June 26, 2011 — PWA Docent Celebration, 2:00 – 5:00 PM
After a very exciting and busy year, the docents got together at Karen & Dave Johnson’s for food, drink, and lively conversation. The PWA Board and docents with their spouses/support persons had the opportunity to get to know each other a little better and catch up on the latest news. Last, but not least, Karen was thanked heartedly for her two years of volunteering as the liaison between the teachers in the Petaluma River Watershed and PWA.

June 23, 2011 — Docent Enrichment Field Trip, Plant Identification
Fifteen docents took a brief tour of the CASA nursery and the plant walk at Shollenberger Park. John Shribbs, who grows most of our native plants, took us on a brief tour of his nursery starting at 8:15, enabling the docents to become acquainted with some of the native species which have been planted at the park. The walk at Shollenberger started at 9:00 AM. On the two-hour walk we identified many plant species, talked about Miwok uses of some species, and the overall plan for habitat restoration in the park.

June 21, 2011 — Docent Enrichment Field Trip, Petaluma Museum, 10:00 AM
Fifteen docents/spouses attended the exhibit at the Petaluma Museum: "Beyond - Visions of Planetary Landscapes" ...a Smithsonian traveling exhibit whose only California stop was in Petaluma. PWA Docent Len Nelson is also a Petaluma Museum volunteer and a docent for this exhibit; he led our tour through the exhibit.

June 18, 2011 — Veterans Help at Shollenberger
On a beautiful Saturday morning, six veterans helped the PWA docents remove mustards, bristly ox-tongue, and prickly lettuce. Work began at the Shollenberger gate and advanced toward the river. It’s amazing what these veterans accomplished in three hours.

May 24, 2011 — Kiosk #7, Habitat Restoration, is Modified and Updated
To minimize interior condensation, Peter Colasanti added more air holes to balance the interior/exterior temperature and covered the holes with screen to keep the small creatures out. Gerald Moore arranged the new laminated photos and text in the kiosk, while Mary Edith Moore chased spider webs and polished the Plexiglas.

May 12, 2011 — Pulling/Digging out the Poison Hemlocks
J.P. McGowan, instructor at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma (Two Rock), brought 18 students to remove the poison hemlock. Because the hemlock was about ¾ mile from the entrance, two Coast Guard vans traveled in convoy along the dirt road to the iron bridge where the work began. Visitors were delighted that the Coast Guard was helping with wetlands habitat.

May 7, 2011 — Docent and Restoration Volunteers
Gerald and Mary Edith Moore setup a table at 8:00 AM at the Marina for the River Cleanup. He and Mary Edith recruited for PWA docents and restoration volunteers until 10:30 AM. Sally Rowland and Beth Flake took the 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM slot.

May 3 and 14 June, 2011 — PRBO Conservation Science Employees Pull Weeds
Twelve employees worked in Shollenberger on their lunch hour to remove weeds which fronted their building. Because of the summer noontime heat, the summer monthly habitat restoration will begin at 7:30 AM.

April 30, 2011 —
Wade Belew, Chairman of the California Grasslands Association, met the Moores and Kathleen Garvey at Shollenberger on Saturday afternoon to identify grasses, both native and nonnative. It was a good session.

April 14, 2011 — High School Volunteers
Dinah Lee, English teacher at Casa Grande High School (CASA), brought her 23 English class students to Shollenberger for a little plant education and weed removal.

March 22, 2011 — Docents from the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) Visit the Ellis Creek Wildlife Sanctuary
Peter Colasanti, Andy LaCasse, Gerald Moore, and Mary Edith Moore led a two-hour tour for 15 CAS docents. As they walked around the polishing wetlands, the history of Gray’s Marsh was told; landmarks indicated; and birds scoped and identified. An update on the PWA’s educational and stewardship programs of the Petaluma wetlands was discussed.

March 3, 2011 — Removing Nonnative Bushes & Mulching Around the Natives
Thanks go to CPO Clint Hamilton and SCPO Ryan Fahlenkamp, instructors at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma (Two Rock), for bringing 18 students to cut down nonnative blackberry bushes, relocating and stacking the cuttings for habitat, and putting wood chips around native plants at Shollenberger.

February 24, 2011 — Graduation Day for Eight New Docents
Eight applicants finished the eight-week course for new wetlands docents. These graduates have a great deal of enthusiasm and are eager to interpret the wetlands.

