June Update from the MCAS Program Director!

[MCAS Program Director]

June Update from the Program Director Hello everyone, and happy June. I hope you are all enjoying the start of summer and the whirlwind of bird migration we’ve had these past months. Morro Coast Audubon Society (MCAS) has been working hard these past few months at developing education and outreach programs, which I’m excited to share with you.   Important topics include: Environmental Education Opportunities for Middle Schoolers from Underserved Communities on the Central Coast Community Science Partnerships in Local High Schools for Students in AVID Expert Panel on eBird & Upcoming Community Outreach Env. Ed. Opportunities for Middle Schoolers from Underserved Communities

I’m excited to share that we will be partnering with Creek Lands Conservation in early June on Central Coast Youth Environmental Stewards (CC YES) providing opportunities to middle school students from Santa Maria and Guadalupe to learn about the ecosystems and birds of the Central Coast! This program is completely free for students and is part of our commitment to expanding educational opportunities to underserved communities on the Central Coast. Community Science Partnerships in Local High Schools for Students in AVID

Barn Owl flying above forest fire. Photo courtesy of USFWS. MCAS is partnering with AVID and Project Phoenix to collect data on how birds on the West Coast are affected by wildfire smoke. Later this summer, we’ll be collaborating with UCLA’s Project Phoenix at the La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science and Advancement via Individual Determination programs up and down the Central Coast. This collaborative initiative spearheaded by MCAS will provide high school students from underserved communities the opportunity to be a part of a community science project working to understand how climate change and wildfire smoke affect bird populations on the West Coast. Students will collect data using Merlin and with help from MCAS volunteers, and submit that data to UCLA through eBird at the guidance of MCAS.

Project Phoenix

Expert Panel on eBird and its Role in Science, Conservation, and Birding Culture

Top: Torrey Gage-Tomlinson, Sierra Glassman, Tom Edell (Left to Right) Bottom: Morgan Tingley, Brian Sullivan, Ronan Alam (Left to Right) Project Phoenix is advised by Dr. Morgan Tingley, an Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA. Morgan joined us for an MCAS hosted expert panel about eBird and Merlin and their roles in science, conservation, and birding culture on May 14th as a part of our Global Big Day celebration. Morgan was joined by Brian Sullivan, an original founding member of eBird, Tom Edell, the SLO County eBird reviewer, and Bears for Birds (Audubon chapter at UC Berkeley) officers Ronan Alam and Sierra Glassman in an engaging and interesting dialogue. I had the pleasure of moderating the panel, which you can watch on our Youtube channel for free.

Watch Here!

Pride in the Park on June 2nd, 1-6 PM

Lastly, please come and support us and our Central Coast LGBTQ+ community at Pride in the Park on June 2nd, at Meadow Park from 1-6 pm.    We'll have a booth promoting MCAS. Join us for a family-friendly day of fun and celebration with entertainment, vendor and nonprofit booths, and more!

The support and generosity of our donors and members allow us to create free environmental education opportunities for elementary, middle, high school, and college-aged youth, and increase our role as environmental advocates on the Central Coast. Please consider joining or contributing to MCAS to help us build a brighter tomorrow on the Central Coast.   Sincerely, Torrey Gage-Tomlinson Program Director Morro Coast Audubon Society

                                                               

Torrey Gage-Tomlinson (he/him)

Program Director

Morro Coast Audubon

program...@morrocoastaudubon.org