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Volunteer SpotlightA Big Thank You to All our Wonderful Volunteers. We greatly appreciate your help! Check back often to read our Current Volunteer Spotlight and see what other volunteers have been working on. Current Volunteer Spotlight: Meryl Sundove
Meryl has made environmental education her life’s work, and though she officially retired in 2004, she remains a busy lady. She is part of the Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed (STRAW) faculty with PRBO Conservation Science, for which she presents programs on everything from geology to creek restoration. She’s also an active member of Marin Audubon, leading field trips and conducting a popular annual workshop on bird songs. What does Meryl love most about the Center? The people and this particular piece of land she’s been a part of for so long. She can point out a mature buckeye by the Center’s front entrance that she planted from a seed. Her work continues to help kids grow, along with their love and understanding of the natural world. Meryl lives with her husband Roger Harris in Corte Madera. Past Volunteer SpotlightsLinda Trocki
What she likes best about volunteering for the Center is the staff and volunteers, as well as seeing kids get excited about the environment. She brings to her volunteering a rich scientific knowledge. She has a PhD in Mineral Economics and Energy Policy from Penn State, a Master’s in Geochemistry, and a Bachelor’s in Geology. Originally from Eerie, Pennsylvania, Linda Trocki has lived in Tiburon for the last nine years with her husband Peter. When not volunteering, Linda enjoys hiking, golfing, cooking, and traveling abroad with her husband. Sonia Suzuki
Sonia has lived in Marin and has volunteered at the Center for over a year doing bird surveys, soil and invertebrate sampling, vegetation surveys, bird banding, and restoration workdays. Sonia is currently taking environmental classes at the College of Marin in ornithology and ecology. Sonia is a free spirit and a nomad, having traveled the world and moved many times between California and the east coast. She mostly travels to observe different cultures, meet people, and learn. In her spare time, she enjoys walking in nature, painting and drawing and making science and natural history films. Juliet Grable
Originally from Dallas, Juliet Grable has lived in Marin for the last two years since moving here to get a MFA in Creative Writing from the University of San Francisco. Having recently graduated, Juliet is combining her writing degree with her BS in Ecology to branch into the field of environmental journalism. When not volunteering, Juliet likes to write non-fiction, hike, cycle, sail, and read. Since she lives on a small sailboat with her boyfriend in Sausalito, Juliet has trouble finding room to put all those books she can’t get enough of. Richard Jenkins
It was at Pt. Reyes where the seed was planted for Richard to eventually become a Richardson Bay Audubon volunteer and Bay Shore Studies docent. He befriended some of the local farmers, became involved with the Pt. Reyes Bird Observatory, and met fellow birder Meryl Sundove, who would later recruit Richard to Audubon. Richard has been volunteering with RBACS in many capacities over the last few years. Whether wrestling oysters, teaching local youth, or helping with the winter water bird survey, Richard is a kind-natured person with such a high level of energy that most of the RBAC staff have a tough time keeping up. Don Thoman
A brief history of Don: When he was 5 years old, his family moved from Gary, Indiana to Los Angeles. During the summer after high school, he worked as a offbearer in a Mariposa sawmill; and that fall he entered St Louis University in Missouri. After graduating, Don joined the Air Force in 1952 as a pilot. For the next 20 years, he would work in places such as Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Greenland flying, training, and conducting humanitarian missions, and as an aeronautical engineer. It was in Greenland in 1967 that he met Helle, a Danish nurse stationed at the base. After he retired from the Air Force in 1972, he and Helle married in Denmark. They took up residence in Greenbrae, CA where Don started California Canoe and Kayak, a business which operates to this day in three locations around the Bay Area. These days, Don and Helle spend much of their free time (when they are not volunteering) enjoying the outdoors. They rode a 25 mile charity bike ride for Lou Gehrig’s Disease the last two years, and recently camped and hiked Mount Lassen with Bay Area naturalist Michael Ellis. As for his time with RBAC, Don says: “it’s been a great pleasure to work here at the Audubon Center. The environment is beautiful and the staff is friendly and appreciative! I’ve done things here I didn’t know I could do!” Bob Hinz
Bob grew up in Minnesota on a farm northwest of Minneapolis, but left the area for college. He earned a PhD from UW-Madison in biochemistry in 1973 and subsequently worked in fields as varied as toxicology, plant pathology and dermal absorption. In 1977, he joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in Malaysia. He began birding as a child in Minnesota with his father, who without binoculars or a field guide had learned many of the local species. His interest grew while he was in graduate school in Wisconsin, and especially developed during his stay in Malaysia. Since then, he has birded in numerous other tropical countries and has retained his passion for these parts of the world. One of his most vivid memories of birding was from an Amazon cruise where he watched hundreds of parrots, parakeets and macaws flying over the boat. When he is not birding or volunteering here, he is on the board of the Marin Audubon Society, and frequently works on their restoration projects. He is a fan of eBird uses it regularly to note his observations on the local birds. Bob currently resides in Strawberry with his wife Barbara Benson, where they’ve lived since 1985. We feel very fortunate to have his help here and the Center and hope that he is able to help for many years to come. He is an invaluable resource as a result of his years of first-hand knowledge of the local bay ecology. Noah Schlager
