Online: Miwok Cultural History & Games
2020-11-01 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA
This event has been postponed to november 1st due to statewide pg&e power shutoffs.

On November 1st, join us for this family- friendly program with our very special guest, Sky Road Webb, a Tomales Bay Miwok and board member of the Museum of the American Indian. Sky will share the contemporary culture and history of indigenous Coast Miwok people who have lived along the San Pedro Shoreline of San Pablo Bay for thousands of years. Have fun making your own traditional games in an interactive experience. Children and adults are encouraged to tune in!

Date: Sunday, October 25th
POSTPONED TO SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1st
Time: 6pm-7pm
Location: Zoom Web Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6503431822
Meeting ID: 650 343 1822
One tap mobile
+16699009128,,6503431822# US (San Jose)

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited and reservations are required.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
You will be notified of cancellations via email.

Online: Prehistoric Bay Area Megafauna
2020-11-13 18:00 - 19:00
Take a walk with Pleistocene giants as we explore the larger-than-life inhabitants that once graced China Camp’s shores.
(Illustration by Karen Carr)
Mammoths in the marsh, sloths in the sloughs, saber-tooths in the streams, condors in the conifers, Elk in the estuary: meet the original megafauna friends of China Camp. Come join us on November 13th as natualist Harold Hirsch leads a stimulating discussion about the remarkable creatures that roamed the Bay Area during the last ice age.
Harold Hirsch has been a naturalist with China Camp State Park for over 3 years. He has a keen interest in the natural world and has led numerous hikes and naturalist programs on a variety of topics.

Date: Friday, November 13
Time: 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Venue: Zoom meeting (Details emailed to you once you reserve a space.)

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited and reservations are required.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
You will be notified of cancellations via email.

Friends of China Camp Annual Meeting
2020-11-15 10:00 - 23:30
Online: Annual Friends of China Camp Community Meeting
November 15, 10 a.m.

Join Friends of China Camp’s annual community meeting to learn about our operational accomplishments and challenges in 2020, as well as plans and ideas for China Camp in the year ahead.

Location: Zoom Web Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6503431822
Meeting ID: 650 343 1822
By telephone, dial: (669) 900 9128
Meeting ID: 650 343 1822

Online: Indigenous History of the Bay Area
2020-11-19 18:00 - 19:00
Join naturalist Jerry Coe for an educational Zoom discussion as he discusses the pre-colonial settlements of the indigenous people in the San Francisco Bay Area. He will cover the history of the Miwok and Ohlone people, how they survived within the landscape, and some of their common cultural practices. It is estimated that there were over several thousand Coastal Miwok in the North Bay at the time of the Spanish arrival in 1769. Most of this population was dispersed within 100 years. Many died of European diseases. Miwok people still live in the Bay Area today, with the largest group at Graton Rancheria in Sonoma County.
Date: Thursday, November 19th
Time: 6pm-7pm
Location: Zoom Meeting (Details will be emailed to you upon reservation)

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited and reservations are required.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
You will be notified of cancellations via email.

Online Migratory Birding Seminar
2020-11-20 18:00 - 19:00
Learn how to identify birds at China Camp with our free online course
Ferruginous Hawk. Photo by Joshua Barnett
Fall is here and it’s time once again to welcome back our regional migrating birds! Join us for a special birding seminar on November 20th, where we will focus on our avian friends who are making their seasonal journey through the bay area. No birding experience needed.
This one-hour online seminar will give you the skills to identify common birds in the field and to effectively use essential tools like binoculars and bird guides. We will help you identify new birds by observing flight patterns, noting body shapes and sizes, hearing songs, and looking for other clues to bird identification.

Jerry Coe is a naturalist with over eight years of intensive training in ornithological field identification. He spent 15 years as a volunteer in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, using bird activities to assess the health of habitats. Jerry has also guided outdoor expeditions all over the world.

Date: Friday, November 20
Time: 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Venue: Zoom meeting (Details emailed to you once you reserve a space.)

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited and reservations are required.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
You will be notified of cancellations via email.

