California contains one of the most biologically diverse landscapes in the world. Yet, rapid population growth and development threaten the well-being of the state's animal and plant species, as well as the habitats and resources that they depend on for survival. The California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal Protection Act of 2002 (Proposition 40) will provide essential funds to help preserve California's ecosystems and habitats, and improve our ability to enjoy already-protected natural areas that are accessible to the public.

Proposition 40, which is scheduled for the March 2002 ballot, will provide $1.275 billion for land conservation and improved air and water quality, and $1.325 billion for California's State and local parks, recreation, and historic and cultural resources. Passage of Proposition 40 will allow California to move forward in the effort to protect the state's wildlife and open space by allocating:

• $300 million to the Wildlife Conservation Board for the acquisition, development, restoration, and rehabilitation of habitat that promotes the recovery of threatened and endangered species.

• $445 million, divided between eight State Conser vancies, for land acquisition, particularly with a focus on land and water resources.

• $75 million for the preservation of agricultural lands, including oak woodlands and grasslands.

• $20 million to the State and Local Conservation Corps for acquisition, development, restoration, and rehabilitation of land and water resources.

• $225 million for State Parks for the improvement of existing parks, which will benefit wildlife by providing public education and quality habitat. Up to half of the funds can be used for land acquisition.

• $375 million for protection of water resources which would benefit wildlife that live in wetlands and those that live in the delicate riparian zone along rivers.

Audubon-California has endorsed the California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal Protection Act of 2002 and has been working with other environmental groups, such as the Planning and Conservation League, the Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land, Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club on a campaign to promote the measure.

Additional information is available at http://www.voteyeson40.org. Your help is needed to pass this important bond act. Please contact Bryan Blum at 916-313-4539 for more information, to donate funds, or to volunteer locally to help the campaign.

IMPORTANT NOTE: One of the Chapter's highest priorities—helping Harbor Regional Park achieve its potential for people and wildlife—can benefit from Proposition 40 funding.

On Saturday, April 20, the Environmental Priorties Network (EPN) is sponsoring a conference "Saving Spaceship Earth." The conference will be held a the Rolling Hills Methodist Church from 8:30am to 12:30pm.

Topics and speakers include Senator Debra Bowen (invited) on energy and global warming, and Don May, Founder of the California Earth Corps, on nuclear power.

The conference will end with a panel discussion on globalization and the environment. Panel participants include Mike Dolan (Western Director of Global Trade Watch), Sandra Gonzales-Castro (Orange County Central Labor Council Community Liaison), and Bryan Stevens (retired professor and writer).

Registration before April 6 costs $12 ($6 for students and low income); registration at the door will cost $18. To register, send a check made payable to "Environmental Priorities Network" to Louise Allison, 23106 Carlow Road, Torrance, CA 90505. Include your name, address, telephone number, email, and affiliation (if any). Contributors of $25 or more to EPN's work will be listed on the program.

The Environmental Priorities Network has two purposes: To bring together all people concerned about protecting the environment from the many threats confronting it, and to educate the South Bay community about the importance of conservation at the local, national, and global levels.

For further information, contact Louise Allison at 310-375-3479 or granny.lou@verizon.net, or Lillian Light at 310-545-1384 or lklight@aol.com.

The preservation of unusual habitats is high on Audubon's list of priorities. Over the last couple of decades, much of what I have written about in Hummin' has concerned our conservation efforts for relatively large areas with diverse and increasingly rare habitats: Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park; the hillsides and bluffs of Rancho Palos Verdes. However, there are smaller places that cry out for special care. The Malaga Dune system is probably the most important of these.

Few people are aware of the Malaga Dunes, even those who live near or drive by them every day. Part of an ancient sand dunes system that stretches inland from Malaga Cove, the Malaga Dunes are a unique feature of our regional landscape. They are a remnant of the once extensive sand dunes that ranged along the coast from the peninsula northward to Ballona. Despite their small extent—a few tens of acres—the Malaga Dunes harbor at least one endangered species and another so rare it was thought extinct until last year.

To most people, sand dunes are typified by piles of wind blown sand, more or less bound together by scattered drought-tolerant vegetation. And so they are—at least those which occur immediately along the coast. Of course, in the Los Angeles basin, those dunes were built on long ago, and only residents digging in their gardens may realize what was once there.

There are other dunes, however, ones which are much older than those moved by wind. These occur either well inland, behind the high coastal ridge that runs north from the peninsula, or at higher elevations. Of them all, the oldest may well be the Malaga Dunes of Palos Verdes Estates. These consist of sands laid down tens of thousands of years ago, when both sea level and the peninsula itself were at much lower elevations than they are today. These dunes have had time to mature, and the soil on them is an interesting amalgam of sand and vegetative matter, some living, some decomposed.

