Meet LandPaths - Sharing Our Love Of Nature Every Step Of The Way

    Ivan Chang is an indispensable volunteer for us here at LandPaths, and we appreciate all the ways in which he embraces and enhances our mission and community!  In the video below you have the opportunity to see him in action as the lead coordinator for the Summer Free Lunch Program, held at Bayer Farm throughout the summer in partnership with the Redwood Empire Food Bank and St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Services Department.  In it he talks about how he came to LandPaths, his interest in volunteering and his future goals, and also highlights some of the great aspects of this incredible program that is held five days a week all summer long at Bayer Farm!

    What there isn’t room to highlight in the video is all of the other ways in which Ivan supports LandPaths and the community by getting involved and – in the mark of a true leader – bringing others in to get involved as well.  It has been a true pleasure to work with this dynamic young man.  He doesn’t just volunteer, he brings others to volunteer with him.  He doesn’t just show up, he pitches in.  And he never is content to sit on his laurels, but is always looking for the next experience or challenge to tackle.  His volunteer work with LandPaths is extensive, ranging from coordinating teens on projects at Bayer Farm to serving on the Bayer Farm Park Planning Steering Committee, from helping with outreach and day-of logistics for Spanish-language Taylor Mountain Permit Orientations to helping to lead a campout in the pouring rain, and always with a sense of humor.  He is currently taking a week off of work to attend a National Leadership Training held by Gamaliel International, a community organizing foundation that we at LandPaths are affiliated with as part of the North Bay Organizing Project, in order to expand his skills and effectiveness at community organizing even further.

    We could not be more proud of this incredible volunteer, or more thrilled to have our work be one of his outlets for building a stronger community!  Thank you Ivan, for your help, your wisdom, your wit and your time.  Your impact on LandPaths, and the community at large, is significant and valued tremendously!

   El joven Ivan Chang es un voluntario indispensable para nosotros aquí en LandPaths, y ¡le agradecemos por todas las maneras en que sus acciones personifican y aumentan nuestra misión y comunidad!  En el video que sale abajo, usted tiene la oportunidad de verlo en acción como el coordinador principal para el Programa de Almuerzos Gratis del Verano, que se realiza en Bayer Farm durante todo el verano, en sociedad con el Redwood Empire Food Bank y St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Services Department.  En el video Ivan habla sobre como llegó a nosotros en LandPaths, su interés en el voluntariado y sus metas futuras y también destaca algunas de los aspectos claves de este programa increíble que ¡toma lugar en Bayer Farm cinco días de la semana por todo el verano!

    Lo que no alcanza a incluir en el video son todas las otras maneras en que Ivan apoya a LandPaths y a la comunidad a través de involucrarse y – como hace un verdadero líder – llevar a otros para poder involucrarse también.  Ha sido un verdadero placer a trabajar con este joven dinámico.  No sólo se hace voluntario, lleva otros a ayudar también.  No sólo llega, pero es siempre echando una mano.  Y él nunca se siente satisfecho con lo que ya ha hecho, más bien es siempre en busca de la próxima experiencia o reto para enfrentar.  Sus trabajos voluntarios con LandPaths son extensos, extendiendo de ayudando a jóvenes con proyectos en Bayer Farm a sirviendo en la mesa directiva para la planificación del parque, de apoyando con el alcance y realización de una orientación para Taylor Mountain en español a ayudando con un campamento en la plena lluvia, y siempre con un sentido de humor.  Actualmente está tomando un descanso de su trabajo por una semana entera para asistir a un Entrenamiento de Liderazgo Nacional con Gamaliel Internacional, una fundación que se dedica a la organización de comunidades, y con quienes estamos afiliados a través del Proyecto Organizativo del Norte de la Bahia, para poder amplificar aun más sus habilidades y potencial para organizar en la comunidad.

    No podríamos sentir más orgullo de este voluntario increíble, o sentir más entusiasmados a que nuestro trabajo sirve como manera para que él pueda construir una comunidad más fuerte.  Gracias Ivan, por tu apoyo, tu sabiduría, tu humor y tu tiempo.  ¡Tu impacto en LandPaths, y en toda la comunidad, es significante y de gran valor!

This summer IOOBY is experiencing some changes. We welcome a new staff member Jackrabbit Justin, as LandPaths Assistant Education Director. Justin hails from Arkansas, and most recently from Tennessee. He brings years of teaching about the environment to various age groups, from elementary to high school students. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and has enjoyed working with the Hispanic community in Tennessee as an interpreter. We are excited to have him join the LP team, bringing his knowledge and enthusiasm for kids and the outdoors to our beautiful county. Please welcome him to the LandPaths community.

