The Flyer
Newsletter of the Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake
January 2012
www.clnaturecenter.org
Trout Derby Plans
The 16th Annual Trout Derby will be
held April 14 and 15, 2012. Planning
has been underway for many months by
an active committee chaired by Kirby
Duncan, faithful leader of this important
event.
The rules and the prize structure have
been maintained from last year; entry
fees are $35 for adults registering prior
to March 31; $40 thereafter. Children 4
to 10 years of age may register for $10.
Please note that children under the age
of 4 years may not participate; however,
special children’s activities are planned
at the Nature Center on Saturday of
Derby weekend.
During January and early February,
volunteers will be busy beavers
preparing 2,500 registration forms for
mailing, carefully supervised by Patricia
Martin, registration “chief.”
Other people taking lead roles in the
derby are
Weigh Station Chiefs: Sandi and Jerry
Witcher
Raffle: Carolyn Dougherty and Barbara
Gutmann
Children’s Activities: Susan Burmood
and Stephanie Phelps
Awards Program and Friday evening
“fish talk”: Ron Wilmot
Issue 104
Photographers: Roger Millikan and
others to be recruited
Scheduling: Linda Taylor
Pot-luck: Judy Duncan and Barbara
Gutmann
Camping: Dick Cofiell
Tee Shirts: Diana Hawkins and Linda
Taylor
A poster designed by Sarah Weems who
has a degree in graphic arts and design
from Portland State University is ready
for printing and distribution.
As plans now stand, a lead volunteer will
be assigned to each shift for registration,
weigh station and raffle sales. This
individual will be urged to attend a minitraining session on the procedures for
that station to eliminate possible
dissemination of incorrect information
and to standardize handling of fish,
registration problems and sales of raffle
tickets. Dates and times of these training
sessions will be announced.
Anyone interested in serving on the
Trout Derby Committee should plan to
attend the next meeting Wednesday,
February 1, 4:00-5:00 at the Nature
Center.
2
Goleta. Many rejoiced at the opportunity to
enjoy a meal without having to prepare it,
although cookies were provided by Gil
Graves, master of lace cookies, Barbara
Gutmann and Linda Taylor.
Stephanie Smagala brought beautifully
decorated cupcakes to celebrate her Mom
Carol’s birthday.
The usual gift exchange of items $10 or less
was played with competition for certain
unusual packages. Celebrants were
encouraged to bring cash or food donations
for the Santa Barbara Food Bank.
Kate McCurdy bears listening to.
‘Tis a wonderful thing to see us all decked in
our holiday best!
Bear Talk at the Center
"Bears in Our Backyard: California Black
Bears in the Cachuma Lake Area," a talk
featuring Kate McCurdy, Director of the
UCSB Sedgwick Reserve, will be presented
from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Cachuma Lake
Recreation Hall on Sunday, January 22. The
program promises to be highly informative
since Ms McCurdy spent fifteen years
studying the bears of Yosemite and later, the
large mammals of the Santa Monica
Mountains. Part of the Neal Taylor Nature
Center's ongoing Food for Thought Speakers
Series, the presentation will focus on the
bears in the Santa Ynez Watershed, their
habits and behavior, and the consequences of
interface with human beings.
The program is free with park admission.
Refreshments will be served.
Holiday Soiree
Board Members, Docents and other
volunteers enjoyed themselves at a Holiday
Party December 11, at the Elephant Bar in
A Cachuma Fan Who Doesn’t
Fish?
Hark! All ye readers who love Cachuma but
don’t know how to fish! Your time has come.
March 17, 9:00 until noon you will have the
chance to take advantage of decades of fishing
experience and become an angler yourself.
The Annual Adult Fishing Workshop will be held
at the Nature Center with local, experienced and,
in some cases, expert fisherfolk to teach you the
ropes on how to fish, from bait and lures to
casting and tying those critical knots. This is a dry
land class with much hands-on instruction offered
on the lawn at the Nature Center. All equipment
will be provided.
Registration will be limited to thirty people
sixteen years or olders. Entry fee is $10 and must
be made in advance to secure a space. Send a
check to the Neal Taylor Nature Center, 2265
Hwy. #154, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Mark your
check, “Adult Fishing Workshop.”
An entry to the Neal Taylor Trout Derby to be
held April 14 and 15, will be raffled for $1 per
ticket; this is a $35 value. Park entry fee will be
charged.
