Golden Gate Audubon Society

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Habitat Restoration Opportunities

Join us in activities to support our habitat restoration sites in San Francisco and the East Bay.  These are drop-in programs, so no need to RSVP,  unless you are an organized group.  If we have a large amount of individuals or groups attending a workday, we will post them as FULL.   If you need directions, or want to schedule a group workday, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator.  Please wear sturdy close-toed shoes, weather appropriate clothes, hat and sunscreen.  Bring your own garden gloves and carry a water bottle if you have one to minimize trash.  We’ll provide instruction, gloves, tools, snacks and water.  Heavy rain will cancel the events.

Pier 94, San Francisco’s South Eastern Waterfront

Habitat restoration interns at Pier 94 - photo Lee Karney

Join us to help a restored wetland in San Francisco Bay.    Activities at Pier 94 include invasive plant removal, trash pickup and planting.  See native plants, and a variety of shorebirds and waterbirds. Currently part of National Audubon’s program “Together Green Volunteer Days” inspiring people everywhere to take action to improve the health of our environment.    Next Volunteer Events:

• Saturday, February 4, 9 a.m. – noon
• Saturday, March 3, 9 a.m.-noon
• Saturday, April 7, 9 a.m.-noon

Directions:   Take Third Street to Cargo Way first left onto Amador, this street makes a sharp right in an industrial area, the address is 480 Amador St. (an office for a neighbor). Turn into the gravel parking lot before the chain link fence on the left.  Just ahead you will see a small sign next to white barriers. This is the entrance to Pier 94.  Park in front of the barriers. Use this Pier 94 map. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline Park, Oakland

Arrowhead Marsh

Work to plant native shrubs and weed out the invasives at our site adjacent to Arrowhead Marsh in East Oakland. Brown Pelicans swoop into the bay and Clapper Rails chatter in the marsh.  Next Events:

• Saturday, February 18, 10 a.m. -1 p.m.
• Saturday, March 17, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Saturday April 21, 10a.m.-1 p.m.

Directions: From I-880 in Oakland, exit at Hegenberger Road and head west. Turn right onto Doolittle Drive (Hwy. 61) and right again onto Swan Way. You will then turn left into the park and drive to the last parking lot near the observation tower. See attached map 

Golden Gate Park, Buffalo Paddock, San Francisco

Restore white-crowned sparrow and other coast scrub species habitat with San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department and Golden Gate Audubon.  Next events:

• Saturday, February 18, from 9 a.m. to noon
• Saturday, March 17, from 9 a.m. to noon
• Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to noon

Directions: In Golden Gate Park at Chain of Lakes and JFK Drive.   Meet at the east end of the Bison Paddock.

Lands End – East Wash in the Presidio, San Francisco

Lands End

Observe the birds of Lands End in San Francisco, while you work to improve their habitat. The East Wash, a site within the interior of Lands End, is known for its high avian diversity.  Golden Gate Audubon and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy are partnering to hold restoration workdays.  Next  volunteer events:

Directions:  Meet at the top of the golf course access road across from the Palace of the Legion of Honor (where 34th Avenue meets El Camino del Mar). Please wear comfortable clothing and sturdy shoes. Tools, water, and snacks will be provided.  

Proposed Alameda Wildlife Refuge, Alameda
Home to the endangered California Least Terns, who have left the site until next summer. Work with the Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Refuge to prepare habitat by removing invasive shrubs and groundcovers. Adults must be present to work with anyone under the age of 15, unless given special permission. Next volunteer events:

•   February 12, from 9 a.m. to noon
•   March 11, from 9 a.m. to noon

Directions: Meet at the main refuge gate at the northwest corner of the former Naval Air Station in Alameda. Find your way to 2501 Monarch St. in Alameda, then drive toward the gates to the left of the Creative Technologies building.  The far gate will be open, where a volunteer will have you sign-in.

Conservation Opportunities

Conservation Committee – Get together with other birders and wildlife enthusiasts to find out about projects in your community.

• The East Bay Conservation Committee meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the GGAS office in Berkeley. Contact the East Bay Conservation Committee chairperson Phil Price at pnprice@creekcats.com for more information.
• San Francisco Conservation Committee meets the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way.  Contact San Francisco Conservation Committee chairperson David Anderson davidanderson47@comcast.net to learn more. 
• The Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Refuge committee meets on the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Alameda Point Building 1, Room 140. For more information, contact FAWR Committee chairperson Leora Feeney at: leoraalameda@att.net

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Education Opportunities

If you are interested in leading occasional field trips to places of your choosing, or teaching adults about natural history please consider becoming a field trip leader or teacher.  We are always seeking field trip leaders and  instructors in bird-related subjects, including beginning birding, bird migration, bird physiology; butterflies; wildflowers; habitats and associated wildlife; insects; etc. Please contact us at nweeden@goldengateaudubon.org .  Training for new field trip leaders for 2012 is closed.

Travel with Golden Gate Audubon -  Golden Gate Audubon is seeking a volunteer to Coordinate the Travel with Golden Gate Audubon Program.   Work under direction of the Education Director and GGAS Education Committee chairperson.  Maintain the  “Travel with Golden Gate Audubon” Program (TWGGAS) with new and up-to-date information.  Enhance the TWGGAS Program through your own ideas or those of our staff, members, and new trip contacts.  Please contact nweeden@goldengateaudubon.org for more details on this exciting opportunity.

Speaker Series Refreshments Coordinator
Golden Gate Audubon’s monthly Speaker Series in San Francisco and Berkeley features presentations and lectures by renowned and fascinating speakers. Every other month, the series meets at the Northbrae Community Church in Berkeley, CA. The program runs from 7pm to around 9pm. From 7pm to 7:30pm, we offer time to socialize and snack. Golden Gate Audubon provides the refreshments for free. We enjoy having a volunteer who can put the personal touch to the food and we find that our members enjoy this. To learn about the Speaker Series Refreshments Coordinator, click here.

Other Ways to Help

Your skills, knowledge, and expertise can help us in dozens of ways. Lead a field trip, teach children about birds and wetlands, work in our office, write letters to elected officials, or join a habitat restoration work party. Whether you have a lot of time or a little, we welcome your participation. Contact volunteer@goldengateaudubon.org for more information.

Event Volunteers:  Volunteers are needed at a variety of events to engage the public by talking about Golden Gate Audubon’s programs and the advantages of membership.  Event entry fees are paid for these volunteers.   To find out more, click here.

Database and Office Administration Volunteers: Volunteers are needed weekdays to support our organization through database and administrative work at the Golden Gate Audubon Office in Berkeley.  Contact nweeden@goldengateaudubon.org for more details.

Lake Merritt Docents in Oakland

Black Crowned Night Heron - E.Bartley

Harding Park,  San Francisco