Greetings,

I hope everyone had as nice a Christmas as I did and continue to have in Colorado with my darling grand-daughters. For those who do not celebrate Christmas, I hope you are enjoying the season as well. I see that Northern CA is getting some significant rain. It's cold in Colorado but no snow yet.

I am sending a friendly reminder that there are only a few more days to send in your final tax deductible donation for 2010. I don't have currrent figures so our giving tree is not updated, but we are gradually moving higher into the canopy to realize our goal of $35,000 by March 1st. We are already over half way there thanks to so many generous donations in the past two months. We invite you to Donate Now through our secure website. We will acknowledge your year-end donations as received in 2010 and all donations over $100 include a membership with wonderful benefits.

Remember that our environmental education programs for school children depend on your support. In addition, our Docent and Community Education Program will enable us to recruit, engage and train new community members as State Park docents and volunteers in 2011. It is the dedication of our volunteers that makes our work so rewarding and allows us to do so much with limited financial resources. Our first volunteer orientation and seminar will take place on January 8th.

Our State Parks are in peril and they need our support more than ever. Services are reduced until July 1st and the contact that park visitors have with our volunteers and docents makes a huge difference to them.

With Stewards' support the Volunteers in the Russian River District donate 30,000 hours of their time to our State Park programs.

We rely on your support to accomplish all that we do.

Peace to you all in the New Year,

Michele Luna, Executive Director

2011 New Volunteer Orientation

Saturday, January 8, 2011
9:00 to Noon

A General Orientation is required for all new State Park Volunteers. You will become acquainted with all the different volunteer opportunities available in Russian River area State Parks. There is something for everyone! You will also learn about the roles and responsibilities of being a State Park "Volunteer in Parks" (VIP). If you miss this orientation there will be two more later in the year. Check our website for more information.

Cultural Resources in
Armstrong Redwoods SNR and Austin Creek SRA
Saturday, January 8, 2011
12:30 to 3:30 pm

Instructors: Doris Dickenson and Carmen Finley
(local historians and authors)
John Schubert (local Russian River historian and author)
Learn about the history of this fascinating area from the pioneer days (1840) to the early 1900s. Topics include logging, railroads and the old mines in the area as well as a detailed biography of Colonel James B. Armstrong and his family.

Please register online

Contact Ruby Herrick for more information at rherrick@mcn.org.

Pinniped Monitoring Program Training
Monday, January 10, 2011, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm with lunch break
Jenner Visitor Center
Please register by emailing mluna@mcn.org.

Stewards has a contract to assist the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) with monitoring pinnipeds on Sonoma Coast and in the Russian River estuary. The goal of the project is to ensure that the harbor seals are not harassed beyond what the SCWA's Incidental Harassment Permit allows. The SCWA is required by NOAA's Biological Opinion to manage the estuary as optimum fish habitat for salmonids. This requires the construction of an outlet channel during specific times of the year in order to create a perched lagoon in the estuary. Monitoring is especially important during the harbor seal pupping season.

Volunteers are needed to assist with this monitoring project, which requires being on-call and some early morning shifts on the coast. A stipend is provided for this volunteer effort.

New and experienced volunteers are required to attend this training session where an update on our data collection efforts will be presented, as well as information on how to participate effectively in this important program.

Please register by emailing mluna@mcn.org.

Michele Luna, Executive Director
Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods