EAST SWEET SPRINGS UPDATE #2

,
Work is continuing on access improvements to East Sweet Springs and it's looking GREAT! A few photos below.

If you have donated to this project, please accept our thanks and appreciation.
If you have not yet donated and would like to, go here.
Any amount is greatly appreciated!

Also, if you can, please join us October 1st to recognized the Circle of Friends donors AND get a tour of East Sweet Springs construction thus far.  More Info...

Now... for the photos...

Close-up photo of bird blind: This is the amazing view from the new platform through the bird blind with openings at various heights.  The blind will help screen us from our feathered friends on the bay, allowing them to go about their normal behaviors.

Side view of platform: The viewing platform and bird blind will give individuals and even moderately sized groups an opportunity to enjoy splendid views from Sweet Springs Nature Preserve.  Generous members of Morro Coast Audubon Society and the community at large made construction of the expansion project possible.

Pathway construction: The pathway and boardwalk from 4th Street to the viewing platform is being constructed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.  The width, surface and gradient will be negotiable by persons in wheelchairs, and many features are being included for sight impaired visitors.



Read More

EUREKA! THE BIRDS OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY: August 2017

,
To view or download EUREKA!, click READ MORE, then click "Pop-out" icon in top-right corner.

Read More

EAST SWEET SPRINGS Update #1

,



Here are a couple updates about what is being done.  More updates to come.




Some of the areas where the construction contractor is working were habitat for the federally endangered Morro shoulderband snail.  Qualified, specifically permitted biologists and assistants needed to survey these areas for shoulderband snails.  When live snails were found, they were carefully relocated to safe areas that wouldn't be disturbed by construction activities.  The project needed a special permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to allow relocation of the snails.







The viewing platform and bird blind were designed to provide visitors an opportunity to view the bay and wildlife.  The vertical blind (a partial wall) is intended to hide the human form.  Together with visitors using quiet voices, this should result in less disturbance to birds and better viewing.  The blind has openings at different levels to accommodate people of various heights.  The decomposed granite pathway, boardwalk and viewing platform were designed and are being constructed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements


You can donate to this project at 2017 Sweet Springs Support Drive.  Donations of any size are greatly apprecieated!
Read More

Hi Mountain Outlook - OPEN HOUSE & SOCIAL EVENT


Hi Mountain Lookout Project & the California Condor Recovery Program

16th Annual Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Open House and Social Event

Sunday, October 8, 2017 3:00 – 5:30pm

Location: Saucelito Canyon Winery Tasting Room, 3080 Biddle Ranch Rd. San Luis Obsipo, CA

Nestled in the rugged terrain of the upper Arroyo Grande Valley, Saucelito Canyon Vineyard specializes in estate-grown Zinfandel crafted from old vines planted in 1880. A passion for traditional hands-on winemaking ensures that each wine represents an authentic expression of the estate vineyard and its unique microclimate. Website at: saucelitocanyon.com

$15 per person donation request at the door (cash or check made out to ‘MCAS Hi Mountain Lookout Project’, no credit cards); college students with I.D. $10; children free. Join us for complimentary cheese and wine tasting, socializing among friends, live folk/bluegrass music, silent auction fundraiser, and an update on the California Condor Recovery Program and Hi Mountain Lookout Project.

Condor Benefit Mixer at the tasting room, 2009 Saucelito Canyon

Come and discover one of the largest and most endangered flying birds of North America. California Condors are radio tracked from Hi Mountain Lookout, flying near release and nesting sites in Big Sur and Pinnacles National Park in Central California, and Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, the Sespe Condor Sanctuary, and Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in Southern California. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about condor biology and the reintroduction of these magnificent birds back to the wild.

The Hi Mountain Lookout Project is a collaboration between Morro Coast Audubon Society, U.S. Forest Service at Los Padres National Forest, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service California Condor Recovery Program, Cal Poly Biological Sciences Department, Ventana Wildlife Society, and Pinnacles National Park.

For other information go to www.condorlookout.org and to the Hi Mountain Lookout Facebook page.

To RSVP for the event please contact
Steve Schubert at (805) 440-9390 or
e-mail at s_schub1@msn.com
Read More

Sweet Springs CELEBRATION - OCTOBER 1st!

,

Sweet Springs Circle of Friends Plaque Celebration: 
October 1st!

Come one, come all and help MCAS thank donors who have donated at least $500 to be used at Sweet Springs. Check out the new plaque kiosk located next to the current kiosk at the entrance to Central Sweet Springs and enjoy snacks, wine, and soft drinks. A birding tour and possible walk-through of the not-yet-complete access improvements at East will precede the celebration. Birding begins at 3PM; celebration begins at 4PM.

The MCAS Board will be hosting this Circle celebration in October rather than the traditional date in May. Since the 2017 fund drive began early in order to raise the needed funds to begin construction of the access improvements at the East Expansion Project, the Board decided to delay the celebration until the fall.

This celebration will honor both the 2016 donors and the 2017 donors thus far. Circle funds received after September 1 will be awarded plaques in May 2018.

Read More