By Jess Morton

After years of effort, it seems we are within striking distance of having a viable nature preserve on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Due to the impetus provided by the Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP), land holders, environmental groups and various governmental entities are all giving serious consideration to building a preserve that would provide on-going protection to many of our rarest and most sensitive species. Nevertheless, there are still a number of difficult hurdles to be overcome. We must agree on what lands will be preserved, how they will be managed and what funds will be used to purchase parcels to add to those already under public ownership.

As discussed in the last issue of Hummin', we in Audubon see three critical issues with respect to preserve design. First is that all local jurisdictions need to be part of the process. Rancho Palos Verdes has shown considerable leadership in this matter, but other cities have lagged far behind and threaten the integrity of the final plan. Secondly, linkages from core habitat to outlying areas must be provided for the plan to have a hope of long-term success. Third, and perhaps most important, the preserve needs to include much of the existing open space between its eastern anchor in the Forrestal quarries and the western anchor around RPV City Hall. The shape of the final reserve should look like a pair of arcs, with the major arc a wide band sweeping north and west from the quarries, under the brow of the Hill, and then out to City Hall. Into this fits a narrower opposing arc that runs along the coastal bluffs seaward of the Portuguese Bend community.

To make such a preserve will require the acquisition of several hundred acres. At first, such an acquisition sounds absurd. How could anyone afford to acquire that much land on the Palos Verdes Peninsula? Single lots may sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars and even the recent purchase of the steep, scrub-covered hillsides of the 163-acre Forrestal tract cost the public over $7,000.000. True! Nevertheless, it should be possible to make the needed NCCP acquisitions without breaking the bank--or the budget.

Consider the nature of the majority of the land needed to make up the NCCP reserve. It is land that no one has been able to develop in the past because the cost of doing so is astronomical. Furthermore, much of the land is in the landslide moratorium where the general consensus is that it is simply too dangerous to build. That which is not in the moratorium is mostly unbuildable, has little if any access,  and is without permits. Indeed, it is the latter two factors, superb access and ready-to-build permitting, that made the purchase of Forrestal so expensive. Even then, there were many who were outraged by the $45,000 per acre cost, and thought the final deal a bail-out of speculators who had been stuck with a bad deal.

Perhaps then, a figure of $10,000 per acre, or a total of $10 million,  may be a better working figure to estimate what we will need to make the NCCP go. We are, after all, looking at land that is mostly very difficult and expensive to develop because of instability and/or other factors, has little good access, will require changes to the City general plan, has no permits and, for a substantial acreage, will require heavy investment before the landholders can even ask to apply for a permit! That is not to say that the landholders have not been wooing the RPV City Council members with schemes that call for vast amounts of earth moving around Portuguese Bend and elsewhere--to say nothing of the destruction of existing habitat for California Gnatcatchers and other species of concern to the NCCP.

Nevertheless, we need to see where  a $10,000,000 acquisition fund might come from. First is the recently-passed County bond initiative, $4 million of which is earmarked for RPV. In addition, both California and The US Department of Interior are anxious to produce an NCCP plan which receives universal community support. The plans that have emerged in Orange and San Diego Counties so far have drawn considerable fire, especially from environmental groups. If controversy can be avoided, our NCCP could well see its funding needs met by grateful administrations at both State and Federal levels.

Whether this happens is up to us. It is clear from the foregoing that it should be possible to build an NCCP preserve incorporating most of the open space on the south side of the Hill. Please take the time to talk to your City Council members about these plans. Attend Council meetings when open space issues are raised, and be sure to come to the next NCCP meeting, scheduled now for February 17th, at 10:30 a.m., at RPV City Hall, when reserve design maps will be unveiled. The future of the NCCP and Peninsula open space is in our hands.

I am one of those people who gets on a jet in Los Angeles, gets off the plane five hours later in  New York, and I know that a miracle has occurred. When I first saw something happening 2000 miles away on TV, why that was another miracle.

