A group of us got together this morning for another round of hot coffee and bluebird stories. What else is there to do while we wait for our friends to return to their nestboxes? Those present included Sully Reallon (Capo Beach), Dick Purvis (Anaheim), Bob Franz (Placentia), Earl Garrison (Laguna Woods), and me (Mike Spohn - San Clemente). Earl and I are the novices. Sully, Dick, and Bob have more than 40 years of combined bluebirding tales to share.
There were two topics on the table today; The California Bluebird Recovery Program (CBRP) and the scope of the San Clemente Bluebird Club.
As indicated in a previous blog entry, the CBRP is in trouble and needs an infusion of talent and effort to survive. Earlier in the week I had a discussion with Dick Blaine (Cupertino), the acting Program Director of the CBRP. Dick told me he is willing to serve as the official Program Director if someone would be willing to take over the Newsletter from Patsy Kahl, who is retiring, and if someone else would be willing to manage the County Coordinators. Dick said he would assume all other responsibilies required of the Program Director.
We discussed Dick Blaine's offer and decided to agree to his terms. The CBRP is just too important to California's recovery efforts. Dick Purvis agreed to take on the role of the CBRP State County Coordinator, and I agreed to take on the responsibility of the quarterly newsletter. This is good news for every bluebirder in California.
The second topic, the scope of the San Clemente Bluebird Club, was next. After I published the web-site and created the blog, I received a lot of emails from all over Southern CA. Most people wanted to know if they have to live in San Clemente to join our club. Dick Purvis and Bob Franz believe, as I do, the Internet is a great communication tool for bluebirding clubs. They both encouraged Sully and I to think beyond San Clemente and encourage participation from a much larger bluebirding population. The question was - how big a region? Southern Orange County? All of Orange County? Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino Counties?
After much discussion, it was decided the best approach would be to expand our club to include all of Southern California. Why? First, Orange County has more active bluebirders than any other county in the State. Each year, more bluebirds fledge out of Orange County nestboxes than anywhere else. This hub of enthusiasm and experience can be leveraged to expand bluebirding in all the other counties in Southern CA.
Secondly, there currently is no formal bluebirding club in Southern CA. There are other clubs of course, but we feel it is best to centralize our activities on a very large geographic region.
So - it's official. The San Clemente Bluebird Club is now the Southern California Bluebird Club.
I would like to emphasize an important point. Our club is under the umbrella of the CBRP. Our purpose is to expand the cavity nester conservation program in Southern CA, just as the CBRP does at the State level. We consider the CBRP a parent organization even though our relationship is informal. In fact, one of the most important requirements to join our club is a promise to report yearly statistics to the CBRP.
Visit our web site and blog often to keep up to date on what is happening. As we figure out the details, I promise to keep you updated.
This is an exciting time for bluebirders in California.