If you ever have driven around the Palos Verdes Peninsula, it is likely that you have passed the Malaga Dunes with scarcely a notice. The dunes lie in the crooked arm of PV Drive North and West, where they come together. As you drive east from the complex intersection of the two streets, the dunes are the lightly forested hillside across the deep ravine on your right-easy to dismiss as of no interest. To see how marvelous the dunes are, you need to walk them.

The main trail onto the dune passes through a mature eucalyptus grove punctuated here and there with many of our other common ornamental trees and shrubs. As one moves to higher ground, however, the vista opens up. The flat areas high on the dune are dominated by croton, a plant limited to sandy soils. Mustard and non-native annual grasses are also part of the mix here, but there are good patches of deerweed, sagebrush and other important native species.

Last year, a previously unknown population of the Palos Verdes blue butterfly was found here, using the deerweed as the host plant for its caterpillars. Even more remarkable, however, was the discovery last summer of an insect which (like the PV blue) had been thought extinct. This was a very large, strange looking species (Raphiomides terminatus terminatus) that nectars on summer flowers during the hottest part of the day. Known as flower-loving flies, these insects have a very short life span as winged adults. Though little is known about most of its life cycle, it is believed to have a complex relationship with native ants. The rediscovery of the insect was made by Jeremiah George, a new member of Audubon's Board of Directors, and now a Ph.D. candidate at UC Riverside.

The bird life on the Malage Dune is very rich, and at this time of year, flickers are everywhere. Hawks and hummingbirds are ever present, and the brushy hillsides offer fine cover for many kinds of sparrow and other smaller birds. Small to medium sized mammals and other vertebrates use the dunes, too. It's the last known place in the South Bay to have held horned lizards, which like Raphiomides, need native ants to survive. No one knows yet how biologically rich the dunes are, but clearly they are an extremely important natural resource which must be preserved for their biological diversity values, if nothing else.

In my own crystal ball, I see the Malaga Dunes as an important future link between the peninsula's coastal sage scrub preserves to the east and south, and the coastal bluffs and dunes to the west and north. I foresee a long-term plan developed by the City of PV Estates to study and then restore the more degraded parts of the dune to a blend of native plants and animals. Perhaps this can occur as part of the peninsula's evolving Natural Communities Conservation Plan. It would also complement plans in Torrance and Redondo Beach to restore their native coastal bluff vegetation. The PVE project is a big one, but will be exceptionally valuable to the quality of life in the South bay.

If you would like to know more about the Malaga Dunes, Audubon will be leading walks along the dune trails on February 17th and March 17th, beginning at 2 p.m. The walk is easy, and will last 1 to 2 hours. Meet at the end of Via Tejon, which runs northeast out of Malaga Plaza. These walks are being sponsored by the Environmental Priorities Network, as part of our effort to make people aware of local environmental resources and needs.

From raising funds or designing educational programs to keeping the books and arranging speakers, the board of directors of the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society is an active group of people. At its December meeting, the board selected new board members and officers.

Chapter Board Members attending their January meeting: Standing, left to right: Bob Carr, Bart Tendick, Bob Shaman, Jess Morton, Kathleen Schwallie, Linda Chilton, Martin Byhower, Tony Rizk. Sitting: Vijay Yanamadala, Frances Spivy-Weber, Annette Currence, Maryann Kimono. Vijay and Maryann represented the YES! Council.

Chapter officers for 2002 are as follows: President, Jess Morton; First Vice President, Fran Spivy-Weber; Second Vice President, Allen Franz; Treasurer, Bob Shanman; Secretary, Annette Currence. Other board members are: Martin Byhower, Bob Carr, Linda Chilton, Ollie Coker, Jeremiah George, Lillian Light, Tony Rizk, Loretta Rose, Kathleen Schwallie, Bart Tendick, and Dennis Weyrauch.

In this and coming issues of Hummin', readers will learn a little about these dedicated volunteers.