Online Naturalist Book Club
2020-11-29 19:00 - 20:00
Oaxaca Journal by Oliver Sacks

Join us for a lively interactive program as we discuss Oliver Sacks’ book, Oaxaca Journal. Sacks recounts his exploration of southern Mexico, its rich culture and history, and his specific quest for a new botanical discovery. Friends of China Camp naturalist Harold Hirsch will lead our online group discussion via Zoom.
Excerpt from Goodreads.com:
The best-selling author of Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks is well know as an explorer of the human mind–a neurologist with a gift for complex, insightful portrayals of people and their conditions. However, he is also a card-carrying member of the American Fern Society, and since childhood has been fascinated by these primitive plants and their ability to survive and adapt in many climates. Oaxaca Journal is Sacks’s spellbinding account of his trip with a group of fellow fern enthusiasts to the beautiful, history-steeped province of Oaxaca, Mexico. Bringing together Sacks’s passion for natural history and the richness of human culture with his sharp eye for detail, Oaxaca Journal is a captivating evocation of a place, its plants, its people, and its myriad wonders
Date: Sunday, November 29
Time: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Venue: Zoom meeting (Details emailed to you once you reserve a space.)
REGISTER HERE
Space is limited and reservations are required.
Free. Donations encouraged.
Questions? Reach us at programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
You will be notified of cancellations via email.

Online: Indigenous History of the Bay Area
2020-12-17 18:00 - 19:00
Join naturalist Jerry Coe for an educational Zoom discussion as he discusses the pre-colonial settlements of the indigenous people in the San Francisco Bay Area. He will cover the history of the Miwok and Ohlone people, how they survived within the landscape, and some of their common cultural practices. It is estimated that there were over several thousand Coastal Miwok in the North Bay at the time of the Spanish arrival in 1769. Most of this population was dispersed within 100 years. Many died of European diseases. Miwok people still live in the Bay Area today, with the largest group at Graton Rancheria in Sonoma County.

Date: Thursday, December 17th
Time: 6pm-7pm
Location: Zoom Meeting (Details will be emailed to you upon reservation)
REGISTER HERE
Space is limited and reservations are required.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
You will be notified of cancellations via email.

Online Migratory Birding Seminar
2020-12-18 18:00 - 19:00
Learn how to identify birds at China Camp with our free online course

Lesser scaup, ruddy duck, bufflehead… Bird species or… Shakespearian insults? These peculiar names actually belong to several migratory waterfowl species that one can currently find wintering at China Camp. Want to learn how to view them and where to look? Join us for a special birding seminar on December 18th, where we will teach you what you need to know to get started as a birder. No birding experience needed.
This one-hour online seminar will give you the skills to identify common birds in the field and to effectively use essential tools like binoculars and bird guides. We will help you identify new birds by observing flight patterns, noting body shapes and sizes, hearing songs, and looking for other clues to bird identification.

Jerry Coe is a naturalist with over eight years of intensive training in ornithological field identification. He spent 15 years as a volunteer in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, using bird activities to assess the health of habitats. Jerry has also guided outdoor expeditions all over the world.

Date: Thursday, December 18
Time: 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Venue: Zoom meeting (Details emailed to you once you reserve a space.)

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited and reservations are required.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
You will be notified of cancellations via email.

Online Indigenous History of the Bay Area
2021-01-14 18:00 - 19:00
Join naturalist Jerry Coe as he discusses the pre-colonial settlements of indigenous peoples in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jerry will cover the history of the Miwok and Ohlone people, how they survived within the landscape, and common cultural practices. He’ll also share how the thousands of Coastal Miwok who lived in the North Bay when Spaniards arrived in 1769 were almost wiped out within a century. Many died of European diseases; others moved away. Miwok people still live in the Bay Area today, with the largest group at Graton Rancheria in Sonoma County.

Date: Thursday, January 14
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Location: Zoom meeting (details emailed upon reservation)

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited; reservations required.
You will be notified of cancellations via email.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.

Online Beginning Birding Seminar
2021-01-15 18:00 - 19:00
LEARN HOW TO IDENTIFY BIRDS AT CHINA CAMP WITH OUR FREE ONLINE COURSE
Winter is here and the bay area is abounding with migratory Cedar Waxwings, Golden Crowned and White Crowned Sparrows as well as Pine Siskins and other boreal finches. Pine Siskens are especially abundant in the bay area this year due to food shortages along their migratory flight path further north in Canada. Want some insight on how and where to spot these beautiful birds? Join our upcoming online seminar on beginning birding, led by naturalist Jerry Coe.

You’ll learn how to identify common birds in the field and to effectively use essential tools like binoculars and bird guides. You’ll also find out other clues, including how to identify birds by observing flight patterns, noting body shapes and sizes, and hearing songs.

Jerry Coe is a naturalist with over eight years of intensive training in ornithological field identification. He spent 15 years as a volunteer in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, using bird activities to assess the health of habitats. Jerry has also guided outdoor expeditions all over the world.

Date: Friday, January 15
Time: 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Venue: Zoom meeting (details emailed once space is reserved)

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited; reservations required.
You will be notified of cancellations via email.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.

Naturalist Book Club
2021-01-31 19:00 - 20:00
The Dreampt Land by Mark Arax
Join us as we discuss Mark Arax’s book, Dreamt Land in this interactive book club. Arax chronicles the complex history of the mismanagement of California’s most valued natural resource: water. Friends of China Camp naturalist Harold Hirsch will lead our online group discussion via Zoom.

Excerpt from Goodreads.com:
Author Mark Arax is from a family of Central Valley farmers, a writer with deep ties to the land who has watched the battles over water intensify even as California lurches from drought to flood and back again. In The Dreamt Land, he travels the state to explore the one-of-a-kind distribution system, built in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, that is straining to keep up with California’s relentless growth.
This is a heartfelt, beautifully written book about the land and the people who have worked it–from gold miners to wheat ranchers to small fruit farmers and today’s Big Ag. Since the beginning, Californians have redirected rivers, drilled ever-deeper wells and built higher dams, pushing the water supply past its limit…

Date: Sunday, January 31
Time: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Venue: Zoom meeting (Details emailed to you once you reserve a space.)

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited and reservations are required.
Free. Donations encouraged.
Questions? Reach us at programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
You will be notified of cancellations via email.

Darwin Day Online
2021-02-13 18:00 - 19:00
Darwin’s Progress

Join us on February 13th as we celebrate worldwide Darwin Day, in commemoration of Charles Darwin’s birthday (which is on February 12th). Join us for a presentation on the theory of evolution, and how it has advanced since Charles Darwin first published his momentous book, On the Origin of Species. Fun fact: this book was published around the same time that China Camp Village was established. Naturalist Harold Hirsch will lead this stimulating discussion about the evolution of well… evolution!

Harold Hirsch has been a naturalist with China Camp State Park for over 3 years. He has a keen interest in the natural world and has led numerous hikes and naturalist programs on a variety of topics.

Date: Saturday, February 13
Time: 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Venue: Zoom meeting (Details emailed to you once you reserve a space.)

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited and reservations are required.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
You will be notified of cancellations via email.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Online Indigenous History of the Bay Area
2021-02-18 18:00 - 19:00
Did you know that the indigenous Coast Miwok and Ohlone peoples have been master gardeners for thousands of years? Early Europeans described them as hunter-gatherers, but in reality there is much greater depth and complexity to their relationship to the land as they “tended the wild.” Join naturalist Jerry Coe as he discusses the pre-Colonial settlements of indigenous peoples in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jerry will cover the history of the Coast Miwok and Ohlone people, how they survived within the landscape, and common cultural practices. He’ll also share how the thousands of Coastal Miwok who lived in the North Bay when Spaniards arrived in 1769 were almost wiped out within a century. Many died of European diseases; others moved away. Miwok people still live in the Bay Area today, with the largest group at Graton Rancheria in Sonoma County.