From our Docent Educational Minute:
3 4 Bird Bill Answers
(See the previous page)
a: Oak titmouse.
b: Anna’s hummingbird.
c: Sora
d: Northern shoveler
e: White pelican
f: Osprey
g: Great blue heron
h: Bald eagle
i: Turkey vulture
Why do you think they developed such different
bills?
Joint Meetings Progress and Process A Joint Meeting of the Board of Directors, docents and volunteers was held this past September at which many ideas were discussed within the format of small groups. Ideas, problems and suggestions on the minds of participants were listed by each group‐‐not in order of significance or urgency‐‐to indicate where our energy and manpower should be focused. A second Joint Meeting with the Board of Directors, docents and volunteers was held January 11, the day this newsletter was to be mailed. To take the process from discussion to action, ideas were charted, frequency noted for various topics and all were then placed into four areas of concern by Jim Phelps and Linda Taylor. Certain patterns emerged. Four general areas seem to be on the minds of our members: a need for more manpower, funding, outreach/publicity and the relationship between the Park Department and the Nature Center. These themes came to the fore repeatedly. At the January 11, Joint Meeting, one subject area was addressed: Outreach and Publicity. Jim Phelps served as chairperson/moderator at this meeting. Improved outreach and publicity should make recruitment and fund‐
raising easier. Both are topics which may/should be addressed at additional Joint Meetings in the near future. Call for Volunteers
We need every reader to consider volunteering at
the Neal Taylor Nature Center. Below are three
tasks for which manpower is needed
immediately. A “mentor” volunteer will be
provided until the new volunteer is comfortable
“going solo” on the task.
Live Native Plant Display
If you have an interest in native plants, we are in
dire need of 2 or 3 people to volunteer once a
month or so to replenish the fresh plant exhibit.
This is a job that requires about 3 hours each
time the exhibit is replenished. Help in
learning the plants and the routine to follow is
available.
School Field Trips
As we move into the spring, individuals to help
lead hour-long nature walks of school age
children are seriously needed. Usually this
requires spending about four hours at Cachuma
Lake, leading groups of approximately 20-30
children on an easy walk in the Park.
Contact Park Naturalist Liz Gaspar at
688-4515.
Nature Center Host/Hostess
Acting as host/hostess in the Nature Center for
three hours on Saturday morning or afternoon,
once a month, is a role that definitely needs new
recruits. Training will be provided. Other roles
at the Center also need to be filled.
Please contact Julie McDonald at 805-693-0691
if you are interested in helping out with our great
center a lot or a little!
5
Memberships, Gifts and Donations – 2011. Thank you!
$ 7000
Charles Alva
$4900
Santa Barbara Foundation
$2500
Foundation Council of the Santa Ynez
Band of Chumash Indians
$1000-$2499
Carol Smagala
Sandy and Heloise Powers
Stephen Macintosh - Allied Waste
$500-$999
Santa Barbara County Fish and Game
Peyton and Suzanne Bucy
David Borgatello - Marborg Industries
Jerry and Sandra Witcher
Fritz and Hildegard Amacher
Lowell and Shirley McLelllan
Mary Lloyd and Ken Mills
Roger Millikan
Community West Bank
$250-$499
Zelda Hughes
Gil Graves
Jean Schuyler
Frank and Marlene Bucy
Robert and Carolyn Duncan
David and Barbara Hale
Linda Taylor
Charles and Patricia McPartlin
Ross and Jess Millikan
Santa Barbara Elks Lodge No. 613
$100-$250
Kirby and Duncan
Jim and Barbara Gutmann
Rosemary Arnold & Lisa French
Norman and Judith Ann Willis
Gladys Anderson and Dave & Cheryl
Clark
Sam and Darlene Chirman
Jack Collison
Judith Etchelecu
Albert and Lynda Williams Terres
Julie and Ralph Isabelle
Joanne Treloar
Tomasita (Tommie) Miller
Susan Ham and Bruce Vanderhoef
Shayna Rockwell
Jerry and Patricia Martin
Don and Joyce Love
Robert Runnels
Daniel Lenz - Lenz Pest Control
Ron and Sandra Wilmot
Julie McDonald and William Ross
Jed Hendrickson
Hook Line & Sinker
Jeff and Lisa Logan
Ben Krainer
Kenneth Robinson
Paul and Virginia Barrett
Lori Anne Haynes and Lucinda Lee
Williams
Brian Lincoln
Annelise Wechsler
Lauree Bradley and Steve Marshall
Richard and Lois Cofiell
Jim and Jean McDonald
Bill and Chris McCallister
Nancy States
Harrison Hardware
Maggie Klages
Jerry and Helen Haines
Karen and Si Jenkins
Mark and Kellee Lindauer
Vince and Sandy Sullivan
Greg Donovan
Michael and Vivian Pahos
Walter and Myrna Taylor
Annette Lilly
Ann Petroni
Svend and Patricia Olesen
Virginia Souza
Cleveland and Marilyn Whitfield
James Patin
Richard and Kay Howard
Helen Brown
William MacDonald - Federal Drug
Robert Carmody
Arne and Marcia Lunde
Bill and Sharon Fuller
Jim and Judith Ann Pancake
Peri & Alvarado CPA. Inc.