Jess Morton, President: Since 1978, when he became the founding president of what is now the PalosVerdes/South Bay Audubon Society, Jess Morton has held most offices, led walks, chaired most committees, done community advocacy, acted as spokesperson (was even once dubbed "Father Nature" by a reporter), and for 15 years, edited Hummin'. During the last 23 years with the chapter, he has developed new programs, including the Audubon YES! (Youth Environmental Service) Program, the chapter's primary tool for creating a new generation of activists. A tax preparer by trade, and environmentalist by inclination, Jess serves as Treasurer and Los Angeles County Board Director for the Endangered Habitats League, a regional land-use and habitat conservation group; chairs the Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park Public Advisory Board and represents Audubon on the Dominguez Channel Watershed Advisory Committee. In 1996, the National Audubon Society presented Jess its highest award for volunteer activism, the Charles H. Callison Award. His poetry appears frequently in Hummin' and other publications. This year, Jess will be campaigning for a seat on the National Audubon Board of Directors.

Martin Byhower: A long-time environmental activist, Martin has been associated with the Chapter for many years. Recognized statewide for his talent as a teacher, Martin has taught science at Chadwick School for the last 18 years. In that time, Martin has also been a co-founder of Heal the Bay and has served as an officer with the American Cetacean Society, Friends of Madrona Marsh, and more. Besides his private bird-guiding business, Martin leads Audubon monthly bird walks at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park. Martin also serves on the Park's advisory board, as well as the Chapter's committee planning a Natural Heritage Center there. Martin's interests extend beyond birds: Besides shiatsu massage, Martin moonlights as a guitarist and bass player. (Most importantly, Martin will soon marry Eileen!)

Linda Chilton: In December 2001, Linda Chilton has collaborated with the Chapter for many years. Linda has worked at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro for the last ten years. There, Linda now serves as the Education Specialist, organizing tours and programs for the public. Linda also helps support Sea Ranger volunteers, who provide interpretation at coastal parks in the area. Besides volunteering with the Chapter, Linda serves on the Science Advisory Council for Los Angeles County.

Kathleen T. Schwallie: Kathleen, who lives in Rolling Hills Estates, also joined the Chapter Board of Directors at the end of 2001. If you have had the chance to spend a little bit of time with Kathleen, who is the principal of the Chevalier Law Firm, you won't be surprised to learn that she serves as President of the Montecillo Homeowners Association, has led the formation of the Rolling Hills Estates Neighborhood Coalition, and serves as Treasurer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Committee. Whew!

Most of November is spent seeing arriving winterers, and the last of the migrants for the fall. A few tardy migrants straggle through the South Bay in December. Mostly, it's winter birds showing up, and waiting to see if it will be a winter-finch year, or a scoter year, or a good eastern vagrant wintering season. And maybe scouting your area for the count was on the December itinerary. Boy, it sure is great to see everyone out on the Christmas Bird count (CBC)! If it weren't for the count, we'd get together more often, I'm sure!

I can't thank all you participants enough. You are heroes to me! It is the proverbial dirty, thankless job, but oh, the rewards! All those great birds getting found in one day: shows how we're missing most of the birdlife around here, just scraping the surface, seeing the tip of the iceberg. What if we did a count once a month? Or at least a couple times in the peak fall vagrant season? What would we come up with?

This year, during the 36th Palos Verdes Peninsula CBC on December 23, we found about 172 species, plus 8 more during count week (3 days before or after the count). Plus, the Peafowl and Parakeets we can't count makes for a 180 species during Count Week (CW)—probably tops in LA Co., as usual. Not bad!!!

How `bout the bird word?

Dr. Barney Schlinger (BS) saw many Pink-footed Shearwaters over Redondo Knoll about 10 miles off PV in late Nov-early Dec. Curtis Johnson saw one offshore 12/22 during CW. A few Sooty Shearwaters were seen on the CBC. BS saw a few Short-tailed Shearwaters over Redondo Canyon (RC) 12/13.

Kevin Larson (KL) and Carol Selvey (CS) saw NINE Am.White Pelicans on the CBC, over the Dominguez Channel (DC), very rare in winter in our neck of the woods. The only Cattle Egret I heard of all fall was a single over my hovel here in Torrance on 11/2.

KL and CS saw a Ross' Goose at the big pond at Ocean Trails (OT) on 11/25. I saw 3 Canada Geese over the hovel here 11/24, which may have been the same 3 at Harbor Park (HP) on 11/27. Blue-winged Teal continue to increase, with a few seen on the CBC at both Madrona Marsh and HP. HP alone had 8+ on 1/5. A homogeneous flock of 14 Greater Scaup at Cabrillo Beach (CB) on the CBC (Mitch Heindel - MH) was nice, besides the couple or few as usual at the Los Angeles River (LAR) mouth. KL found 2 female Long-tailed Ducks (formerly Oldsquaw) at LAR on 12/15, which were joined by a male for three on the CBC.

