Salmon in Our Streams
by Gregg Bates, Dry Creek Conservancy
Not that long ago early Californians living in the Great Valley feasted their eyes as well as their appetites on plentiful supplies of salmon and steelhead trout. Four distinct runs of Chinook (King) salmon occupied the seasonal variations of waters within the Sacramento and the San Joaquin River systems. Beginning with hydraulic mining, and then later with deforestation, dams, pollution, development, and water diversions, these rich aquatic resources dwindled - almost disappearing from the valley's landscape. Currently, populations of salmon and steelhead fluctuate; teetering on the brink of extinction. Yet nature is resilient and we continue to be surprised by the occasional comeback of salmon in our streams. Sierra College is privileged to be situated along Secret Ravine - which joins Miner's Ravine, Linda, Cirby, and Antelope Creeks, and so many other small tributaries as they jointly form the watershed of Dry Creek - which finally empties into the Sacramento, along side the American River at Discovery Park. Somehow, both salmon and steelhead continue to find their way into this historic watershed; giving us hope and inspiration for aquatic restoration.
Join Dry Creek Conservancy Executive Director, Gregg Bates, as he illustrates the trials and status of such anadromous fishes, the problems associated with their populations, the efforts for their conservation, and the future of this living natural history of our past. The Dry Creek Conservancy is a non-profit organization, partly funded by restoration grants, that is dedicated to the environmental health of it's namesake watershed. Numerous opportunities are available for volunteers to become trained to observe, monitor, and restore the vitality of this important system - a rare reminder of our rich natural past.
February 27, 2004
The Natural History of Bats
by Susan Ramones
Do they really try to nest in your hair? Do they really suck blood? Are they actually blind? Are they really just mice with wings? Do they all carry rabies? Bats are a group of organisms swirling in myths and misnomers; but the truth about bats is as amazing as some of the myths. There are almost 1000 different species of bats, accounting for ¼ of all the described mammal species. They are found in almost every habitat in the world and their life history strategies are as variable as the many habitats they occupy, ranging from the larger fruit eating "flying-foxes" to our smaller local insect eating bats.
Join Sierra College biologist, Susan Ramones, as she introduces you to the amazing world of bats. She will discuss the basic biology of this fascinating group of organisms and demonstrate several of the technologies used by bat biologists to study these organisms. Susan has been studying and teaching about bats for the past seven years including her masters research on the Pallid bat.
March 26, 2004
The Andes
by Dick Hilton and Joe Medeiros
Nearly 25 years ago they nervously took their first trip together into South America and the Andes. In subsequent years, they have made numerous trips and have explored this phenomenal mountain range from Columbia to the Straits of Magellan. In Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile they explored ecosystems from the Atacama, the world's driest desert to some of the wettest rainforests of the Amazon basin. Like an elongated and narrowed California, this dramatic cordilleran system has captivated endless explorers - seeking everything from exotic plants to unique fossils - not to mention its unforgettable landscapes. Giant Araucarias tower in the Sierra-like mountains above central Chile. Alerce trees, the size of Sequoias and the age of Bristlecones thrive in the temperate Valdivian rainforests. Condors and guanacos abound in glacier-filled fiords. Join two of Sierra College's science faculty as they present twenty-five years of tales and photographic images of “the other Sierra”, the Andes.
Friday, April 23, 2004
"Conversation with a Tramp: An Evening with John Muir"
by Lee Stetson
This stirring production has been presented every summer in Yosemite National Park - and throughout the country and around the world as well - since 1983. It depicts Muir's last dramatic battle to preserve the beautiful Hetch Hetchy Valley, part of our National Park, but threatened by San Francisco's desire to construct a dam there, drowning it hundreds of feet deep. Audience members are his guests as they await final word of the Hetch Hetchy's fate from Washington decision makers. While waiting, Muir's righteous anger at the 'temple destroyers' is tempered by his hearty good humor, and his relating of a number of his most extraordinary wilderness adventures, including his remarkable 'tree ride' in a Sierra windstorm. A fine introduction to both Muir the man and his profound love of wildness, this show is often sponsored by organizations defending their own environment.
Friday, May 21
What a Great Planet!
by Dick Hilton and Joe Medeiros
Dick and Joe have always thought that they were lucky to be born on this planet (and at a time when exploration was relatively easy). With a combined 80 years of traipsing around its rocky and wooded surfaces, they have combed it from its far north to near its south pole, always in search of the same things: neat stuff -volcanoes, glaciers, plants, forests, deserts, critters, rocks, fossils - all things that make life exciting. Forever in search of the answers to life's questions, their travels have spanned Earth's continents and enabled them to see and experience nature to its fullest. Join two of Sierra's science faculty in an evening of “dueling photographs,” taken over the decades during their travels (together and separately). Neither will know which photo will emerge next as they alternate showing their favorite images to the museum audience—describing how fascinating that creature, or that geologic formation, or that “whatever” was. Join them as they wander from Alaska to Africa and from the Galapagos to Australia. Convinced that the study of natural history keeps life full of interest and surprises, they're also convinced that by sharing their enthusiasm, others will want to protect this outstanding planet we call home.