Date: Thursday, February 18
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Location: Zoom meeting (details emailed upon reservation)

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited; reservations required.
Free (donations encouraged).
Questions? Contact programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Cancellations notified via email.

Illustration credit: Depiction of Pruristac, a Ramaytush village in what is now Pacifica, by Amy Hosa & Linda Yamane, 2019.

Online Beginning Birding Seminar
2021-02-19 18:00 - 19:00
Which thrush is which? Join our birding class and gain the skills to find out!
As the first flowers appear in February, local thrush species begin to migrate to their breeding grounds. In the Bay Area, the hermit and the Swainson’s thrush will effectively “switch” places; just as the hermit thrush migrates further north, the Swainson’s thrush returns to the Bay Area in search of a mate. To even an experienced birder, these secretive woodland species are difficult to tell apart by looks alone. Luckily, we can distinguish these species by their otherworldly, flute-like calls. The Swainson’s thrush (pictured right) has more of an ascending cascade of quick notes that seem to echo throughout the forest canopy, whereas the hermit thrush (left) has a shorter call with longer notes that make a low-high-low pattern.
Want more tips on how and where to spot these and other beautiful birds? Join our upcoming online seminar on beginning birding, led by naturalist Jerry Coe. Learn how to identify common birds in the field and how to use essential tools like binoculars and bird guides. You will also learn how to identify birds by observing flight patterns, noting body shapes and sizes, hearing songs, and watching behaviors.
Jerry Coe is a naturalist with over eight years of intensive training in ornithological field identification. He spent 15 years as a volunteer in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, using bird activities to assess the health of habitats. Jerry has also guided outdoor expeditions all over the world.

Date: Friday, February 19
Time: 6pm. – 7pm
Venue: Zoom meeting (details emailed once space is reserved)

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited; reservations required.
Cancellations notified via email.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Hermit thrush (left) by Yves Gauthier; Swainson’s thrush (right) by Adam Jackson. Macaulay Library.

Naturalist Book Club
2021-02-28 19:00 - 20:00
Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald
Join us as we discuss Helen Macdonald’s book, Vesper Flights, for this month’s interactive online book club. Macdonald, author of the award winning book H is for Hawk, offers a compilation of essays chronicling her astute observations about the natural world. Friends of China Camp naturalist Harold Hirsch will lead our online group discussion via Zoom.
Excerpt from Amazon.com:
Animals don’t exist in order to teach us things, but that is what they have always done, and most of what they teach us is what we think we know about ourselves. In Vesper Flights Helen Macdonald brings together a collection of her best loved essays, along with new pieces on topics ranging from nostalgia for a vanishing countryside to the tribulations of farming ostriches to her own private vespers while trying to fall asleep. Meditating on notions of captivity and freedom, immigration and flight, Helen invites us into her most intimate experiences: observing the massive migration of songbirds from the top of the Empire State Building, watching tens of thousands of cranes in Hungary, seeking the last golden orioles in Suffolk’s poplar forests. She writes with heart-tugging clarity about wild boar, swifts, mushroom hunting, migraines, the strangeness of birds’ nests, and the unexpected guidance and comfort we find when watching wildlife. By one of this century’s most important and insightful nature writers, Vesper Flights is a captivating and foundational book about observation, fascination, time, memory, love and loss and how we make sense of the world around us.

Date: Sunday, February 28
Time: 7pm – 8pm
Venue: Zoom meeting (details emailed once space is reserved )

REGISTER HERE

Space limited; reservations required.
Free (donations encouraged)
Questions? Contact programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Cancellations notified via email.

