Habitat Happenings  April 2006

 

            It was just recently announced that two of our own CMS students, Chris Jasper, age 14 and Garret Kurteff, age 11, have been recognized as the top 100 finalists in the International River of Words poetry contest. (http://www.riverofwords.org) They will head to San Francisco on April 8th, to share their poems about the Carmel River Watershed with the collective audience. Thanks Chris and Garret for your inspiring words!

 

Craig’s Biomonitoring Update

Officially, spring has arrived, but one would not think so.  To date we have recorded 4.65 inches of rain for March and it has been coolest month of the year (2005/06 weather year)!   For comparison, last year (2005) we recorded 3.75 inches of rain in March. This March has been very cloudy and overcast; we have recorded 16 measurable rain days out of 22 days so far, and every day has been designated as at least partly to mostly cloudy!  Even though we are behind our normal rainfall totals for the year (14.65 inches), we are catching up quickly (normal CMS annual rainfall is 19.25 inches)!  Last year at this time, we had recorded 21.73 inches of rainfall.

 

            Birds are great indicators of our seasons; in February we typically get our early migrants such as Violet-green, Tree swallows, and in March rough-winged, Barn  & Cliff swallows return.  At our Hummingbird feeders we have recorded Anna’s hummingbirds daily, but for about a month we have been recording migrant Allen’s Hummingbirds, and this past week we recorded our first migrant Rufous Hummingbird!  Lately, in the Habitat grassland we have recorded up to 6 Snowy and Great egrets foraging for rodents, insects and reptiles and amphibians.  Songbird migration will begin in full force in mid-to-late April through late May.

 

The CMS Habitat bio-monitoring program continues, but is winding down for the 2005/06 season.  Our Cornell University Feederwatch Program, to date, has averaged 93 individual birds of 15 species with a range of 54-142 individual birds and 12-18 species.  The 2005/06 Feederwatch Program will officially run through April 7th!  In addition, our Bird Banding Program is nearing completion for the year; we have one more banding date in mid-April.  For the past three bird banding dates, we recorded 13 species and a total of 78 individual birds captured.  Some of the birds caught in the mist nets were: White-crowned, Fox, Song, and Golden-crowned sparrows, Bushtit, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Anna’s and Allen’s hummingbirds, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, California Quail, and a Hermit Thrush.

 

What’s Tanja growing in the Organic Garden?

            We welcomed the Vernal Equinox – aka the official first day of Spring, March 20th, 10:26 am PST- with torrential rainstorms and pounding hail, keeping in line with the unpredictable winter we have had this year!

Needless to say the gardens have been quite wet! However we are still pulling out some delicious and nutritious produce. The popular items lately have been three different varieties of Kale- a nutrient dense winter green, containing fiber, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and beta carotene. Some people find kale to be a bit on the tough side…so my favorite way to use it is in a homemade soup. The following is the recipe:

 2 medium onions -- chopped
 2 Tablespoons olive or vegetables oil
 2 cloves garlic -- minced
3 14 1/2 oz. chicken broth
 2 cups water
 3 chicken bouillon cube
 1/2 pound fresh kale -- chopped
 3 medium potatoes -- peeled and cubed
 2 15 1/2 oz kidney beans -- rinsed and drained
 
In large soup pot, cook onions and garlic in oil till onions begin to soften. Add broth, water, bouillon and kale; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; leaving the
cover ajar; simmer for 1 hour. Add the potatoes and cook for
15 min. Add the beans; cook until potatoes are tender and   
beans are heated through.                                   
Yield 10-12 servings.            
Enjoy!                           

 

Upcoming Habitat Events! SAVE THE DATE J

5% Tuesdays at Earthbound Farmstand For the month of April, Earthbound Farm will donate 5% of its profits every Tuesday to the Habitat! Help to make this a fantastic fundraising event by shopping at the Farmstand on Tuesdays, and planning ahead for your Passover and Easter grocery needs! 

CMS Spring Open House Dinner at the Habitat, May 3rd Our annual Open House dinner is back! Be sure to come to the Habitat at 5:30 pm for a healthy dinner. After last year’s chili success, we’re doing another year of chili! Expect to see inspiring offerings from local chefs and yummy fresh fare in our garden.

Native Plant Sale & Spring Farmer’s Market, May 13th Our annual fundraiser returns with more plants than ever.  Look forward to a fun-filled day of music, veggies, and garden goods! This year we are excited to offer a selection of plants grown by CMS students, including wild roses, salvia, and native annuals, all great gifts for Mother’s Day! We will also have a premium selection from local central coast nurseries, an offering of veggies from our gardens, and experts on hand to answer your questions.  The sale is open from 9am-1pm, but arrive early for the best selection!