Earth Day events at Point Reyes

On Saturday, April 23, 2011, many community organizations around West Marin county will be inviting their members and the public to join one (or more) of several activities to commemorate Earth Day and to build greater community resilience. If you are planning to be in West Marin on April 23, feel free to join us for a welcome/introduction-to-events-offered ceremony at 10:00 a.m. at the Bear Valley Picnic Area. Afterwards, visitors will be able to join in a variety of work parties and/or programs throughout Point Reyes National Seashore and West Marin (see below for details). And then after the work parties, work party participants are invited to a Community Celebration at Toby's Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station at 5 p.m. A complete schedule of events to be held in West Marin will soon be posted at http://transitionwestmarin.wordpress.com/ .

Please consider riding the West Marin Stagecoach to visit Point Reyes National Seashore on Earth Day (or any day of the year) to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.

Within the park, the public is invited to join in the following events. Meet at the Bear Valley picnic area unless otherwise noted. More events may be added.

• Weed Watchers Bear Valley Trail Stewardship
  11 a.m.
  Join the Point Reyes Weed Watchers for a day of stewardship on the Bear Valley trail towards Arch Rock! We will be learning about local native plants, and pulling invasive weeds to protect this beautiful natural area. Weed Watchers patrol national park trails in San Mateo, San Francisco, and Marin Counties, detecting, mapping and removing weeds as they first invade. Join us and deepen your understanding of the natural world while playing an important role in the protection of unique wild habitat.
  
  Bring a lunch you can eat on the trail, a water bottle, sturdy shoes, sunscreen/hat, and other seasonally appropriate clothing, and the park will provide the data sheets, survey forms, maps, and GPS.
  
  For more information about Weed Watchers call Eric Wrubel at 415-331-5023 or email. Or visit our website at: www.weedwatcher.org.

• Science on a Sphere
  11 a.m.–12 p.m. (noon)
  Join a National Park Service ranger in the Visitor Center's auditorium to get a perspective of planet Earth that once was available only to astronauts. Science on a Sphere®* gives a view of the Earth and the forces that shape life on our planet. We will use the Science on a Sphere® to illustrate various models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other scientists, such as atmospheric warming, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and other potential effects of climate change. If you have questions, contact the Bear Valley Visitor Center at 415-464-5100 x2 x5.

• Community in Song
  11 a.m.–12 p.m. (noon)
  Harmony Grisman will lead participants with songs to touch our hearts. "Simple melodies, intertwined with luscious harmonies, drawing us together in gentle comfort and inspiration. Harmony helps invoke a full range of emotions."

• Beach Cleanup at Kehoe Beach
  12 p.m. (noon)–4:30 p.m.
  The Environmental Action Committee of West Marin will be coordinating a beach cleanup at Kehoe Beach. Meet at the Kehoe Beach trailhead at noon. Bring a lunch you can eat on the trail, a water bottle, sturdy shoes, sunscreen/hat, and other seasonally appropriate clothing, and EAC will provide garbage bags and gloves. If you have questions, contact Amy Trainer at 415-663-9312 or by email.

• Community Picnic
  12 p.m. (noon)–1 p.m.
  Bring your picnic lunch and share your love for our planet with others at the reserved Picnic Area.

• Envisioning Miwok Living
  1 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
  Visit the past at Kule Loklo. Edward Willie will provide insights into the Coast Miwok people who often lived in their villages for hundreds of years. As we contemplate their existence here, we may learn their approaches to life and land, which sustained them for thousands of years. Marin's earliest caretakers can continue to teach us.

• Accessing Innate Intelligence
  1 p.m.–2 p.m.
  Polla Pratt will introduce us to innate intelligence and deep caring as a ways of accessing that which is hardwired into us. "By nature, caring establishes connections and opens communication in a trusting way. Caring breeds creativity, spontaneous healing and transformational collaborations. It is essential for our survival."

• On Shaky Ground
  2 p.m.–3 p.m.
  Join a National Park Service ranger for a 1 hour guided tour on the Earthquake Trail. Dare to tread the San Andreas Fault where the earth's crust shifted and moved about 5 meters (16 feet) in 1906! Meet at the start of Earthquake Trail next to the picnic area for this easy one kilometer (0.6 mile) walk. If you have questions, contact the Bear Valley Visitor Center at 415-464-5100 x2 x5.

• The Way of Tracking
  2:30 p.m.–4 p.m.
  Richard Vacha will offer an introduction to tracking as derived from traditional food gathering techniques. "Tracking is about bringing the world to light. It's about reanimating the world so that we're not just blind tourists out on a hike, moving fast through it, loving it all and thinking it's beautiful, but not really knowing what's going on there."

Afterwards, work party participants are invited to reconvene at Toby's Feedbarn in Point Reyes Station starting at 5:00 p.m. where community members will celebrate our local resilience and the accomplishments of the day. Speakers will include Marin County Supervisor Steve Kinsey. Tim Weed and his band will be performing.