TORREYANA - Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Transcription
TORREYANA - Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
TORREYANA A newsletter for TORREY PINES STATE NATURAL RESERVE Volume 10, Issue 6 Kitty Hawk of the West By Ann Williamson Photo by Herb Knufken Gary Fogel, Historian for the Online version-November 2009 The Wright Brothers started building and flying gliders in 1900. In 1911, Orville Wright kept a glider aloft for almost 10 minutes at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. record by flying in a Bowlus sailplane from Mount Soledad to Del Mar, making use of the lift at the Torrey Pines Gliderport. From 1930 to 1936, shop class students at San Diego and La Jolla High Schools learned to build fullsize gliders. The boys then took the gliders to the beach near the Torrey Pines Grade and launched them via car tows. Over time they migrated to the site of the present Gliderport. During World War II, the Gliderport was closed because the land was used by Camp Callan, a U. S. Army training camp. The military used gliders during the war. A powered airplane would tow a glider, sometimes loaded with a jeep or combat soldiers. The glider pilot had to land behind enemy lines, usually at night. Associated Glider Clubs of Southern California (AGCSC), gave a very informative talk about the history of gliding and the Torrey Pines Gliderport. AGCSC operates manned sailplanes at the Torrey Pines Gliderport and other locations in San Diego County. San Diego has played an important role in the history of gliding. John Montgomery was the first person to fly a glider in the United States in 1884 here at Otay Mesa. He later became a physics professor at Santa Clara. The Treaty of Versailles, at the end of World War I, restricted powered aircraft development in Germany.. This encouraged Germans to design and fly gliders. American glider expert William Hawley Bowlus set several records. He trained many early glider pilots and gave gliding lessons to both Charles and Anne Lindbergh. In 1930 Bowlus flew for nine hours without a motor. The Torrey Pines Gliderport was first established in 1930. In that year Charles Lindbergh set a distance After World War II, the AGCSC renewed its lease with the City. Activities at the Gliderport today include hang gliding, paragliding, radio-controlled model sailplanes, and full-scale man-carrying sailplanes. Today the Gliderport is on the State and National Register of Historic Places. □ Lodge Duty Request for Month of November: There are many openings. Please look at the Calendar (p. 8) and sign up if you're able to help, also as an extra docent on weekends. Thanks! November 2009 Torreyana 1 The Torrey Pines Docent Society publishes the Torreyana bi-monthly. Items for publication may be submitted to Editor Bobbi Krueger. On alternate months, the TPDS publishes the Torrey Pinecone, edited by Lillian Lachicotte. Both publications include the monthly duty calendar, announcements and information concerning membership meetings. Submissions for either publication are due on or about the 20th day of the preceding month and may be submitted to [email protected]. Please send postal/email address changes to: Torrey Pines Docent Society P.O. Box 2414, Del Mar, CA 92014 Attn: Walt Desmond or to [email protected] Web sites: TPDS www.torreypinesreserve.org or www.torreypine.org TPA www.torreypines.org Visitor Center phone 858.755.2063 dial 0 TPDS Board Members: President, Rick Vogel Vice-president, Judy Schulman Treasurer, Ken King Secretary, Bill Eckles Dir. of Communications, Ann Williamson Dir. of Children's Program, Cecily Goode Dir. of Programs, Sherry Doolittle Dir. of Training, Jeff Spivak Dirs. of Duty Coordination, Irene Larrimore & Barbara McCardle Extra newsletters are available in the Docent Library. TPSNR Staff: Interim Supervising Rangers: Gilbert Alvarez and Chris Lozano Rangers: Kyle Knox, Mike Winterton and Martin Urbach Park Aides: Larry Adelson, Kyle Conner, Troy Garcia, Diane Greening (Interpreter), Christy Hollingshead, Laura Lowenstein (Volunteer Coordinator), Carol Martin, Vanessa Rivera, Louis Sands © Torrey Pines Docent Society Since 1975 All rights reserved Many thanks to Editor Bobbi Krueger and the docents contributing to this newsletter and to Copy Editors Walt Desmond and Ann Williamson. And thanks to Vernie McGowan for mailing and distribution. Roger