FIELD TRIP INFORMATION:

MCAS sponsors from one to three field trips a month. Everyone is welcome, you do not have to be a member of the Morro Coast Audubon to participate. There is no charge for field trips except for our annual pelagic trip and any parking or gasoline sharing fees.

NOTE: Many of our field trips will be on short notice. To receive an email for short-notice trips, and to keep updated on planned trips and other chapter information, join “MCAS Alert!”. Join here.

Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Project will celebrate its 10th Anniversary on Saturday, October 1st, 2011

Schedule of Activities:

Bird Watching Field Trip
9:00am - 11:30am
Pozo to Hi Mountain (elev. 3,199 ft), Los Padres National Forest

Meet 9am at Pozo Ranger. Car pooling from Pozo is recommended. Easy hiking conditions. Habitats: grassland, riparian woodland (at Salinas River crossing), oak woodland & chaparral Field trip leader: Michaela Koenig, Hi Mtn. Lookout Project volunteer and past student intern.
NOTE: Advanced registration is required for participation in the birding field trip. Contact Steve at s_schub1@ msn.com or phone #805 528-6138

Lookout Volunteer Service Project:
repaint the water cistern; meet with Kevin Cooper, 10am at the lookout

Kids activities
meet with Hannah Tillmann, Cal Poly student intern, beginning 11:00am Condor biology / radio tracking demonstrations, making plaster-of-paris animal tracks, afternoon nature hike on the lookout road down to the gate and back

Picnic lunch 11:30am – 12:30pm tour the Hi Mountain Lookout facilities and Interpretive Center- sign guest register

Welcoming comments 12:30pm
Introductions of Hi Mountain Lookout staff, volunteers, and student interns Steve Schubert, Volunteer Coordinator, Morro Coast Audubon Society
Morning birding field trip report by trip leader -Updates from the California Condor field staff

Afternoon activities and field trips:
-Geographical landmarks - a 360 degree view from the Pacific coast to the Sierra Nevada - and demonstration of the original Hi Mountain Lookout firefinder Kevin Cooper, USFS Wildlife Biologist
-Condor radio tracking demonstrations by lookout staff and volunteers
-Kids nature hike along Hi Mountain Lookout Road
-Native plant identification walk and geology overview on Hi Mountain Lookout Road along the crest of the Santa Lucia Mountains by Dr. Dirk Walters and Dr. David Chipping
-Saucelito Canyon Vineyards wine serving, compliments of Nancy Greenough
-Sunset watch and dinner, wear layered clothing Gas stove and oven in the lookout facilities are available for cooking and heating food. Participants are encouraged to bring a potluck dish to share with their friends and guests.
Note: no campfires are permitted for cooking or the overnight campout.

Evening program: 7pm Powerpoint slide show presentations by the 2011 Cal Poly student interns - biological field research projects, remote wildlife camera photography and summer internship experiences - followed by a landscape and wildlife photography multimedia presentation by Steve Schubert
Telescopes will be set up in the evening for astronomy observations
Optional Hi Mountain Campout
Camping sites are available Saturday night at Cypress Hill near the lookout. Other vehicle camping sites are located on the ridgeline near the entrance gate on Hi Mountain Rd.,with a view overlooking the mountains and coast, and also at the USFS Hi Mountain Campground located one mile down the road from the lookout. There are picnic tables and outhouses at the campground - bring your own potable water.

For additional information about the open house event and driving directions to Hi Mountain Lookout, see our website at www.condorlookout.org and view photos of past open house events at the Hi Mountain Lookout Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Hi-Mountain-Lookout or http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=252864984749188

Please contact Steve Schubert at s_schub1@msn.com or phone # (805) 528-6138 to RSVP if you are planning to attend the open house event and the number of people in your group.