Summer 2012 - Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve

Summer 2012 - Website Version
A Chapter of
Small Wilderness Area Preservation
(805) 927-2856
Post Office Box 1664
Cambria, California 93428
www.ffrpcambria.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ALESE BELL, CHAIR
More Than a Place to Sit
You may have noticed the new bench on the
Ranch – another beauty built by Will Scroggins of Moonstone Redwood. The legs and
feet are from an ancient redwood and it has a
back of giant Manzanita and redwood root.
Leilani “Lani “ Duke has a great love of fine
craft, so this bench dedicated to her late husband, William E. “Bill” Duke is a fitting memorial. It is finely wrought and very
meaningful to her because she and her husband spent so many happy hours walking on
the Ranch. The bench, located on the ridge,
overlooks the ocean and has the pine forest
nearby, both such defining characteristics of
the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. Lani and family were present on July 3, when the plaque for Bill was installed. Benches are placed on the Ranch as donor recognition for significant donations to FFRP’s
Management and Operations Endowment Fund. This fund was set up with the communities Foundation of San Luis Obispo to finance the preserve in perpetuity so this is a double gift to the Ranch;
a wonderful place to contemplate life and nature and a donation to make sure the Ranch stays as it is.
RETIRED OFFICE MANAGER
AND BOOKKEEPER
Another new bench replaces the old one
under the spreading oak on the trail between
Trenton and Tipton. The old one finally
failed after long service as a place of repose.
Gil Eastman and Richard Lee built a new
bench to take it’s place and set it across from
the old place for a better view of the magnificent oak tree. This bench is dedicated to
Friends of the Ranchland, who fought for
years to save the Ranch and finally decided
that the only way to save it was to buy it!
JANET BAHRINGER, SECRETARY
RETIRED TEACHER
CURT SNOW, TREASURER
RETIRED BUSINESS OWNER
BOB DETWEILER
CAL POLY PROFESSOR
ADOLPH ATENCIO JR.
RETIRED RESEARCH AND
PROJECT ENGINEER
RICHARD LEE
RETIRED TEACHER
JOYCE RENSHAW
RETIRED TEACHER
BRAD SEEK
The shared bench on the Bluff Trail had a permanent plaque installed in May. The final
donor for this plaque was Debi Fletcher, in
honor of her late husband Robert “Rob” Owen Fletcher. The plaque also honors Don and Nancy
Hayward, David and Janell Kaiser and Shannon Kerns.
RETIRED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
SPECIALIST
RANDY SCHWALBE
RETIRED INDUSTRIAL ENGINEER
JO ELLEN BUTLER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Your Membership is Important
Throughout the many years of learning and growing, the core philosophy of Friends of the Fiscalini
Ranch Preserve has never wavered: with the support of our members and volunteers we can preserve
the Ranch in a magnificent and healthy state for countless generations to come.
Our memberships help provide the funds to continue our day to day operations; removing invasives,
planting trees, maintaining trails, ensuring that plans for the Ranch are reviewed and that work is
continued on last page...
Thank You is Always In Style
Our Volunteer Appreciation Picnic on the
Ranch has now become an annual event on
the FFRP calendar. We chose April 22nd for
our fourth annual volunteer picnic and it
proved to be a charmed day.
The day dawned clear and sunny and quickly
warmed to a lovely day for a picnic. The location we chose the first year has proven to be
an excellent choice so, once again, we gathered in a grassy area under the same stately
Monterey Pine near our Honor Grove tree
planting site. An ocean view is a bonus.
About 50 guests relaxed on blankets and
lawn chairs as they visited and enjoyed mimosas followed by a picnic lunch prepared by
FFRP board members. There were only
crumbs left, so it is safe to say everyone enjoyed the chicken or egg salad croissant sandwiches, salads, fruit and cheese and a variety
of desserts.
All of us delighted in the beauty of the Ranch
and the day as we caught up with old friends
or got to meet new ones. Volunteers change
over the years as each of our lives evolve, so
there is always a new face among the familiar
ones. Some volunteers are involved in many
of our activities but others in only one or
two. Kitchen Tour docents met Wildflower
FFRP appreciates the support of:
gatherers and invasive weed pullers were introduced to Mutt Mitt minders. Cookie bakers shared stories with tree planters. Even
some of the Docent Walk leaders joined us.
As the morning waned and one o’clock rolled
around, unlike past years, folks lingered relishing the camaraderie and relaxation. As
couples and groups departed we are sure that
a good time was had by all.
Become a volunteer in an area that peaks
your interest and join us next year for the
fifth annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic. If
you are interested in becoming a volunteer,
please visit our website to sign up or call 805927-2856.
Honor Grove
Ten FFRP volunteers planted thirty Monterey pine seedlings in our newly created
Honor Grove which is located at the edge of
the existing forest on the trail between the
Trenton and Victoria entrances. They also
spread chips on the fork in the trail bordering
the grove. In the near future the grove will be
marked with a stone and a bronze plaque.
