"Humbled" by Kay Flierl

7th Biennial SOCALPAPA Plein Air Art Show and Sale

When: Saturday & Sunday July 21 & 22

Where: Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center

The Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center is located at 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Click here for directions.

 The Newport Bay Conservancy is very excited about the seventh biennial “Paint Back Bay” event that the Southern California Plein Air Painters Association (www.socalpapa.com) will be holding at Upper Newport Bay in collaboration with NBC and Orange County Parks. More than 60 artists are expected to submit plein air paintings for jurying and paint “The Many Moods of the Back Bay” around the entire Newport Bay during July.

On Saturday and Sunday, July 21 and 22 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm there will be a free public exhibition at the Interpretive Center at which several hundred pieces of original artwork will be sold. The Naturalists will receive 35% of the receipts. Art displayed will include paintings of both the Back  Bay and other local scenes.

There will also be a free painting class each day for kids age 8-12. Space is limited and prior sign-up is required at the Interpretive Center.

Student Environmental Fair

When: Thursday, May 24 – 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Where: Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center

The Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center is located at 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Click here for directions.

The Newport Bay Conservancy will be hosting a Student Fair to showcase roughly 20 poster and multi-media exhibits presented by impassioned students from Santa Ana High School and Century High School. The students have participated in a year-long environmental stewardship program organized by NBC that is designed to raise awareness of urban runoff in our watershed. This will be the final component to a four-part educational process that began with last year’s California Coastal Cleanup Day (“Discovery”).  The students returned for an outrigger canoe excursion (“Effects on the Bay”) and a marine biology field trip including invertebrate, biotic and abiotic stations (“Analysis”). The students are now working on the final component (“Presentation”). We will have a panel of judges from our Naturalists and OC Parks staff  judging the project presentations. We will announce the winning project at the end of the evening and award prizes to the winning project team.

This event is free and everyone is invited, including student families and friends, Naturalists and members of the public. We hope to see you there to recognize the students’ work and encourage their continued interest in protecting the environment.

Here is a photo of one of last year’s presentations by students from Sandy Witzigman’s AP Environmental Sci class, and a link to her Santa Ana High School class page.

Here is a slide show on Laurette Setlich’s Century High School APES Watershed Project webpage.  Do watch it!

Newport Bay Research Workshop

Urban Coyotes

When: Thursday, June 7 – 6:00 to 9:00 pm

Doors open 5:00 pm

Where: Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center

 The Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center is located at 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Click here for directions.

Coyotes live in both natural and urban habitats and often move between them, usually in search of food. Some of us see coyotes as threatening to our children and pets, while others see them as a refreshing example of a wild animal that is able to adapt and live peacefully within the urban environment. The workshop will provide a forum for the discussion of all viewpoints concerning the coyote, its place in nature and how we can achieve a better balance between conservation and human needs.

This is the latest in a series of research workshops organized by the Research Committee of Newport Bay Conservancy. There is an Admission Charge of $10:00 which will contribute to a fund to promote further research at Upper Newport Bay.

Registration and pre-payment are required by credit card via secure Paypal link below. (If you do not have a Paypal account, or do not wish to use it, choose Checkout button during processing of your transaction. You do not need to create a Paypal account at any time.) Purchase $10 Admission:

 Program Details

 6:00-6:30 pm: Richard Zembal, Natural Resources Director, Orange County Water District: “The importance of the coyote as a top predator”

 6:30-6:50 pm: Kent Smirl, California Department of Fish and Game: “Wildlife Watch: a better way to live with coyotes”

 6:50-7:10 pm: Michael Teague, Animal Control Officer, City ofNewport Beach: “The role of the Animal Control Officer”

7:10-7:30 pm: Break

 7:30 -7:50 pm: Wally Ross: “Developing taste aversion techniques for urban wildlife management”

 7:50-8:10 pm: Rebecca and David Lara, Rossmoor Homeowners Association: “Community responses to handling imprinted coyotes”

 8:10 -8:30 pm: General Discussion

Three popular gourmet food trucks (Tamarindo, California Grill and Seabird) provided some tasty organic food for lunch; the trucks even enticed many of their patrons to our event. Jason Feddy provided live entertainment. Inside the Outdoors organized habitat restoration service learning projects. The Newport Beach Film Festival presented Nothing Like Chocolate to a packed audience in the Interpretive Center theater. The film told the story of Mott Green, an anarchist chocolatier and visionary who has made a radical difference in the way chocolate is produced.

