GIVING TUESDAY IS TOMORROW:
Giving Tuesday is December 3rd. Help us raise $50,000 for the administrative phase of this project, which would be used to prepare comments on the new CA Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review we’re anticipating from CA Dept of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW), to hire consultants, etc. Depending on the final cost of the CEQA review, remaining amount could be used for litigation. #GivingTuesday
BUTTER BUTTS ARE HERE:
Yellow-rumped warblers (Setophaga coronata), nicknamed “butter butts,” the adorable migratory birds arrived in October. They’ll spend the fall/winter here and depart in the spring. They feast upon the drupes (whitish fruit) of the laurel sumac (Malosma laurina), the taco-leaved shrub related to lemonadeberry and poison oak. Look for their golden bottoms and listen for their call, a sharp chek.
WE NEED THE GROUND TO SURVIVE:
Why did the Crotch’s bumble bee, northern harrier and western spadefoot disappear from most of Orange County? Their habitat was destroyed by leaf blowing, lawn mowing, hedge trimming, raking, pesticide use, native vegetation removal, grading and other ground disturbing practices. Thankfully, these practices do not happen on the 400-acre wildlife corridor between Irvine Park and Peters Canyon. The Crotch’s bumble bee nests in abandoned rodent dens. The queen buries herself four inches below the soil during the fall and winter. The northern harrier is able to nest on the ground, usually in a dense clump of vegetation. Read about the western spadefoot, western meadowlark, burrowing owl, common poorwill, and Blaineville’s horned lizard who need the ground to survive. Please consider that most pollinators rely on fallen leaves, branches and other natural debris to reproduce. #LeavetheLeaves #dontmowletitgrow
Leave the Leaves Campaign
NATIVE AMERICAN VILLAGE SITE CA-ORA-556:
Indigenous history in Orange County goes back thousands of years. We are reminded of this fragmented history in our efforts to protect what is left of the prehistoric archaeological sites on the 400 acres, including CA-ORA-556, which is thought to represent a village. All of the recovered artifacts were of stone dated to the Late Millingstone Horizon, over 3500 years ago. It was described as an extensive lithic scatter consisting of metates, manos, cores, flakes, projectiles, and a bifacial knife. The original recorder reported that a “possible cemetary” was “likely” located approximately 100 meters east of the site.
During the 2004 study, archaeologists, with authorization from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, removed one acre of grass and sage scrub species from the site and were able to map a clearly visible sample of the site. This testing showed that CA-ORA-556 qualifies for the California Register of Historical Resources. Therefore, the site is considered a unique archaeological resource for the purposes of CEQA.
“It is estimated that 90% of archaeological sites in Orange County have been destroyed to make way for development. This makes the remaining archaeological sites of utmost importance as they are the only tangible remains of ca. 10,000 years of Juaneño/Acjachemen and Gabrielino/Tongva history." Pat Martz, Emerita Professor of Anthropology College of Natural and Social Sciences & President of California Cultural Resources Preservation Alliance
BROCHURES, POSTCARDS & YARD SIGNS:
We have a full stock of brochures, postcards & yard signs that need to be distributed at neighborhoods, businesses and public events. Please contact Joel for pick up.
STATE OF THE STATE PARKS PODCAST:
Moe, one of our valued No Orange Heights campaign volunteers, started a fun and educational podcast about state parks with her partner Chris! Check it out!
Sincerely,
Barefoot Joel Robinson
No Orange Heights (NOH)
714-798-4392 (text/voice from my laptop)
714-639-8480 (landline)
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