Bird and Breakfast An Annual Spring Classic at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center
Experienced birders, all Audubon Society members, lead bird-watching walks across the meadows, woodlands and riverbanks of the Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Ancil Hoffman Park in Carmichael every spring on a Saturday in mid-March. This annual classic Bird and Breakfast fundraiser is sponsored by ARNHA. Groups meet at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Ancil Hoffman Park at 8:00 a.m. to spot and discuss bird life, likely to range from the tiny Anna's hummingbird to the wild turkeys often seen roosting in area oaks. The 3-hour annual event includes a hot, hearty breakfast (vegetarian option available) served in the new Assembly Building at the Nature Center at 2850 San Lorenzo Way in Carmichael.
Participants (not advised for children under 12) should wear comfortable walking shoes and bring binoculars. On this walk one can expect to see some 30 bird species among more than 100 that populate the lower American River's environs.
Sign-ups start in mid-January. Reservations are always necessary for the space-limited, $35 per person fund-raiser. Call the center at (916) 489-4918 for details. Checks payable to ARNHA may be mailed to P.O. Box 241, Carmichael, CA 95609.
Each December on the first Saturday volunteers cover the Parkway by foot and canoe listing all the species of birds and other animals sighted that day. Researchers use these valuable data collected over many years as an indicator of changes occurring in wild life populations. Results: 2010 Wild Life Count
ARNHA is a sponsor of the Nature Bowl, which is organized by the Department of Fish and Game. This annual event encourages children to learn more about our environment through competition among schools and students in environmental knowledge. For more information, e-mail Bruce Forman at BForman@dfg.ca.gov.
Celebrate the gifts and traditions of this living culture at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center It is held annually on the first Saturday in October. Enjoy demonstrations of traditional Maidu skills such as acorn cooking, basket making and flint knapping (making tools from stone). Participate in crafts, ethnobotany walks, storytelling and hands-on activities for children and adults. This fun and educational event is a fund raiser for the Maidu Cultural Program at the Nature Center. Fee: $3 for each person. Additionally, visitors pay a fee of $4 per car to drive into the park. ARNHA members enter the park free.