Another change at IOOBY this summer is that Bree Bird is pregnant. Thanks right folks, I’m expecting my first baby in November. If you know me, you know I love kids and I am so excited about becoming a mom. My baby (and belly) are growing steadily and I look forward to introducing the little one to the LandPaths community in winter. My husband, baby-to-be, two joyous dogs, and I will be taking a road trip this summer to check out the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota, the 50th state for yours truly to visit; then I will have been to them all! Wishing you a fantastic summer filled with outdoor adventures.  –Bree Bird

IOOBY Summary 2010-11

Stewardship

IOOBY held 31 stewardship days this year. All kinds of projects were undertaken to help take care of the land. Students removed non-native plants, planted native plants, protected native tree saplings with tree protecting tubes, planted veggies and flowers at our farm, cleaned bird boxes and collected data on what they found inside, created and distributed fliers to neighbors detailing their stewardship project, created and hung up beautiful creek flags about their stewardship projects for neighbors to see.

Total results for the year from IOOBY students, parents, teachers, and volunteer stewardship include:

• 658 natives planted
• 200 farm veggies and flowers planted
• 140 education fliers distributed
• 91 Creek flags created and displayed
• 65 Native saplings protected
• 56 Bird boxes cleaned
• 55 Non-natives removed including fennel plants, dozens of teasel,
• 2 cubic yards each of lemon balm, English Ivy, and Himalayan Blackberry removed
• 1 cubic yard of French broom removed
• 1 new IOOBY staff member!

• Alexander Valley students pulled a cubic yard of broom, removed 20 fennel plants and roots, dug out dozens of teasel roots, and distributed over 60 fliers to the neighbors informing them of their experiences at Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve.
• Two classes of Brook Hill 6th graders planted 39 native riparian plants along Matanzas Creek across from their school and created more than a dozen creek flags to let neighbors know about the project.
• With Windsor High’s help Cali Calemecac 6th graders planted 150 native redwood understory plants and removed two cubic yards of non-native, invasive Lemon balm at Riverfront Park.
• Doyle Park planted 38 native plants, removed 2 cubic yards of English ivy, and created two dozen creek flags to let neighbors know about the project along Matanzas Creek.
• Flowery planted 199 native grass plugs at Glen Oaks Ranch!
• Helen Lehman cleaned out and recorded data on many of the 33 bird boxes at the Doerksen’s Ranchero Mark West. They also protected more than 35 native saplings on the property. While protecting the trees, they also took time to name them.
• Hidden Valley cleaned out and recorded data on many of the 33 bird boxes at the Doerksen’s Ranchero Mark West. They also protected more than 30 native saplings on the property. While protecting the trees, they also took time to name them.
• Kawana removed 35 non-native fennel plants along Colgan Creek. They also planted 8 native riparian plants and created 10 creek flags.
• Lincoln 3rd graders planted 50 redwood sorrel at the Doerksen’s Ranchero Mark West.
• Lincoln 4th graders removed 1 cubic yard of non-native blackberries and planted 21 native plants at Poppy Creek.
• Live Oak planted 60 native plants at Ellis Creek/Petaluma Marsh.
• River Montessori planted 40 native plants at Ellis Creek/Petaluma Marsh.
• Roseland and Sheppard stewarded Bayer Farm, planting hundreds of veggies, flowers and native plants, tending the compost, harvesting ripe food, and creating delicious farm cooked meals. “I hauled 22 wheelbarrows full of mulch. Now I’m tired and I want to take a nap.” –Jon Jay
• Steele Lane 3rd graders distributed more than 80 fliers to neighbors telling them about Poppy Creek and their planting project. They planted 23 native plants and removed 1 cubic yard of non-native blackberry. They also created 30 creek flags to share with the neighbors about their efforts to steward Poppy Creek.
• SunRidge 5th graders cleaned out 23 bird boxes at the Laguna Uplands and recorded data
• on what they found inside. They also created 15 creek flags to share with their school the work they did to help take care of the Laguna Uplands.

Volunteers

This year IOOBY had 516 volunteers come out on IOOBY field days. These volunteers donated more than 3,096 hours of their time to the IOOBY program, mentoring Sonoma County students about nature. This is 528 more volunteer hours for IOOBY than last year! We are so grateful to you all for your dedication to teaching students the wonders of the outdoors!  We would especially like to recognize our ever dedicated volunteers: Johnny Junco, Duck Dave, Dragonfly Dave, Lizard Liz, Kathy Caterpillar, Randy Raccoon, Matt Madrone, Mary Manzanita, Peregrine Pat, Laura Flora, Cougar Kyle, Puma Pat, Mountain Lion Marta, Ginger George, Dani Dirt, Eva Evergreen, Lani Leaf and Sean Scorpion! Thank you thank you thank you!