Online: Spring Birding Seminar
2021-05-21 18:00 - 19:00
One of the great treasures in our park is the daily chorus of birdsong that echoes throughout the oak woodland forest. Among the avian symphony, there is a family of birds that play the part of the percussionists; joining the ensemble not just with their voice, but with the rhythmic beat of their hammering beaks. You guessed it, we’re talking about woodpeckers! These headbangers each have a pecking drumbeat that is unique to their species, and with a little practice, you can actually learn to identify different woodpecker species by the cadence of their pecking.
Pileated woodpeckers, for example, have a slow resonant drumming that lasts for about three seconds at a time. By contrast, the hairy woodpecker sounds more like a high-pitched mini jackhammer, pecking at about 26 beats per second, with second-long intervals.
Want to learn more? Join our upcoming online birding seminar, led by naturalist Jerry Coe via Zoom. In this month’s program, Jerry will cover the different woodpecker species that you might find in the park. He will show you different methods for field identification and how to use essential tools like binoculars and bird guides.
Jerry Coe is a naturalist with over eight years of intensive training in ornithological field identification. He spent 15 years as a volunteer in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, using bird activities to assess the health of habitats. Jerry has also guided outdoor expeditions all over the world.
Date: Friday, May 21
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Venue: Zoom meeting (details emailed once space is reserved).
REGISTER HERE
Space is limited; reservations required.
Free (donations appreciated)
Cancellations notified via email.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Photo credit: Pileated woodpecker by © Hal and Kirsten Snyder/Macaulay Library

Summer Birding Hike
2021-06-19 08:00 - 10:00
During this relaxing morning stroll, you will learn how to identify birds by their shape, flight patterns, calls, and habitat. We will also discuss how to effectively use essential tools like binoculars and bird identification guides. Feeling rusty on your birding skills? Not a problem, this class is perfect for beginners. We’ll catch a glimpse of violet-green swallows, barn swallows, warblers, white-tailed kites, acorn woodpeckers, and other birds that frequent Miwok Meadows.
Jerry Coe is a naturalist with over eight years of intensive training in ornithological field identification. He spent 15 years as a volunteer in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, using bird activities to assess the health of habitats. Jerry has also guided outdoor expeditions all over the world.
Please Note: We do not require masks to participate, however we do ask that only people who have been vaccinated can attend the event. Group sizes will be limited, so register early.
Date: Saturday, June 19
Time: 8am-10am
Location: Details emailed to you when you register.
Difficulty: easy, 1.5 miles

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited; reservations required.
Free (donations appreciated)
Cancellations notified via email.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.

Photo credit: Violet-green swallow by © Darren Clark /Macaulay Library

Coast Miwok History Walk
2021-06-20 09:00 - 11:00
Join us as we walk through Back Ranch Meadows and discuss the deep relationship that Coast Miwok people have had with the plants and animals at China Camp.
When Spaniards arrived to colonize the bay area in the 1700’s, they described Miwok peoples as hunter-gatherers. They did not see fences and rows of crops characteristic of European agriculture, and assumed the Miwok people just passively found what they ate. In reality, the Coast Miwok had been tending the land for food and resources for thousands of years. From carefully setting controlled burns to clear deadfall and promote new growth, to scattering seeds in strategic areas, to pruning and selective ‘weeding’ – the forest was a dynamic garden that was altered to enhance food and resource production. Just about every plant had a purpose and a season to harvest, and preparations were guided by great ancestral knowledge of ritual and process.
Join naturalist Jerry Coe as he discusses the history of the Coast Miwok people and how they survived and thrived within the landscape. Coast Miwok people still live in the Bay Area today, with the largest group at Graton Rancheria in Sonoma County. For more information about California’s indigenous history, visit the California Native American Heritage Commission website.

Please Note: We do not require masks to participate, however we do ask that only people who have been vaccinated can attend the event. Group sizes will be limited, so register early.

Date: June 20, 2021
Time: 9am-11am
Location: Details emailed to you when you register.
Difficulty: easy, 1.5 miles

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited; reservations required.
Free (donations appreciated)
Questions? Contact programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Cancellations notified via email.

Illustration credit: Ohlones transported mussels and other foods in willow baskets: courtesy of Linda Yamane

Father's Day Hike
2021-06-20 09:00 - 11:00
Bring dad along for this fun father’s day hike with naturalist Harold Hirsch. What better way to celebrate dad than to share the open sky and bay breezes. Learn about the flora and fauna of the oak woodland habitat on this easy, 3 mile loop which will feature beautiful bay vistas and oak woodlands.
Please Note: We do not require masks to participate, however we do ask that only people who have been vaccinated can attend the event. Group sizes will be limited, so register early.

