Conservation Committee

Details:

The Conservation Committee is searching for two volunteers to help adequately engage the many issues we need to respond to. Issues that we address include Gaviota Coast protection, Dos Pueblos Golf Course, and Goleta Beach erosion solutions, among others county and state-wide. If the following qualifications describe you, we WANT YOU:

• Challenge-oriented
• Have the capacity to absorb new information and respond effectively
• Be capable of operating independently and responsibly
• You love what you are doing
• You have limitless curiosity

If you qualify, please contact Steve Ferry at (805) 967-5162 (7-9pm) or by e-mail at Conservation@SantaBarbaraAudubon.org.

Audubon helps recruit volunteers for habitat restoration for Coal Oil Point, the Arroyo Hondo Preserve and Channel Islands Restoration projects - currently the San Marcos Foothills restoration projects. Come spend a morning in a beautiful bird habitat, helping to restore our local natural areas.

• The Southern California Wetland Recovery Project highlighted an Audubon-managed restoration project on the North Shore of Devereux Slough, a recipient of their Small Grant Program. Click here to view the slides and their write-up of the project.

  Santa Barbara Audubon will complete the Freshwater Wetland restoration at Coal Oil Pont Reserve in June 2011. This project, which enhances the buffers of a freshwater pond and a vernal pool/swale on the west side of Devereux Slough, encompasses 14-acres and includes a section of the Pond Trail, where is follows the "Cypress Row". Darlene Chirman has been project manager for Audubon for this project, and can be reached at President@SantaBarbaraAudubon.org or 805-692-2008.




• Coal Oil Point Reserve - Bring yourself or bring a group on a scheduled Volunteer Restoration Workday - usually one Satruday morning each month. To find out more or volunteer contact:
          Reserve Steward: Tara Longwell tara.longwell@lifesci.ucsb.edu or 805-893-5092.



• Arroyo Hondo Preserve -We help recruit Volunteers for the Preserve, where we are assisting in expanding the riparian corridor. After our workday in the morning, you are free to take a hike in the wonderful canyon. To sign up contact the Land Trust:
  
          Volunteer Coordinator: Sally Isaacson volunteer@sblandtrust.org or 805-260-2252.
  
          Location: From Highway 101 north the turnoff is right after Call Box 101-412.



• Channel Islands Restoration - CIR manages several restoration projects on the mainland and the Channel Islands. In 2011 two main projects are being implemented on the mainland: San Marcos Foothills restoration and restoration along the margin of the Bird Refuge at the Santa Barbara Zoo. Check out the Channel Islands Restoration website at http://www.channelislandsrestoration.com. To get information about volunteer opportunities or to sign up, contact:
          CIR Volunteer Coordinator: Jonathan Abbelbaum volunteer@cirweb.org or 858-344-6654.

Restoration Opportuinities

Audubon helps recruit volunteers for habitat restoration; come help to restore a creek or estuary while spending a morning in a beautiful bird  habitat.

• Darlene Chirman-Audubon's Restoration Biologist, at President@SantaBarbaraAudubon.org or 692-2008.
• Coal Oil Point Reserve. Contact COPR Reserve Steward: Tara Longwell tara.longwell@lifesci.ucsb.edu or 893-5092.
• Arroyo Hondo Preserve. Contact the Land Trust for Volunteer Coordinator Sally Isaacson volunteer@sblandtrust.org or 805-260-2252.
• Channel Islands Restoration, e.g. San Marcos Foothills or Zoo restoration: Volunteer Coordinator Jonathan Abbelbaum, volunteer@cirweb.org  or (858) 344-6654.

• Eyes In the Sky: EITS, the Santa Barbara Audubon Society educational outreach program that presents live birds of prey to schools and community organizations. Our birds are no longer able to survive in the wild, but they are able to do a good service to the community through EITS.

  We now have a permanent home at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. We are training docents to assist with care,maintenance and interpretive bird presentations at the museum. Contact Gabriele at 805-898-0347 or by email at eyes-in-the-sky@cox.net for more information and to schedule an interview.

• Coal Oil Point Reserve: Internships are available at the start of each quarter. Four-eight internships are usually available, paid internships usually for UCSB students only. If you are interested, please apply at the end of any quarter for the following quarter.

