Audubon Canyon Ranch

Update! The deadline for the Conservation Science Intensive has been extended to February 1. This week-long program supports the current and next generation of conservation leaders. Youth explore natural history, restoration practices, and environmental stewardship. Share it with the young people in your life. Visit https://lnkd.in/dWC92y2e for more information. CSI centers on the feminine, including those who are socialized as, or identify with, the terms girl or young woman, as well as those who transcend the dominant gender binary narrative. Visit https://lnkd.in/dWC92y2e for more information. 🦀Program dates: June 23–27, 2025 📅Deadline to apply: February 1, 2025 📍Location: Martin Griffin Preserve, Stinson Beach, CA with explorations around the Point Reyes National Seashore 🏫Applicants must be enrolled at a high school or college located in California hashtag #YouthLeadership #EnvironmentalStewardship #NaturalHistory #GenderInclusivityProgram

A big thanks for all the hands and hearts stewarding Bouverie Preserve! 🌱🙌💚 From the volunteer stewards who come every Monday year-round, to the conservation contractors and Fire Forward who help make the ecosystem more resilient to wildfire and climate change, to Jen Potts (resource ecologist) and Amanda Botsford (preserve steward) who direct and guide the stewardship projects, thank you! Read their stories in the new blog post “Voices of stewardship at Bouverie Preserve” on our website: https://lnkd.in/gHzXwSVU Photos: 1: Monday stewards with Amanda Botsford, Bouverie Preserve land steward. Photo by Anne C. Mitchell 2: Amanda Botsford, Bouverie Preserve land steward and co-pilot Greta. Photo by Anne C. Mitchell 3: Spye General Engineering crew working on clearing around the bases of mature oaks in preparation for a future broadcast burn. Photo by Anne C. Mitchell 4: Bouverie Preserve resource ecologist Jen Potts uses a drip torch to tend a grassland with prescribed fire at Bouverie Preserve. Photo by Erika Lutz 5: Chase Whitener, prescribed fire practitioner, breaks down heavy fuels for a future pile burn at Bouverie Preserve. Photo by Erika Lutz 6: Fixing the Yellow Brick Road damaged by winter rains. Photo by Anne C. Mitchell #Conservation #EcologicalStewardship #WildfireResilience #ClimateResilience

Up close and personal with capillary thread moss (Rosulabryum capillare) at Bouverie Preserve. New docents learned with the education team about this and other wonders of the natural world, including a scorpion and wildflowers just emerging: baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii) in photo 4 and Sonoma sunshine (Blennosperma bakeri) in photo 5. Photos: Catie Clune #NatureEducation #WildflowerWednesday #SonomaCounty #FloraAndFauna

🦎Thanks, Junipers! The Juniper Junior Naturalists helped out in the seasonal newt count at Bouverie Preserve over the weekend. These budding naturalists learned about newt habitat, proper handling, and data collection, contributing to a long-term study that goes back two decades at the preserve. Sensitive to changes in the environment, newts and other amphibians are indicator species providing information about shifting conditions in an ecosystem. Photo 1: Andrea Salazar Photo 2–3: Lucy Tyrala #AmphibianConservation #EcosystemHealth #NatureEducation #WildlifeMonitoring

🌱Spring is starting to unfurl at Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen. There are multiple opportunities to visit the preserve to enjoy a flowery show, commune with birds, explore insect communities, learn about fire ecology, visit M.F.K. Fisher’s Last House, and more! Register at https://lnkd.in/gWSthSir. FIRE ECOLOGY HIKE, MAR 8, 10 am–1 pm GUIDED BIRD WALK, MAR 29, 8–11:30 am NATIVE BEE WORKSHOP, APR 5, 10 am–2 pm INTRO INVERTEBRATE ID, APR 12, 10 am–2 pm SPRING FLOWERS HIKE, APR 19, 10 am–1 pm HIKE & TOUR OF M.F.K. FISHER'S LAST HOUSE APR 19, 9:45 am–12 pm HIKE & TOUR OF M.F.K. FISHER'S LAST HOUSE MAY 20, 9:45 am–12 pm #SpringInBloom #FireEcology #BirdWatching #NativeBees #MFKFisher #NatureWalks

Do you want an impact in local conservation, love beautiful places, and want to learn new skills? Join us as a volunteer at one of our preserves in Sonoma or Marin County. Visit: https://lnkd.in/g7v-55U5. #VolunteerOpportunities #LocalConservation #CommunityImpact #GetInvolved

🌱 “When is the right time to burn?” — a question we hear often in the practice of good fire. It’s different for every ecosystem, and the answer lies between finding the seasonal sweet spot and navigating climate factors that shape timing of an effective prescribed burn. We call this complex equation the "burn window." 🪟 First, we look at the ecological factors to find an appropriate time. For prescribed fire managers working within the Bay Area’s rich diversity of ecosystems, multiple factors help to determine the best burn windows, including the unique ecology of vegetation communities, the biology of individual species, and the desired ecological outcomes. Next, we factor in the climate to offer the best conditions for conducting a safe and effective burn, such as air temperature, wind, and humidity, and the ecological conditions. 🔗 Learn more about seasonal sweet spots in the article "The Goldilocks Rx": https://lnkd.in/gt49CyQd Many thanks to former director of Fire Forward, Sasha Berleman, for co-creating this sharable resource for the North Bay community. Photo by Sashwa Burrous #fireforward #goodfire #resilientforests #prescribedfire

What does it mean to be a naturalist? This past weekend during the California Naturalist Program at Martin Griffin Preserve, this rich conversation was circulating. As a community-centered program, it's our intention to create learning spaces where people from all skill levels and backgrounds are invited to define for themselves what it means to be a naturalist. These conversations pave the way for fostering belonging in outdoor spaces. 🙏 Thank you to the participants in the program and our education staff for creating spaces for this learning community to thrive! #CaliforniaNaturalist #Naturalist #Joy #CommunityLearning #Belonging

How high can bobcats jump? 12 feet is the answer. Check out these juvenile bobcats at Bouverie Preserve scaling a 18-foot structure...just for fun. #Bobcats #BouveriePreserve #WildlifeConservation #JustforFun

🩶 Do you like lichens? Not if you’re moss in the second photo. Lichenologist Shelly Benson immersed docents in the fascinating world of lichens. Who would have known that a great chemical war is going on in slow motion between moss and lichen on a rock? In this case, the crustose lichen is winning, using its acids against the moss –– note the dark line on the edge of the moss closest to the lichen. 🩶 What’s to like about lichens? 🤝 Lichens are a partnership between a fungus and an alga or cyanobacteria. 👵🏻 The oldest known living lichen is the Arctic map lichen, which is estimated to be 8,600 years old. 💨 Sensitive indicators of air quality and pollution. 🌳 Found on many surfaces, including rocks, bark, wood, soil, plants, and even animals. 🌱 Lichens can break down rocks and help create soil for plants. 🤨 Do you know any other reasons to love lichen? Photos by Catie Clune. #Lichens #Moss #NatureScience #Biodiversity #EnvironmentalEducation