Eco-Bulletin ~ February 15, 2007

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. See and use the 2007 GBBC PowerPoint presentation.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society are challenging participants to break the record set in 2000 for the greatest number of checklists ever submitted during the four-day event this February 16-19. Bird counts can help answer many questions:

- How will this winter's snow and cold temperatures influence bird populations?

- Where are winter finches and other “irruptive” species that appear in large numbers during some years but not others?

- How will the timing of birds’ migrations compare with past years?

- How are bird diseases, such as West Nile virus, affecting birds in different regions?

- What kinds of differences in bird diversity are apparent in cities versus suburban, rural, and natural areas?

- Are any birds undergoing worrisome declines that point to the need for conservation attention?

Small Wilderness Area Preservation (S.W.A.P.) is conducting their next Third Saturday Walk in the Elfin Forest at 9:30am on February 17. If there is plenty of rain in February, entomologist and fungophile Dennis Sheridan will be able to point out many beautiful (and some ugly) species of fungi sprouting from the Elfin Forest floor. He'll help us to find Earthstars, Wood blewits, Yellow staining agaricus, the poisonous Amanitas, Shaggy parasol mushrooms and dozens of others. Bring a magnifying lens and, if you have a mystery mushroom in your yard, bring a sample for Dennis to identify. Dress for the possibility of getting dirty-mushrooms growing low to the ground.

Note: This is not a mushroom collecting walk, as law protects all plant material in the Elfin Forest. If there hasn’t been enough rain to bring out the mushrooms, join Dennis for an equally fascinating walk about the lichens, which grow abundantly in the Elfin Forest.

Walks in the Elfin Forest meet at 9:30 a.m. at the north end of 15th St. off of Santa Ysabel in Los Osos (unless otherwise noted). Proceed up the path to the boardwalk, where the walk will begin. Wear comfortable shoes, long sleeves and pants to avoid poison oak. Please park carefully, avoiding driveways and mailboxes. We ask that you not bring dogs or other pets.

The 2010 Imperative Global Emergency Teach-In addressing global warming and climate change is an interactive web-cast which will broadcast live from New York, reaching more than 500,000 students, faculty, deans and practicing professionals in the architecture, planning and design communities in both North and South America.

Presenters include:

- Dr. James Hansen, NASA GISS

- Edward Mazria, AIA, Architecture 2030

- Dr. Chris Luebkeman, Arup Associates

- Susan Szenasy, Metropolis magazine

Global warming poses an overwhelming challenge to all of us, and we need you to respond. The population of the US is only 5% of the world’s population, but we emit 25% of the global warming pollution – putting our planet at risk. Join others to be informed and inspired by solutions that make a difference.

HopeDance www.hopedance.org will present a free screening of "An Inconvenient Truth" at the SLO Public Library on Saturday, February 24 at 6:30pm. Light refreshments will be provided.

A panel discussion follows the movie:

- Dave Romero, Mayor, City of San Luis Obispo

- Karen Merriam, Executive Director, Sierra Club ~ Santa Lucia Chapter

- Larry Allen, Director, APCD

- Lisa Quinn, Program Coordinator, SLO Regional Rideshare

Bike, walk, take the bus, or share the ride to this event. As bus service ends before this lets out, a free guaranteed ride home will be available upon request. If you are interested in providing a ride or need a ride please call SLO Regional Rideshare at 781-4362.

Click here for the film's website.

American singer-songwriter, teacher and social change activist, Holly Near, will perform in concert at 8pm on Friday, March 9, at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts (487 Fair Oaks, Arroyo Grande). During her long career in folk and protest music, Holly Near has worked with a wide array of musicians and she has been recognized many times for her work for social change, including honors from the ACLU, the National Lawyers Guild, the National Organization for Women, NARAS, Ms. Magazine (Woman of the Year), and the Legends of Women's Music Award.

Tickets to this concert, a fundraiser for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Luis Obispo County, are $25 for General Admission and $22 for Seniors/Students. Tickets are available at Volumes of Pleasure Bookstore in Los Osos, Boo Boos in Grover and SLO, Clark Center Box Office.

For the first time in the 30-year history of the California Coastal Commission, interested members of the public and the media will be able to watch and listen to the Commission’s monthly meetings, live, via the internet at www.cal-span.org.

The public now has access to the deliberations and actions of the Commission on literally hundreds of coastal development issues, from proposed LNG terminals offshore Ventura to new public access trails in Malibu, to desal facilities in Orange County and championship golf courses on the Monterey Peninsula. Past meetings will be archived on the website for viewing and downloading. All meeting coverage will be gavel to gavel each day, but an advanced indexing system will allow viewers to go directly to items of interest, skip to the final vote or view the staff report.

The California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC) Network is offering docent-training sessions on Saturdays in February and March in the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden.

- Children’s Docent Training (for school and other children’s group tours) will be held from 9am to noon on February 3, 10, 17, and 24. Contact Teresa Lees, Children’s Education Coordinator by emailing education@slobg.org or calling (805) 927-5922.

- Adult Docent Training (for adult, family, and community group tours) will occur from 9am to 11am on March 17, 24, 31, and April 7 at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden. Contact Ron Kindig by emailing ronkindig@charter.net or calling (805) 481-4451.