The Fun & Educational Subscription For Kids: CRANEium

CRANEium is a fun and educational subscription package for children ages 5-10 years old.  Remember that feeling of excitement you had as a child when you received a piece of mail addressed just to you? CRANEium captures that same feeling of excitement, while also introducing and educating kids to animals that live on  Solano Land Trust properties. CRANEium hopes to teach children to appreciate and love the nature and wildlife that surrounds us every day.

Proceeds benefit The Solano Land Trust.  By purchasing a CRANEium subscription package, you are supporting a wonderful non-profit dedicated to protecting and preserving land that is home to the animals featured in CRANEium.

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Citizen Science Friday 07/12/2019

July 12th 2019 @ 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

Get involved in science on our lands! Solano Land Trust staff will teach you all you need to know.

REGISTRATION: Pre-registration required two or more days in advance. Contact Jasmine at: jasmine@solanolandtrust.org or 707-709-9028. Meeting place provided upon registration.

WHAT TO BE PREPARED FOR: (1) This is an outdoor experience involving physical exertion. There is usually no shade. Be prepared to be moving outdoors for approximately four hours. Depending on the citizen science goals for the day, you may be hiking, doing physical work, and/or recording observations about plants and animals. You may be using hand tools like clippers; lifting, carrying and lowering supplies; bending over, squatting and kneeling on dirt, grasses and weeds; and sweating. (2) Ages 12 and up who are comfortable with this kind of physical exertion are welcome—those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and must have a liability waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian. (3) Tools are provided.

WHAT TO BRING: (1) A backpack with plenty of water and snacks. (2) Sturdy work gloves. (3) Eye protection (e.g., sunglasses). (4) Boots or sturdy closed-toe shoes with tread for rough, steep, and slippery terrain. (5) Long, sturdy pants and layered clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. (6) Protection from the elements—sun (sunscreen, hat, sunglasses), wind, fog, rain. (7) Optional: bug repellent, your favorite gardening tools, and binoculars to enjoy the birds!

WINDOW ON WILDLIFE

After four years of hiking at Lynch Canyon, volunteer Tom Muehleisen had seen lots of bobcat and coyote scat (poop) but the animals themselves remained elusive.

As a wildlife photographer, Tom is passionate about wildlife and its relationship to the land. So he asked Solano Land Trust if he could implement a trail camera pilot project at Lynch Canyon to get a better sense of the biodiversity. Lynch Canyon was once tagged to become a garbage dump until it was saved by citizens who support open space.

After doing extensive research on trail cameras, Tom purchased (with his own dime) five Bushnell cameras to cover the 1,000 acres. With support from Sue Wickham, he gathered a team of volunteers to monitor the cameras, change batteries, and record the wildlife on standardized forms.

“Participating in this project has been a tremendous learning experience,” say volunteers Vince and Sheila Webster. “It’s one thing to hear stories about bobcats on the local news, but quite another to actually participate in a study observing their tracks and behavior patterns.”

After seven months the cameras captured nearly 2,000 images, including those of bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, opossums, and deer. These images are hugely helpful in understanding the wildlife populations at Lynch Canyon. As a result of the pilot project, Tom was able to estimate that between two to four bobcats and five to six coyotes live at Lynch Canyon.

Three images of a cougar appeared at the beginning of the study, but it’s unlikely the mountain lion is a resident. The images were all taken on the same day and no other images were taken during the seven-month study. “I believe it was just passing through,” said Tom. The range of a mountain lion is from 8 to 500 square miles.

Solano County Parks Ranger Diana Samuels monitored one of the cameras. “The ease that the coyotes and the deer showed on camera indicate low stress in the open space, and that’s a very positive bit of information on how Lynch Canyon is being utilized and managed,” she says. “I often saw the same animals and felt lucky to be able to watch them play and live in their natural habitat.”

Tom continues to monitor three cameras even though the pilot project wrapped up in 2018. Your support of Solano Land Trust helps to keep places like Lynch Canyon thriving.

Evista

Nature Hike at King-Swett Ranches July 6th 2019

July 6th @ 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Come explore the hills between Fairfield, Benicia, and Vallejo. Solano Land Trust docents will guide you through this area, known as the King-Swett Ranches. They’ll share insights about the birds and other wildlife that call this area home, and give you a great workout! Take advantage of this special opportunity if you can because the King-Swett Ranches are otherwise closed.
You will meet the docent at the Park and Ride and then carpool to the trailhead from there.

REGISTRATION: RSVP Recommended

Please note! Registration opens approximately one month prior to the hike. Double check the date of the hike on the registration link.

WHAT TO BE PREPARED FOR: There is no drinking water at this property. There is usually no shade. A potentially strenuous pace hiking up to 6 miles up and down slippery, steep, and rugged hills that may be full of sticky seeds and thorny plants. Expect rough, rocky, uneven ground. Some travel may be off-trail. Sorry, no dogs allowed.

Meet at the Red Top Rd. Park-and-ride in Fairfield.