Now our house contains another miracle of the twentieth century--a computer. I'm told that the things that Windows '95 can do seem to be magical, but learning how to do them is very hard work. Every so often I need to relieve my mind of  this high-tech world of "Virtual Reality" and go on a birdwalk [back to nature] in the Botanic Garden or along the seashore.

On the first Sunday of each month, I have taken over the leadership of the South Coast Botanic Garden  birdwalks from Mark Kincheloe, who did it so well for so many years. In January, when I had the flu, Margaret Hoggan took it over. I am pleased to report that many people are enjoying our walks and are helping to identify the thirty five or so species that we see on a typical Sunday.

On the second Sunday of each  month, Martin Byhower's birdwalk around Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park has also been well attended. Since this park is one of the richest places for wildlife in southern California, you should take this opportunity to explore it with the experts. You will learn how the park came to be, what it offers now, and how Audubon is planning to help the City of Los Angeles make it one of the premier attractions of the region.

Our Christmas Bird Count on December 29th was a great success. On my team, we had ten people who fanned out to cover San Pedro in several groups. We observed 86 species including a Rufous Hummingbird and Semipalmated Plovers. All together, the count turned up an impressive number of species, making it the envy of the nation's birders.

If you missed these interesting Audubon activities, you must make plans not to miss the big event of 1998, the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the PV/South Bay Audubon Society. We will have many activities to celebrate, with the first being at our 20th Birthday Bash on February 24th, when our friends, Clark and Jean Moore will be in town to tell us about how the Condors are doing.

Then, on Friday, April 17th, we will host the 1998 Audubon Conservation Awards Banquet at Ports O'Call Restaurant in San Pedro. Not only will we reward  local conservation activists for their work and recognize students who have won the Audubon YES! Award, but we will be giving special acknowledgment to all those who have given so unstintingly of their time, energy and money to make this Audubon chapter the outstanding organization it is.

You won't want to miss this event!

Clark and Jean Moore, dedicated amateur ornithologists, present "Flying Free--Again," a program about the California Condor, at our 20th birthday party meeting, February 24th. The two have been bird watching for 47 years and now live in Bear Valley Springs in the Tehachapi Mountains. "We became involved in the Condor Recovery Program when eight condors showed up last year(1995) near here in the Tehachapi area."

Their slide-illustrated talk will update us on the progress of the recovery effort which started 12 years ago with the capture of the last wild California condor, and continues with the recent release of their captive-reared offspring in the Grand Canyon. There are now more than a hundred California condors, two small groups in the wild and a larger number in breeding colonies at the Los Angeles and San Diego Zoos, and a group of 12 in a breeding facility in Idaho.

Clark Moore, whose interest in birds started in the third grade, directs the Bear Valley Springs, Red Rock Canyon and Tehachapi Christmas Bird Counts. They are both volunteers with the Red Rock Canyon and Tomo-Kahni State Parks.

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The residents of the City of Carson, who until now have  not been assigned to an Audubon chapter, are now being served by the PV/South Bay Audubon Society. We welcome all of you and hope that you will come to your meetings, attend birdwalks and participate in chapter activities.  We look forward to working with Carson High School as part of the Audubon YES! Program and to becoming involved with habitat issues at Cal. State University Dominguez Hills and other points in the City. To find out how you can become an integral part of the chapter, please call President Ollie Coker at 545-1384.

Please join us on Friday, April 17, at Ports O'Call Restaurant, in San Pedro, as this Audubon chapter celebrates its 20th anniversary at the Audubon Conservation Awards Banquet. In addition to the presentation of the 1998 Audubon Conservation Award to local botanist and environmental activist Angelika Brinkmann-Busi, we will recognize the dedicated service of all those who have given so much time, hard work and money to make this chapter a leader in education, conservation and the appreciation of birds, animals and their habitats.