Date: Sunday, June 20
Time: 9am – 11am
Meeting Location: Location emailed to you upon reservation.
Difficulty: Moderate hike, 3 miles

Register Here

Space is limited; reservations required.
Free (donations appreciated)
Cancellations notified via email.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Photo credit: Sheila Coll

Naturalist Book Club
2021-06-27 19:00 - 20:00
Join us as we discuss The Edge: The Pressured Past and Precarious Future of California’s Coast, written by Kim Steinhardt and Gary Griggs. Steinhardt, a writer and nature photographer, and Griggs, an earth sciences professor at University of California in Santa Cruz, present a timeline of the environmental and social pressures that have shaped the past, present, and future of the California coastline.
Excerpt from Barnesandnoble.com:
“The Edge is a dramatic snapshot of the California coast’s past, present, and probable future in a time of climate change and expanding human activity. Written by two marine experts who grew up on the coast, The Edge is both a celebration of the coast’s natural and cultural uniqueness and a warning of the many complex changes that threaten that uniqueness.”

Date: Sunday, June 27
Time: 7pm – 8pm
Venue: Zoom meeting (details emailed once space is reserved).

REGISTER HERE

Space limited; reservations required.
Free (donations appreciated)
Questions? Contact programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Cancellations notified via email.

Footrace: Sasquatch Racing
2021-07-18 08:30 - 13:00
There will be a footrace beginning at Miwok Meadows picnic area on Sunday, July 18th, 2021. Please be advised that there will be increased foot traffic from 8:30am until 1pm as a result. Plan your trip to the park accordingly.
Check out the Sasquatch Racing event website for more information.

Full Moon Hike
2021-07-23 19:45 - 21:45
Moonrise over Rat Rock by Steve Ziman
July “Buck Moon”The “buck moon” is named for the season when bucks begin to grow new antlers. For this full moon hike, we will go on a moderately strenuous, 4-mile round-trip hike and watch the radiant full moon cast glittering light over the bay. Suitable for kids ages 10+.

Date: Friday, July 23
Time: 7:45 p.m. – 9:45 p.m.
Length: 4 miles round-trip
Difficuly: moderately strenuous
Please bring warm clothing, appropriate hiking gear, water, and a flashlight.
We will meet at 7:30 p.m. sharp.

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited; reservations required.
Location details emailed to you when you register.
Fee: $5 non-members; FOCC members free
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Cancellations notified via email.

July Birding Hike
2021-07-24 08:00 - 10:00
In the summer, when many bird species are wrapping up nesting in China Camp, warbling vireos are just starting to raise their young here. A great place to look for them is in the tall trees surrounding Miwok Meadows. With a little practice, you can identify these beautiful seasonal visitors.
First, listen for the vireo’s rapid, undulating call. Next, scan the canopy. Warbling vireos have a gray-olive upper body, creamy belly and throat, and a black stripe bounded by white stripes crossing the eye.
To up your chances of spotting vireos and other summer birds at China Camp, join a morning stroll with naturalist Jerry Coe. Learn how to identify birds by their shape, flight patterns, calls, and habitat. Also learn how to use binoculars and bird guides as we search for other species, including violet-green and barn swallows, warblers, white-tailed kites, and acorn woodpeckers.
Jerry Coe has over eight years of intensive training in ornithological field identification. He spent 15 years as a volunteer in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, using bird activities to assess the health of habitats. Jerry has also guided outdoor expeditions all over the world.

Date: Saturday, July 24
Time: 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Location: Details emailed to you when you register.
Walking difficulty: Easy; 1.5 miles

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited; reservations required.
Free (donations appreciated).
Cancellations notified via email.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Photo credit: Warbling vireo by ©Ryan O’Donnel/Macaulay Library

Junior Ranger Program: Nature Art
2021-07-24 10:00 - 12:00
Join us for this month’s Junior Ranger Program. We’ll investigate nature’s works of art and musical sounds hidden amongst the trees, grasses, and marshland at China Camp Village. We will search for examples of beautiful art in nature, like the patterns in spider webs or whorls in tree bark. Then we’ll use natural objects, such as seeds, leaves, and twigs, to create our own natural works of art.

