We held the July 2007 monthly club meeting yesterday and what a meeting it was! The meeting was held at The Corner Bakery near I-5 and Jamboree Road in Irvine. This more central location proved quit popular with the members in attendance. We gathered on the patio where we assembled a group of tables into a 'T' formation so everyone could be heard.

Fifteen club members showed up including some new members who heard about us on the Huell Howser PBS special.

Click on these links to obtain the meeting agenda and minutes.

The first item on the agenda was congratulations to Bob Franz, Susan Bulger, and Dick Purvis for their terrific roles in the Huell Howser Bluebird show. If you missed it, it will be replayed on July 24, 2007 at 7:30 PM on KCET channel 28 (Los Angeles area). If you are outside the LA area, check your local listings for the channel and time.

Next, I updated the members on CBRP activities. The electronic reporting database is ready to go for those interested in reporting this years nestbox statistics online. According to Dick Blaine, Director of the CBRP, the online system will make it much easier to create the year-end reports.

The North American Bluebird Society (NABS) is considering California as the site for the 2008 annual convention. This is a very big effort - let me know if you think this is something CBRP should consider.

The longest discussion of the meeting focused on the proposed partnership between our club and the Orange County Sea & Sage Audubon Society (S&S). S&S board member Tom Croom explained to the group the pros and cons of such a partnership. After much discussion it was decided we would table the issue for consideration at a later date.

The highlight of the meeting was not even on the agenda. Robert "Roy" van de Hoek briefed the members about his efforts to re-introduce bluebirds to the Los Angeles River and surrounding areas. There was a great deal of excitement among the members to hear such a broad bluebird recovery effort is in the works. We have tried hard to increase the interest of LA County bluebirders for some time. As always, it is never hard to get people excited about our bluebird efforts. What is hard is finding people willing to commit the time and effort to monitor a trail.

Finally, Dick Purvis shared his ideas about the golf course 'subscription' program. The idea is to provide nestboxes and lifters to golf course maintenance crews and teach them how to monitor the boxes. Dick believes the courses will pay an annual fee to us for our assistance. It is also believed the courses will receive credits for this conservation efforts. Dick pointed out there is more than 200 golf courses in the greater LA area. This is an incredible number of open bluebird habitats.

What a fun and educational meeting at a location that worked our great.

Consider joining us at the August meeting.

MGS