Jesse Aldana - Aldana Plastering
Arnoldi's LLC
John Goerke - Caribbean Coffee
Company
John and Ruth Rowe
Paul Cashman - State Farm Insurance
Richard Johnson
Carson and Sharon Scheller
John and Barbara Ahlman
Under $100
Lessie Nixon
Annie Ruano
Bill and Jacque Fondren
George Smith
Ernie and Shirley Del Rio - Central
Coast Cabins
Liz and Art Gaspar
Karl Hutterer
Elizabeth Teare
John and Jo Magistad
Jay and Jami Patton
Gilbert and Joan Lentz
Frank and Roberta Rice
Hal and Barbara Hamm
Lisa Ishikawa
Carol Lindberg
Colonel Dennis Beebe
Richard Kern
Ed and Janith Attlesey – State Farm
Insurance
Nielsen's Market
El Rancho Market
Van and Diane Barr
Tom and Donna Cooper
Joseph and Penny Knowles
Orosco Chavez
Marvin and Janie Johnson
Carla D'Antonio
Peter Schuyler and Lisa Stratton
Ed and Jonee Grat
John Evarts and Marjorie Popper
Vernon and Elizabeth Cook
Mitch and Diana Hawkins
Michael and Mary Jane Delgado
Gus Ballas
Suzanne Polansky
Leslie Gillies
Tracy Ireland
Ruth Pratt
Jeff Cotter
Frederic Blaser
Michael and Patricia Moropoulos
Karolyn Hanna
Marilou Rivera
Sam Smith
William and Isabel Osenga
Larry and Carolyn Wilson
Sharon Trotter
Frederick and Nancy Emerson
James and Elizabeth Barnett
Deborah Clark
Judy Blue
Steve and Sheri McMillan
James and Mary Myers
Neil and Kathleen Hicks
Jay and Carol Dalton
Donors of Service and Equipment
Wilson Printing – Dale Wilson
Service Master Inc. – Phillip Badone
6
Neal Taylor Nature Center
at Cachuma Lake
2265 Highway 154
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805) 693-0691
Exec. Director – Julie McDonald
[email protected]
Board of Directors
President - Sandi Witcher
Vice President - Kirby Duncan
Secretary - Barbara Gutmann
Treasurer - Lowell McLellan
Director - Dave Hale
Director - Carol Smagala
Director – John Henigin
Docent Officers
President – Linda Taylor
Vice President – Jerry Witcher
co-Secretaries - Annie Ruano
Joann Ganapes
Treasurer - Bob Runnels
S. B. County Park
Naturalist Office
(805) 688-4515
Park Naturalist - Liz M. Gaspar
Weekly Events
Coming Special Events
Guided Nature Walk
Food for Thought lecture
Sat. 10:00 - 11:30 am
Meet at the Nature Center
Sun. January 22, 2-4 pm
Recreation Hall
See article on page 2.
Junior Rangers
Sat. 12:30 - 1:30 pm
Meet at the Nature Center
Nature Center
Mon
closed
Tue – Sat 10 am to 4 pm
Sun
10 am to 2 pm
Eagle Cruises
Fri
10 am to noon & 2 to 4 pm
Sat
10 am to noon & 2 to 4 pm
Sun
10 to noon
Reservations are recommended
Call (805) 686-5050 weekdays,
or (805) 686-5055 on week-ends.
Eagle Count
Sat. Jan 14, 7:30 am
at the marina.
Adult Fishing Workshop
Sat March 17, 9 am to noon
At the Nature Center
See article on page 2.
Annual Trout Derby
April 14 and 15, 2012
This newsletter is published four
times a year. Comments are
welcome.
[email protected]