We've also made substantial progress on trail signage, focusing recently on marking the walking trails on the land. Within the next week, newly engraved signs will be erected to mark the following trails: Creek Trail, Thimbleberry Trail, Pine Trail, Fir Trail, Cedar Trail, Elderberry Trail, Madrone Trail, and Pond Trail. Eventually, we'll be producing a map and brochures to guide visitors through this network of approximately two miles of trails, but we hope the signage will soon be complete enough in itself that no one will get lost. At this point, the vast majority of plant identification signs are along the Creek and Thimbleberry Trails, which are the richest in biodiversity, but we have also started selectively signing some of the other trails, especially those with species not occurring on Creek and Thimbleberry.

In recent days a redtail hawk has taken to perching halfway up on various Douglas Fir trees around the meadow, occasionally swooping down into the meadow in search of a meal. A pair of turkey vultures also circled overhead today--the first I've seen here since December. Over the last few days, spotted towhees have resumed trading trills in the firs near the main lodge. Along with the chickadees, kinglets, juncos, winter wrens, robins, crows, ravens, jays, and others that have been with us all winter, we've been hearing hummingbirds over the last few days. The thumping of the ruffed grouse has been a frequent accompaniment to garden work. Nuthatches, mourning doves, and, of course, frogs, have been adding to the soundtrack as well.

My attempts to produce the Lost Valley catalog (including six pages devoted to the Nature Center and land) in time for it to serve as the first Nature Center print newsletter have run into some obstacles, and it won't be ready for several weeks. As a result, especially for the benefit of our non-email members, I'll probably be sending out a short print newsletter in the interim, including preliminary Nature Center tour dates. If anyone wants to help with any of the many activities that can and will enhance the Nature Center here (including helping to clear blackberry back from some of those newly-marked trails, or placing plant identification signs where they belong), please contact me!

Happy Spring,
Chris