The evening will begin with the Past Presidents' Reception, from 6:00 - 6:55 P.M., where you can help us honor all those who have served as leaders of the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society. At the same time, enjoy the sunset sights of San Pedro's busy harbor, seen through magnificent floor-to-ceiling windows, as ships move up and down the channel. Dinner will be served at 7:00 with the awards ceremony to follow at 7:45.

In the next issue, profiles of Ms. Brinkmann-Busi and other principal award recipients will be published. Suffice it to say, we will be recognizing the outstanding birding and leadership accomplishments of our members, and presenting Audubon YES! Awards to many high school students who have shown their commitment a better environment through community action.

Also, tally up your life list for the PV Christmas Count Circle--we will be giving awards to everyone in attendance with a local life list of 200 species or more, with special prizes to those dedicated birders who have tallies above 300!

To reserve your seat(s) or table, please call Corie Takasane at 793-7417, send an e-mail to corie@usa.net, or send your check with names of guests to: Audubon Banquet, P.O. Box 2582, Palos Verdes, CA 90274.

You may reserve places in the following categories:

                            Single     Couple       Table

Benefactor                                          $1000

Patron                    $100        $150

Sponsor                      50            85

Supporter                   25            50

Student (under 19)      15

Patrons and sponsors will be acknowledged in the souvenir program for the evening and in Hummin'. Benefactors can elect to sponsor a table for either 8 or 10, and will receive prominent notice in Hummin' and the program, and will be mentioned in all press releases about the Awards Banquet.

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Ash-throated Flucatcher........................ What it always feels like

Bank Swallow........................................... 1990's poker game

El Fowl........................................................... Spanish bird

Gad, wall!........ What the duke said before ducking through the door

Killdeer............................................................. Gone deaf

Kittiwake....................................................... A can opener

Looser Nighthawk................................................ Street bird

Lyrebird.................................................. Unreliable witness

Mockingbards....................... John Dryden, Alexander Pope, etc.

Poorwill........................................... Trouble in probate court

Red Not!............................................ Yes, but only in winter

Says Phoebe............................... That's her version of the story

Warbling video................................................ Opera on tape

White-collar Seedeater.................. Desk jockey popping pistachios

By Joseph K. Slap

When a flock of pigeons is feeding on a patch of ground, and a person or other suspected predator approaches, the bird or birds that see the approaching creature make a sound and take flight.  That alerts the rest of the flock which then also flies away.  People, too, cry out or give other alarm signals to their companions when danger approaches.  That is also true for certain other species of birds, mammals, reptiles, etc.

Methods of warning are not always vocal, however.  For example, odorous substances are emitted as warnings by some marine creatures such as certain members of the class Crustacea and of the class Asteroidea.  Incidentally, those two class names are easily convertible:  Crustacea members have "crusts" which are hard shells; and the word "asteroid", one meaning of which is "resembling a star", is consistent with starfish being members of Asteroidea because of their shape and their name.

Another use of a chemical substance is by some yeast species.  When a yeast colony is growing near another one, either or both colonies might expectedly emit pulses of ammonia.  Any colony which receives such a pulse from another colony, fails to grow further in the direction from which the ammonia was sensed.  Thus, the emission of the ammonia pulses prevents growth interference among yeast colonies, and is a form of safety communication which reduces the inter-colony rivalry for available food.

