. It will give the Redwood Landfill in Novato permission to continue negatively impacting the Petaluma Marsh for 30 more years and to leave a permanent threat on the shores of San Antonio Creek. This landfill is built on bay mud with no liner and adjacent to historic wetlands.

In an effort to educate agency officials and concerned citizens about the location of this bay-front landfill and the threat it poses to the Petaluma watershed and wildlife, a local citizens group "No Wetlands Landfill Expansion" (NWLE) has created this website: www.noexpansion.org.

The comment period will end September 12 for written responses to the EIR, and a public meeting is scheduled for October 10 at the Marin County Planning Commission. For electronic or printed copies of the 1000 pg+ FEIR document you can contact Catherine Herman (415) 479-7873 at the Marin Community Development Agency.

September brings many opportunities for birders in our area-wintering birds return from northern breeding grounds and migrants pass through on their way farther south. You'll surely want to take advantage of fall bird walks. At the same time Madrone Audubon has changes, as some of our longtime volunteers "migrate" and move on to other places and interests. We invite our members to step into new roles, whether it's a Board position or a small task now and then. It's an opportunity to keep our chapter strong and vital.

Here is a quick listing of the spots that need to be filled, or where we could use help. Some involve a serious time commitment and others are more fun, involving a few hours now and then and a chance to meet other Audubon members. At our general meetings this fall we will be giving out "job descriptions" and people to contact to help explain exactly what the needs are.

Board positions to be filled:
Recording Secretary-takes and writes up the minutes of Board meetings,
Corresponding Secretary-receives and distributes phone and mail messages, and sends appropriate thank yous to our donors,
Birdathon Coordinator-gets the message out and helps the teams organize-makes the final tally.

Other ways to assist involve "outreach" to the wider community, such as:

Take Audubon materials to festivals (or movies!),
Represent Madrone at BAAC (Bay Area Audubon Council) meetings,
Help at Pee Wee events,
Attend meetings to follow local conservation issues.
And "in-reach" to keep chapter records in order and events running smoothly:

Act as a greeter at monthly meetings
Set up the hospitality table at our monthly meetings and the Christmas Count potluck,
Help with membership, sending welcome packets to new members and tracking donors.

to our outgoing volunteers. Recording Secretary Joyce MacLaury will be leaving in December. She has been a hard-working member of the Board for the last four years, and also initiated the drafting and mailing of our successful year-end fundraising letter. Carol Orme has organized and spearheaded the Birdathon for two years, with solid financial results for the chapter. Madrone has become quite dependent upon Virginia McDonagh who has done hospitality tasks over the years-she will be sorely missed! Last but not least, we appreciate Neal Connor's role as greeter for last year's meetings.

On the "incoming" side we are happy to report that Mary Edith Moore has stepped up to be co-editor for the Leaves this coming year. She and Daphne Smith will do different issues, as their schedules (travel plans?) permit.

Attention teachers, parents, grandparents or scout leaders! Here are some suggestions for materials and/or programs that would interest and inform young people about nature:

1) Audubon Adventures Newspaper
An Audubon Adventures Classroom Resource Kit contains supplies for up to 32 students. This includes four editions of Audubon's tabloid-style newspaper for students, a resource manual for teachers, and a few other teaching aids. New topics for the 2005-2006 school year are: The Nature of Spiders, Return to Turtle Creek, Dragonflies and Damselflies and The Watery World of Waterbirds.

Contact Phyllis Schmitt at 544-1029 before October 1 if you would like to receive one of these subscriptions. NOTE: Madrone members can also contribute to funding these subscriptions, so that more kits can be offered. Each classroom kit costs about $40-ask Phyllis for details.

2) Education Kits
Madrone Audubon has a suitcase "kits" of materials on topics such as birds, butterflies, bats, owls, and nest boxes that you can borrow. Contact Shirley Spina at 542-8447, or send her an e-mail at sspina@pon.net.

3) Classroom Presentations and Field Trips
You can contact an local organization like the Bird Rescue Center or Sonoma Wildlife Rescue for a classroom presentation. The BRC will come with live birds! Or plan a field trip with docents at the Shollenberger Wetlands in Petaluma (contact Gerald Moore at 763-3577), the Laguna de Santa Rosa near Sebastopol (527-9277) or the Bouverie Preserve near Glen Ellen (938-4554).