KL and CS saw an Osprey at LAR 12/15. At least 4 Merlin are wintering around the area, maybe more. I presume peregrinations are what kept us from getting a Peregrine count week. There were THREE together all screaming at once at HP on 11/22 (MH). Three were seen 12/27 the day after (!) CW ended: Suzanne Carota had a pair at the DC a couple times from late Dec. to early Jan., and an imm flew over my hovel. One of my last bird sightings of the year (at 3 p.m. on 12/31) was an adult seen from my office window carrying a Starling! In my view, that's like hittin' the Exacta! Martin Byhower (MB) saw a Turkey Vulture at Chadwick Canyon (CC) on 12/5; KL found that old grand-daddy still at DC 12/15 to the CBC at least.

Outstanding was the Pacific Golden-Plover DM found at Hermosa Bch., just outside the circle, 11/30 to 12/3+. Anotherflew over my hovel calling its diagnostic tyu-weeeet call on 12/25 for our second CW record ever, and fifth Dec. record locally. The 40 or so Snowy Plovers in the Hermosa flock ARE back as always, amongst which DM found a color-banded bird, which turns out is a juvenile from Vandenberg AFB. The 6 at CB are back as well, one of which is from Monterey!

I found an immaculate (countable) frazeriAmerican Oystercatcher on 12/24 amongst 16 Blacks at Royal Palms (RP), some of which are impure hybrids. One of the Blacks is color-banded as well. Apparently, Dr. Charlie Collins (CC) saw it earlier in the winter on the breakwater, and it is a juvenile banded this last summer at the Farallones, San Fransico Co. (pers.comm.) !!! WEEWOW! An amazing THIRD Ruff of the fall was at the LAR on 11/10 (Dan Cooper).

It seems to be a big year for Glaucous-winged Gulls with lots of first-year (juveniles) birds down this winter, with single counts of 7-9 at once at HP alone! MB and I had 7, with 3 Thayer's there on 12/24. Its a great place to study gulls in the winter! Alcids showed well early this winter, with lots of Rhinoceros Auklets around, often just outside the kelp beds. Fair numbers of Common Murres were around, some on the CBC, and I saw 6 off King Harbor 12/26. There were two Cassin's Auklets on the CBC, and KL saw 3 on 12/26 in the Bluff Cove (BC) area. The same day he scoped 7 Rhinos from King Harbor to Lunada Bay from shore. Dr. BS spotted a pair of Murrelets (probably Xantus's) for the CBC from the Pacific Avenue Overlook in San Pedro. This is a great scoping spot, especially early.

For our FIFTH report of the fall, KL saw an Acorn Woodpecker 11/7 near the PVCC, but NONE were found on the CBC! Jim Pike ID'd a Gray Flycatcher along del Campo on the north side of PVCC, our only Empidonax of the CBC. A great Christmas gift was an Eastern Phoebe 12/25 at Peck Pk. having it out with a Black Phoebe in the same field of view, over the best perch in the canyon (KL, MH). It seems Cassin's Kingbird is a regular in winter now, where there are open grassy areas with scattered trees to hunt from. The Navy Fuel Depot (NFD) is one of their favorite spots. David Moody saw a Western Kingbird at Alondra Pk. (Al.P) 11/28 - an incredibly late record.

At least one Plumbeous Vireo is wintering at HP in the willows. A fair number of Hutton's were turned up on the CBC, mostly in Rolling Hills, and the Malaga Creek (MC) area. At Al.P on 12/13 DM saw 4 Barn Swallows, a precursor to the all-time-high NINE found on the CBC (at CB, HP, OT). CS and KL had a Mountain Chickadee at GeoF.Canyon (GFC) 12/9, which was surely around somewhere on the hill but missed on the CBC. DM had 3 migrant Red- breasted Nuthatches at Wilderness Pk. (WP) 11/20. A few were scattered about the circle on the CBC. Downright rare here was the White-breasted Nuthatch wintering at BP (MH), found on the CBC. An apparent migrant Marsh Wren was at the OT pond for weeks in Nov. (MH,KL). Varied Thrush were at WP (DM) on 12/4; at MC by KL on 12/8, and FIVE were found by the Rolling Hills gang on the CBC (Ross Landry, David Bradley, Rusty Scalf)

Eleven species of Warblers were found on the CBC, plus one for CW! NINE species were at HP! It may be easier to get 9-10 sps. in a day here in the winter, than at any other season. As for the rarities: KL found a Northern Parula at the Gardena Willows on the CBC, our 2nd winter record ever, both in the last 3 years. They are very rare in winter in CA - Outstanding! I saw a Palm at Angel's Gate (AG) during CW. A male American Redstart was back for its fourthwinter at the HP willows. Amazingly not staying for the CBC was a Northern Waterthrush at SCBG by KL on 12/1, too late for sane migrant Waterthrushes. The rarest CBC warbler (or bird) found was the Mourning Warbler Don Sterba (DS) found at the north-end Willows at HP...in the exact place I found North America's first wintering record 20+years ago! Phenomenal! Finally, Wilson's Warbler just keeps increasing in winter, with EIGHT on the CBC, a new all-time high.

