Valley Wilds
June 2013
A publication of the LARPD Open Space Unit
Volume 22 | Issue 6
Symbolic Recovery
By Chief Ranger Pat Sotelo
The enormous bird soars far above an inland reservoir.
Its striking white head and tail contrast starkly with its
brownish-black body and wings. Even at its great height, the
bird’s obsidian-sharp eyes can see the bodies of large trout
swimming lazily near the surface.
The eagle spots its prey and
begins to dive. Just as it picks up
speed, however, another large
bird flashes across its path, diving
toward the water’s surface.
The intruder dives under water,
submerging its body in its
determination to capture a fish.
This intruder, a graceful fishhunting bird known as an osprey,
slowly rises out of the water, its
large wings providing lift as it
gains altitude, a large struggling
trout clasped in its talons.
The eagle’s mission now changes.
Its focus now shifts to the fish
thrashing in the osprey’s talons.
IN THIS
Issue
• Symbolic Recovery
• This Month’s Ranger-led
Programs and Activities
• Park News
Livermore Area Recreation
and Park District
4444 East Ave. Livermore, CA 94550
www.larpd.dst.ca.us
Ranger Office: 925.960.2400
The eagle dives at the osprey,
hoping to steal its catch. Talons
spread, the eagle attacks the
osprey repeatedly. The osprey,
smaller than the eagle and
weighed down by its catch, is no
match for the eagle. It drops the
wriggling trout, and the eagle
snatches the fish out of the sky.
The bald eagle, ever the
opportunist, is not above thievery
or scavenging to acquire its
meal. Yet the mere fact of the
bald eagle’s presence across our
country is a testament to the
success of environmental laws
meant to bring endangered
species back from the brink and
back into their native habitats.
The bald eagles’ numbers in
the continental United States
plummeted in the mid-20th
century, due in part to the loss
of nesting trees, disturbance by
humans of nesting sites and,
despite laws meant to protect
them, by shooting.
The main culprit in the decline
of the eagles, however, was the
pesticide DDT. This pesticide
washed off of farm fields into
creeks and rivers, where it
accumulated in the tissues of
insects and shellfish. When
Bald Eagles at Lake del Valle
Photo by Polly Krauter
fish ate these prey animals, the
toxin became concentrated in
their bodies, which were then
fed on by the bald eagles. This
concentration of toxicity through
the food chain is known as biomagnification. The pesticide
interfered with the eagle’s ability
to metabolize calcium, causing
infertility, non-viable eggs, and
eggs with shells so thin they
would crack and break before
hatching.
As a result, our national symbol
was placed on the endangered
species list in 1967, and DDT was
banned from use in 1972. The
eagles’ population rebounded
after this, and their numbers
increased so well they were taken
off the endangered species list in
1995, and completely de-listed in
2007.
(Continued on Page 3)
Ranger-led
Programs
Experience nature and history in a special way. Programs are
generally 1 - 2 hours in length. A $2 donation is requested. A $5
parking fee is charged at Sycamore Grove Park.
June
Programs
Quick Look:
Cougar Country
Saturday, June 1st
6:00 pm
BirdsSunday, June 2nd2:00 pm
Backpacking Tutorial
Saturday, June 8th
2:00 pm
Cool Off in the Creek
Sunday, June 16th
2:00 pm
Solstice Star Walk
Friday, June 21st
8:30 pm
Cougar Country
Saturday, June 1st
6:00 pm
We live in cougar country. Today’s program will provide information on
cougar history, identification and behavior. We’ll discuss recommended safety
measures to take in cougar country, and much more. Visual aids and handouts
will be provided. Reservations required by calling (925) 960-2400.
Ranger Patti Cole Sycamore Grove Park, Arroyo Road Entrance
Birds
Sunday, June 2nd 2:00pm
Birds are one of the most diverse and beautiful groups of animals on earth.
There is a wide variety in color, shape, size and habit. How did they get that
color? How come they can fly? What exactly makes a bird a bird anyway? Join us
to answer these questions and more about these wonderful animals.
Ranger Dawn Soles Sycamore Grove Park, Arroyo Road Entrance
Backpacking Tutorial
Saturday, June 8th
2:00pm
Summer is here! It’s time for us to pull our packs out of the closet and get
ready for some adventure. While we’re excited to go out into the wilderness, we
should also be prepared. Come on down and hear some good ideas of what to
keep in your pack, how it should fit properly, first aid tips and tricks, and much
more!
Ranger Danny Haberman
Sycamore Grove Park, Wetmore Road Entrance
Cool off in the Creek
Sunday, June 16th
2:00 pm
Beat the summer heat and celebrate the end of school by spending an afternoon
enjoying the cool waters of the Arroyo del Valle. We’ll talk about some of the
creatures we might find lurking in the “deep” (and shallows) and then use nets
to see what we can find. Wear clothes that can get wet and closed-toed shoes.
Ranger Amy Wolitzer Sycamore Grove Park, Wetmore Road Entrance
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June Programs (Countinued)
Solstice Star Walk
Friday, June 21st 8:30 pm
Symbolic Recovery (Continued)
Since then, bald eagles have been seen at numerous
Bay Area lakes and reservoirs, and some nesting pairs
have also been spotted. Near Lake Del Valle, just
outside of Livermore, a pair of bald eagles has built
a nest and are raising, at this printing, three young
eaglets.
