Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society

THE SANTA CLARA VALLEY AUDUBON SOCIETY PROMOTES THE ENJOYMENT, UNDERSTANDING, AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE BY ENGAGING PEOPLE OF ALL AGES IN BIRDING, EDUCATION, AND CONSERVATION.

CONSERVATION ADVOCACY: SCVAS IS ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. WE WORK IN COOPERATION WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDERS ON ISSUES THAT ARE CRITICAL TO PRESERVING BIRDS, AND WILDLIFE, AND HABITAT. OUR ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATE, SHANI KLEINHAUS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION COMMITTEE (EAC) ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON MANY EFFORTS WHICH INCLUDE: PROMOTING BIRD-SAFE DESIGN PLANNING AND DARK SKY ORDINANCES IN THE CITIES OF MOUNTAIN VIEW, CUPERTINO, AND SAN JOSE; ENGAGING IN STATE, REGIONAL, AND LOCAL PLANNING EFFORTS TO PROTECT BIRDS AND WILDLIFE, INCLUDING WRITING COUNTLESS LETTERS TO COUNCILS AND AGENCIES, SPEAKING OUT AT PUBLIC MEETINGS, AND COLLABORATING WITH DECISION MAKERS ACROSS MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS. SCVAS HAS A LONG HISTORY OF REVIEWING AND COMMENTING ON MANY CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) DOCUMENTS AS AN IMPORTANT MEANS OF PROTECTING BIRDS AND THEIR HABITATS IN THE BAY AREA. ON A MORE INTIMATE LEVEL, WE WORK WITH LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS AND INSTITUTIONS TO IMPLEMENT BIRD-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPES AND BUILDING DESIGN. IN ADDITION TO OUR OWN ADVOCACY WORK, WE ALSO SUPPORT NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY YEARLY GOALS AND PROJECTS, WHICH IMPACT BIRD HABITATS AND OPEN SPACE CONSERVATION. THE CORONAVIRUS HAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED OUR ABILITY TO DO OUR ADVOCACY WORK SINCE IT IS BY NATURE A LOT OF WRITING AND COMMUNICATION. WITH VIDEO CONFERENCE PLATFORMS SUCH AS ZOOM, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTINUE OPERATING AS USUAL. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE SCHEDULE OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN OUR AREA HAS NOT SLOWED DUE TO THE SHUT DOWN. WE INCREASE OUR REACH BY FORMING AND EXPANDING PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY ORGANIZATIONS IN THE SOUTH BAY SUCH AS SAVED BY NATURE, SAN FRANCISCO BAY BIRD OBSERVATORY, THE BIOBLITZ CLUB AND OTHERS. WE HAVE HOSTED AN ANNUAL OUTREACH AND EDUCATION EVENT CALLED WILDLIFE & HARVEST DAY WHICH FOR 2021 HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A VIRTUAL EVENT. ENVIRONMENTAL WORK: OUR PRIMARY CONSERVATION PROGRAM IS MANAGING A 200-ACRE SITE IN SAN JOSE WITH AN ESTABLISHED RESIDENCE OF BREEDING PAIRS OF BURROWING OWLS. A 5-YEAR CONTRACT WITH THE CITY OF SAN JOSE ALLOWS US TO CONTINUE OUR WORK, INCLUDING POPULATION SURVEYS AND REPORTING TO THE CITY, SANTA CLARA VALLEY HABITAT AGENCY, US FISH & WILDLIFE, AND CALIFORNIA FISH & WILDLIFE AGENCIES. OUR BIOLOGISTS CONTINUE TO CREATE STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THE HABITAT AND INCREASE BREEDING SUCCESS. WE ALSO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH OTHER GROUPS MANAGING OWL HABITATS ACROSS SANTA CLARA COUNTY AND PARTICIPATE IN ONGOING PLANS TO SAVE THE OWL FROM BEING COMPLETELY ELIMINATED FROM THE COUNTY. WORKING WITH MAJOR CORPORATIONS AND DEVELOPERS IS CRUCIAL BECAUSE DEVELOPMENT AND RESIDENTIAL GROWTH ARE THE MAIN FACTORS FOR LOSS OF BURROWING OWL HABITAT. TO THAT END, WE ARE WORKING WITH GOOGLE AND THE CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW TO PROTECT MORE BURROWING OWL HABITAT AT SHORELINE PARK. SINCE 1997, SCVAS HAS LED THE CAVITY NESTERS RECOVERY PROGRAM, WHICH TRAINS VOLUNTEERS TO ESTABLISH AND MONITOR NEST BOX TRAILS FOR CAVITY-NESTING BIRDS ACROSS SANTA CLARA COUNTY. IN ADDITION, OUR PROGRAM PROVIDES NEST BOXES FOR VOLUNTEERS AND USES THE SCVAS NAME TO COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND AUTHORITIES TO INSTALL NEST BOXES AT PARKS, OPEN SPACES, SCHOOLS, BUSINESSES, ETC. NEST BOXES PROVIDE CRUCIAL HABITAT FOR 24 SPECIES OF CAVITY-NESTING BIRDS IN THE COUNTY, WHO CONTINUE TO SUFFER FROM INCREASED HABITAT LOSS FROM URBAN DEVELOPMENT. IN ADDITION TO SERVING AS CRUCIAL HABITAT MITIGATION, NEST BOXES ALSO GIVE VOLUNTEERS A WAY TO MONITOR BIRD POPULATIONS THROUGH WEEKLY CHECKS, WHERE DATA ON FLEDGING AND PREDATION CAN BE RECORDED. THIS DATA IS SUBMITTED TO THE CALIFORNIA BLUEBIRD RECOVERY PROGRAM AT THE END OF EACH NESTING SEASON, AND THEN STATEWIDE DATA IS AVAILABLE TO SCIENTISTS NATIONWIDE. DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, OUR NEST BOX MONITORING SEASON WAS SHORTENED THIS YEAR. WE LOOK FORWARD TO A FULL RETURN TO MONITORING THIS COMING YEAR, UNDOUBTEDLY WITH SOME ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON THE MOST RECENT HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS.