Isaacson Publication Coordinator From the President W ell, we know that Torrey Pines will not be on the closure list. While this is good news, we have been told to expect a number of impacts from the budget debacle, perhaps including reduced maintenance and cleaning levels and possibly staff cuts. It is very likely the parking kiosks will not be manned as often and the North Beach parking and restroom may be closed except on weekends. We are working with the Staff to minimize the inconveniences to our visitors, and more may be asked of us before the State comes out of this fiscal tunnel. We will get through this with the Docents’ usual aplomb and optimism. Later this month, I will be going to Sacramento to participate in a meeting to consider the State Park Access Pass (SPAP). The Parks Foundation is investigating whether the SPAP can be placed on the November, 2010 ballot. This proposal would increase the State auto registration fee by $18, for each car registered in California. All cars with California license plates would receive free admission to all day use areas of the State Park System. Of the expected $500+ million revenue this will generate, the Parks should receive more than $450 million. The Parks would then be removed from the General Fund. This would mean that State Parks would no longer be involved in the budgetary angst every year. The SPAP is intended to provide a stable and sustainable funding source for Parks, now and into the future. Parks Foundation polling has demonstrated a high level of support for the SPAP throughout the State. There are several issues still to be resolved before the initiative campaign can be launched, but we expect that the effort to obtain the necessary signatures could begin before year end. Volunteer associations like the Docent Society around the State may be asked to assist in the effort. Stay tuned. As we approach the end of the year we have the annual meeting in November and the Holiday Party in December. Everyone, please attend the November meeting as we will be electing the Board for 2010. The Class of 2009 is organizing what is sure to be a wonderful Holiday Party in December where we can celebrate a year of great effort and substantial accomplishment. Remember, the Holiday Party will be held at the Lodge, not at St. Peter’s. I hope to see everyone on both occasions to thank you all for your efforts and good thoughts. Save Our Parks! Rick Vogel President, Torrey Pines Docent Society November 2009 Torreyana 2 Docent Chronicles October ‘09 Docent of the Month (Rick Vogel): Lou Adamo is October’s Docent of the Month. UCSD Volunteer Connection: The TPDS will participate on October 16 at UCSD’s Volunteer Connection. Next General Meeting Nov 14, 2009 9 a.m. St Peter’s Episcopal Church Rec Hall 334 14th St Del Mar Program: Barry Martin, founder of the San Diego Tracking Team, will speak on his wildlife experiences in San Diego County. Docent Society General Meeting October 10, 2009 Children’s Program (Cecily Goode): Please sign up to help. A blinking red date when you log on to the Children’s Program Calendar means that docents are urgently needed. [Note: see also CP article below.] Museum Shop (Barbara Wallach): Jim Cassell has made wooden magnets with natural designs. Excerpted from notes by Judy Schulman who substituted for Secretary Bill Eckles; complete minutes in docent library. Photo by Herb Knufken He is acknowledged for his work on the weather station and obtaining a copy of the Vizcaino map from Spain. Lou’s instructions for access to weather station data are at Announcements (President Rick http://groups.google.com/group/tpds. Vogel): TPA/TPDS Art Festival (Connie Beardsley): Connie announced that the festival will be May 2, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It will be a two-tiered event. Professional artists will be invited to paint outdoors. The second tier is for other artists and crafters to sell their work. In both groups, 35% of profits will be donated to the Reserve. The event committee is looking for someone to do publicity. Barbara McCabe will assist. Susan Potuznik is getting information about potential artists. Roof Repairs: The TPA has approved about $3,800 for lodge roof repairs. The TPDS may fund a special application of coating that will extend the life of the repairs by 10-15 years. Supervising Ranger: Mark Allen is no longer the