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June
17 & 18, 2010
Conservation
Backpack, Bitter Creek Canyon
June
19, 2010
1-Day
hike on lower Bitter Creek
Bitter
Creek National Wildlife Refuge
We've got two projects lined up for Bitter Creek in mid June.
Either way, it's Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge,
designated critical habitat for the California Condor, and
closed to the public. Though seldom-seen wildlife is never
guaranteed, we have seen some of our best wildlife sightings at
Bitter Creek.
The first project is on Thursday and
Friday, June 17 & 18. We're looking to populate a small,
hotshot backpacking crew to go into the deepest reaches of
Bitter Creek canyon. We'll backpack upstream, almost to
the headwall, wiping out tamarisk as we go. This task is
suited for only the toughest, hard-tack eatin' sons and
daughters of the American West.
The crew will be small due to restricted conditions in the
canyon. Your physical strength and stamina must be
optimal, and your gear compact and light weight. Please
inquire if you feel you are an ideal candidate.
The
second project is a 1-Day hike on lower Bitter Creek.
We will be revisiting a previously treated area, checking for
tamarisk resprouts and any new finds, cutting them to grade.
Because this is a one day project with a high carbon footprint
per volunteer hour, participation will be limited to the
carpools available. Otherwise, the location is ideal for
volunteers in the Ojai, Ventura and Bakersfield areas.
Sturdy teens and up welcome.
May
29-31, 2010
Conservation
Backpack, Piru Creek
Los
Padres National Forest
Memorial
Day Weekend is perfect timing for ideal backpacking conditions
in our local national forests. It's warm enough to get by
without a tent and heavy clothing, but not hot enough to send
you bolting for the still-frozen High Sierras.
This
trip will be a 2-night, 3-day loop through a beautiful section
of Piru Creek and one if it's most delightful tributaries.
Wildflowers are in full riot, and bird migrants and mating pairs
are busy with production of the next generation.
This section of Piru Creek includes both soft
and hard chaparral, mixed with conifer forest right down to the
stream channel. Southern California at its finest.
We'll be checking for Tamarisk in areas we've
treated previously, so we expect the work to be lighter than
usual. We'll use light weight hand tools, cutting tamarisk to
grade wherever we find it.
We'll be working with our packs on, IN the
stream channel without the benefit of a trail, and your feet
will be wet all day. Your pack will need to be very light, and
your body in good physical condition. We have some gear to
loan if you need it. Directions come out a few days before
to registered participants.
May
1 & 2, 2010
San
Emigdio Watershed Conservation Backpack
Wind
Wolves Preserve
Join us for this rare opportunity to backpack the rugged and
beautiful San Emigdio Canyon watershed.
During the full splendor of spring,
we'll enter the canyon from the top in the Los Padres National
Forest and hike down into the heart of the Wind Wolves Preserve.
We'll take the trail until we hit the stream, then follow it
through the watershed, a shallow gradient with a 1,500 feet
elevation drop over 6 miles. We'll be going after two invasive
plant species, perennial
pepperweed and Russian knapweed.
We'll campout creek side under
the stars at the Cottonwood Cathedral, and finish our hike on
Sunday afternoon. You'll need lightweight backpacking gear, with your pack weighing
20 pounds or less fully loaded. Limited spots available,
please sign up early. Directions come out a few days
before to registered participants.
April
3 & 4, 2010
Untaming
the American West for
Tule Elk, Pronghorns, Kit Fox, and their
kind
Bitter
Creek National Wildlife Refuge
There is
nothing more satisfying at the end of the day than looking back
over wild and free open space you helped recreate. No
more, will miles of barbed wire fencing left behind from cattle
days, shut out elk, pronghorns, kit foxes, and the like, from
roaming their historic homeland. We call this 'Untaming the
American West'.
We will disassemble a long section of fencing in its entirely, both wire and posts were possible, restoring the
open space of this beautiful land and freedom of movement to wildlife in the area, including
pronghorns, Tule elk and kit fox.
