Audubon will host presentation on legacy of giant sequoias
Dr. Nancy Muleadymecham will give a presentation on “Giant Sequoias: A Natural and Historic Legacy,” at a meeting Wednesday, Nov. 15, of the Central Sierra Audubon Society (CSAS).
Any interested members of the community are welcome to join CSAS members at 7 p.m. in the Tuolumne County Library meeting room at 480 Greenley Road in Sonora or view the presentation via Zoom.
Muleady-mecham will provide insight into these remarkable and enduring giants. From their biology, paleontological record, dependence on fire, and the impact humans have made, their journey through time is as immense as the trees themselves.
Dr. Muleady-mecham is a retired National Park Ranger. Currently she is an adjunct professor of biology at Columbia College and Northern Arizona University and a visiting lecturer for the University of Virginia Semester at Sea Program, where she has taught biology around the world.
She was selected by the United States as a Fulbright Scholar and traveled to the Russian Federation to teach at Gorno-altaisk State University in southwest Siberia and to conduct research in remote protected areas.
When not working on her research on giant sequoias, Dr. Muleadymecham
enjoys backpacking. She leads High Sierra backcountry seminars on horseback for Rock Creek Pack Station. She has completed solo hikes of the John Muir and High Sierra Trails through the Sierra Nevada, hiked through the Alps on the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt, and is a Pacific Crest Trail section hiker.
She is the author of several books.
She lives in the Sierra Nevada with her family.
The Zoom link for the presentation is https://us02web.zoom. us/j/83022083219.
Information about the presentation and the Zoom connection also is available on the
CSAS website at www. central sierra audubon. org.
November field trips
• Thursday, Nov. 16, Merced National Wildlife Refuge — The fall trip to see Sandhill Cranes and many other migratory birds that are now arriving will be led by Kit Degear. Participants should meet at 2 p.m. at the first overlook in the refuge off Sandy Mush Road (7430 W. Sandy Mush Road, Merced), then make either one or two circuits to watch the sunset flyin from the far viewing platform. For those who wish to join, participants can stop for dinner at a Thai restaurant in downtown Merced.
• Sunday, Nov. 26,Indigeny — Besides the apple orchards at Indigeny Reserve, there are large oaks, some pines, stream-side thickets and a marshy area with reeds that provide some great habitats for birds. The walk, led by Degear, will last 2 to 3 hours, and children are welcome. Participants should meet in the parking lot at 14679 Summers Lane, off Lyonsbald Mountain Road in Sonora. Rain will cancel the hike.
Degear can be contacted at kdegear@ gmail.com or (925) 82252156.
Thursday, Nov. 30, River Walk to Fish Hatchery/sandhill Cranes (Camanche/ Lodi) — Hike organizers expect to see numerous birds (and fish) at the Mokelumne River Day Use area and river walk to the dam/fish hatchery, and then on to Lodi to see the Sandhill Cranes as they fly in at sunset. The group will meet at 8 a.m. at Barrow’s Cafe and Grill, 824 Mono Way in Sonora, and carpool to the Camanche dam. Stops will be made in Copperopolis and Valley Springs to pick up people from Calaveras County. For detailed itinerary and timing, link to download at https://centralsierraaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Cranes-river-walkin-nov-30th.pdf. Trip leader Jan Dakota can be reached at (209)-5919952 or jdakota002@ comcast.net.
Hike participants should bring binoculars or scopes, wear muted colors and bring a hat, sunscreen and water.