A bumper crop of Summer Tanagers was around the hill. First, one on 11/19 (MH) at the Alcance Oaks; then one on 11/20 (DM) at WP; one at SCBG on the 11/21 walk; a different one at SCBG (KL) 12/1, and 2 at SCBG (KL) 12/22, and KL saw another near MC 12/26. There were two on the CBC that were none of the above! FIVE were seen CW, though only 2 were seen on the count.

A little understood phenomenon is the wintering here of more northerly races of Spotted Towhee. Most years a few are around. Look at places that don't have residents, like Sand Dune Pk. (SDP), MM or WP, etc. This year saw a huge invasion: KL saw 3-4 at once at SDP, and I saw FIVE at once at AG. One of those had cinnamon edges to tertials, scaps and inner coverts, hardly any spots above, and little tiny ones on the tail. These `spotless' Towhees are likely oregonus types. The `super-spotted' ones are likely montanus (or less likely arcticus) types. Margaret Hoggan added a good yard bird at her RPV feeder battery on 11/15, a Green-tailed Towhee.

A couple small groups of Chipping Sparrow were found on the CBC. The best bird of the CBC award goes to CC for the Black-chinned Sparrow at the Forrestal Quarries. This was our only new-to-count species, never before recorded in 36 CBC's! Besides the 3 Lark Sparrow KL saw at Ernie Howlet Pk., on 12/8, 8 were at the NFD on the CBC (BS/MH). Another subspecific enigma here are the Fox Sparrows. Most of winterers are Sooty and Slate-colored types, but KL saw a rare RED Fox Sparrow at HP, with the other two types, right after CW ended! Was it the one I saw there last winter? White-throated Sparrows showed well this winter with one at SDP by KL since 12/7; only one on the CBC, at HP (DS); one at my hovel (Torr.) 12/24+ (MH); and another near MC on 12/26 (KL). That's four that we know of wintering locally!

Very rare here in winter, a Black-headed Grosbeak was at Jack Overs' Lomita feeder 1/3 (fide Bob Shanman). Two Baltimore Orioles were found on the CBC, a female at BP, and an imm.male at HP (both MH). A Purple Finch was detected on the CBC, one at GFC (A&EB) is the sole individual seen in a couple years; quite scarce lately.

So there ya have it! The rectrice end of fall and the pileum of winter. Pretty darn awesome if you ask me! I'm impressed people! Especially you loyal dedicated CBC'ers! THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your help! So, now is the time to go cover all the little hole-in-the-wall greenspots for missed winterers. KL stopped at one such spot just after the CBC and in a few minutes saw a White-throated Sparrow, Bullock's Oriole, and Summer Tanager, all missed on the CBC. There's lots wintering out there we don't know about yet. Don't think we've found it all! Now it's up to you to seek it out and send me your finds (birdfish@earthlink.net) so there'll be something for the next column. Be sure to get out to any of the coastal points sometime Feb.-April for some usually good seawatching. Early and late is best.

Meanwhile, think global, bird local.

Unless you ask Vijay Yanamadala, you are unlikely to learn that Vijay has won numerous awards for his research into ways of combatting water pollution. Once you do ask Vijay about his projects, however, this softspoken 11th-grader opens up and speaks with casual authority about his plans to improve the water quality in local wetlands and lakes. You may also learn of the plans that he and other members of the YES! Council have for expanding the program in the South Bay and beyond.

Vijay Yanamadala

"Martin Byhower was the most influential person in getting me involved in the YES! program in the seventh grade," says Vijay. "Mr. Byhower persuaded me to take up the problem of eutrophication, also. So, I've worked on eutrophication at Madrona Marsh and Harbor Park."

After studying the chemical composition of the water in Lake Machado at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, Vijay determined that the lake suffered from excessive amounts of phosphate that were entering from the surrounding community through storm drains. But, he did not stop with the problem. He began looking for solutions.