Acting Supervising Ranger. The position has been taken over by Supervising Rangers Gilbert Alvarez and Chris Lozano. They will be mostly administrative, not on site. Treasurer’s report (Ken King): The museum shop did $5,200 in sales last month. This is better than last year, but not as well as the last few months. YTD income and donations are up from last year. This month there was a negative $2,700 net cash flow due to insurance and janitorial services. TPDS still has about $60,000 in assets. The point-of-sale system (POS) is coming this month. We applied for and received approval for the use of credit cards. POS training sessions will start in late October. The initial trainees will be on site for the next few months for the Lodge sitters. Lynne Truong will be the back office person and enter inventory from the docent library. The election of the new Board is in November. Nominating Committee (Steve Usher): Steve thanked the other members of the nominating committee, Walt Desmond and Lillian Lachicotte. He then announced the slate: President - Rick Vogel Vice President - Judy Schulman Secretary - Bill Eckles Treasurer - Ken King Communications - Lou Adamo Children’s Program – Tony Summers Duty Calendar – Irene Larrimore & Barbara McCardle Programs - Ann Williamson Training - Sherry Doolittle Trail Patrol: The next training class will be January 16, 2010. A question about service dogs was asked. A service dog is only one that helps with hearing and sight problems. It does not include the category of companion/comfort animals. The legality of questioning someone about his or her disability was discussed. More clarification is needed form the DPR. Special Walks: Special walks made $400-$450 last month. There are two or three walks signed up for October.□ CHILDREN’S PROGRAM We are off to a great start for the 2009 - 2010 school season. All dates are booked through May. There is a change in November. Due to the Breast Cancer Walk through the Reserve on Friday, November 20, the Children’s Program for that date is rescheduled to Wednesday, November 18. Also, Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week, there is no Children’s Program. Looking ahead to December, we take our winter break from December 18 until January 10. On Thursday, December 17, there will be a training session on California Gray whales. (See separate article on page 6.) Remember to go online to sign up to lead hikes. If you want to see what this program is like, you are always welcome to observe the program at November 2009 Torreyana 3 the benches and accompany us on hikes. You don’t need to sign up. Just show up and come along. It’s really a lot of fun. Cecily Goode Children’s Program Director Laura Lowenstein Program Coordinator A Birthday Party for Margaret Fleming by Maryruth Cox G loom and doom prevailed among the workers in the campaign to acquire Torrey Pines Extension in the summer of 1969. They had worked hard for five years to raise the requisite $900,000 to match Governor’s Reagan’s offer, but now the deadline of June 1970, loomed ahead, and they had only two-thirds of the amount. How could they possibly find $300,000 more in less than a year? Sally Spiess and Harriet Allen, two firecrackers of Torrey Pines affairs, were undeterred. “Let’s have a party!” they cried, and made plans to celebrate Margaret Fleming’s 82nd birthday. And why not combine the festivities with fund-raising for a memorial grove dedicated to Margaret Fleming? Laura Galbraith, (wife of John Galbraith, soon to be UCSD Chancellor) and her committee set to work. They mailed invitations to the 200 people who had come to the 1966 dedication of the Guy Fleming Trail and to the members of the San Diego Floral Association. The RSVP envelope requested $3 to cover refreshments and parking. Any money sent above this amount would be considered a donation to the Torrey Pines Extension campaign. On the appointed day, January 11, 1970, more than 100 guests gathered at Torrey Pines Lodge to wish Margaret Fleming a happy birthday. Alas, she was in the hospital with a broken leg! The guests had a good time anyway. They ate a cake from Park dedication event showing Dr. Whitaker and Margaret Fleming. From an old San Diego Union Tribune clipping, circa 1966. the Dutch Boy Bakery along with punch and coffee. Reporters came from TV8 and the La Jolla Light. At 2 pm a car caravan wound down