EDUCATION SCHOOL PROGRAMS: THE WETLANDS DISCOVERY PROGRAM HAS BEEN INSPIRING YOUNG MINDS TO BECOME MORE INVOLVED IN CONSERVATION SINCE 1988. WE AIM TO SHOW STUDENTS, GRADES 3-5, THE VALUE OF WETLANDS AND HOW THEY SUPPORT THE BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE THAT INHABIT THEM. BY GIVING STUDENTS PRACTICAL HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WITH THESE CONCEPTS, WE HOPE TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO CONSIDER THE IMPACT THEY ARE HAVING ON THE EARTH, AND TO DETERMINE WAYS THAT THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. KEY CONSERVATION CONCEPTS ARE FIRST COVERED THROUGH MATERIALS THAT ARE GIVEN TO SCHOOLTEACHERS BY SCVAS. SCVAS DOCENTS THEN VISIT THE SCHOOLS TO REINFORCE THESE CONCEPTS BY HELPING STUDENTS WORK THROUGH ACTIVITY STATIONS THAT COVER ENVIRONMENTAL TOPICS RANGING FROM BIRD ADAPTATIONS AND MIGRATION, TO HUMAN IMPACT AND ECOSYSTEM INTERACTIONS. STUDENTS ARE ALSO TRAINED TO USE BINOCULARS IN PREPARATION FOR THE FIELD TRIP. ON THE DAY OF THE TRIP, DOCENTS LEAD STUDENTS ON A NATURE WALK AROUND LOCAL BAYLANDS AND CHALLENGE THEM TO APPLY THEIR NEWFOUND KNOWLEDGE. THIS EXPERIENCE ALLOWS STUDENTS TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND HOW THE CONCEPTS THEY HAVE LEARNED PLAY OUT IN THE REAL WORLD. WE HAVE ALSO FOUND THROUGH STUDENT EVALUATIONS THAT MOST HAVE NEVER BEEN BIRD WATCHING OR VISITED A WETLAND PRIOR TO OUR PROGRAM. AFTER THE PROGRAM'S COMPLETION, AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF STUDENTS SHOW AN INTEREST IN BIRD WATCHING AT THE WETLANDS AGAIN. THOUGH WE CONTINUE TO RECEIVE POSITIVE FEEDBACK ON THIS PROGRAM, WE REGULARLY USE STUDENT AND TEACHER FEEDBACK TO EVALUATE OUR CURRICULUM AND MAKE CHANGES TO INCREASE ITS EFFECTIVENESS. WE ARE ALSO UPDATING OUR MATERIALS TO ALIGN THEM WITH NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS (NGSS). BEYOND THE WETLANDS DISCOVERY PROGRAM, WE OFFER SEVERAL OTHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS THAT ARE TARGETED TOWARDS BOTH ADULTS AND FAMILIES. THESE INCLUDE BEGINNING BIRD IDENTIFICATION BY SIGHT AND SOUND, NEST BOX BUILDING WORKSHOPS TO CREATE BIRD HABITAT, AND CUSTOMIZED PROGRAMS ON LOCAL BIRDS AND BIRD ADAPTATIONS. WE ARE PROUD TO OFFER A VARIETY OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE THE ENJOYMENT, UNDERSTANDING, AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE, TO AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES AND BACKGROUNDS. CURRENTLY WE ARE ASSEMBLING MATERIALS AND GATHERING DATA ON A PROTECTED AREA IN COYOTE VALLEY WHERE WE WILL LAUNCH A NEW EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MID-COUNTY SCHOOLS. DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC HOWEVER, OUR IN-CLASS PROGRAMS AND FIELD TRIPS WERE GREATLY REDUCED IN 2022. WE HAVE USED THE TIME AWAY FROM CLASSROOMS AND STUDENTS TO REFINE OUR PROGRAMS FOR DISTANCE LEARNING. WE LOOK FORWARD TO RETURNING TO THE CLASSROOMS WHEN IT IS DETERMINED TO BE SAFE FOR STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTORS, BUT THE WORK WE HAVE DONE TO ADAPT OUR MATERIALS FOR A VIRTUAL SETTING WILL CONTINUE TO BE USEFUL AS WELL AS MAKE OUR PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO A WIDER AUDIENCE. PUBLIC FIELD TRIPS: SCVAS CONSIDERS THE FIELD TRIPS WE OFFER TO BE AN EQUALLY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR EDUCATION PROGRAM. OPEN TO MEMBERS AND TO THE PUBLIC, OUR