"I studied the ability of calcium carbonate to reduce the load of phosphate in Harbor Park," says Vijay. "If you limit the amount of phosphate in the Lake, you won't have all these problems, such as the growth of the reeds that must be cut back."

Vijay's research took him to Madrona Marsh. "Phosphate, nitrate, and ammonia levels are much higher at Madrona Marsh than at Harbor Park, because it is a vernal marsh. It dries out and doesn't have as much water as Harbor Park," says Vijay. "And Madrona Marsh is surrounded by residential communities. All of these factors contribute to Madrona Marsh being more polluted."

To combat the high levels of phosphate, Vijay has designed "filters" that use calcium carbonate to strip phosphate from water entering the Marsh from the sump at the southeast corner of the marsh. Vijay's plans also include a bacterial growth chamber to strip ammonia from the water as well.

In pursuing his research, Vijay has learned as well about the difficulty of getting anything done. "It's much easier to implement the filters at Madrona than at Harbor Park," Vijay says. "There's a lot less bureaucracy." The City of Torrance and Friends of Madrona Marsh support the installation of the filters partly because this will enable the City to obtain clean, recycled water year round from the water recycling plant in El Segundo. Cleaner water may also aid in the introduction of the endangered fairy shrimp to the Marsh.

Success in cleaning up the water at Madrona Marsh will be an important step in cleaning up the water at Lake Machado, as well. "Getting purer, cleaner water flowing into the Marsh and the Lake will enable the natural community to reach a much higher level."

The YES! program has been central to Vijay's efforts. Together with other members of the YES! Council, Vijay has been making plans for expanding the program into other high schools, including Redondo Union, the Torrance high schools, and Banning High.

"Eventually, we hope it will become a national program," says Vijay. "Jess Morton is running for the national board, and we hope that he will take YES! to the national board."

We agree.

At the January meeting of the Chapter Board of Directors, Jess Morton reported on the Youth Environmental Services (YES!) Program. For the 2001-2002 school year, 271 students from 15 schools and from several other organizations are participating in the Chapter's YES! program. Seven other chapters are now sponsoring YES! programs.

Excitement is building as more and more students are earning hours toward Audubon YES! certificates, which will be awarded at the Chapter's annual dinner this spring.

The Chapter, and the YES! Program, wish to thank Jorge and Corie Wong for their continuing support, most recently through a $500 donation.

California native plants hold a special place in my heart and in my garden. In fact, it could be said that part of the reason I conceived an Alondra Island native plant garden was that I ran out of room in my own yard. Another reason was to demonstrate to the community the beauty, diversity, and drought-tolerance of California native plants.

Most public areas in our community are planted with a variety of non-native trees, shrubs, flowers, and broad lawns—pretty but not unique. Alondra Park is no different, but it shares the area with El Camino College. So, when in spring 1998 a female Mallard Duck reared her brood of ducklings in a planter outside a biology lab on our campus, we were intrigued. Eventually, "Daisy" , as she was dubbed by the our lab technicians, led her ducklings back to Alondra Lake—followed by a few faculty and lab techs.

When the ducks settled on Alondra Island, we were more intrigued. Here was an island barren of conventional landscaping except for some pines and palms. Why couldn't this be a little showcase for California native plants? We thought the ducks, geese, and rabbits would enjoy native vegetation, and park visitors could admire the native Matilija Poppies, Toyons , and Ceanothus, from across the lake.

We contacted John Wicker of the LA County Parks and Recreation office to inquire about use of the island. Late in 1998 Jess Morton of PV/ South Bay Audubon Society, Lindsay Smith of the El Camino Village neighborhood, and I representing El Camino College signed an agreement with the county allowing us to plant an experimental plot on the island with California natives. Walt Wright, former naturalist at Madrona, toured the site with me and advised what we might plant. Shirley Turner, avid Madrona gardener, helped me and my students plant native Madrona Marsh seeds in yellow cones for later transplant to Alondra Island. I frequented the native plant sales at South Coast Botanic Garden, Theodore Payne Foundation, and Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. By November my students and I were digging our first holes on the island. Our first plot was small with only 27 plants on the southeast corner of the island. In spring 1999, my students and I added a few more p,lants and tried some of the seedling sunflowers and wallflowers from Madrona. In fall 1999 Rick Dykzeul of the South Coast Chapter of California Native Plant Society donated 20 plants from their fall sale to Margo Steinman and me for our island garden, allowing us to enlarge it a bit.