February 11-13, 2011 — San Francisco Flyway Festival
This 15th annual festival celebrates the annual wildlife migration through the San Francisco Bay Estuary. Exhibits and presentations took place at Mare Island, Expo Building 223, 500 Connolly Street. Vallejo CA. Bob Dyer, Al Hesla, Larry Johnson, and Wayne Till led two PWA tours at the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility, 9:30 AM to Noon, Friday & Saturday morning 11 & 12 February.

January 29, 2011 — Staking the Oak Trees and Planting
Thanks go to Chief Petty Officer Sabrina Hearst and Petty Officer Anissa Taylor, instructors at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma (Two Rock), for bringing 24 students to stake the oaks and plant native vegetation at Shollenberger.  The instructors rallied students from Food Service Specialist “A”, Operations Specialist and Electronics Technician “A”, and the Chief Petty Officer's Academy.  It was a pleasure to see the instructors working alongside the students and hear their easy banter and laughter as they pounded stakes and planted native trees, shrubs, and grasses.  So much was accomplished in four hours!  Without a doubt all had a good time, including the PWA docents.

January 11, 2011 — River Access & Enhancement Plan, 4:00 to 7:00 PM
A public meeting, organized by the National Park Service and the Petaluma Parks & Recreation Dept., was held at the Lucchesi Community Center to promote the plan and get input from the public for execution. PWA was asked to chair one of the ten booths and talk about the possible enhancements at Shollenberger/Alman Marsh.

December 12, 2010 — Volunteers from St. Mark’s Church in San Francisco
Seven parishioners from St. Mark’s Church came to Shollenberger on Sunday afternoon to help with habitat restoration. John Shribbs, science teacher at Casa Grande High School, was the contact for this group. For two-three hours, grasses were planted and chips put around the native shrubs and trees.

November 1 and 3, 2010 — Tabling at Shollenberger, 8:00 AM to Noon
Docents setup a table near Kiosk#1 at Shollenberger to recruit volunteers for the PWA educational and habitat restoration programs. Two 2-hour shifts were covered by two docents at each shift. Fifteen people indicated interest in one or both of the programs.

October 16, 2010 — RNM Fall Festival, Noon to 5:00 PM
RNM Properties, located at 1600 Corporate Circle in Petaluma, asked PWA to setup an educational table in their food court at the Adobe Creek Center parking lot at South McDowell Boulevard and Cader Lane. Two 2-hour shifts were covered by a couple of docents at each shift. A number of organizations were represented and demonstrated hands-on activities.

August 16-September 20, 2010 — PWA Exhibit at the Petaluma Regional Library
How lucky we are that the library asks us to display items which we use in our educational and restoration programs.  This was the second year for the setup and more hands-on items were exhibited, some of which drew a great deal of attention.

July-August, 2010 — Sonoma County Summer Ecology Corps
This summer PWA was pleased to share a work crew of the Summer Ecology Corps with John Shribbs of the CASA Native Plant Nursery. The crew was one of a dozen or so in the county that was funded by the Sonoma County Water Agency. Members of the crew were at-risk teenagers who worked four days to remove invasive weeds from Alman Marsh and Shollenberger Park. Some of the PWA docents came out to help and interact with the kids.

June 27, 2010 —  Annual PWA Docent Party, 2:00 to 5:00 PM
Docents met in Karen & Dave Johnson’s garden for a relaxing afternoon of good food and conversation to celebrate a very successful year for the Petaluma Wetlands Alliance. This was an opportunity to get to know fellow docents and learn more about all the different activities within the organization. Spouses/Partners joined in the celebration.
 

June 7, 2010 — Kiosks at Shollenberger/Alman Marsh
Kathleen Garvey and Mary Edith Moore gave the kiosks a much-needed cleaning and replaced the insulation around the Plexiglas, hoping to deter insects from making their home in the Kiosk.  Gerald Moore came behind them and repaired the locks.
 

May 15, 2010 — Roots
ROOTS is the Junior High Ministry of Calvary Chapel Petaluma. John Ower, leader of Roots, brought the group with their parents and friends to Shollenberger for a habitat restoration workday.  Fifty-three people pulled/cut weeds and clipped Harding Grass seed heads from 9:00 AM to Noon.
 