The longest day of the year is the perfect time for a
walk to enjoy the lingering light and then the stars
that follow. We will stop along the way to check out
the crepuscular critters as they emerge and listen
to stories of the summer
constellations. The walk will
The ranger staff’s friend (and intrepid photographer)
be approximately two miles
Polly Krauter has been keeping a photographic eye
round trip.
on these eagles and is providing us with a “play-byRanger Glen Florey play” of their progress. Polly’s amazing photographs
Sycamore Grove Park,
Wetmore Road Entrance
accompany this article.
Three sessions of the popular Tadpole Camp,
(for ages 4 to 6) still have room for more
campers! July 1-3 ($95), July 29-Aug. 2 ($158)
and Aug. 19-23 ($158). Camps run from 9:30 am
- 1:30 pm.
The youngest of the eaglets has proven to be a
survivor. Eagle chicks are prone to fratricide, the
killing of younger chicks by the older ones as a means
of obtaining exclusive rights to the food and a better
chance of survival. They’ll often chuck the younger
one out of the nest or peck it to death. The youngest
chick is fighting back and holding its own thus far
and there may soon be three young bald eagles
soaring over Lake Del Valle in the near future.
There is also room in one session of Ohlone
Camp (ages 10 - 13): August 5 - 9 ($220). Camp
runs from 9:30 am - 4:30 pm with an overnight
on Thursday night! Call (925) 373 - 5700 for
more information or to register.
The natural world is full of wonders, paradoxically
fragile and resilient at the same time. Let’s hope for
the survival of more of our endangered fauna, and
celebrate the majestic symbols who have returned to
fly once more over our lakes, fields, and golden hills.
Still time to register kids for LARPD’s
Summer Nature Camps
Hook and Ladder Run
in Sycamore Grove Park
Sunday, June 2nd will be the LivermorePleasanton Firefighters Foundation 5th
annual “Hook and Ladder Run”. All money
raised goes directly to local charities,
including The Burn Foundation. If you would
like to participate, register online here:
http://www.active.com/10K-race/livermoreca/5th-annual-hook-and-ladder-run-2013
Park users should expect the park to be very
busy until noon on Sunday, June 2nd.
Photo by Polly Krauter
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Park News
Our New Chief Ranger:
Pat Sotelo
More Improvements for
Sycamore Grove Park
Following the retirement
of 27 year Ranger /
Naturalist Supervisor
Mike Nicholson, the
District went through
the hiring process for
a new supervisor, now
called “Chief Ranger”.
Both internal and
external candidates were
interviewed. Ultimately,
Ranger Pat Sotelo was
chosen as the new Chief Ranger.
Paved Path Repair
You may have noticed sections of the paved trail
through the park were recently repaved. The focus
of this project was some of the most damaged
sections along the 2.5 miles of the trail. We hope
everyone is enjoying the smooth new surface. Look
for more improvements to this trail in the future.
Ranger Pat has been with the Park District for 24
years. Before joining the District he worked at
Ardenwood Historic Site and was known as “Farmer
Pat”. Since joining LARPD and becoming “Ranger
Pat”, he has led literally hundreds of field trips
and school programs, earning the adoration of
generations of school children and inspiring some
of them to follow in his footsteps.
There are many, many amusing stories about Ranger
Pat. One famous tale involves him pretending to be
a squirrel to entertain a group of school children and
accidently inhaling a grass seed. This resulted in a
trip to the emergency room and a tracheotomy
Ranger Pat is a man of many interests and talents.
He enjoys bird watching, although he stops short
of calling himself a birder. He prefers to say “I’m
just a guy who likes watching birds.” He is also
knowledgable about all sorts of plants and animals,
as well as local history. While with the district he has
been involved in resource management projects
and has led the Junior Ranger program.
For twenty years, Ranger Pat has spent at least
part of his summers working at Camp Shelly,
LARPD’s family campground in South Lake Tahoe.
Although his supervisory duties will keep him busy
in Livermore most of this summer, he still plans on
going up to Camp Shelly as many times as he can!
New Restrooms
The park will also have new restrooms this summer.
At the Wetmore entrance the restrooms will have
flush toilets and sinks – yes, running water! At the
Arroyo Road entrance the restrooms will not be
flush but they will be a significant improvement.
In preparation for the new restrooms, a project to
extend services (water, sewer, etc.) into the park at
the Wetmore entrance will begin on June 10. That
project is slated to wrap-up on June 28. Please be
prepared for all that goes along with construction
projects during this time period: noise, equipment,
possible delays on trail access between the
entrance and the equestrian lot. There may also be
short periods of time when water is not available
at the drinking fountains in that area. Additionally,
the equestrian lot will be closed for these three
weeks because that lot will be the staging area for
the project.
Following the June project, the new restrooms will
be installed. The old restrooms will be demolished
and removed first so porta-potties will be on-site
during this period. The Arroyo Road end of the
park will be closed during the project. We don’t
have the exact start date for this project yet but will
announce it as soon as possible.
We know these types of projects can be an
inconvenience to park visitors but we ask for your
patience during this time. To ensure your safety,
as well as the safety of the project crews, please do
not venture into closed areas of the park. When it’s
all completed, the park will be that much nicer to
visit.
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