Date: Saturday, July 24
Time: 10 a.m. – noon
Location: Details emailed to you when you register.
Ages: 7 – 9
Dress in layers for the changeable weather. Bring snacks and water.
REGISTER HERE

Miwok History Walk
2021-07-25 09:00 - 11:00
Join us as we walk through Back Ranch Meadows and learn how pre-colonial Coast Miwok people harvested food throughout China Camp.
Surrounded by the diverse and lush habitats in their homeland here, Miwok people enjoyed an abundance of animal protein. They harvested local fish and shellfish, and used net traps in the marshes to catch geese, ducks, and other shorebirds. Miwok were also known for their long-standing tradition as falconers, training hawks to catch rabbits and quail.
Join naturalist Jerry Coe as he discusses the history of the Coast Miwok people and how they survived and thrived in the area now known as China Camp. Coast Miwok people still live in the Bay Area today, with the largest group at Graton Rancheria in Sonoma County. For more information about California’s indigenous history, visit the California Native American Heritage Commission website.

Date: Sunday, July 25
Time: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Location: Details emailed to you when you register.
Walking difficulty: Easy; 1.5 miles

REGISTER HERE
Space is limited; reservations required.
Free (donations appreciated).
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Cancellations notified via email.
Illustration credit: Coast Miwok natives wearing various headbands and headdresses. Meriam Library, California State University, Chico

Online:Naturalist Book Club
2021-07-25 19:00 - 20:00
BUZZ: THE NATURE AND NECESSITY OF BEES
BY THOR HANSEN

Join our monthly book club as we discuss this vitally important book from the award-winning author of The Triumph of Seeds and Feathers. In his book, Thor Hansen imparts a natural and cultural history of the insect lineage that includes honeybees, one of the world’s most vital keystone species.

Excerpt from Goodreads.com:
“ Bees are like oxygen: ubiquitous, essential, and, for the most part, unseen. While we might overlook them, they lie at the heart of relationships that bind the human and natural worlds. In Buzz, the beloved Thor Hanson takes us on a journey that begins 125 million years ago, when a wasp first dared to feed pollen to its young. From honeybees and bumbles to lesser-known diggers, miners, leafcutters, and masons, bees have long been central to our harvests, our mythologies, and our very existence. They’ve given us sweetness and light, the beauty of flowers, and as much as a third of the foodstuffs we eat. And, alarmingly, they are at risk of disappearing. As informative and enchanting as the waggle dance of a honeybee, Buzz shows us why all bees are wonders to celebrate and protect. Read this book and you’ll never overlook them again.”

Date: Sunday, July 25
Time: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Venue: Zoom meeting (details emailed once space is reserved).

REGISTER HERE

Space limited; reservations required.
Free (donations appreciated).
Cancellations notified via email.
Questions? Email programs(at)friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.

Speaker Series: Native Bees of the Bay Area
2021-07-31 19:00 - 20:00
For this month’s online Village Talk, we will discuss one of our most critically important insects: bees. Join naturalist Harold Hirsch as he discusses the biology, evolutionary history, and ecological function of wild native bees of the San Francisco Bay Area.
For millions of years, bees have followed a close symbiotic coevolution with the clade angiosperms—the fancier term for flowering plants. About 135 million years ago, most plants reproduced by wind-borne pollen, with only 0.1% of the particles actually reaching the female flower and the rest going to waste (do you think dinosaurs had allergies?).
A great change occurred as flying insects with a taste for pollen unintentionally began to pollinate flowers, flitting from blossom to blossom as they fed. Thus began, as noted in an article in Scientific American, “the longest marketing campaign in history,” where the morphology of flowers changed to become more noticeable and desirable to these roaming pollinators. Of these insects, bees went on to become the most highly specialized group to reap nutrient-rich nectar and pollen.
Join us for this informative online lecture via Zoom.
Date: Saturday, July 31
Time: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Venue: Online meeting via Zoom. Register for details.