February 25, 2010 — Graduation Day for 11 New Docents
Eleven applicants finished the eight-week course for new wetlands docents. These graduates will be an outstanding addition to our educational program.
 

February 5-7, 2010 — San Francisco Flyway Festival
This annual festival celebrates the annual wildlife migration through the San Francisco Bay Estuary.  Exhibits and presentations took place at Mare Island, Expo Building 897, Azuar Ave & I Street, Vallejo CA.  Bob Dyer, Andy LaCasse, and Wayne Till led tours at the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility, 9:30 AM to Noon, Friday & Saturday morning 5 & 6 February.
 

 

December 4, 2009 — Shollenberger/Alman Marsh has a bat box! 
The bat box was erected this morning in Alman Marsh, along the “side channel” in back of Jandy.  Docent Peter Colasanti engineered the effort, and was ably assisted by docents Andy LaCasse and Len Nelson.  The box sits atop a 20-foot pole and can be viewed from the Shollenberger trail about 20-30 feet east of the barn owl box.  John Shribbs with Casa Grande High School students built the bat box and donated it to PWA.
 

December 29, 2009 — Christmas Bird Count for Kids, Ages 9-15
PWA held Petaluma's first-ever Christmas Bird Count for Kids with 24 kids and their parents participating.  Following Binocular Boot Camp lessons by their bird team leaders, five teams of kids, accompanied by their parents, set out on a cold, foggy morning to their assigned trails in the Petaluma wetlands.  They identified 68 species in a total count of 2,610 birds.  After a brown-bag lunch, the Bird Rescue Center presented four of their live, wild birds:  a Great-horned Owl, a Turkey Vulture, a Merlin, and a Red-tailed Hawk.  The kids learned about the care of injured wild birds and what harm humans can have from "imprinting" on the birds who attempt to care for them.  A great day was had by all!
 

November 7, 2009 — PWA Public Meeting
The PWA annual meeting was held 2:00 PM at the Petaluma Regional Library, Helen Putnam Community Room, 100 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma.  The featured speaker was Peter Leveque, naturalist and retired biology professor.  Peter gave a brief outline of those bird species found at Shollenberger Park which have a person’s name in either its scientific or common name.
 

October 30, 2009 — PWA Docents Enrichment Field Trip to Casa Grande High School (CASA) Fish Hatchery
About 20 PWA docents and spouses toured the CASA fish hatchery, located on the high school campus.  The United Anglers, students who work at the hatchery under the direction of Tom Furrer, led small groups of us through the state-of-the-art hatchery.  These students dedicate their time and effort to help protect the native Chinook salmon/Steelhead trout and their habitat in Adobe Creek.  Countless hours, they tell us, are spent in searching and caring for these animals, maintaining the facility, and fundraising.
 

July-August 2009 — Sonoma County Summer Ecology Corps
This summer PWA was pleased to share a work crew of the Summer Ecology Corps with John Shribbs of the CASA Native Plant Nursery. The crew was one of a dozen or so in the county that was part of a larger state program funded by the Obama stimulus package. Members of the crew were at-risk teenagers who worked with us two-to-three days a week to remove invasive weeds from Alman Marsh and Shollenberger Park. We also spent one day removing Star Thistle from the Ellis Creek polishing wetlands. Tremendous amounts of weeds, particularly Star Thistle, were removed. Some of our docents came out to help and interact with the kids, which further stimulated their productivity. The crew also did a lot of work in the native plant nursery, which indirectly helped the restoration efforts of PWA.  It would be great to repeat the program next summer.
 

July26, 2009 — PWA Docent Celebration, 2:00 – 4:00 PM
After a very exciting and busy year for the docents, it was time to get together with food, drink, and fellow docents at the Johnson’s residence. The PWA Board and docents with their spouses/support persons had the opportunity to get to know each other a little better and catch up on the latest news.  Sharon Mansfield, central figure in the photo, was thanked for her five years of leadership as the Education Chair.
 

June 27, 2009—PWA Docents Field Trip to Point Reyes National Seashore
Eight PWA docents who give bird walks at Shollenberger carpooled to a Point Reyes Field Seminar, “A Bird’s Eye View of Habitat”, taught by ecologist Josiah Clark.  This birding and ecology class, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, explored the many habitats and components that determine bird composition, population density, and levels of activity.
 