the hill to the Torrey Pines Convalescent Hospital where Margaret Fleming greeted her guests from a wheelchair. They all feasted again on cake provided by the hospital. Everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to Peggy Fleming and presented her with a signed guestbook and bouquets of sage and Catalina cherry. The Peggy Fleming birthday party raised $6000 for the Torrey Pines Extension, but more important, it raised the spirits of the supporters. They fell to work and by June 1970, they had satisfied the state’s requirements. The grove dedicated to Margaret Fleming never materialized, but we can consider the Margaret Fleming Nature Trail in the Extension as a tribute to her, a mover and shaker at Torrey Pines, even from her hospital bed. On Friday, November 20th the Reserve will not open until 11 a.m. due to the Breast Cancer Walk. November 2009 Torreyana 4 APPRECIATION POTLUCK by Barbara Wallach Docents showed their appreciation to the staff at the Reserve on October 1st by preparing a delicious potluck dinner. Mother Nature blessed us with one of the warmest, loveliest evenings of the fall as we gathered around tables at the back of the Lodge. This informal evening gave us a chance to thank our staff for their hard work on behalf of the Reserve; and in turn, staff thanked the docents for their contributions over the years. An evening hike to enjoy the sunset followed the dinner. Walt Desmond, Sheldon Krueger, Jim Cassell, Marie Johnson, Jeannie Smith, Diane Greening., Barbara Justice, Diane Russell and Elaine Slack THE CAKE Kyle Connor, Larry Adelson, Kyle Knox, Moira Reagan Historrey A-Z: the letter H (Horticulture) by Judy Schulman you had taken a walk in a Ifcertain 180-acre area on Torrey Pines Mesa in the 1930s, you would have come across more than chaparral. You would have seen banana trees, blue palms, coffee bushes, corn, cotton, dates, ephedera, giant euphorbia, macadamia trees, papaya, and a redwood. You would have seen over 50 varieties of plants that contain rubber. There were even Torrey pine trees brought over from Santa Rosa Island. Called the Torrey Pines Acclimatization Garden, this was a U.S. Government experiment in adapting plants from all over the world to local climate and soil conditions. The superintendent was Charles G. Marshall. The garden was originally started around 1920. In 1939, Dr. Thomas W. Whitaker, a geneticist, (see photo on p. 4) became the superintendent. Docents should recognize the name. We have a garden named in his honor by the Parry Grove Trail entrance. He was Torrey Pines Association President from 1963 to 1985. He was instrumental in the movement to acquire the Extension. In addition to co-authoring the Torrey Pines Reserve Guidebook, he was author of 300 technical papers and a book called The Cucurbits. By 1962, the garden had been reduced to 55 acres on the east side of U.S. 101, opposite Torrey Pines Golf Course. The emphasis was now on lettuce and cantaloupes. Whitaker and his staff of about 10 technicians were responsible for writing the USDA handbook on growing lettuce. One of their research projects was to produce lettuce that was more resistant to mildew. Another project was the Location of USDA Experimental Station on UCSD campus after moving from Torrey Pines Mesa. (The former location was about a mile northwest, on Torrey Pines Mesa.) control of crown blight and powdery mildew on melons. In 1965 the facility moved to a new 15-acre location at UCSD. The new facility was a U.S. Horticultural Field Station. The location was east of the current UCSD Canyonview Pool, west of Interstate 5, and north of Voigt Drive. Thanks to Docent Fran Doolittle’s husband, UCSD Professor Emeritus Russell Doolittle, for his help on the location. Research on lettuce and melons continued. In addition, there was research on gourds, strawberries, and in developing insect-resistant plants. The station was finally closed in 1973 because of economic reasons. Growing Torrey Pines by Hank Nicol, former TPSNR Naturalist inus torreyana survival does not depend on planting more trees in the Reserve. Torrey pines are growing here and there around Southern California, and there is even a grove in Australia. Pines are easy to grow. In a nursery 85% or more of the seeds germinate. I grew many Torreys in flats and pots with great P November 2009 Torreyana 5 success, though a deer wiped out