A big danger to porpoises has been the use of gill-nets by commercial fishermen.  In marine areas of our planet, the annual deaths of cetaceans, other than whales, due to human net-fishing activities, has exceeded 80,000 in many consecutive years.  This has led to near-extinction of two or more species of the smaller types of cetaceans, plus high losses of others.  There may even be many losses that have not been reported, so the death rates may well be quite higher than is currently known.  To save the lives of cetaceans that are threatened by gill-nets, experiments have been performed on the use of a sound system that would provide safety communications.  The system consists of a sound generator attached to a gill-net.  The sound is emitted briefly about every four seconds.  The volume is sufficiently high as to be easily heard at more than 100 yards, and even heard as far away as about 300 yards from the emitter system.  The sound frequency was established as within the hearing range of the regional porpoises and seals.  The experiments consisted of fishing with many nets, each of which contained one of the systems.  About half the systems were operating to emit the sound, and about half were made soundless, so that the sound and not the sight of the system would be the obvious clue to the investigators.  The results were that indeed the sound was effective in avoiding the capture of cetaceans, and that the sounds did not prevent the capture of numerous local fish (cod, pollock and others) sought by commercial fishermen.  However, herring were not captured; and the reason is thought to be that the hearing range of herring allowed those fish to be alarmed the same way that the porpoises were.  Additional system development projects are being promoted, and international support for their use is being sought.

After the above discussion of marine creatures, I'll close this article with an additional thought of mine from about a year ago.  If harbor seals are found near harbors, which types of seals would be found in the Pacific Ocean near Christmas Island and near Easter Island:  Christmas seals and Easter seals?  A happy 1998 to all of you!

California Audubon's Legislative Affairs Representative

New Year's Greetings!!

There are significant reasons for hope in '98. It all starts with Governor Wilson's proposed $73.8 billion state budget, a 6.3% increase over the current year's figures. Good news abounds for California's economic picture and the independent Legislative Analyst has announced that the state is actually looking at a $500 million surplus--above and beyond the revenue estimates underpinning Gov. Wilson's budget figures. This rising tide of cash will definitely trickle down to increased spending on environmental priorities. Our job is to make sure it gets spent wisely, efficiently and for the best possible projects.

Here's breakdown of proposed environmental spending categories in the 98-99 budget:

BONDS: As announced earlier in the week, the Governor supports the following two bond measures, which would appear on either the June or November ballots.

t PARKS AND WILDLIFE: Governor Wilson is proposing a $800 million watershed, park, coastal and wildlife bond act that will be a priority for the land conservation community. It contains critical funding for state parks, the WCB, and various conservancies. Some issues could be controversial, including funding for the Headwaters Forest in Humboldt County and NCCP in Southern California.

t WATER AND FLOOD CONTROL: Governor Wilson is proposing a $1.3 bond act for various flood control and water projects including purchase of conservation easements in flood-prone riparian areas to prevent further development and to expand the amount of riparian habitat and wetlands.

BUDGET SPENDING:

t NCCP: $20.6 million total: $10.9 million for Wildlife Conservation Board acquisition projects; $5 million for Coastal Conservancy acquisition and restoration projects; $3.6 million to the Department of Fish and Game for grants to local governments (including our own PV NCCP--Ed.); $1.1 million to the Dept. of Fish and Game for support

t WATERSHED INITIATIVE: $8.9 million

t OCEAN AND COASTAL INITIATIVE: $18.2 million

LAKE TAHOE INITIATIVE: $11.5 million

KEY AGENCY HIGHLIGHTS (may overlap with some items above):

t WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD: $28.2 million including $21 million for various habitat acquisition and restoration projects.

t COASTAL CONSERVANCY: $25.2 million for capital outlay and local purposes including $6.8 million for the Southern California Wetlands Clearinghouse, $5.7 million for coastal access projects, $5 million for NCCP projects, and $4 million from the Habitat Conservation Fund for wildlife habitat acquisition projects.

t TAHOE CONSERVANCY: $16.7 million for capital outlay projects and 4 million for local assistance.

t SAN JOAQUIN RIVER CONSERVANCY: $5 million for acquisition and enhancement of parkway lands. Not clear whether this "reimbursement authority" is new money or existing money.

t COACHELLA VALLEY MTNS. CONSERVANCY: $540,000 for capital outlay projects.

t SANTA MONICA MTNS. AUTHORITY: Does not appear to be any new capital outlay

funding. Support funding is included in the budget.

t STATE PARKS: $5 million to address deferred maintenance; 24.9 million capital outlay program

You can receive the Rotunda Report regularly via either e-mail or FAX. Call me at (916) 444-5557 or send a message to: jmccaull@audubon.org and ask to be put on the list.