June 11, 2009 -- Docent Enrichment Field Trip to Casa Grande High School (CASA) Plant Nursery
Six PWA docents visited the CASA plant nursery and were treated to an excellent tour by Dr. John Shribbs, PWA Board member and teacher at CASA.  John designed the nursery and constructed it with on-site teachers and students.  Native vegetation planted at Shollenberger/Alman Marsh were (and continue to be) grown and nurtured at the CASA nursery.
 

April 12, 2009—PWA Docents Enrichment Field Trip to Fairfield Osborn Preserve
Twelve PWA docents carpooled to the 411-acre Fairfield Osborn Preserve, which is managed by Sonoma State University as an educational and research site in nearby Penngrove.  Naturalist Amy Holland and Elizabeth Giuliani, program coordinator, met the docents in the parking lot to begin the two-to-three hour excursion into the wilds of the Preserve, giving us an inside look at the striking diversity and quiet beauty found there.  At Copeland Creek, all sat down on the banks of the creek and ate their brown-bag lunch while Amy searched and found the elusive Pacific Giant Salamander and the Sonoma County scorpion for show-and-tell.
 

February 26, 2009 — Graduation Day for 15 New Docents
Fifteen applicants finished the eight-week course for new wetlands docents. These graduates will be an outstanding addition to our educational program, increasing our docent staff to 48.
 

February 6-8, 2009 — San Francisco Flyway Festival
PWA led tours at Shollenberger, beginning at 9:30 A.M., on each of the three mornings for the annual Festival at Mare Island.
 

January 3-31, 2009 — PWA Dresses Copperfield’s Window
Docent Maureen O’Reilly chaired the subcommittee to design and implement the window display, featuring docent recruitment and PWA activities.  Camille Jordan and Sally Rowland compiled photos and other materials to depict schoolchildren activities, habitat restoration, and the joys of being a docent.
 

January 2, 2009 — PWA Docents Volunteer for the Annual Sonoma Valley Christmas Bird Count
The docents counted 115 bird species from Alman Marsh (at the Sheraton) to Tolay Park and all the birds between the two areas.
 

November 1, 2008 — PWA Public Meeting
The PWA annual meeting was held 9:30 A.M. to Noon at Lucchesi Community Center.  The featured speaker was Patricia Winters, who presented a program on Bay Area Bats.  Docents were recognized who contributed significantly to our educational program (Sharon Mansfield, Len Nelson, and Bob Dyer) and habitat restoration (Valerie Franklin and John Richards).
 

October 3-5, 2008 — PWA Sends Two Docents to the 4-H WHEP Workshop
Docents Karin Jones and Tommy Smith attended the 4-H WHEP (Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program) workshop, “From Forest to the Surf”.  The workshop was located at Walker Creek Ranch in Marshall (Marin County) and included a tour of the Bodega Marine Lab and surrounding areas.
 

October, 2008 — Barn Owl House
Two PWA docents, Andy LaCasse on the right and Gary Compari on the left, erect the Barn Owl house at Shollenberger.  This house that Andy built replaced the Barn Owl’s home at Alman Marsh after the barn was torn down.
 

September 19, 2008 — Native Shrubs and Trees Planted at Alman Marsh
About 70 shrubs and trees from the Casa Grande High School nursery were planted at Alman Marsh near Athleta, a women’s organic sportswear company which borders Alman Marsh.  John Shribbs and Gerald Moore supervised Athleta employees in the planting.  The employees have agreed to weed and water the plants for a couple of years.
 

August 4-6, 2008 — PWA Sends Two Docents to the STRAW Workshop
Docents Helen Heal and Susan Kirks participated in the STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed) workshop, the cornerstone of the Watershed Education Program of the Bay Institute.  They explored the history, geology, hydrology, aquatic life, and importance of the Bay to ocean life and the watersheds that empty into it.
 

September 11, 2008 — PWA Docents Enrichment Field Trip to PRBO's Palomarin Field Station
Missy Wipf, PRBO Educator Biologist, gave a summary to 12 PWA docents of the origin, history, and evolution of bird banding.  Then Missy with PRBO banding interns led us on a tour of the mist-nests, showing us how birds were captured.  Back in the lab, we watched the interns examine the birds and record the data of a Steller Jay (examined by Andres Carvajal), Song Sparrow, Wilson’s Warbler, and Spotted Towhee.  Afterwards, we looked at the interns’ accommodations and took a short bird walk to a nearby creek where we listened to bird calls and songs throughout the chaparral and riparian habitats.  A brown-bag lunch ended the morning’s activities.
 

