|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Login | Create Account |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 |
Retreat Trips and ActivitiesDeadline for all day-trip registration is September 8. Please note: If the minimum number of participants is not met, each trip is subject to cancellation. Participants will be reimbursed for the full cost of the trip should this occur. 2006 Site CoordinatorIf you have any questions or would like more information about the retreat trips, please contact our site coordinator: Marika Holmgren Pre-Retreat Day TripsSaturday, October 7 Explore Elkhorn Slough by Kayak or Pontoon BoatAs California’s second-largest marine wetland, Elkhorn Slough’s 2,500 acres are an important habitat for sea otters, harbor seals, and seven currently endangered species. October is an especially good time to visit as the fall migration fills the Slough with more than 250 bird species. In the morning, choose between a kayak trip or a pontoon boat ride up into the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve led by a local naturalist from the Elkhorn Slough Foundation. After a picnic lunch of sustainable and organic food, hike through the reserve and learn about the innovative conservation and restoration efforts under way to preserve this sensitive coastal watershed. Begin: Asilomar, 8:30 am
Hike Big SurThe storied Big Sur is one of the world’s most dramatically scenic meetings of land and water. Rocky cliffs leap from the sea, and waves crash on offshore seastacks. Hawks hover, deer graze, and Highway One clings to the cliffsides. We will cross the famous Bixby Creek Bridge on our way to Andrew Molera State Park and, following a moderate but scenic trail, will walk for an hour or so along the slopes and into wooded canyons. We will visit lands protected by the Big Sur Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy that will serve as the landside complements to the adjacent marine protected areas. Lunch will be at the spectacular Glen Deven Ranch. In the afternoon, after a second hike along a ridgetop, we will retreat to the terrace of Big Sur ceramicist Embree de Perseis, overlooking Palo Colorado Canyon and the sea, for wine, cheese, and conversations with local environmental leaders. Bring your cameras, binoculars, a small pack, and hiking boots. Begin: Asilomar, 9:00 am
Kelp Forest Scuba DivingExperience the richness of life along the Monterey Coast firsthand by diving into some of the local kelp forests. Kelp forests near Monterey are teeming with fish, invertebrates, and marine mammals. Learn about the ecology of the kelp forest and the conservation issues they face from marine ecologist and kelp forest expert Dr. Mark Carr from University of California, Santa Cruz. Dr. Carr has been heavily involved in the implementation and evaluation of marine reserves in California and will discuss how this process works and where it is headed. The trip will consist of two dives in the Monterey area; if possible, one dive will be held inside the Point Lobos Marine Reserve and one will be outside, giving participants a chance to view the differences. Begin: Asilomar, 9:00 am
San Francisco Bay Area Flatlands Tour: Building a Regional Movement for the Environment and Social JusticeThe San Francisco Bay area is unique in that communities of color and working-class residents lead the environmental movement, and environmental advocacy is integrated with larger community issues related to the economy, poverty, public health, civil rights, housing, and social justice. The Bay area is also directly connected with the larger global economy. For example, many have heralded the “new” globalized economy emerging in recent decades from technological innovations in Silicon Valley and the wider San Francisco Bay area. Yet many of the communities in this region can speak to the disproportionate negative impacts of these economic forces on their health and neighborhoods and on the local environment that is also part of the story. These include the expansion of the ports, an increase in diesel traffic, or less visible ways in which the forces of a global economy impact land use or affect the health of local communities. The tour is intended especially for funders who have yet to do environmental or social justice work, for those looking for ways to break out of issue silos to better link the environment and other concerns, and for those who want to understand the local and regional nature of impacts and responses in the Bay area. In addition, linking individual stories of these communities into a regional and global narrative is useful for funders exploring how to support local efforts elsewhere in ways that provoke change at the regional, national, and global levels. Participants will meet with multi-issue organizations that bring together people of color, the working poor, and others in the region to forge strategic alliances and bridge environmental concerns with related issues facing local East and South Bay communities. You’ll have the opportunity to talk directly with staff from Citizens for a Better Environment and Youth for Community Action over lunch at the Community Center in East Palo Alto. Trip location: East/South Bay
Uniting Concerns: Organics and Social JusticeSwanton Berry Farm, located along the California coast, is an industry leader in developing organic methods for growing strawberries. Since 1983 they have experimented with alternatives to chemical fumigation, widely used on strawberries, and in 1987 they were certified by California Certified Organic Farmers. In addition, Swanton Berry Farm is the first strawberry farm (and the first organic farm) in the US to sign a contract with the United Farmworkers of America/AFL-CIO. Jim Cochran, founder of Swanton Berry Farm, and farmworkers will guide a tour to discuss the farm’s human and environmental approach to growing food. A delicious lunch will be served following the tour, with enough time to enjoy the spectacular views and farm setting. Begin: Asilomar, 10:00 am