All Green Electronics Recycling had a collection truck in the Interpretive Center parking lot accepting all sorts of electronic waste – computer monitors, printers, fax machines, scanners, paper shredders, copy machines, televisions, radios, microwave ovens, stereo system components e.g. turntables, amplifiers, audio and video cassette recorders, compact disc/DVD players, speakers, camcorders, cameras, telephones (including cell phones), electric typewriters, printed circuit boards, cables, UPS systems, calculators, servers, routers and electronic components. Properly disposing of your old/obsolete equipment is not only environmentally responsible; it is fast becoming a mandate.

All Green Electronics recycles all types of computer-related electronics using a process that complies with all regulations and laws concerning hazardous waste. If you were not able to drop items off on April 22, call All Green Electronics at 800-780-0347 to schedule a pick-up or go to their website.

Many thanks to all the volunteers,Interpretive Center staff, exhibitors and event partners who together made this event so successful.

Exploring is based on a unique and dynamic relationship between youth and the organizations in their communities. Local community organizations initiate an Explorer post by matching their people and program resources to the interests of young people in the community.

The NBC Ecology Career Club will provide training and leadership opportunities, habitat restoration projects, behind-the-scene tours, etc. A kick-off event is being held on Wednesday October 19, from 5:00 to 6:00 PM at the Back  Bay Science Center. Download pdf flyer.

Bobcat Babe and Kitten at UNB

Bobcats are occasionally seen walking along the bike paths and trails of Newport’s Back Bay where they reside, breed and raise a new litter of two or three kittens each year. They are even known to stroll across the patios of adjacent homes. Living in a densely urbanized neighborhood presents special challenges for these animals but if they can avoid close contact with humans or being run over by automobiles or bikes they may live in excess of ten years.

One female bobcat called Babe has been a frequent visitor in the area around the Interpretive Center in the past several years, though she has not been observed in the Back Bay for several months now. The last report of her came from a resident living closer to Newport Coast. A bobcat called Vanity is being closely monitored by researchers in the Back Bay as the radio-transmitter collar she is wearing is still sending off strong signals indicating she is doing well. This young bobcat is believed to be a two-year-old offspring of Babe.

Bobcats living in urban areas like the Back Bay have demonstrated much less fear of mankind and in some cases will hunt in plain sight of and in close proximity to people.

Bobcats are carnivores and will catch any small game that does not present a threat to their safety such as rabbits, squirrels, coots or other small birds. Visitors to the bay should never attempt to feed a bobcat or any other wildlife or interfere with their activities in any way.

Healthy bobcats are not considered a threat to man or his domestic pets. However, we need to keep our pets on leash at all times when we are walking in the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve. Should a domestic dog or cat get too close to a bobcat’s kittens or corner one, then the bobcat might aggressively defend itself or its offspring.

Like other felines, bobcats enjoy napping and when not hunting that is their most common activity. They will find a sunny spot to snooze in when the weather is cold and may seek shade under a tree when it gets too hot. Naturalists leading hikes along the trails will occasionally look back over their shoulder only to see a bobcat come out of hiding and walk away in the opposite direction just as the trail guests have passed its hiding spot along the trail. Bobcats are truly one of nature’s special creatures.

Dick Newell, Newport Bay Conservancy and OC Trackers

Time: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Location: Back Bay Science Center

Come join us for our annual Estuary Awareness Day and learn how estuaries connect inland areas with the ocean, and why they are so important.

Free parking, admission & activities.

• See sharks, rays and other fish found in the Bay
• Touch sea stars and other marine critters
• Take a guided tour of the Back Bay on the Newport Sea Base’s pontoon boat
• Find out how the Health Care Agency examines water samples to check for bacteria
• Learn what you can do at home to protect estuaries, the ocean and the environment

This family event will be held at the Back Bay Science Center, a state-of-the art research-based education facility operated by the California Department of Fish and Game under a partnership with the City of Newport Beach, Orange County Health Care Agency and University of California Irvine. This is a great opportunity to tour the facility, which is normally only open to those taking part in scheduled programs.