one batch of foot-high seedlings. I planted about a thousand seeds along the windswept bluff behind the Guy Fleming Trail. About a hundred survived weather and woodrats through spring and summer. Two or three years later, ten could have been called saplings and showed promise. How many have survived the wind, the weather, and the bark beetle plague? Sometime back in the 1920's Guy Fleming very carefully made a map showing the location of every Torrey pine. I presume that map is still hanging on the wall of the Lodge. And, by the way, if it hasn't already been done, that map should be copied and stored in an archive, perhaps at the Natural History Museum. If you look at that map, you will see that only a tenth of the trees that exist today existed in the 1920s. Guy Fleming planted trees. I planted trees. Everybody between us planted trees. You guys are still planting trees. The roots of a Torrey pine reach out many times farther than the branches. You can see sheets of roots that have cracked off sandstone well over 100 feet from a 40-foot tree. Trees need water, and neither the Reserve, nor the region, has much water. Ips paraconfusus is only successful in attacking drought-stressed trees. Torrey pines closer together than 200 feet can be very thirsty, and planting them closer can be their doom. Look at other chaparral pines. Digger pines (p. sabiniana) and knobcone pines (p. attenuata) are spaced as singles or in small clumps sometimes miles apart. available in the docent library, and Beyond the Trees, for sale in the Museum Shop.] attending. Some on trail topics might include: The Gray Whales Are Coming! by Diane Greening Brush up on your knowledge of cetaceans, pinnipeds, and pelicans before the peak whale migration period from January through March. All docents are welcome to join the Children’s Program training on December 17th at 9:30 am when Joan Adamo will share her knowledge of whales and how to present them to the public. Following Joan’s talk, we’ll go out on trail in small groups to explore specific interpretive topics determined by the interests of those • Simple logistics; how to handle a group on the trail • How to tie common trail sights to specific interpretive programs (Whales, Ecosystems, or the Kumeyaay) You choose what to discuss! Please meet at the benches at 9:30 a.m. For the latest info on trail closures see our website Homepage: torreypine.org Los Peñasquitos Lagoon: From Waters to Wildlife by Ann Williamson and Pat Masters Third Annual Torrey Pines Association (TPA) Symposium December 5, 2009, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon Sumner Auditorium Scripps Institution of Oceanography Free admission to all Those of us who attended last year’s TPA Symposium found it a highlight of the year. This year TPA is focusing on Los Peñasquitos Marsh Natural Preserve. As a vital link between the watershed and the ocean, the lagoon is counted among the 10% of natural coastal wetlands remaining in San Diego County. What is the current status of research, monitoring, and management at the Preserve? Speakers will discuss the watershed, water quality, sedimentation and lagoon mouth openings, plant communities and restoration, vertebrate and invertebrate fauna, wildlife corridors and gene flow. Restoring Wetlands, Jeff Crooks, Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve Replanting Torrey pines is not the answer. It took my making a lot of mistakes to learn any answers to any problem. I'm still making mistakes, lots of mistakes, but I propose the safest course in conservation (and maybe a lot of other things) is to leave it the hell alone. Vegetation Type Conversions, Kellie Uyeda, SDSU and TR NERR [Editor's note: We were delighted to hear from Hank Nicol, former Torrey Pines Naturalist (~1976-1988). Hank is author of Notes from the Naturalist, Abstracts available soon on the TPDS Google Group: groups.google.com/group/tpds Lagoon Reopenings, Mike Hastings, Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Foundation Climate Change and Lagoon Ecosystems, Doug Gibson, San Elijo Conservancy What Moves Where, When? Barry Martin, San Diego Tracking Team Mule Deer DNA Fingerprinting, Anna Mitelberg and A. Bohonak, San Diego State University November 2009 Torreyana 6 Sora at Torrey Pines, Oct 21, 2009 • The Sora is the most common and widely distributed rail in North America. It is sometimes also