  These internships are often funded through UCSB's Coastal Fund. Work with the Reserve Steward and other interns. Assist with planting, plant maintenance, invasive weed control, plant propagation, and seed collection. Requires enrollment at UCSB. Requires a 33 hour commitment, generally 3 hours/week with occasional weekend time. Need one morning each week free, likely Friday; Tuesday possible. Stipend of $250 on successful completion. Please apply by first week of class, send resume and class schedule/time availability for the coming quarter.

  Contact COPR Reserve Steward: Tara Longwell tara.longwell@lifesci.ucsb.edu or 893-5092.

• The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County: Internships may be available at the Arroyo Hondo Preserve for some school year quarters (not summer). The internships are funded through UCSB's Coastal Fund. Work with habitat restoration ecologist, the Restoration assistant, and other interns. Assist with restoration of a creek corridor to protect steelhead trout, red-legged frogs, riparian birds--planting, plant maintenance, invasive weed control, and seed collection. Requires enrollment at UCSB. Requires a 35 hour commitment, generally 3.5 hours/week with first Sunday/month with volunteers. Need one morning each week free, likely Wednesday; Monday possible. Stipend of $250 on successful completion. Please apply by first week of the quarter, send resume and class schedule/time availability.

  To apply for a position, contact Darlene Chirman, Restoration Biologist, darlene.chirman@gmail.com or 692-2008. Please send a resume and schedule availability.

• Arroyo Hondo Preserve Docent Training: If you love nature, hiking and children join our next docent training class. Have fun and rewarding experiences with children exploring our pristine creek and canyon. Trainings will be at the Preserve on Mondays from 1:00-4:00; periodic new docent groups. Local experts will present the natural and cultural history of the preserve through discussion and exploration. Contact the Land Trust for Volunteer Coordinator Sally Isaacson volunteer@sblandtrust.org or 805-260-2252.

Qualifications:

You need to be abirder with a pretty good handle on our local birds, and more important, you must have the desire to help people, especially beginning birdwatchers, and enjoy our birds.

Background:

Our trips are pretty low key. People come to enjoy birds and to socialize. Beginning birdwatchers will expect help in bird identification. You're not expected to be the best birder in the group. If someone asks you to ID an immature gull, don't panic. Throw the question back to the group and the experienced birders will eagerly share what they know.

You may already have a favorite field trip place in mind. If not, I can offer suggestions. If you're intrigued, get in touch.

Jack Sanford
Field Trip Coordinator
(805) 566-2191, email

The Science Committee presently has year-round and seasonal volunteer projects.

Year Round Projects

Plover Docents:

The Santa Barbara Audubon Society, in conjunction with the UCSB Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve, has established a Plover Docent program. Docents serve as "snowy plover guardians." Their job is to educate the public about the birds' presence and provide information about how people (and their companion animals -- mainly dogs and horses) can share the beach with the plovers, without causing unnecessary disturbance to the birds. Read more about the Snowy Plover Docent Program and how you can be a part of it.

White-tail Kite Monitoring:

The Museum of Systematics and Ecology at UCSB began the White-tailed Kite Monitoring Project in the Winter of 1998. The Santa Barbara Audubon Society took over the project in October of 1999 and has been organizing the efforts ever since. One night a week volunteers are sent out to known or potential White-tailed Kite sites to record and document usage of Kites. through this effort we hope to learn what the Kites need to be able to survive with in the Goleta Valley in the way of foraging habitat, nest sites, winter communal roost sites, and movement corridors. We have also been able to follow season and yearly variation within the Kite population and increase our knowledge of Kite behavior. If you are interested in assisting, please contact Morgan Ball.

Seasonal Projects

MAPS Banding Station

In 1999 the Santa Barbara Audubon Society opened its first MAPS Banding Station. Volunteers and student interns should contact Kathleen Whitney in late January or early February if you are interested in taking part in this project. Space is limited so c her as early as possible.

Spring Seabird Migration Count

We will be looking for volunteers for the Spring Seabird Migration Count in late January to early February to take part in the Seabird Migration Count that runs from early March to mid-May each year. The counts are done from Goleta Point on the UCSB Campus and from Coal Oil Point Reserve. Contact David Compton.