This article won't be about Earth's core, but will be about matters at Earth's surface area known in much of the northern hemisphere as "down under".

Let's begin in Australia. It has been calculated there that the yearly damage to agriculture, caused by rabbits which are animals not native to that country, amounts to the equivalent of more than 465 million U.S. dollars. As a result, a virus lethal to rabbits was approved for release. A test of the virus was previously performed at several places on an island south of Australia. The disease rapidly spread there, thus causing disagreement as to the release of the virus. However, after a long controversy, plus lab tests which showed no effect of the virus on other species, the release was approved, despite warnings from several foreign researchers that the virus could indeed affect non-rabbit species. We now await the results of that decision.

Next we'll move east to beautiful New Zealand. Archaeological data indicate that the first permanent human settlement there occurred 800-850 years ago. However, dating of the oldest known bones of Pacific rats from New Zealand indicate that those rats arrived on New Zealand's two main islands almost 2,000 years ago. Fossil evidence currently suggests that Pacific rats first evolved in southeast Asia after the split-up of Gondwana, so the rats almost surely did come to New Zealand via human transportation. It would, after all, have been a bit difficult for them to swim that far, and without wings or aircraft they very probably couldn't have flown there. These results of analyses strongly suggest that humans had made temporary stops on the islands while in oceanic transit a bit more than a millennium before their permanent settlements there, and that rats on the rafts or other vessels had escaped onto the islands when the vessels reached the shore. The temporary aspect of the human stops there could have been due either to sudden death of the people, or to their decision to continue their journey or journeys to elsewhere. A result of the arrival of the rats was the extinction of some animals, including various invertebrates and small vertebrates that were preyed upon by the rapidly expanding rat population. Of course, the later permanent human settlements resulted in expanded extinction rates of taxa, due to hunting (e.g., of moas), habitat destruction and other anthropogenic (humanly caused) factors.

By Allen Franz

Why protect open space people ask? What good does an open field do? The most commonly heard justification for preserving open space in growing communities, is philosophical and spiritual in nature. Advocates believe that undeveloped open spaces contribute to the aesthetics of the area by creating a natural sense of place--a recognition of the unique physical and cultural landscape of a particular area. If the space is valued as an integral part of the community, it often provides a focal point for community identity. This identity, familiar to many of us on the Peninsula, helps make our streets clean and our neighborhoods safe because it gives us a sense of pride for where we live.

Preservation of ecological resources is also, increasingly, being recognized as a rationale for preserving open space. Many people believe that the environment has an inherent value and right to exist. Particularly where there are distinctive natural communities containing rare species, such arguments are worth considering. The Palos Verdes Peninsula, with its offshore kelp forests, varied tidal zone features, scenic bluffs, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, woodland, and riparian habitats, its unique combination of flora and fauna, enjoys a wealth of distinctive, and increasingly rare, ecological resources. Preservation can protect a natural heritage that, while unknown today, may have significant value for the future.

Open space also provides health and safety benefits that enhance our quality of life in many unrecognized ways. Fundamental ecological processes related to plants, for example, not only reduce noise pollution by providing buffers that absorb sound, they also help mitigate pollution by absorbing airborne particulates, ozone, and oxides of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen. Plants also facilitate the absorption and decomposition of pollutants and toxic substances in soil and groundwater, thereby helping to improve water quality.

Of more tangible, day-to-day, benefit, open space provides recreational and educational opportunities for all of us. The Peninsula offers superb sites for walking, hiking, running, biking, birdwatching, and otherwise enjoying the area and it's scenic vistas. These opportunities are rare in L.A. County. Think about it, if these areas were developed, where would you go?

