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Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods - E-News |
Annual Membership Picnic and Meeting October 22, 2011 |
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Promoting education, preservation & restoration |
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IN THIS ISSUE: Annual Membership Meeting & Potluck - October 22nd Annual Whale Watch Orientation - November 12th Honoring two Wonderful Volunteers Save our State Parks March and Rally on November 1st Holiday Online Auction Coming Soon
Flora and Fauna Sighting: Send us reports of special sightings of Wildflowers and Wildlife in our Parks. Post your stories and photos on our Facebook page and Twitter.
QUICK LINKS:
Docent and Community Education Program CONTACT INFORMATION: Mailing Address: Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods Tel: (707) 869-9177 FAX: (707) 869-8252 E-mail: stewards@mcn.org In Partnership with:
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Greetings, I hope you have marked your calendars for our Annual Membership Meeting and Potluck Picnic on October 22nd at Armstrong Redwoods SNR. If you arrive by 10:00 am you will enjoy a wonderful persentation by Doris Dickenson and Dr. Carmen Finley, our dedicated historian/writer team. Doris and Carmen will share their research about Parson Jones. The presentation will take place in the Volunteer Center/Stewards' office building, just beyond the picnic area. At noon we'll move to the group picnic area for a potluck picnic, always a scrumptious meal. During the meeting we'll ask for ideas on what the priorities for Stewards might be in the next few years. Stewards is starting a strategic planning process and input from our supporters will help us meet the new challenges ahead. Keeping our parks open will require new skills and a significant fundraising effort. As I frequently say, Stewards wouldn't be the organization we are without our dedicated volunteers. They give heart to the work we do and their efforts to provide a quality experience for park visitors is what makes visiting our State Parks so inspiring. This year's Annual Volunteer Celebration will take place on Friday, December 2nd and those who volunteered during 2011 will be invited to attend an evening of food, wine, music, a silent auction and time to socialize with your fellow volunteers. It's now time to get your volunteer hours into the Stewards office so we won't miss inviting you to this wonderful annual affair. You can download the volunteer hours form on our website. Most years, Stewards nominates 1 or 2 volunteers who have shown extra initiative as our "Volunteers of the Year" for the Sonoma County Volunteer Center's Annual Recognition event. This year's event took place on October 13th at the Friedman Center and we were very pleased to nominate Doris Dickenson and Dr. Carmen Finley for their contribution in researching and writing two historic publications about Colonel James B. Armstrong and his family and Wiliam Ladd Jones (Parson Jones). Read more about their astonishing accomplishments below. Don't forget to sign up for our Whale Watch Orientation and please consider coming with us to Sacramento on November 1st for a Save our State Parks March and Rally. Our voices can make a difference. Fall days in our parks are very special indeed. The falling leaves and the sounds of children enjoying their park experience add a lively ambiance to the beauty around. Enjoy,
Michele Luna, Executive Director Annual Membership Meeting & Potluck
October 22, 2011, 10:00 am - Presentation in the Volunteer Center Conference Room with Doris Dickenson and Carmen Finley. Join us for
an annual organization update and a chance to give input on priorities for the organization as we face the challenges of park closures during the next year. Annual Whale Watch Orientation
November 12, 2012, 9:00 am to 1:30 pm Learn how to assist the public in viewing one of nature's wonderous annual events. Our whale mother, Bea Brunn will enlighten new docents about the world of whales and the logistics of being a Whale Watch docent. A visit to Bodega Head after lunch will provide a presentation by one of our dedicated lifeguards on Sonoma Coast. Register online and contact Ruby Herrick for more information. Honoring Volunteers
Doris and Carmen are notable historians in their own right and together they have made extraordinary literary contributions to California State Parks since 2004. These two women researched and wrote two biographies about the two men and their families who saved Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve for future generations. Their books and companion DVDs, Colonel James B. Armstrong, His Family and His Legacy and Parson Jones, The Life and Times of William Ladd Jones have provided the park with the most well-researched factual information about this park's history to date. These books have been a labor of love for these dedicated women who spent the greater part of seven years working on them. They began working on the first book in 2004 and dedicated four years to the first book. The book was finished in 2008 and published by Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods for resale in our Visitor Center and online. After developing a PowerPoint presentation to showcase their work for groups, they decided to create a DVD as a companion to the book. Despite the challenges and trial and error of creating a narrated DVD, they succeeded and helped to fund the initial production costs themselves. While researching the genealogy for the Colonel Armstrong book, Doris and Carmen made wonderful contacts with descendants of William Ladd Jones. These and other contacts provided them with enough information to write the second book. The story of Rev. William Ladd Jones is based on original documents written by members of the Jones family at the end of the nineteenth century and in the early twentieth century. It also includes excerpts from the personal autobiographies, diaries, and recollections of William Ladd Jones. Again, after they finished the book in 2010 they developed and funded the production of a companion DVD in 2011. Supporting the work of Doris and Carmen has truly been a pleasure. Their excitement was infectious as they discovered new information and came across special photos, original documents and artwork. Carmen has taken a special interest in learning how to utilize technology in ways that were entirely new for her. Doris plays the role of Lizzie Armstrong Jones at many public events and enjoys telling the public how Lizzie is one of the key people who helped realize her father's dream of preserving his magnificent stand of old growth redwoods. Doris and Carmen have already begun to work on their newest DVD project, a guided tour of Armstrong Redwoods, which they will narrate with accompanying photographs. Their support for Armstrong Redwoods is exemplary and their contributions will continue to be enjoyed by future generations who visit the largest stand of old growth redwoods open to the public in Sonoma County. Save our State Parks March and Rally
Join Stewards and the California State Parks Foundation for a March and Rally in Sacramento on November 1st as we protest the closure of 70 state parks and raise awareness of the negative impacts park closures will have on California. Following the March and Rally, a joint legislative hearing is scheduled to be held at the Capitol by the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife and the Assembly Committee for Accountability & Administrative Review. This hearing will discuss the impacts and status of proposed state park closures and we anticipate there will be some time allocated by the committee for public comment. Visit their website for all the details and be sure to register soon. Annual Online Holiday Auction
Stewards' Annual Online Holiday Auction is always a great success and many of our supporters look forward to this wonderful opportunity to do their holiday shopping and support an important cause. This year's auction will open on November 10th and run online until November 30th. The auction will end on the evening of our Volunteer Celebration with a silent auction. Anyone can submit their absentee bids and we will assign someone to bid for you at this event. Many items go to absentee bidders. We are looking for gently used items that you cannot use anymore, B & B stays, artwork, jewelry, photography, gift certificates and more. You can post your items with a photograph right on our auction site, or you can email us and we will post your items for you. Also help us by referring your friends and family. We rely on this annual event to raise much needed funding to support our programs. |
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Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods · P.O. Box 2 · Duncans Mills, CA 96430 |
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