Guided Walks in the Laguna. Two docent-led walks in the Laguna de Santa Rosa are scheduled in September: Wednesday, September 7 at 5:30 PM (magical evening light) and Saturday, September 24 at 9:15 AM (taste native grapes). Learn about wetlands ecology and the history of the Laguna. Meet and park behind the Youth Annex, 425 Morris Street, Sebastopol. To reserve a space or get further information, contact Mary Abbott, 527-9277, x2 or mary@lagunafoundation.org. To learn more, visit: <www.lagunadesantarosa.org>.

Spring Lake WildCare Training. Fall training for volunteer nature guides at Spring Lake Park in Santa Rosa starts Saturday, September 10. Training takes place in San Rafael at the WildCare offices and at Spring Lake. Learn to guide school children on nature walks using the multi-sensory outdoor teaching approach of famed Bay Area naturalist Elizabeth Terwilliger. The WildCare program in Santa Rosa is in its 15th year. For information and to register for training, call Alison at (415) 453-1000, ext. 21, or visit <www.wildcarebayarea.org>.

Lecture Series on Raptors. Bird Rescue Center President Alida Morzenti, formerly with the UC Davis faculty and UC Davis Raptor Center, will present a lecture series on "The Natural History of Raptors and Handling" at Hidden Valley School on Chanate Road. The classes will be on Friday nights at 7:00 PM on September 30, October 14 and 18, November 18, and December 2. Call the Center at 523-BIRD (2473) for more information.

Want to Travel? The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico will hold its 18th Annual Festival of the Cranes from Tuesday, November 15 through Sunday, November 20. Over 100 events will include birding with experts, guided tours of the Refuge and the brand-new El Camino Real International Heritage Center-plus workshops, field trips and speakers. Call (505) 835-2077 for a brochure, or check <www.friendsofthebosque.org/crane> for more details.

PRBO Director To Speak in Petaluma
On Tuesday, September 20, at 7:00 PM, PWA will hold a public meeting at the Lucchesi Center in Petaluma. The featured speaker will be Ellie Cohen, Executive Director of PRBO Conservation Science. PRBO is moving their headquarters to Shollenberger Park this winter. Ellie will speak on the "Role of PRBO in Conservation Science and How PRBO Envisions Interacting with the Petaluma Community."

Course for New Wetland Docents at Shollenberger Park
PWA will conduct a new-docent training course beginning September 24 and running for five consecutive Saturday mornings from 8:30 AM to Noon. We will meet at Lucchesi Community Center. Our major need is for docents to work with third- and fourth-grade school groups. The course will consist of sections on wetlands ecology, plants, birds, other wetland animals, and hands-on techniques used with the kids. For more information call Bob Dyer at 763-2934 or see our website at www.petalumawetlandspark.org.

The Shollenberger docents will put on a wetlands program suitable for kids from 3rd to 6th grades (ages about 8-12) highlighting the plants and animals, big and small, which call this Petaluma park home. Activities will include mud and water explorations (so don't wear your best shoes!) and ecology games. We will begin promptly at 9:30 AM and the event will be over by noon, with time for a picnic lunch. Call Claire at 527-6118 to make reservations.

A wonderfully wet winter and spring aided recovery at the Mayacamas Mountains Sanctuary following last September's devastating Geysers fire. In the Pine Flat area, hardest hit by the fire, many of the deciduous trees are re-sprouting from the base and a significant proportion of conifers seem to have survived. It has, however, been a hot summer at the Sanctuary; surprisingly, the Sanctuary is ripe for another fire with amazingly tall dry grass and weeds, and lots of dead, woody vegetation due to the fire last year.

The best news is that just over 50% of the tree and shrub seedlings planted in the Pine Flat area as part of the Mayacamas Mountains Sanctuary Restoration Project, funded by the California Department of Corrections, have survived. In anticipation of potential catastrophe we over-planted by 75%, and despite the loss, current survival is well within acceptable project success. Those surviving trees and shrubs are receiving extra attention this summer to assure that we maintain the highest possible survival.

Audubon California expects to move Sanctuary management into a small portable office in the Pine Flat area later this fall. It will be specifically for Sanctuary management needs. The Open Space District has approved temporary placement of the unit, which is on order and expected to be ready for delivery in October.