We work in teams, leapfrogging down the fence line.
It's easy and fun, and the work moves fairly quickly.
This is a rare opportunity to visit Bitter Creek, which is
entirely closed to the public. We'll be camping out
in the glory of Spring, enjoying a lavish community feast and
the delightful company of people like you! This is
California Condor country, so bring your binoculars!
Bitter Creek is a 2 hour drive from the north San Fernando
Valley. Carpools are organized wherever possible.
Sturdy teens and up welcome. Directions come out a few days
before to registered participants.
March
20 & 21, 2010
Beaver
Camp Microtrash clean up and Campout
Sespe
Creek, Ojai
Los
Padres National Forest
Right along side beautiful Sespe Creek, the decommissioned Beaver
Camp site has been over run with illegal target shooting and all
its corresponding production of macro and microtrash. It
won't be long before condors are into this stuff, where it can end
up mixed in with the with food condor parents bring back to
their nestling, which is lethal.
To restore this area to it's natural beauty, and to expand the beach digs for arroyo toads, we'll be going in to collect the
trash on both sides of the creek and give the area the TLC it
deserves. This is our beloved Spaceship Earth folks, and a
very sweet spot to boot.
Join us for a weekend on Sespe Creek, in the rugged, jaw-droppingly
gorgeous Rose Valley area. We'll be working the camp area
both days, but if we finish early, we'll visit the Sespe Gorge
area for a pleasure hike.
This is car camping at it's finest with fun-loving people, our
sumptuous community dinner, a sky full of milky way and the peace
and satisfaction that's ours for the taking.
Sturdy teens and up welcome.
March
6 & 7, 2010
Untaming
the American West for Tule Elk, Pronghorns, Kit Fox, and their
kind
Bitter
Creek National Wildlife Refuge
There is
nothing more satisfying at the end of the day than looking back
over wild and free open space you helped recreate. No
more, will miles of barbed-wire fencing, left behind from cattle
days, shut out elk, pronghorns, kit foxes, and the like, from
roaming their historic homeland. We call this 'Untaming the
American West'.
We will disassemble a long section of fencing in its entirely, both wire and posts were possible, restoring the
open space of this beautiful land and freedom of movement to wildlife in the area, including
pronghorns, Tule elk and kit fox.
We work in teams, leapfrogging down the fence line.
It's easy and fun, and the work moves fairly quickly.
This is a rare opportunity to visit Bitter Creek, which is
entirely closed to the public. We'll be camping out
in the glory of Spring, enjoying a lavish community feast,
acoustic guitars and
the delightful company of people like you! This is
California Condor country, so bring your binoculars!
Bitter Creek is a 2 hour drive from the north San Fernando
Valley. Carpools are organized wherever possible.
Sturdy teens and up welcome. Directions come out a few days
before to registered participants.
February
20 & 21, 2010
Arroyo Toad Love Shack Conservation
Ruby
and Fish Canyons
TLC and Campout
Angeles
National Forest
Endangered arroyo toads need their sandy beaches if they're
going to pass on any DNA! The males stake out a private
beach, and in their sexiest voice, spend the evening letting
females know they're available. The females move in to check out
the digs and to see if they're impressed. If so, they slip down into biological drive, and lock in the love embrace under
the light of the silvery moon. Toad biology, it's just sooo right. But if there are no sandy beaches,
this just ain't happening!
Come out with us to two beautiful riparian
canyons tucked away in the Santa Clarita watershed, where invasive
plant species can take over toad digs. We'll be hiking along
both streams cutting invasive tamarisk with lightweight hand
tools. We're talking So-Cal winter wonderland here!
All the early bloomers will be sending up buds, and it's
one of the best seasons to catch migrant or vagrant birds before they head
north.
Join us
for a day in each canyon, a Saturday evening camping out, a lavish community feast, homemade music, winter
stars and some of the finest company you'll find anywhere.
Adults and sturdy teens welcome. Directions come out a few
days before the event.
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