CAREFULLY SELECTED ITINERARY OF DESTINATIONS, SEASONAL PLANNING, AND EXPERIENCED FIELD TRIP LEADERS ENSURE ATTENDEES LEAVE EACH TRIP HAVING HAD A LEARNING EXPERIENCE. FROM BIRD BEHAVIOR, VOCALIZATIONS, MIGRATION, ANATOMY, AND OBVIOUSLY IDENTIFICATION, THE TRIPS ARE NOT MERELY SHOW-AND-TELL, BUT OBSERVE-AND-UNDERSTAND. THE FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE OF SEEING LOCAL BIRDLIFE IN ALL ITS VARIETY IS AN EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME-ONE THAT CAN BE HAD NOT JUST ONCE, BUT SEVERAL DOZEN TIMES A YEAR. WE STRIVE TO MAKE THAT AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE WHO WISHES TO SPEND A FEW HOURS WITH US, AND CARE ABOUT AND APPRECIATE OUR BIRDS. COVID, AS EXPECTED, CHANGED EVERYTHING. WE QUICKLY EXPLORED IDEAS SUCH AS VIRTUAL BIRDING TOURS ON YOUTUBE, LIVE BROADCASTS ON FACEBOOK, AND A SELECTION OF "BIRDING LOCATIONS," WHICH GUIDED BIRDERS TO LOCAL HOTSPOTS WHERE THEY COULD OBSERVE SOCIAL DISTANCING WHILE BIRDING AT THEIR OWN PACE. WHEN FIELD TRIPS RESUME AGAIN, SCVAS WILL CONTINUE TO EXPLORE THESE NEW ONLINE OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE OUR LOVE OF NATURE WITH ANYONE WHO PREFERS, OR IS UNABLE, TO JOIN IN PERSON. WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM INSPIRED BY THE WETLANDS DISCOVERY PROGRAM. THE NEW 3-YEAR PROGRAM IS CALLED THE OAK SAVANA COMMUNITY SCIENCE PROGRAM AND WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH A GRANT FROM THE OPEN SPACE AUTHORITY. IT INCLUDES PUBLIC BIRD SURVEYS AND BIOBLITZES TO CATALOG THE ANIMALS AND PLANTS ON A RESTRICTED SITE IN NORTH COYOTE VALLEY. THE DATA COLLECTED BY PARTICIPANTS WILL FEED DIRECTLY INTO THE BRAND NEW HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM TO BE LAUNCHED IN THE FALL OF 2022

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS SCVAS REACHES OUT TO THE PUBLIC TO PROMOTE THE ENJOYMENT, UNDERSTANDING, AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE BY ENGAGING PEOPLE OF ALL AGES IN BIRDING, EDUCATION, AND CONSERVATION. WE PROVIDE A FREE SPEAKER SERIES FEATURING NOTABLE ENVIRONMENTAL PERSONALITIES (THESE TALKS SWITCHED TO BEING ONLINE VIA ZOOM AFTER WE HAD TO STOP HOLDING IN-PERSON EVENTS). WE LEAD FREE BIRDING FIELD TRIPS LEAD BY VOLUNTEERS (ALSO MOVED TO ONLINE EVENTS AS DESCRIBED ABOVE), HOST CLASSES ON BIRDING, WILDLIFE ILLUSTRATION, PHOTOGRAPHY AND OTHER RELATED ACTIVITIES. WE HAVE A VIBRANT ONLINE PRESENCE INCLUDING A FRESHLY REDESIGNED WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM SOCIAL MEDIA AND WE HOST A COLLECTION OF EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS ON OUR NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL. SINCE 1929, SCVAS HAS PUBLISHED ITS MEMBER NEWSLETTER ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE. RECENTLY THE "AVOCET" WAS TRANSITIONED FROM BIMONTHLY TO A QUARTERLY SCHEDULE, ROUGHLY CORRESPONDING TO THE SEASONAL MOVEMENT OF BIRDS. THE CHANGE MEANT MORE CONTENT PER ISSUE, INCREASED PAGE COUNT, AND A NEED FOR NEW AND IMPROVED VERSATILE DESIGN. THE AVOCET IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE AS WELL IN A COLOR PRINTED FORM TO OUR MEMBERS. ADDITIONALLY, MONTHLY UPDATES ARE PRODUCED AND EMAILED DIRECTLY TO MEMBERS. THE COST OF NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION, WEB HOSTING, TELECONFERENCING, INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND OTHER EXPENSES ARE SUPPORTED THROUGH MEMBERSHIP DUES.