Lifestyle briefs
hshelton@times-standard.com
Marsh tour
The Redwood Region Audubon Society will present a free guided field trip at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary on Saturday from 8:30 to 11 a.m.
Bring binoculars and meet trip leader Elizabeth Meisman at the end of South I Street (Klopp Lake) in Arcata to enjoy easy-to-walk trails, beautiful views of Humboldt Bay and a diverse range of overwintering birds, including ducks, shorebirds, herons, and egrets, raptors and songbirds. Also, keep an eye out for otters and otter signs as they frequent the marsh ponds.
Wetlands workday
The Redwood Region Audubon Society will hold a “Wigi Wetlands Volunteer Workday” on Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m.
Volunteers are needed to help create birdfriendly native habitats and restore a section of the bay trail by removing invasive plants and trash. The trail section is located behind the Bayshore Mall and volunteers will meet in the parking lot directly behind Walmart. The Audubon Society will provide tools, gloves and packaged snacks. Volunteers should bring their own drinking water. Contact Jeremy Cashen at jeremy.cashen@yahoo.com or 214-605-7368 for more information.
Birding walk
The Redwood Region Audubon Society will present a Southern Humboldt birding walk on Saturday.
This walk includes two to three miles of gentle walking through riparian, grassland and mixed hardwood forests. In the winter, white-crowned and golden-crowned sparrows abound and Lincoln's sparrows, northern harriers and Wilson's snipe might be observed, as well as the year-round residents like jays, towhees, woodpeckers and several raptor species.
Everyone will meet at the Tooby Park parking lot located a mile west of Garberville on Sprowl Creek Road.
This trip occurs on the fourth Saturday of every month, generally starts around 8:30 a.m., and the leaders vary by month. Call Ann at 707-296-8720 for the correct start time or with any other questions.
Grange breakfast
Humboldt Grange No. 501 will serve its “Fourth Saturday of the Month” breakfast Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m. at the grange hall, 5845 Humboldt Hill Road, Eureka.
The menu includes two kinds of scrambled eggs, sausage and biscuits and gravy or all you can eat pancakes. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate and juice are also available. The cost for breakfast is $10 for a large portion and $5 for a small portion. Kids under the age of 5 eat for free.
For more information or to volunteer at the event, call 707-442-4890. Early and late shifts are available, and there is also a Friday evening set-up and kitchen prep. Volunteers eat for free.
South Spit
The Redwood Region Audubon Society and trip leader Ken Burton will present a half-day outing to the Humboldt Bay South Spit on Sunday.
This nearly treeless peninsula presents bay and ocean habitats. Everyone will look for a variety of species, including tundra swan, black scoter, red-necked grebe, rock sandpiper, barn owl and more. This will be primarily a driving trip with some short walks on sand and other soft surfaces.
Meet Ken (shrikethree@gmail.com) at the beach parking lot below Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch at 8:30 a.m. The trip will go until about noon; pack food if you wish to stay for lunch at the end.
Dance party
A dance with live music and a “great floor” takes place Mondays from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Moose Lodge 4328 Campton Road, Eureka. Admission is $9.
Networking mixer
An “LGBTQ+ Professionals Networking Mixer” will take place Feb. 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Phatsy Kline's Parlor Lounge, Second and C streets, Eureka.
This event provides an open and welcoming environment for all people of the LGBTQ+ community as well as friends, allies and business professionals who value diversity and inclusivity. Enjoy a relaxed atmosphere with food, drinks and an opportunity to make new business connections and friends.
On public speaking
The Toastmasters MidDay Club generally meets the first and third Saturdays of the month from 7 to 8 a.m. and the second and fourth Tuesdays from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Guests are always welcome.
The meetings will also live-stream at https://tinyurl.com/zoomwithmidday. An agenda for role signup is on the club webpage at https://4139.toastmastersclubs.org. For more information, contact Jim Samuel at 855-402-8255 or distinguished@rocketmail. com, or go to https://4139. toastmastersclubs.org.
Toastmasters International is the leading nonprofit dedicated to effective oral communication and leadership development. Members meet to deliver and evaluate prepared and impromptu speeches in an effort to improve as speakers and leaders. For more information, visit Toastmasters.org.*