The
American River Natural History Association is off and running in its
"Perils of Pauline" rescue mission with the beloved Effie Yeaw
Nature Center.
Last
spring the financially struggling Sacramento County government served
notice that it was cutting off funding of Effie Yeaw. It
appeared that the 34-year-old nature center might shut down, but the
county invited four local non-profit organizations, including ARNHA, to
submit proposals to take it over. With just three weeks notice, only ARNHA,
submitted a bid, and the county accepted it.
Now
comes the hard part. From a volunteer-driven support group, ARNHA has
transformed itself into a full-fledged business operation, responsible for
meeting a payroll, buying insurance and overseeing popular
nature programs for young and old.
The
ARNHA Board of Directors elected an advisory committee headed by past
president Greg Voelm to oversee the nature center on behalf of the Board.
Others on the committee are past presidents Carol Doersch, Noah Baygell,
and Lou Heinrich, along with Betsy Weiland, Liz Williamson, and David
Wade. The Board also elected longtime EYNC Director Marilee
Flannery as executive director. At its peak in 2008, the Effie Yeaw
Nature Center staff consisted of five full-time and 20 part time
employees. It has just 10 part-time employees under the new
management.
Normally
ARNHA gave between $40,000 and $70,000 to the county for the nature
center. But now ARNHA is budgeting $307,000 for EYNC in
2010-11. Says ARNHA President Larry Washington, "ARNHA
must now find enough funding from our friends to support this marvelous
resource. We will be soliciting grants from major corporations, but our
major donors are the individuals, some who have been there for us over the past
30 years and others who are new friends."
Meanwhile,
Effie Yeaw Nature Center programs and other activities are moving ahead, but at
a reduced pace. The center is
closed to the public Mondays (except Monday holidays) and Tuesdays, but open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and
Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Because almost no one visits the Nature Center on days with extreme heat or extreme cold, or during high wind
gusts, it will close those days, allowing staff to work on fundraising and other projects. Please call 916, 489-4918 to confirm that it's open before you visit.
And
numerous cultural, educational and life science and social science
programs for teachers and their students will be available for the
2010-11 school year. Please check the website
wwwsacnaturecenter.net for details.
These
and other programs can only be offered with greatly increased volunteer
help. Volunteer Coordinator Jamie Washington is actively
recruiting animal care assistants, docents, habitat restoration/landscape
assistants, office/clerical,/computer assistants, special event assistants, and
trail walkers. Trail walkers is a new category for volunteers who can answer
questions and generally act as EYNC hosts in the 77-acre nature
preserve. Join the volunteers and become a crucial part of the Nature
Center. For more information,
please email Jamie Washington at jamiew@sacnaturecenter
So now
mark your calendar for the evening of Friday, September 10. That's the
date of a "Grand Opening" celebration of ARNHA's transformation
and the Effie Yeaw Nature Center's new era. Further details
will be published here soon.
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