FFRP created the Honor Grove as a way for
honored or to their family and a tree is
planted on the Ranch, which will grow and
help the forest flourish.
In February the Lion’s Club of Cambria donated $100 to have four trees planted in the
grove. They did this for two reasons - one was
to support the Lions Club International
Green agenda, which is for all Lions combined to plant 1 million trees worldwide. The
local Lion’s Club was also honoring several of
its members.
Volunteers planting the trees were; Diane
Hood, Curt snow, Meg Stern, Brad Seek,
Kathy Persinger, Sabine Oliver, Bob Detweiler, Ken Persinger, Jo Ellen Butler and
Alese Bell.
Kudos for Our Website
people to honor the birthdays, anniversaries
or memories of friends and loved ones while
showing support by enhancing our endangered Monterey pine trees. When a donation
is made, a card is sent to the person being
THANKS To Our
Business Members
We announced our new website in the last
issue of our newsletter, inviting all to take a
look and encouraging viewer comments and
suggestions. At right are comments by two
individuals who took the time to tell us how
much they liked the new look and content:
• A Matter of Taste
• Bridge Street Inn
• Cambria Window Cleaning
• Cookie Crock Market
• Fog’s End Bed & Breakfast
• Exotic Nature
• Olallieberry Inn
• Patricia Griffin Studio
• StarFlower Professional Services
• Betty Malone, Realtor
• Home Arts
• San Simeon Travel
• Among Friends
• Pacific Hair
• Personal Touch
Please support the businesses that support
the Ranch. All memberships help keep the
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve healthy, happy and
open to the public from dawn to dusk, every
day of the year. Now you can connect to our
business member websites from our new
website! www.ffrpcambria.org
I just took my first look at your new website. It
looks wonderful! That photo at the top of the
page was taken from one of the spots where I
love to stand and just look, whenever I hike on
the Ranch. Thanks for your great work. The
Ranch is one of the reasons I love to come to
Cambria from my home in the LA area. I visit
about every other month.
----This website is a wonderful way to share all the
joys of our ranch. It is very well done, inviting,
user friendly, and welcoming for all to join in
the many ways to become involved with ranch
activities or just be peaceful on the ranch.
This website would entice anyone who loves nature to come visit our community and be active
with hikes, be a photographer, or just be in the
moment with the breath-taking experience of
simply being. Truly, we are blessed to live with
the “Jewel of the Central Coast!” It would not
be possible without your stewardship. I will always be a willing volunteer to help in any way I
can. Thank you.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do.
Hint, hint...you can also buy a t-shirt, baseball cap, apron, recipe book or event tickets
with Pay Pal and help support our mission.
Two Welcomes and a Fond Farewell
Welcome to:
Randy Schwalbe ~ One of two new members, Randy joins us as a recent retiree from a
thirty-year stint with the aerospace industry
in Southern California.
As an industrial engineer with Boeing's Satellite Development Center, he spent his work
time running improvement workshops and
training managers on how to save money integrating satellite systems.
Randy and his wife Mary purchased a cottage
in Lodge Hill and rebuilt their home from
the ground up about 3 years ago. The two are
both heavily involved in the CARES Singers
and the Unitarian Universalist Community
of Cambria. Randy has conducted the orchestra for the CUHS Drama musicals these
past three years. Allied Arts has recently engaged Randy to write and direct its inaugural
musical this November, In Living Color.
Ever since they established themselves here
sixteen years ago, Randy and Mary have
"adopted" the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve as
their extended backyard and, as do so many
others, consider it the gem of Cambria. The
diversity of its natural habitat and terrain
make it a place of endless joy and repose.
ing the unfettered splendor of this unique
place.
Curt Snow ~ Curt was born in New Jersey
but has been a Californian since he was 14.
After high school he joined the Navy, serving
with the Seabees in Yokosuka, Japan.
And a Fond Farewell to:
Upon returning to California he enrolled in
college, graduating from Riverside City College and San Diego State with a B.S. in accounting. While at SDSU he met a Cambria
girl, Karen Soto, and they were married in
Cambria. They returned to San Diego where
they raised three sons and Curt worked in
corporate finance.
The Snow family moved to Cambria in 1977
when they purchased the family business,
Soto’s market, which they ran until they sold
it in 1991. He then worked at other local
businesses and retired in 2009, although you
will find him working part time at Linn’s.
Having spent the first forty years of his life in
big cities, Curt truly appreciates the pristine
beauty of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, its
trails and its variety of plants, birds and marine life. He enjoys working toward maintain-
Marian King ~ A board member since 2007,
Marian has decided that it’s time to try out
new pursuits.
A former environmental attorney, she was invaluable working on the Environmental Impact Report for the master Development
Plan for the Ranch. She was one of the original “Invader Raiders”, tackling mustard,
radish and thistles along the Bluff Trail and
other places on the Ranch. A whiz with planning documents, her insights during our
meetings were very much appreciated and
will be missed.