Sincere condolences to Virginia McDonagh, Madrone's longtime hospitality chair, whose daughter Kathy died June 1, 2005.

Diane and Bryant Hichwa returned recently from a "wonder-full" trip to Africa to view birds and wildlife in the parks of Kenya and Rwanda. They met a exceptional bird guide, a young man named Titus Imboma, who is assistant curator in the Nairobi National Museum's bird department. Titus works on bird monitoring programs and also trains local people in the Kakamega Forest, a bird-rich area. He is starting a program to teach young people about birds in the environment and the importance of conservation efforts. Titus needs some binoculars so if anyone has an extra pair, an older pair or a seldom used pair and would consider donating them, please contact the Hichwas by phone or e-mail: dhichwa@earthlink.net or 579-1182. (And yes, the Hichwas have been asked to do a program later in the year. Watch for details!)

Red-necked Grebe 6/13 (late) East of Doran jetties SB
Dark-rumped Petrel 8/6 Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary SH, et al.
Wilson's Storm-Petrel 7/31 Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary RS et al.
Brown Booby 7/2 Point Reyes headlands LM
Cattle Egret 8/5 High School Road LT
Harlequin Duck (5) 7/9 MacKerricher State Park SB
Common Black-Hawk 7/28 Between Occidental & Guerneville Roads DJ
Crested Caracara 8/3 Marin Headlands AF, GGRO
Bald Eagle (adults) May-June Lake Sonoma RG
Bald Eagle (2 sub-adults) May-June Laguna de Santa Rosa near Guerneville Road M. Ob.
Cooper's Hawk 7/9 Tresch Ranch, Walker Road DN -adults seen on several visits delivering food items, but nest not visible.
Cooper's Hawk (nesting) 7/1 Terra Linda, Marin County KR - On July 1, 3 of 4 juveniles still in nest, site between residences occupied last 6 years
Golden Eagle 7/3 Blackney Road Sebastopol SH
Golden Eagle 7/20 Dry Creek Road at 101 RH
Pacific Golden-Plover 8/5 Shollenberger Park KW, BO
Wilson's Phalarope (14) 8/4 Shollenberger Park LH
Semipalmated Sandpiper 8/5 Shollenberger Park KW, BO
Western Sandpiper (5) 6/29 Bodega Harbor (first arrivals) DN
Baird's Sandpiper (1) 8/8 Shollenberger Park DN
Least Sandpiper (3) 6/29 Bodega Harbor (first arrivals) DN
Elegant Tern (5) 7/12 Bodega Harbor (first arrivals) DN
Black Skimmer (1-2) July Corte Madera "shopping mall" ponds M. Ob.
Acorn Woodpecker (leucistic) is still present (since last year) at the Novato Village Fair shopping center near the KFC.
Cassin's Kingbird - on territory all spring in Vallejo, Solano County, in the vicinity of Borges Lane, Mira Vista and Nicole Way (BL). On 6/26 John Luther went looking and found an adult feeding two young juveniles on Nicole Way (first nesting record for Solano County).
Loggerhead Shrike (adult) 7/7-10 East Railroad Avenue BO, KW
Purple Martin (6-8) 8/7 Barnaby Park, Samuel P. Taylor State Park DB
Magnolia Warbler (male) 6/24 Washed ashore dead on Pt. Reyes beach LH
Northern Parula 5/26 Female seen at Gualala Point overlooking river KA
Blue Grosbeak (first year male) 5/31 Singing on fence at east end of Delta Pond DN
Great-tailed Grackle(s) continued throughout Rooster Run Golf Club in Petaluma DN
Grasshopper Sparrow (6+) 6/23 Highway 1 north of Meyers Grade Road DN
Hooded Oriole (immature) 7/11 Paula Lane, Petaluma, visiting feeder DN

CONTRIBUTORS: Ken Ackerman, Sara Blauman, Dennis Brady, Allen Fish, Randy Gibbons, Steve Howell, Lisa Hug, Rod Hug, Shelley Hughes, Don Jackson, Bob Lewis, John Luther, Levin Mason, Dan Nelson, Becky Olsen, Rhio Reigh, Karen Rippens, Rich Stallcup, Laurence Taylor, and Ken Wilson.

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