Sunday, October 8 A Bird’s-Eye View of Marine Protected Areas: A LightHawk Flyover AdventureIn late 2006 the California Fish & Game Commission is scheduled to establish a new network of marine protected areas, including fully protected marine reserves, on the central coast. Board a private LightHawk plane to view these areas from above! The LightHawk flights will afford participants an opportunity to see the proposed locations of marine protected areas along the central coast from an aerial perspective, and witness the importance of connecting protected areas on land with those in the ocean. Your guide for this trip includes Mike Sutton from the Monterey Bay Aquarium as well as volunteer pilots from the area. Lunch will be a healthy, sustainable picnic lunch at Jack’s Peak Park following the one-hour flight. Begin: Asilomar, 10:00 am
Condor Viewing at Ventana Wilderness in Big SurNow is your chance to view magnificent condors along the Pacific coast just south of Monterey Bay. The trip leaves from Asilomar and makes a stop at the Ventana Wilderness Society research station for a brief explanation of biologists’ work on California condor reintroduction and bald eagle and songbird monitoring and research. We’ll also enjoy lunch at a private ranch in Big Sur. Your guides for this trip include Kelly Sorenson, Ventana Wildlife Society’s executive director, and Joe Burnett, senior wildlife biologist. Sorenson was the lead biologist for VWS during the initial phase of the condor program in Big Sur and played a key role in the establishment of the Pinnacles National Monument release site. Joe Burnett became field supervisor for Ventana’s Condor Restoration Program in 1996 and coordinated the first seven releases of condors in central California, six in Big Sur and one at Pinnacles National Monument. Begin: Asilomar, 8:30 am
Explore Elkhorn Slough by Kayak or Pontoon Boat
Monterey Bay Whalewatching TourSail beautiful Monterey Bay in search of marine birds and mammals on the Derek M. Baylis, a 65-foot sailboat designed for ocean research. You will have a chance to see a wide variety of marine life including whales, dolphins, and seabirds. At the same time, you will learn about the ecology of Monterey Bay, pressing conservation threats, and the activities underway to ensure the survival of endangered marine species. During the expedition you’ll work alongside aquarium naturalists on projects that include observing threatened sea otters and sampling bottom-dwelling sea creatures. All participants are encouraged to take a turn at the helm steering the boat and will have the chance to learn about navigation and sailing. The guides for this trip include Dr. Donald Croll and Dr. James Harvey. Dr. Croll is an assistant professor at University of California, Santa Cruz, where he studies the ecology of seabirds and marine mammals. Dr. Harvey is a professor at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, where he studies the ecology of marine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles. Begin: Asilomar, 8:30 am
Salinas to the SeaLearn how powerful partnerships are promoting sustainable agriculture practices. Meet the pioneers from public agencies, nonprofit environmental and farmworker organizations, and the farming community who are creating environmentally and economically sustainable solutions to complex problems. We will travel to the biologically rich Elkhorn Slough Watershed to see how diverse groups have used easements, permit coordination, technical assistance, and cost-share funding and training in organic farming to make farming more compatible with the area’s rich natural resources. After lunch at Elkhorn Slough Estuarine Reserve, we will visit Earthbound Farms to learn how larger growers are working to meet water quality standards and hear about the challenges they face. We will walk in fields of strawberries, artichokes, and brussel sprouts and talk with some of the farmers, farm laborers, environmental organizations and public agencies that cooperate with the agricultural community. Begin: Asilomar, 10:00 am
Post-Retreat Afternoon TripsWednesday, October 11 An Aerial Perspective on Sustainable Agriculture: A LightHawk Flyover AdventureHere is your chance for an exciting and enlightening overview (literally) of some contemporary farming issues. LightHawk will provide an aerial tour of both large agri-businesses in the area, such as Dole, as well as smaller sustainable farms. Knowledgeable guides will explain some of the differences between these farming operations and the resulting impacts to the environment. Through these flights participants will have a chance to learn about a food system that strengthens the soil, protects air and water, encourages diverse ecosystems and economies, and produces healthy food. The sustainable agriculture community seeks to make all agriculture economically viable, ecologically sound, and socially just. Begin: Asilomar, 2:00 pm
Cheers to Sustainability: Sustainable Winery & Vineyard TourMembers of the California wine community joined together to create the Sustainable Winegrowing Program to promote practices that are beneficial to the environment and community while producing high-quality grapes and wine. Sustainable practices reduce water and energy use, minimize pesticide use, build healthy soil, protect air and water quality, recycle natural resources, maintain surrounding wildlife habitat, provide employee education, and enhance relationships with neighbors. Come visit several California wineries and vineyards active in this program, experiencing their work (and wine!) firsthand. The Sustainable Winery & Vineyard Tour will give you an understanding of how the program works, ways in which sustainable winegrowing are being applied and achieving positive results, and why government agencies and non-governmental organizations have recognized the program as a model for other agriculture sectors. Begin: Asilomar, 2:00 pm
|
 |
Home | About Us | News | Resources | Funders | NGOs | Events | Member Area | Privacy Policy | Legal Notices |
  |