Her love for the Ranch means that she will
continue volunteering for FFRP and is currently working on an administrative clean up
of the Management Plan.
Thank you, Marian, for your dedicated service to Fiscalini Ranch Preserve and FFRP.
A Gathering In the Gardens
Once again we are grateful to The Cambria
Nursery for opening their beautiful gardens
to us as a site for our latest fundraiser.
On the evening of June 23rd we hosted the
second “A Gathering In The Gardens”. We
tempted the palates of about 130 guests with
an array of tasty delights from the repertoire
of Becky Kincaid and Alese Bell including a
very popular potato bar. The delicious food
was paired with an assortment of local wines,
donated and poured by Richard Lee et al in
the gardens of the Cambria Nursery. The gar-
dens were decked out in spring blossom and
not only looked, but smelled, heavenly while
folks nibbled and chatted. The nursery also
generously offered a 20% discount coupon to
all of our guests.
We were, again, very fortunate to secure the
talents of Mary Schwalbe and Ron Perry,
who performed on guitar and keyboard and
sang an eclectic selection of music; something
to please everyone. Adding to the fun, Lloyd
Oksen and Joe Crowley each made guest
singing appearances. Their lovely music
greatly enhanced the evening and many,
we are sure, attended especially to hear
our musical guests.
A nice variety of items including pottery, succulent boxes, Richard Lee Birdhouses, and Inukshuk stone garden
sculptures, a new venture by Richard
Lee, were available for raffle prizes.
Elizabeth Appel, Sharon Heyne, Foxlo Pottery, Chambers Gallery, A Matter of Taste,
Bassetti Vineyards, Joann Hale, Cambria
Nursery and Florist, Brad Seek, Moonstone
Cellars and Brett White Gallery. Winners
were delighted when their names were announced.
A special thank you to those who donated to our raffle; Nolan Coogan, Patricia Griffin Studio, Jo Ellen Butler,
We plan to repeat this event so watch for it
next spring and please plan to attend again or
come for the first time if you missed it.
Events: Ongoing – Please Mark Your Calendar!
Docent Walks
Due to limited space on most walks, reservations are required; by e-mail,
reservations@cambriaranchwalks.com or by
phone, 927-2202.
A new schedule is coming soon - for more information on these and future walks, visit
www.cambriaranchwalks.com.
Sit Down Geology Walk
Saturday, August 25, 2012, 10:00 - 12:00
Bring a lawn chair and join Geologist, Lou
Blanck, who will discuss the geologic past of
the Ranch. Words like marine terraces, faults
and tsunamis will be explained in reference to
the Ranch and the surrounding area.
Shore Bird Walk
Saturday, September 22, 2012, 10:00-12:00
Join Shirley Green, a noted local bird expert,
on a shore bird walk on the Ranch. Bring
binoculars and a bird book if possible. Beginning birders are more than welcome.
Opportunities to Make a Difference
Invader Raiders meet on Wednesday, Friday
and Sunday every week (weather permitting)
to remove invasive non-native plants, which
encourages the native wildflowers and grasses
to return to the preserve. You may volunteer
whenever you can (no commitment required) and enjoy the company of others
while doing good work. Please call 927-1035
if you are interested or for more information.
Ranch Hands meet the third Saturday of each
month to do different maintenance projects
on the Ranch including broom removal, trail
maintenance and refinishing benches, among
other things. We also call on Ranch Hands
when volunteer labor is needed to match
grant funds for projects on the Ranch. At the
end of summer we will be helping with an
erosion control project on the gully behind
Seaclift Estates by doing invasive weed removal and restoration planting. Please call
927-2856 if you would like to be notified of
these workdays.
Mutt Mitt Minders keep an eye on the mutt
mitt dispensers at each trailhead to make sure
they are filled. This very important job makes
walking on the Ranch so much more pleasant. We currently need a volunteer for the
Huntington and Tipton entrances. Volunteers are provided with the mutt mitts and refill the dispensers when they walk on the
Ranch, so it is good to have someone who
lives near the entrance they are monitoring.
Please call 927-2856 if you would like to volunteer.
Your Membership... continued
monitored, bringing educational events to
the community and maintaining an office
among other things. Our fundraising event s
help do the same.
We have established two endowments at the
communities Foundation of San Luis Obispo
to provide funds for future maintenance and
operations on the preserve and also to defend
the conservation easement. Major donations
and our Bench Donor Recognition Program
increase these endowments.
Volunteer programs engage our members in
making the Ranch a better place for all to
visit.
Membership renewal forms are being included in this newsletter. We hope you will
take a moment right now to fill it out, choose
your level of contribution and mail it to us
with your check. You can also renew on line
using Pay Pal if you prefer.
We thank you for your past support and look
forward to another year of caring for the
Ranch with your help. Remember, the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve belongs to and benefits
everyone.
Visit us at www.ffrpcambria.org
One with the grass...
Docent Walk
Volunteer Appreciation Picnic
Volunteer Appreciation Picnic