During fall 2000, El Camino College backed our garden with a $5,000 Projects-for- Excellence Grant as a community service endeavor for our students. This grant enabled me to buy much needed tools for the students and more plants from the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.

By fall 2001, we had roughly 80 plants of about 45 different genera including many different horticultural varieties. Not every plant survives, because many rabbits, squirrels, chickens, ducks and geese roam our plot, and because, as the geese strongly proclaim, it is their island. Our money and labor goes largely toward fixing fences around each plant and watering the new plants to give them a good start in life.

If you are driving along Redondo Beach Boulevard look to the north, east of the intersection with Yukon, and you will see our native plants on the south end of Alondra Lake Island.

If you would like to help or join us for one of our workdays, please contact me, Jeanne Bellemin, at El Camino College, (310) 660-3354.

"City Critters" was the Language Arts theme when my 3rd grade class took a day trip to Harbor Regional Park to spend the day with Debbie Baker, Education Director for the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society, and her volunteer naturalists. The volunteers, middle school and high school students, are handpicked from the Audubon Society's summer camp program in the park.

Audubon Educator, Holly Gray, led the students through a discussion about the life stages of a butterfly. Then, armed with field guides, the students spent time matching butterflies in the park to pictures in the field guides and discussing their habitats.

We spent the second part of the day using field glasses and other hands-on materials to discover birds and their habitats. Trips like this help my students develop a love of nature and greater awareness of "wildlife in the city".

--Nancy Larsson, Normont Elementary LAUSD

San Diego Bird Festival: February 7-10

Marina Village Conference Center, Mission Bay.

Whale and bird watching boat trips, and other outings

For information: 619-429-5378 or birdfest@flite-tours.com.

Also: http://www.flitetours.com/festival.htm.

Los Angeles Audubon is sponsoring an 8-hour pelagic trip from San Pedro on Saturday, February 23. Send reservations, including date of trip, names of people in party, phone numbers, check to LAAS for exact amount ($45 per person), and self-addressed, stamped envelope for confirmation and information, to LAAS Reservations, 7377 Santa Monico Bl., W. Hollywood, CA 90046 6694.

The editor welcomes short articles, essays, and profiles, poems, limericks, and other contributions that may kindle fascination with the natural world. Drawings, photographs, and other graphics, as well as advice on improving Hummin's graphics are also welcome.

Population growth is one of the driving factors in the loss of wildlife and habitat. Until the 1990s, the United States government actively supported international efforts to slow population growth, which has reached 75 million people a year, through voluntary family planning. For 2001, Congress approved the first increase in U.S. funds for voluntary family planning since 1995. Now, President Bush is considering eliminating the U.S. contribution to the United Nations Population Fund.

National Audubon is urging its members to urge President Bush to fully fund the United Nations Population Fund. Doing so is simpler than you may think. If you have access to the internet, you may send a fax to the President by going to the Audubon web site at

<http: www.capitolconnect.com/audubon/>.

Or, you may call 202-456-1414, press 1 for the White House comment line. Tell the opertaor that you support full funding for the United Nations Population Fund at the $34 million level.

(Second of two articles.)

Spanish explorers first reached California in the 1540s, most famously in the explorations of the Cabrillo-Ferrelo expedition of 1542-43. After 1565, the coast was infrequently visited by European ships—Spanish galleons returning to Mexico with trade goods from the Philippines, and British and Dutch pirates, including Francis Drake and Oliver van Noort, trying to waylay the galleons to seize their rich cargoes. As a result of both impromptu trading contacts and occasional shipwrecks, a limited number of European and Asian influences—from metal knife blades to silk, china artifacts, and alien diseases—spread along the California coast.

Actual settlement of Alta California began in 1769 (settlement of Baja California had begun around 1700). In 1774, the Mission San Gabriel was established. Seven years later, the town of Los Angeles was founded, with the imposing name El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora, La Reina de los Angeles del Rio de Porciuncula—with a population of only a few dozen people! Three years later, the earliest Spanish land grant in California was granted to Manuel Dominguez—Rancho San Pedro, which included today's Ken Malloy-Harbor Regional Park. Around 1810 the Sepulveda family established a claim to theRancho de los Palos Verdes, carved out of the older Rancho San Pedro, and set up headquarters just south of today's Harbor Lake; the name of the rancho, literally Green Branches, derived from the willows and other lush vegetation growing around the marshes.