Recreation provides economic benefits as well. In 1988, Californians spent an impressive $30 billion, 12% of total personal consumption expenses, on recreation and leisure expenditures such as footwear, apparel, film, and other services and supplies. Recreation and leisure has grown to become the third largest industry in the state.

Open space creates several economic benefits related to property values and real estate. Studies suggest that proximity to open space enhances property value and marketability. Scenic views and convenient recreational opportunities enhance property values, thus contributing to revenue enhancement opportunities. Open space can also provide benefits to the community by generating revenues to support local government services through sales, property, and other taxes.

An entirely different set of benefits in terms of public budget consideration derives from the reduced local government costs of open space. New residential and commercial developments often constitute a net drain on the public sector since the cost of mandated services may be as much as twice the level of local tax revenues generated by the developments. Open space, however, does not require most of these expenditures, thus the public costs of managing open space may be as little as 3% or less of the cost for developed acreage.

In summary, open space preservation provides many benefits to a community. Our desire in the South Bay and on the Peninsula to preserve open space is not unique. There are thousands of organizations like ours nationwide seeking to protect the natural features that make their communities unique. Over the next few years, our Audubon chapter expects to play a key role in local open space utilization at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, Wilderness Park, Friendship Park and as part of the Natural Communities Conservation Planning process.

This article is based on material first published in Open Spaces, the newsletter of the PVP Land Conservancy.

Cabrillo Beach, a collection of 17 nature poems by Jess Morton, is now available from Audubon as a fund raiser for the Audubon YES! Program. Bound in yellow leather-finish stock, and printed on marbleized paper, this 24-page book makes a handsome gift for those who enjoy poetry and/or the natural world. The cost is $6 each, ($7, including tax and mailing), with discounts available in lots of 2 or more.

Many of these poems celebrating the natural wonders of our area have appeared in Hummin' over the last few years. All proceeds from the sale of this book go to support YES!, our youth environmental service program, which gives young people the opportunity to make a difference by improving environmental health here, where we all live.

Sharing Nature With Children:  A few people willing to spend a few hours one day a month working with high school students and children are wanted to help with our educational program at Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach. This monthly program introduces youngsters to a variety of aspects of the natural world around them in a setting which includes meadow, woodland, streamside and marsh habitats. Docents help lead the children in various games, walks and crafts designed to show off the park and the plants and animals in it.

If you like working with children, this is an excellent way to become involved with chapter activities. We want to expand this program to Torrance, San Pedro and other cities. High school and other students who volunteer receive Audubon YES! Award credits.

Join this exciting program by calling Lillian Light at 545-1384.

Sharing Nature With Children: Docents are wanted to help with our educational program at Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach for children ages 6-12. This monthly program introduces youngsters to a variety of aspects of the natural world around them in a setting which includes meadow, woodland, streamside and marsh habitats. Docents help lead the children in various games, walks and crafts designed to show off the park and the plants and animals in it.

If you like working with children, this is an excellent way to become involved with chapter activities. High school and other students who volunteer receive Audubon YES! Award credits.

To sign up as a docent, call Lillian Light at 545-1384.

Audubon YES!: Mentors are needed to help guide students who are taking part in our Audubon YES! (youth environmental service) program. Mentors will work with school ecology clubs, service groups or individual students from a single school to coordinate service projects, such as habitat cleanups or Earth Day displays. Since the roll of mentor is to make sure that our Audubon chapter provides the school group or student with adequate support for their programs, it is not necessary to be an environmental expert to act as a mentor. The chapter's YES! staff handles that end of things. Call Jess Morton at 832-5601 to volunteer.

Audubon YES!: School ecology club teacher-sponsors and student-presidents are asked to enroll their school eco-club in Audubon YES! Participating students will earn recognition for the community environmental service projects they do. Students who make a substantial contribution to their school and community will receive the Audubon YES! Award, which can be used on school and scholarship applications. Call Jess Morton at 832-5601 for information on the Audubon YES! program.

This page is part of the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society website.