WHAT TO BRING: (1) A backpack with plenty of water and snacks.  (2) Boots or sturdy closed-toe shoes  (3) Long, sturdy pants and layered clothes (4) Protection from the elements
(5) Optional: bug repellent, your favorite gardening tools, and binoculars to enjoy the birds!

Note: Only really heavy rain may cancel.

Nature Hike at Lynch Canyon June 22nd 2019

This hike will take visitors westward along Middle Valley Trail leading to Prarie Ridge. Expect about a 5-mile hike at a moderate, but even pace over uneven ground. Muddy spots will have cattle prints. There are steep climbs over several hills with the longest at Prarie Ridge. It’s worth it to see the view of the northern San Francisco Bay and Vallejo.

The hike leaves promptly at 9:15 from the parking lot; expect to be back by noon.

Docent guides will be discussing plant communities, landforms, and birds at Lynch Canyon pointing out highlights as we go. Bring boots, appropriate clothing, water, and a snack. Call for more information.

RSVP requested.

COST: The hike is free, but parking is $6.00 at Lynch Canyon

Citizen Science Friday June 14th 2019

June 14th 2019 @ 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

Get involved in science on our lands! Solano Land Trust staff will teach you all you need to know.

REGISTRATION: Pre-registration required two or more days in advance. Contact Jasmine at: jasmine@solanolandtrust.org or 707-709-9028. Meeting place provided upon registration.

WHAT TO BE PREPARED FOR: (1) This is an outdoor experience involving physical exertion. There is usually no shade. Be prepared to be moving outdoors for approximately four hours. Depending on the citizen science goals for the day, you may be hiking, doing physical work, and/or recording observations about plants and animals. You may be using hand tools like clippers; lifting, carrying and lowering supplies; bending over, squatting and kneeling on dirt, grasses and weeds; and sweating. (2) Ages 12 and up who are comfortable with this kind of physical exertion are welcome—those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and must have a liability waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian. (3) Tools are provided.

WHAT TO BRING: (1) A backpack with plenty of water and snacks. (2) Sturdy work gloves. (3) Eye protection (e.g., sunglasses). (4) Boots or sturdy closed-toe shoes with tread for rough, steep, and slippery terrain. (5) Long, sturdy pants and layered clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. (6) Protection from the elements—sun (sunscreen, hat, sunglasses), wind, fog, rain. (7) Optional: bug repellent, your favorite gardening tools, and binoculars to enjoy the birds!

MEET LAURA LIVADAS

We would like to introduce Laura Livadas, the newest member of the Solano Land Trust team. Laura’s energy and connections in the community make her the perfect person to spearhead a new campaign that will expand and share our vision of the Solano County lifestyle and provide access to nature for all.

“We are thrilled to have Laura join our team.” says Nicole Braddock, executive director. “As our new comprehensive campaign manager, she brings a dynamic twist to the organization.”

Laura brings over 25 years of business experience, including 4 years in the United States Air Force and 15 years in the wine industry. She comes from Vezer Family Vineyard where she served as their vice president of operations.

So far, Laura is impressed. “I am floored by the passion of our supporters whose generous contributions and countless volunteer hours are staggering. It’s evident people truly care about local land conservation and support this organization. I’m excited to be part of a dedicated leadership team and serve our community,” she says.

One of her projects will be to facilitate the progress of opening  Rockville Trails Preserve to the public, including the development of over 10 miles of trails. The trails will also include a low-mobility loop for an easy walk to our scenic view of Rockville and Suisun Valley. By making this natural land accessible for all, we can achieve our goal of serving the whole community.

Laura is also developing a new and improved business partnership plan. Her unique perspective as a small business owner will help SLT gain momentum in building more partnerships and reaching more audiences in our community. “By developing the program, I hope to bring a new way of cultivating and developing community relationships,” says Laura.

She is also excited about all the outdoor activities on our lands and eager to jump in.  “I hope to meet you all at our events this year, including the Lynch Canyon Trail Run and Community Hike on June 1!”

Laura hopes you will contact her with your questions and ideas about how to be more involved with Solano Land Trust. You can email her or call  (707) 709-9025.

Photo by Di Holokahi.

Yoga Hike At Rush Ranch 06/15/19

Barbara Fredericks will lead this family-friendly hike with some warm-up stretches and then will proceed on the trail.  On yoga hikes, participants practice standing poses to support the body before, during and after the hikes.  Participants can enjoy the sun on their face and the wind in their hair while they do yoga.

RSVP recommended.

Meeting location: Rush Ranch Nature Center.

Nature Hike at Rockville Trails Preserve 06/08/19

Explore the hills between Suisun Valley and Green Valley, and see sweeping views of Solano County and beyond. Enjoying the vistas of Solano County and searching for wildflowers. Moderate to Strenuous, 4-6 miles, rain cancels, 9am-1pm.

Registration is recommended.

Meet at the red “Ice House” building on the corner of Rockville Road and Suisun Valley Rd.