Greetings,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was filled with family and friends and a nice, relaxing week off.

On November 16th I attended a meeting in Sacramento to learn more about what it will take to run a successful campaign to pass the State Parks Ballot Initiative in November of 2010. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us and we are now ready for you to get involved with helping us with signature gathering. At this point, we are waiting for the title and summary from the Attorney General's office, which is expected by the end of December. After that happens, signature gathering can begin. In the meantime, Stewards has scheduled one of the first signature gathering workshops in the State.

Signature Gathering Workshop, December 12, 2009, 10 - Noon
in Santa Rosa

All volunteers interested in gathering signatures MUST attend a workshop to become acquainted with the details involved with collecting enough signatures to qualify the ballot measure. Please email stewards@mcn.org with your name, preferred email address and phone number and we will get back to you with the details of where to meet. If you cannot attend this workshop please let us know and we will work on scheduling another one after the first of the year.

For more information about the California State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust fund Act of 2010 visit the advocacy page of our website or the California State Parks Foundation's website.

Ways for you to Help Stewards Restore Services in our Parks

As you know, many areas of Sonoma Coast and Austin Creek camping facilities are currently closed. We continue to work towards keeping the Jenner Visitor Center (JVC) open and the popular restroom that is used by park visitors and the community. Thanks to a generous donation by the Sonoma Land Trust we are able to keep the JVC and restroom open until after the holidays. We have also collected some donations from the community and volunteers but not enough yet to cover the costs through June of 2010. We may need to close these facilities after the holidays so we can reopen them in the Spring if we do not raise the needed funds.

There are many ways to support Stewards that will also benefit you and your holiday shopping needs.

• Shop in our Visitor Centers, which provide wonderful holiday gifts for nature-lovers of all ages. The Armstrong Visitor Center is open 7 days a week from 11-3. The JVC is open on weekends also from
  11-3. Also, 40% of the purchase price of each item is tax deductible.

• We have also added more items to our online E-Store. We can direct ship to your family and friends if you place your order by December 14th and again 40% of the purchase price of each item is tax deductible.
  
  
• Support our Holiday Online Auction (see below)
  
  
• Give a gift membership to Stewards to a family member or friend who would be honored that you thought of them with a donation to a worthy cause. They will also benefit with a 20% discount at our Visitor Centers.

• Help us raise $10,000 to receive a matching challenge grant from the Dean Witter Foundation for general support.

Please donate now, if you haven't already done so, and support our hard work throughout the year to provide quality education and stewardship volunteer programs for park visitors, as well as our work to sustain our State Parks into the future.

Your continued support is greatly appreciated,

Michele Luna

Bid Wild for State Parks - Holiday Online Auction

It's getting exciting - the final days of our Online Auction are here and this is when the bidding gets wild until 3:00 pm on December 2, 2009. If you haven't visited our Holiday online auction now is the time. Don't miss out on a wonderful opportunity to help Stewards raise much needed funds for our education and stewardship volunteer programs. Also help Stewards restore services in closed State Park areas.

BID WILD FOR GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT ITEMS

• EcoAdventures in Sonoma County and Around the World
• Bed and Breakfast Stays
• Beautiful Photography and Artwork
• Jewelry, Collectables, and Vintage items
• Lots of Wine and Wine Tasting Events
• Special Dinners prepared for you and your guests
• Educational items for children
• Lots of gift items less than $20

CHECK THE AUCTION OFTEN FOR NEW ITEMS.

Be sure to place your absentee bid before 3:00 pm on December 2nd
The online portion of the auction ends at 3:00 pm on December 2nd and your absentee bid will carryover to the live event that takes place on December 4th. This appreciation event is for our dedicated volunteers and local sponsors. If you did not get an invitation and you volunteered with one of the State Park Programs supported by Stewards during 2009, please let us know.

Tell Your Friends.
Do you know someone who would be interested in supporting our cause? Refer a Friend to our auction so they can get involved.

Thank you in advance for your continued support! We look forward to your online bids!

Upcoming EcoAdventures

Birds of Prey on the Kortum Trail with Hollis and Jerry Bewley
Saturday, December 19, 2009, 9 am, meet in Shell Beach Parking lot

We’re fortunate to have some “Species of Special Concern” hunting in our State Parks & they’re easy to spot once you know what to look for. Possible sightings: northern harriers, white-tailed kites, kestrels, red-tailed and migrant hawks. Bring binoculars, water and a snack. Dress in layers. Will raincheck if necessary.
Limited to 20, $15 per person donation, Stewards members FREE.Register online.

Shop our E-Store - (Click photo below)

• Educational Toys and Games for Children
• Apparel
• Field and Pocket Guides
• Patches, child's daypack

Also, if you have seen an item in one of our Visitors Centers and would like to have it shipped directly to a friend or family member don't hesitate to call us by December 14th so we can provide you with this service.

Donate,
Become a Member
Your support is needed now more then ever as we fight to keep our State Parks accessible year round to all of us who
love them so dearly.

Michele Luna, Executive Director
Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods