Advisory Board Carolyn Battaini

Christa Bigue Diane Centoni Roger Hoppes Joyce James

Gordon Ray MD Tracey Walsh

Staff

Marilyn Johns Director

Leslie Jensen Coordinator Kathi Baxter

Environmental Science Educator

Augie Aguilar

Ranch Foreman

Bruno Acosta Groundskeeper

Wendy Rotchstein Ranch Talk Editor

Program Staff

Denise Kelly

Amy Kruckewitt

Julie Mathiasen

Terri Pacheco

Nancy Poss

Robin Tierney

Welcome to Robin Tierney

A New Tractor!

What’s New at the Ranch

Elkus Babies

Tinkering School

Summer Discovery Day Camp

Adopt-a Shingle Program

Horticultural Therapy

New Leaf Envirotoken Program

Range Camp

UC Master Gardeners

Thank you Donors!

Wish List & Calendar

E l k u s R a n c h P r o g r a m N e w s

University of California Cooperative Extension Richard J. Elkus Ranch Environmental Education Center

W e are pleased to announce the addition of Robin Tierney to our staff as a program leader.

Robin has jumped right into our busy spring schedule of school programs and is already feeling at home here at the ranch. As the co-owner of a whitewater rafting company based in Colorado and Utah, Robin led multi-day rafting, hiking and mountain biking trips. Her company specialized in interpretive river trips through Dinosaur National Monument. Recently, Robin has been a volunteer docent at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve leading tours of school age children and teaching environmental stewardship while exploring the tidepools and ocean. Robin and her husband have raised their 2 sons, now young adults in college, here in Half Moon Bay. She still enjoys biking and hiking and has a special interest in California native plants and their use by the Ohlone Indians that once lived in this area. We look forward to having Robin share her knowledge and enthusiasm for the outdoors with our staff and visiting children.

A grant from the Bothin Foundation provided funds to replace our ancient tractor with this brand new

John Deere. We received the tractor in early December, just in time for Augie’s birthday!

Bruno is very pleased to have some new wheels

too, having been without transportation since he started work here nearly 3 years ago. The Gator, also funded by the Bothin Foundation, is getting daily use hauling hay and supplies all over the ranch.

Welcome to our New Program Representative

A N e w T r a c t o r f o r E l k u s R a n c h !

In This Issue

Spring/Summer 2010

Pictured above is Ranch Foreman, Augustine Aguilar and photo at right is Groundskeeper, Bruno Acosta

Ranch Talk Spring/Summer 2010

W h a t ’ s N e w a t t h e R a n c h ?

A fter a 3 year hiatus, we have kids!! It took a lot of patience and the contribution of a borrowed

buck, but they were worth waiting for. As of this date, there are 5 female kids and possibly a few more to come. If you can't find us in the office these days, look in the goat pen because we can't get enough of these cute babies.

Learn how to combine a passion for gardening and helping people through the innovative field of horticultural therapy. Join students from across the country to learn more by enrol l ing in Introduction to HT this

fall at Elkus Ranch on Sept. 23-26. At the non-profit, Horticultural Therapy Institute, our mission is to provide education and training in HT to those new to, or experienced with, the practice of using gardening and plants to improve the lives of others.

Remaining classes will be held in Walnut Creek. Class cost is $750 or $600 for full-time

college students. www.htinstitute.org or call 303-388-0500.

I n t r o d u c t i o n t o H o r t i c u l t u r a l T h e r a p y

Tinkering School Comes to Elkus Ranch

In what may be a new tradition, Tinkering School is bringing it's unique offering of hands-on building experiences back to Elkus in July. Last year, the kids

built drill-powered go-carts, outdoor shelters, and even a hang-glider. With an emphasis on recycled construction materials, the kids learn that they can build anything if they just put their minds (and hands) to it. Visit

tinkeringschool.com to see last year's projects and learn more about this innovative program. The founders of the Tinkering School are also the authors of the sensational new book, "Fifty Dangerous Things (you should let your children do)", available on Amazon and at local booksellers. Visit fiftydangerousthings.com for more information.

S p r i n g B a b i e s

A d o p t - a - S h i n g l e P r o g r a m

Don’t forget about our Adopt-a-Shingle program. We are still looking for funding on our barn roofs which will be replaced in August. To date, we have received about $2000. We want to thank the people who generously donated to our barn roof fund: Barbara Balby, Ginger Barth & Colin Williams, Carolyn Battaini, Douglas Brockmeyer & Mary Mitchell, John & Ginger Cutter, Joyce Feldman, Mark E. Freels & family, JSD State Preschool Fundraising, Susan Morris Rankins, Jane Stahl, Santhanagapalan Nandagopalan, Neela Srinivasan, Geraldine Diane Sullivan, Petra Teege, Patrick & Robin Tierney, Tom Webber, and Tess Weber.

S u m m e r D i s c o v e r y D a y C a m p

Registration for the Summer Discovery Day Camp is open and camps are filling up fast, but we still have several days left. Don’t miss out on the chance for your child to experience the Ranch behind the scenes.