referred to as the Sora Rail. • Although shot in large numbers every year, their high reproductive rate enables them to maintain a stable population. • A group of Soras is collectively known as an "ache," "expression," and "whinny" of Soras. More Information at: allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sora/id Long-billed Curlew at Torrey Pines, Oct 22, 2009 North America's largest shorebird, the Long-billed Curlew breeds in the grasslands of the Great Plains and Great Basin [and winters at Torrey Pines]. allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-billed_Curlew/id Photos by Herb Knufken Photo images are copyrighted. Please contact the photographer before using an image for any reason: [email protected] Herb’s amazing photo site is www.pbase.com/herb1rm Torrey Pines Docent Society Bird Survey: October 3, 2009 American Coot 3 Black-bellied Plover 10 Snowy Plover 18 American Wigeon 5 Semipalmated Plover 5 Surf Scoter 6 Killdeer 4 California Quail 3 Greater Yellowlegs 2 Common Loon 1 Willet 19 Pied-billed Grebe 4 Whimbrel (American) 1 Western Grebe 3 Long-billed Curlew 4 Brown Pelican 78 Western Sandpiper 17 Brandt's Cormorant 3 Double-crested Cormorant 26 Least Sandpiper 31 Short-billed/Long-billed Great Blue Heron 4 Dowitcher 9 Great Egret 3 Heermann's Gull 70 Snowy Egret 8 Ring-billed Gull 3 Green Heron 1 Western Gull 48 Osprey 3 California Gull 6 White-tailed Kite 2 Caspian Tern 1 Red-shouldered Hawk Elegant Tern 1 (California) 3 Red-tailed Hawk (Western) 5 Rock Pigeon 1 Mourning Dove 32 American Kestrel 4 White-throated Swift 7 Peregrine Falcon 2 Anna's Hummingbird 21 Clapper Rail 1 Belted Kingfisher 2 Virginia Rail 1 Number of species: 80 Nuttall's Woodpecker 4 Northern Flicker 1 Black Phoebe 21 Say's Phoebe 16 Cassin's Kingbird 10 Western Scrub-Jay 3 Western Scrub-Jay (Coastal) 6 American Crow 8 Common Raven 9 Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2 Cliff Swallow 3 Barn Swallow 2 Bushtit 55 Bewick's Wren 6 House Wren 1 Marsh Wren 3 California Gnatcatcher 5 Wrentit 18 Northern Mockingbird 1 California Thrasher 2 European Starling 6 Orange-crowned Warbler 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 9 Common Yellowthroat 5 Spotted Towhee 3 California Towhee 23 Rufous-crowned Sparrow 1 Savannah Sparrow (Belding's) 5 Fox Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 14 White-crowned Sparrow 4 Red-winged Blackbird 3 Western Meadowlark 1 Brewer's Blackbird 19 House Finch 120 Lesser Goldfinch 21 House Sparrow 4 Observers: Jack Friery; Herbert Knufken, Kathy Dickey, Richard Chance, Blair Francis, Hank and Jane Baele, Don Grine, Gary Grantham and Anonymous (Previous Bird Surveys may be found at torreypine.org/activities/bird-sightings.html ) November 2009 Torreyana 7 Torrey Pines Docent Society PO Box 2414 Del Mar, CA 92014 (858) 755-2063/755-8219 www.torreypine.org November 2009 TPDS Visitor Center Duty Calendar- Updated 10/29/09 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Walks Lodge Duty Hours- L- 10-1 Friday Saturday W Sat/Sun/Hol 9:30 (Start 10:00) W Sat/Sun/Hol 1:30 (Start 2:00) 4 5 6 7 L- N Lewis L- P Burke L- McGee W-Sanseverino L-Isaacson L- Ugalde L- Goode W-Grine L- 1-4 2 DST ends 1 3 Maids L- Donnelly L-Rowbottom L- Ivany L- Ivany W- Killermann L- Oppenheimer L- Lachicotte L- Lachicotte L- Lachicotte WL- McCardle 9 11 13 8 12 Meeting 14 10 L- P Burke L-C&B Hornbeck L- Alper L- Fiorentino LL- Tarkington L- Pisor WWL- C&B Hornbeck L- K Dickey L- B&F Eckles L- Larrimore L- Geist L- Ugalde L- F Doolittle W- Brav W- K King 14 15 L-Flanagan/Stovell L- Arnold L- Marshall WL- McGee L- Donnelly L- Lundstrom W- Stiegler 17 22 23 L- J Smith L- Fiorentino L- Marshall W-Rowbottom LLL- F Doolittle W- Geist 24 LWL- Tozer W- 29 30 Maids L-Arnold L- Woods 18 L- Sogo L- M Lewis 19 L- Tarkington L- Donnelly 20 21 LW-Sanseverino L- Hill W- 25 Double hours 26 27 28 L-Oppenheimer L- J Smith L- Donnelly L- Phillips W-Polakiewicz WL- Hill LLL- Larrimore W-Stiegler W- To sign up for an opening, call docent on duty (858.755.8219) to confirm the time & write your name in the Logbook. If you cannot do your duty, please try to find your own call 2009 the docent L-Oppenheimer substitute by switching with another docent or using the short-notice list. Then November Torreyanaon 8 duty to make the change in the Logbook. Coordinators: Irene Larrimore & Barbara McCardle L- Fiorentino