How did Spanish colonization affect the Indian settlements around Harbor Lake? Unfortunately, the impact was almost entirely negative. Mission San Gabriel, with its detachment of soldiers, began forcibly moving Tongva communities to the mission grounds (where they officially became Gabrielinos) in the late 1770s in order to facilitate control and religioius conversion. Indians were compelled to work in the missions' fields and factories, and were subjected to compulsory conversion by the mission fathers. Unwilling neophytes were beaten or flogged. Mission Indians protested frequently and sometimes rebelled violently, but in the end, they had no effective defense against Spanish cavalry and firearms. Some Indians were able to escape, but Spanish soldiers recaptured many who attempted to flee. Introduced diseases decimated the native population, particularly those confined in the close quarters of the missions. Early censuses of the Rancho de los Palos Verdes enumerated dozens of Indians employed as vaqueros (cowboys), as well as domestic servants and laborers, but it is doubtful whether many of these were Gabrielino/Tongva.

After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, conditions gradually changed, although not always for the better. The Mexican government abolished slavery in 1826. The government also sought to reduce the power and wealth of the Roman Catholic Church, which derived largely from its control of extensive landed estates, such as the missions. In California, however, settlers were reluctant to break up the missions, since they were the primary institutions controlling the Indian population, which still far outnumbered the province's 3,000 or so European and Mexican settlers. When mission secularization finally came, in the last decade of Mexican rule, it took the form of the transfer of mission lands to private ranchers. Often, the mission Indians were treated as chattel, as part of the property transfer. By then, most of the Indians in the Los Angeles Basin were non-Tongva, refugees and marginalized survivors of Spanish, Mexican, and finally American expansionism.

Until well after the American takeover of California, Indians were the basic source of cheap or free labor on the ranchos in the Los Angeles Basin. Indians were excluded from citizenship and denied legal rights. It was a routine practice for local authorities to round up unattached Indians, or kidnap children from Indian encampments, and auction them off to ranchers. Indian women were taken as concubines by new settlers, the great majority of whom were males.

Although the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution technically abolished slavery and granted citizenship to all persons born in the United States, in practice the social position and legal conditions of California Indians continued to decline until the end of the 19th century. By that time, the original population had been reduced by roughly 95%.

Despite these hardships and injustices, enclaves of Gabrielino/Tongva survived, and during the 20th century their numbers increased. Although few if any settled in the South Bay, Gabrielino/Tongva groups periodically visited the open areas around the Palos Verdes Peninsula to harvest plants and other resources. In recent decades, state and federal laws protecting Indian antiquities have refocused attention on the region's indigenous legacy.

Restoration of South Bay Habitats: We can use your energy and some more equipment! If you are prepared to dig and pull and plant, join PV/SB Audubon's restoration of PV Blue Habitat (every first or second Sunday, 9-noon, at the Defense fuel Support Point, 3171 N. Gaffey, San Pedro). See Calendar for details. We also need shovels, rakes, hand trowels, and clippers. For more information, call Debbie, 722-7777.

Sharing Nature with Children: Spend one Saturday a month, 8:30-12:30, as a docent at Wilderness Park, 1102 Camino Real (near Prospect) in Redondo Beach. Docents help an expert on nature introduce youngsters, ages 6-12, to the park's meadow, woodland, streamside, and marsh habitats and to wildlife and habitats throughout the region Docents help lead the children in games, walks, and crafts designed around each month's special theme. For more information, call Lillian Light at 545-1384.

Audubon YES!: If you are already active with a school or youth group in the area, consider becoming a chapter liaison with Audubon Yes! Audubon Yes! students are the backbone of local restoration projects, and assist with Sharing Nature with Children. They attend Audubon field trips and walks. Students with 50 hours of service receive an Audubon Yes! award. Volunteers encourage participation in Audubon's youth-oriented programs.

You can now search Mitch's columns on line for references to any species or group of birds seen during the last several years. By going to Audubon'sweb site <http://www.LMconsult.com/pvaudubon>, you can use Webmaster Lewis Morton's unique BirdSearch engine to hunt up every reference to the bird you select. Check out the rest of the web site while you're there—you'll be amazed at how much Audubon actually does. And how many ways you can help out.

On February 15-18, the fifth annual Great Backyard Bird Count or GBBC will give everyone a chance to help monitor bird populations. In the GBBC, families, individuals, classrooms, and community groups count the numbers and kinds of birds that visit their feeders, local parks, schoolyards, and other areas during any or all four days of the count. Participants then enter their observations on the Birdsource web page at www.birdsource.org. Results from around the country are updated hourly in the form of animated maps and colorful graphs. Findings from previous years are also available at the site, which was developed by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Instructions for participating in the GBBC can be found at the web site.

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