All Blog Posts Tagged 'progress' (18)

It’s been a while since we’ve updated the blog, and plenty has happened in that time. Many chicks from this past summer have fledged, leaving their nests, burrows and modules behind. Although this happens every year, nonetheless it is special occasion every season.  I…

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"A plan was hatched..."

Watch an inspiring webisode about the restoration and first looks at the project's success.

Thank you to all the partners, volunteers and students who worked so hard on the restoration.  It has paid off!

 

 

Thank you Peck Ewer and Lloyd Fales for producing a beautiful video for us.  And the talented…

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Last fall we built the "Habitat Ridge" on Año Nuevo Island, and the eucalyptus log structure is certainly living up to its name by providing protection for the island's new plants and the sensitive soil of auklet burrows.

 

It's been fun this spring, however, to observe how the Habitat Ridge is…

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As the winds pick up along the Central Califorian Coast and the days grow longer, the first signs of spring are beginning to show, here on Año Nuevo Island. Due to the abundance of rain this season, the soil-stabilizing barley grass continues to give the restoration area a green and lush appearance, while…

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It's a new year, and in some ways Año Nuevo Island looks like a new island. It's green!

I hitched a ride yesterday…

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This fall marked the fruition of years of dedicated work and planning by many people for the common goal of restoring seabird habitat on Año Nuevo Island. Big things happened-- a landing craft came and transported literally tons of materials and plants to the island, a beautiful habitat ridge was built out of a disorderly pile of eucalyptus logs, thousands of native…

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After many a eucalyptus log hauled, many a wood dowel pounded, and many a splashy boat ride, the Habitat Ridge is in place and complete! The official date of completion was Wednesday October 20th.



The rustic style and earth-tone color of the ridge seems perfectly in place with the landscape.



Now Ano Nuevo Island Restoration moves on to planting native grasses to stabilize the soil and installing our new state-of-the-art clay seabird nest modules designed and created this… Continue

April 28th 2010, Año Nuevo Island



The day was blustery and rain came and went as we set about our second check of the Rhinoceros Auklet colony on Año Nuevo Island. Especially exciting was the opportunity to check the new ceramic nest modules that we placed on the island three weeks ago.

I approached the Love Shack module and peeked into the entrance. Last week, after noting tracks in a couple of the… Continue

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Here are a few photos of the design I've been working on right before it gets fired. Continue

Hello everyone! Continue

These last few weeks we've been hard at work trying to get our first round of designs for the next modules up and running. We've made plaster moulds and are getting ready to fire our first set. I think it's safe to say that we've all learned A LOT about clay and how to build structures with a material many of us are unfamiliar with. Continue

It was very strange being in an area where humans do not have control. We were not able to make it to the actual island due to the waves, but we spent most of the time in the area of the park which is inhabited by elephant sea lions. I think that part was closed off to humans; you could only enter with a tour guide. It was so strange; the sea lions controlled this portion of the park. Humans had to move out of the way for them, and when there was a sea lion in the way, there wasn't much we… Continue

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Hey all,

I am participating in the California College of the Arts Ano Nuevo class in charge of creating and deploying ceramic nest modules for the Rhinoceros Auklet population on the island. So far this class has been very rewarding, as well as extremely challenging and thought provoking. Its been hard to design potential homes for a species that is integrated into such a complicated and fragile ecosystem.

Last week we finished pouring the moulds for our ceramic modules, which means… Continue

On 13 November 2009 we arainged 8 strawbales to shelter 28 native plants (10 Bacharris piularis, 5 Eriophyllum staechadifolium, 10 Ambrosia chamissonis, and 3 Spergularia macrotheca var. macrotheca). The goal was to arainge the plants both within and adjacent to the bales to protect them from winter winds and from the arrival of "nesty" Western Gulls this comming spring. The bales should prevent wind damage and facilitate the establishment of these plants… Continue

1...2...3...hoist!

Michelle and I strain against the weight of a gigantic green eucalyptus log, managing to lift it a few inches from the ground, just enough to slip a heavy chain under and around each end. Through the loop ends of the chain we put a length of steel rod, and then press our weight against it, and in the fashion of a mule team, we nudge the ten-foot long log slowly forward. We pull the log parallel with a fantastical looking… Continue

Here you will find information, project updates and a place to mingle with participants.



This particular space on the site will be reserved for rotating timely blog posts from Oikonos and restoration volunteers. More to come! Thank you for visiting.



PS – To those of you who are already members of this site, thank you for your participation! Be aware we are in the process of prepping the site for public consumption, so there will be changes in… Continue