August 1, 2008 — Camelbak Employees Remove Nonnative Invasives at Shollenberger
This morning 26 employees met at Kiosk #1 and pulled on Camelbak gloves, which were later donated to PWA.  After watching a demo of the day’s targeted nonnatives, they picked up bags and quickly moved down the east trail, pulling Italian Thistles, Bristly Ox-tongue, thinning the mustards, bagging the weeds, and then loading the bags on the truck for transport to the dumpster.  A phenomenal amount of work was done by this group, resulting in our dumpster being filled to the point where an employee remained in the dumpster to stomp down the weeds.  This weed removal activity was supervised by PWA docents Susan Kirks, Gerald & Mary Edith Moore, and John Richards.  Afterwards, the docents accepted an invitation to join the employees for lunch at their new location in the RNM Properties building.
 

June 13, 2008 — PWA Docent Celebration, 4:00 – 6:00 PM
After a very exciting and busy year for the docents, it was time to get together with food, drink, and fellow docents at the Mansfields’ hilltop residence. The PWA Board and docents with their spouses/support persons had the opportunity to get to know each other a little better, catch up on the latest wetlands news, and look at thank you cards and read letters from students and teachers.
 

May 3, 2008 – Annual Petaluma River Cleanup
From 9:00 AM to noon, PWA helped with the Petaluma River cleanup.  Some PWA members met at the Petaluma Marina to work with other groups to cleanup the river via boats.  Other members worked at cleaning up the trails in Shollenberger Park and Alman Marsh.  The turnout was excellent.
 

March 27, 2008 — PWA Docents go on the Jepson Prairie Preserve Enrichment Field Trip
It was a cold, breezy morning when ten PWA docents arrived at the Preserve and were met by Kate, Jepson Prairie docent coordinator, and Jim.  These two very knowledgeable docents of fauna and flora led the group on a three-hour adventure to the vernal pools, teeming with descendents of ancestral invertebrates, and wildflowers.  After hands-on activities at the vernal pools, the group was led over the prairie to view the mounds and native bunch grasses.  Later, some of the docents met for lunch at Baker’s Square in Dixon.

February 16, 2008 — Boy Scouts Volunteer to Plant Natives at Shollenberger Park
Thanks to Life Scout candidate, Douglas Lindsey, and the Petaluma Boy Scout Troop 74, hundreds of plants, including coyote bush, wild rose, and a variety of other shrubs were planted at Shollenberger.  From 9:00 AM to Noon, the scouts, several parents, and Scoutmaster Mike Jayne enjoyed the wetlands as they found a home for the native plants.

February 1-3, 2008 — Flyway Festival
PWA participated in the 12th annual San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival.  Eight PWA docents with a couple of people from the Madrone Audubon Board staffed information/display tables Saturday and Sunday at Mare Island.  Also, PWA docents led one bird walk each day at Shollenberger Park.

January thru April 2008 — High School Restoration Volunteers
Dinah Lee, English teacher at Casa Grande High School (CASA), brought her English class students to Shollenberger one weekday each month to help with habitat restoration.  The students helped PWA to weed or plant.

January - February 2008 — High School Restoration Volunteers
Two Casa Grande High School (CASA) English classes with their teacher Vanessa Hauswald helped PWA with habitat restoration at Shollenberger.  One weekday each month, Vanessa and her students pulled/cut invasive nonnatives and/or planted native grasses/shrubs.
 

January 23, 2008 — PWA Docents Miwok Enrichment Field Trip
Loretta Farley, park ranger of interpretation at the Point Reyes National Seashore, showed 11 PWA docents the hands-on materials they use to teach students about the Miwoks.  Then she led us on an excellent one-hour tour through the reconstructed Miwok village at Kule Loklo, including a visit inside the roundhouse. Afterwards, Loretta walked us to the cultural museum where Kirsten Kvam, collections curator, showed us artifacts found at Point Reyes which were from the Coast Miwok tribes. Later, the docents met for lunch at Reyes Café in Point Reyes Station.