News and Events
from One Tam

Hello!

Dear Friend,

We are sending our best wishes to everyone impacted by the fires throughout California. This has been a difficult week, and we hope you and your family are safe. In the spirit of taking stock of our blessings in this month of thanksgiving, we invite you to join your community for our annual work day, "Mt. Tam Day of Thanks," at Muir Beach.

This month we offer opportunities to dive into Mt. Tam's history with a tour in celebrating Alpine Dam's 100th birthday, and a memorial hike honoring the 75th anniversary of the PBM Mariner plane crash. Get to know Mt. Tam's wildlife and surrounding marshlands with a bird walk or a kayak tour. Mt. Tam has it all—astonishing biodiversity and fascinating human history. We are just scratching the surface.  

~ Your friends at One Tam

explore mt. tam's history

Our November 30 hike will honor the memory of the eight Navy crew members from the Combat Aircrew Charlie (CAC) crew. These men lost their lives on November 30, 1944 when U.S. Navy PBM-5 crashed on Mt. Tam. Photo taken on Sept 30, 1944, courtesy of Matt Cerkel/MMWD.

A Historical Walking Tour of Alpine Dam 
Saturday, November 2, 9-11 am

Join MMWD Ranger Matt Cerkel at this spectacular location for a historical walking tour of the dam.  Register >>

Guided Hike to Honor the 75th Anniversary of the US Navy PBM-5 Mariner Crash on Mt. Tam 
Saturday, November 30, 9:30 am-12:30 pm

Join this historical hike to the PBM-5 Mariner Crash site on Mt. Tam. Learn about the accident, the men who lost their lives, and MMWD’s history of preserving and protecting the Mt. Tam watershed for over 100 years. Register >>

BIRDS and WILDLIFE ON & AROUND MT. TAM

Horned Lark at White's Hill on Mt Tam, one of the largest grasslands on the mountain. Photo by David Greenberger/One Tam.

Taking Action for Birds   

Many of us are dismayed by the news of how drastically bird populations have declined –almost 30% since 1970 (Living Bird magazine, August 2019). Grassland-dependent birds, such as the horned lark (above), are faring even worse, collectively showing declines of over 50%.  

Through One Tam’s Peak Health research, we have identified grasslands as a priority for our conservation efforts. One Tam partners work in a variety of ways to improve grassland habitat, such as through our work to remove encroaching douglas fir trees from grassland habitat along Bolinas Ridge. We invite you to join this effort.  To improve habitat in your own backyard and around the world, read (and share with others!) the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds. 

Bothin Marsh Bird Walk    

On Thursday, November 21 at 10 am, join us for a leisurely walk along Bothin Marsh where we’ll discuss various species of winter waterfowl in their colorful plumage as well as the variety of shorebirds foraging on the exposed shore as the tide recedes. More information >>   

Nature Space Kayak Tour: Mill Valley’s Living Shoreline 

On Sunday, November 24, spend a morning kayaking in Bothin Marsh with ecologist Peter Baye, expert on the evolution and ecology of the marshes in Richardson Bay. More information and registration >>

MEET OUR NEW INTERNS 

Hello everyone, my name is Caelan Noyes and I will be an intern for the One Tam Community Science and Restoration Programs. I was born and raised in San Francisco, but I currently live in Sonoma. I like to hike, play all kinds of games—whether board, card, or video—and learn trivia (a few of my current favorite topics include world history, dog breeds, and Star Wars). I look forward to learning more about ecology, conservation, and stewardship as well as developing my public engagement skills. Thank you and I look forward to the coming year!

Hello! My name is Barbara Garcia and I'm from Sacramento, CA. I recently graduated from UC Berkeley in May and I'm really looking forward to joining the One Tam team. Some of my simple pleasures include cooking (and eating!), gardening, swimming, playing the guitar and trombone, rock climbing, reading and writing, watching Netflix, and camping/hiking/botanizing. I am really looking forward to identifying new plants on the coast and interacting with the public this upcoming year. One interesting fact about myself is that I was born on New Year’s Day.

Hello! I’m Kyle Turner. I was born in raised in the small town of Spiceland, Indiana. I went on to get my bachelor’s degree in Biology with Anthropology and Mathematics minors at IUPUI in Indiana. I recently finished an environmental education internship in Massachusetts, so I am slowly seeing every part of the US starting with the heartland, then the east coast, and now the west! I’m excited to experience the local habitats, meet everyone, and to help inspire an excitement for learning throughout the One Tam area.   I would like to end my introduction with a quick game of "two truths and a lie" (two of the following facts are true and one is not!): A. Growing up, I was a part of a line-dancing group called “The Cornfield Cloggers.” B. I used to work the midnight shift at a doughnut shop. C. In high school, I was a part of an Alt-Rock band called, “The Wave Riders.” (To find the lie—A, B, or C?—look for the first letter of the 7th word in my introduction.)