Quotes
“Thank you for taking us to Ranchero Mark West. It was so fun I though I was going to blow up. I like the parts when we went looking for fish and other lake animals and lizards”. Your friend, Jesse, IOOBY 3rd grader

“I’m really glad I chose to join LandPaths because I was able to learn about and see a variety of habitats I would have never known about.  I also think it’s really rewarding to see our new plants thriving and taking back the riparian habitat at Riverfront Park.  After working with and teaching younger students, I feel a lot better about public speaking and am more comfortable giving presentations.  Joining LandPaths was a very beneficial experience, and I can’t help but look after the environment more than ever.”
–Kevin Kingsnake, IOOBY high school student

‘This year in LandPaths was awesome.  Working with the kids was really fun.  I remember doing the same thing when I went to Cali.  Coming to Riverfront Park every other Friday was soothing, even if it was pouring rain outside.  I have learned a lot about the outdoors and this makes me want to travel and be outdoors all of the time.  This park is beautiful!”  -Tyler Tarantula, IOOBY high school student


Partners

IOOBY would like to thank our many partners, who make IOOBY possible. Partners include: the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, the Sonoma County Community Foundation, the Dean Witter Foundation, the Medtronic Foundation, the Sonoma Valley Fund, Calpine, Save the Redwoods League, donations from individual LandPaths supporters, the City of Santa Rosa Creek Stewardship Program, Sonoma County Regional Parks, Sonoma Land Trust, the City of Petaluma and the Ellis Creek Treatment Facility, STRAW of PRBO, the Laguna Foundation, the Doerksens, and all of the Sonoma County teachers and staff we work with.

Sponsor an Owl Camper!

"I just want to say that my kids LOVE Owl Camp...nature is the BEST way to go! Thank you so much for making this happen and the sponsorship provided has helped so much! Please extend my gratitude to LandPaths, the landowners and the sponsor. I am one thrilled parent because my kids are SO stimulated when they come home, and they sleep like champs (eat like champs too!)! Thank you, thank you, thank you."

~Parent of two Owl Campers returning this year

Help send a child to Owl Camp this summer! Donate Today!

Donate today and keep Owl Camp - and summer - for all kids!

Scholarships are offered to campers on need, and first-come, first-serve basis. Parents apply for a scholarship by filling out a simple application (available in Spanish & English.) We rarely offer complete scholarships to Owl Camp; instead we ask parents to pay the maximum possible, and offer partial scholarships for one week of camp.

Parents are asked to also assist with car-pooling and other camp logistics. This is a simple way of entering into a real collaboration with families in order to make camp a meaningful and important experience for them.

With your support we will:

• Offer 32 scholarships to Owl Campers in 2011, out of a total of 84 camper slots (38% of all campers!)

• Keep Owl Camp open and available to ALL kids in Sonoma County, regardless of social background and/or financial hurdles

• Reserve 30% of all Owl Camp slots for kids from Spanish-speaking or other minority families

• Allow Owl Campers and their families to participate in a diverse, non-segregated program that reflects ALL of the people who live in Sonoma County

Thank you for helping to keep Owl Camp open and accessible to all kids!

Please donate today.

Owl Camp is a nature-based day camp open to young people aged 5-12. Camp is located at Ranchero Mark West in Northeast Santa Rosa, off St. Helena Road-- a 120-acre preserve with a pristine creek, pond, redwood forest and miles of trails all ready for exploring. Location is about 20 minutes from downtown Santa Rosa.Activities include: storytelling, tracking, creek exploration, archery, swimming, music, keeping a nature journal, building things from nature, music, nature games, learning bird calls, hiking, canoeing, exploring redwood & salmon habitat, woodworking and organic gardening.

Help make a rich, nature-based experience available to ALL children. Please donate today! $150.00 will allow one child to experience Owl Camp and time in nature this year.  Every little bit helps!

We rely on donors to help in creating a scholarship fund. This year's scholarship goal is $4800. We have already secured $3600 thanks to support from the Sunrise Rotary Club and the Tina Hannon Scholarship Fund. With your support, we can raise $1200 and meet our goal of 32 scholarships.

The folks from Calpine (you know the ones that run the Geysers renewable energy project up in the Mayacamas) recently reached out to us looking for an Earth Day event for their employees. We instantly thought of the Ranchero Mark West - a place where Calpine could continue the long running restoration efforts carried out by the owners, LandPaths IOOBY students, and others.  

They met us out at the Ranchero in the morning ready to get their hands dirty. We all spent some time planting rhododendrons and redwood sorrel near Mark West Creek before heading back to the barn for a lunch of salmon tacos. After lunch everyone headed out for a walking tour of the property. It was a great day and we really appreciate all the Calpine employees (especially Danielle, Brian, Jill and Bruce) who helped make this possible!  We're already looking forward to growing the effort next year!

If you have a business or an organization that would like to lend a hand stewarding one of our local parks, farms, or open spaces, please feel free to send an email to jonathan@landpaths.org. 

(thanks to Jim and Betty Doerksen for sharing their amazing property and to Justin Whitaker for this fantastic video!) 

A couple weeks ago Assemblymember Allen's staff came out to Ranchero Markwest to hear from Craig about LandPath's plans for the property and to take a little tour. We all jumped into the old pickup truck, a few in the front and the rest in the back and took off on a driving tour of the property.

We bumped around checking out the property finally getting out at the top to take in the vista from Buzzards Roost and talk to them about the dreams for the property. We really appreciate the interest and great conversations we had with Mr. Allen's staff and look forward to having you out to other properties in the future!