Visit http://ucanr.org/2010summer_camp for more information.

Ranch Talk Spring/Summer 2010

Eco Thought for the Day

"We must strive to become good ancestors."

—Ralph Nader

UC Master Gardeners N e w L e a f C o m m u n i t y M a r k e t E n v i r o t o k e n P r o g r a m

As you may recall in our Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Ranch Talk, we reported that New Leaf Community Market in Half Moon Bay selected us for an “Envirotokens” box. When you use your own reusable bags and get a token and place it in our box, the ranch receives a donation of 10 cents for every token. The money we receive from the tokens helps us with the cost of feed for the animals and education projects at the ranch.

New Leaf Market is now collecting votes on which 6 organizations should be their "Envirotokens" recipients. We will be sponsoring an information table on May 15th at New Leaf Market.

Please go to New Leaf Market and vote for Elkus

Ranch as one of the non-profits for next year. We have received well over $1700 and as you can imagine in these hard economic times, every donation helps!

Range Camp is a week-long camp experience for students ages 15-18, who have an interest in the science and conservation of natural resources in California. The camp, celebrating its 26th year, is put on by the California-Pacific section of the Society for Range Management. Students learn plant identification, principles of livestock and wildlife management, forestry, fire ecology, hydrology and water quality, geology and soils, and management of stream and river environments.

Field activities include learning to read wildlife ‘sign’, outdoor navigation with compasses, maps and GPS, forest management, a tour of a working ranch, and a beach BBQ.

Sessions are taught by faculty from the University of California, staff from local, state and federal agencies, and private professional scientists and natural resource management specialists. Range Camp runs from June 20th-25th at the University of California’s Elkus Youth Ranch just south of Half Moon Bay. Information and applications are avai lable at http://www.rangelands.org/casrm/HTML/rangecamps.html . Cost is $400.00.

H ave you ever wondered who keeps up the

demonstration garden at the Ranch? It’s a

group of dedicated Master Gardener volunteers. The

trials and demonstrations

we do in the Elkus garden

comprise just one of dozens

of projects we run to

educate County residents

about sustainable gardening.

We’ll be in the garden for

Sheep to Shawl again this year, answering questions

and giving tours. Stop by and say hi!

Master Gardeners are also teaching a popular series of

classes at the SF Botanical

Garden on growing urban

edibles. Our May 15

class will cover choosing

plants for your summer

garden, composting,

Integrated Pest Management, and more.

Finally, we’re very excited about our Educational Garden

Tour and Plant Sale in Woodside on Saturday, June 26.

We have some amazing gardens lined up for the tour,

and will have workshops and demonstrations at each one.

We hope you can join us!

For details about all these and other projects, visit our

website at: http://cesanmateo.ucdavis.edu, click on

the Master Gardener Program.

Natural Resources Science Camp

Thank you to our most recent donors!

Carolyn Battaini, Boehme family, Douglas Brockmeyer & Mary Mitchell, Mrs. Odie B. Cook, The Estate of Jean Letsinger, Robert Mazzetti, Meadow family, John Mendiola & family, New Leaf Community Market, Wayne Ota, and Jeanne Wiggin. Elkus Ranch is a 501(C3) non-profit entity, donations are tax-deductible. Your donations help fund; feed for the animals, sponsor scholarships for classrooms, and help us to improve our programs and ranch grounds. We appreciate all donations and no donation is too small. Thank you!

Please make all checks payable to: UC Regents and mail to :

RanchTalk 80 Stone Pine Road, #100 Half Moon Bay CA 94019 elkusranch@ucdavis.edu http://cesanmateo.ucdavis.edu

University of California, in compliance with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex mental or physical handicap, or age in any of its programs or activities, or with respect to any of its employment policies, practices, or procedures. Nor does the University of California discriminate on the basis of ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, citizenship, medical condition (as defined in Section 12926 of the California Government Code) or because individuals are special disabled veterans or Vietnam era veterans (as defined by the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974 and Section 12940 of the California government Code). Inquiries regarding this policy may be addressed to the Affirmative Action Director, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 1111 Franklin St., 6th Floor, Oakland, California 94607-5200. (510) 987-0097.

Elkus Ranch Administration Office 80 Stone Pine Road, Suite 100

Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

Phone: 650-712-3151 Fax: 650-712-3153

2010 Calendar

Sheep to Shawl June 12, 2010

Discovery Day Camp session 1 June 14-18, 2010

Range Camp June 20-25, 2010

Discovery Day Camp session 2 June 28-July 2, 2010

Discovery Day Camp session 3 July 12-16, 2010

Discovery Day Camp session 4 July 26-30, 2010

Discovery Day Camp session 5 August 9-13, 2010

35th Anniversary Celebration September 11, 2010

Fall Preschool Days September 21,22,23 2010

Winter Day Camp December 20,21,22, 2010

Elkus Ranch Wish List Donations towards new barn roofs 4" plant pots Foam camping mats (not air) Garden tools such as: pruning shears, gloves, trowels Deck furniture for conference center Bed sheets & old towels Cloth napkins and tablecloths