REGISTER HERE

Space limited; reservations required.
Free (donations appreciated).
Cancellations notified via email.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Photo credit: Honeybee on flower courtesy of UC Berkeley website

August Birding Walk
2021-08-21 08:00 - 10:00
Attention birdbrains! Allow us to introduce two year-round natives in our park that we hope to see during our August birding hike: the brown creeper and the white-breasted nuthatch. Both hop vertically along tree trunks in search of tasty insect morsels hidden among the bark. Creepers are tiny with curved beaks and beautiful feathers striped with brown, black, and tan. White-breasted nuthatches have a blue-gray back and a bright white belly. Look for these species on tree trunks and large branches in Miwok Meadows and in Back Ranch Meadows Campground.
On this month’s birding walk, we’ll hone in on our observation skills and try to spot these and other forest-dwelling songbirds. Naturalist Jerry Coe will show us how to identify birds by shape, flight patterns, calls, and habitat. Also, we will learn how to effectively use binoculars and bird guides.
Jerry Coe has over eight years of intensive training in ornithological field identification. He spent 15 years as a volunteer in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, using bird activities to assess the health of habitats. Jerry has also guided outdoor expeditions all over the world.

Date: Saturday, August 21
Time: 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Location: Details emailed to you when you register.
Walking difficulty: Easy; 1.5 miles

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited; reservations required.
Free (donations appreciated).
Cancellations notified via email.
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Photo credit: Brown Creeper by ©Scott Martin/ Macaulay Library

Miwok History Walk
2021-08-22 09:00 - 11:00
Join us this month for an informative walk through Back Ranch Meadows as we learn how pre-colonial Coast Miwok people used controlled burns to benefit their community. Wildfires started by lightning are a natural part of our region’s oak woodland forest ecology. But Miwok people intentionally set periodic, slow-burning fires to clear deadfall and improve grassland habitat. Grasslands attract game animals like deer, and produce wildflowers like clarkia and suncup, the seeds of which would be collected and ground into edible pinole. These controlled fires also reduced the overall fuel load in the forest, preventing dangerous, rapid-spreading crown fires.
Join naturalist Jerry Coe as he discusses more about the history of the Coast Miwok people and how they survived and thrived in the area now known as China Camp. Coast Miwok people still live in the Bay Area today, with the largest group at Graton Rancheria in Sonoma County. For more information about California’s indigenous history, visit the California Native American Heritage Commission website.

Date: Sunday, August 22
Time: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Location: Details emailed to you when you register.
Walking difficulty: Easy; 1.5 miles

REGISTER HERE
Space is limited; reservations required.
Free (donations appreciated).
Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Cancellations notified via email.

Photo credit: Realtree.com

Family Nature Walk at Turtle Back
2021-08-28 10:00 - 11:15
What tiny mouse can drink salt water? How does an egret keep from sinking into the mud? Why do madrone trees shed their red bark? Discover the secrets of the marsh and forests of China Camp State Park during this engaging family-friendly hike. Moms and dads with nature-loving kids will join nature guide Harriot Manley for a gentle ramble along our newly resurfaced Turtle Back Nature Trail. We’ll learn why our salt-marshes are so important, how they help keep our bay and ocean healthy, and what amazing plants and animals live there. We’ll also keep an eye out for forest birds like Cooper’s hawks and clownish acorn woodpeckers. Curiosity and wonder will be our guide.

Date: Saturday, August 28
Time: 10 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Walking difficulty: Easy; 3/4 mile
Ages: 7 and up with parent or guardian.
REGISTER HERE
Space is limited.
Reservations are required.
Location details emailed to you when you register.
Free (donations appreciated).
Questions?
Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org
or call (415) 456-0766.
You will be notified of cancellations via email.

Photo credit: Harriot Manley