What type of volunteer activities have you done with this group, and for how long? I starting volunteering at The Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary early fall 2008. I started out doing office work. Soon I become more acquainted with others around the center and more opportunities unfolded. I have now assisted in projects as diverse and exciting as bird banding, oyster research, and feeding walking sticks. I have also been helping edit video of lectures into short movies, something which I really enjoy. Why did you get involved? What motivates you to volunteer with this group? While my school required me to volunteer at an organization to fulfill my community service credits, my decision to work at Audubon was much more than that. I have always loved our environment. I loved learning about nature, loved talking about nature, loved being out in nature. I grew up seeing how connected we are to the earth and all its inhabitants. I also worried a lot about how we are impacting our planet. I saw how disconnected so many people are from our planet, and how many no longer are living sustainably with the earth. I used to just hope the problems would solve themselves, that we could all just change our incandescent lights to florescent, and all would be ok. I then realized as passionate as I felt about all these issues, I too was disconnected. I still just had my face against the glass. I decided I was going to stop staring the issues and break that glass to get into the action. The Audubon center has allowed me to take action and make a positive impact. Granted, I’m not singlehandedlysingle-handedly preserving acres of wilderness, educating millions of people, or ensuring the survival of an endangered species. What was important to me was that I take the first step towards change. Why does volunteering excite you? What do you get out of volunteering? Drake High student interns, Nick and Alanna
Their work here at the Center has focused on three projects. The first and most ambitious is the restoration of a long-neglected patch of land adjacent to the Center’s eastern fenceline. The initial work was to remove many of the non-native grasses, thistle, broom and debris that had accumulated there over the years. Next step was to plan for new native plantings by researching appropriate plants and details on transplanting them. Finally, they helped with transplanting coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis) from areas on the Center grounds where they were encroaching on paths, and by planting new native bay trees (Umbellularia californica), and coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica). The second project is to clean up a small native shade garden to provide examples of native shade-tolerant plants that would be appropriate for the area. Finally, Nick and Alanna will be coordinating the Earth Day event which will be take place here at the Center on April 18. They are designing flyers, contacting schools, scheduling and leading the work groups. These two young people have made a significant impact on the Center and have impressed the staff with their dedication, interest, responsibility and good cheer! We sincerely wish them the best in their future studies and endeavors, and thank them for all their help. Tony Harrow, 1935-2008
A memorial service was held here at the Center on March 29th 2008, and was attended by approximately 200 people. Barbara Shafran
Say hi to Barbara if you stop by on a Monday morning when she is here. She may assist you with directions, camp information or the store, in between her tasks to keep the office neat and organized. While she’s here, Barbara most enjoys feeding the birds. Outside of the Center, she enjoys walking her dog Trixie, playing Bingo and going to movies with her family. Barbara has been an invaluable member of our office volunteer team. She is so responsible, prompt, and willing to do any task put in front of her. She has a great attitude and work ethic. We are so thankful to have Barbara help’s at the Center. Jean Storrs
Nowadays, you may see Jean at the office front desk on Tuesday mornings, smiling and assisting people who come in to ask for a center map or buy a field guide from our store. Jean volunteers here weekly because she enjoys talking with the staff and other volunteers, looking at the views, and seeing the children during summer camp. A retired registered nurse, Jean worked in a pediatric office for 22 years. She currently lives in Mill Valley with her husband, whom she met while a nurse for the Peace Corps in Tunisia in 1962. Jean enjoys cooking, hiking on Mt. Tam, and going to dance performances. We love Jean’s warm, calming personality, and we get to benefit from her baking portions too big to keep at home!
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Meryl Sundove has deep roots with the Center. She served on the staff from 1981-2003, where she helped develop interpretive and educational programs. From the start she was intimately involved with Bay Shore Studies, the all volunteer-led program that lets kids get their hands dirty while they learn about life along the water’s edge. Meryl currently serves on the steering and training committees for Bay Shore Studies, and she volunteers with the Center’s bird banding program and waterbird surveys.
Linda Trocki is a treasure trove, with her enormous generosity, her love for teaching children science, and her impressive academic background. As a volunteer, she has co-lead the Bay Shore Studies docent training, helped education staff with geology curriculum and science staff with invertebrate sampling, and she will be the Coordinator for Audubon California’s black oyster breeding survey for the Central Coast.
Sonia Suzuki volunteers at the Center because it’s peaceful, it’s a supportive environment, and she is learning from it as she prepares for a career in field research and wildlife conservation. She says, “People [here] are down to earth and care as much about the environment as I do. They also look like me, like they just returned from a long journey at sea or from the wilderness.”
“The birds and the people” are what Juliet likes best about volunteering at the Center. She enjoys the sense of community created by the staff and other volunteers and the work we do. Juliet first got started as a volunteer doing winter bird counts. We value her so highly that we just keep finding more for her to do. She has become a regular shorebird and waterbird surveyor; she completed a songbird survey of Aramburu Island over the summer and she has helped the ecologists with invertebrate sampling and oyster work.
Richard Jenkins was born in the sunset district of San Francisco and is a famous (at least here at RBAC) oyster wrestling, bird banding, tomato growing, member of the Richardson Bay community. During the second World War Richard worked at the Tiburon Net Depot as an engineer investigating the feasibility of mining gold from ancient beaches off the Alaskan coast. In the early 1960’s, after facing the prospect of a desk job in Seattle when the mining project was disbanded, Richard found himself frequenting the newly designated Pt. Reyes National Seashore.
Don has been an integral part of the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary since 2002 when he began volunteering here. Almost every week since, he has been providing us with very able assistance on repairs, maintenance, organization and data collection. We have come to depend on his help and look forward to his presence but sadly for us, in January he will be moving from his Greenbrae home to Santa Rosa and will no longer be able to volunteer for the Center.
Bob Hinz has been volunteering at the Center since 2006 when he answered a call for help with waterbird surveys on the Sanctuary. Since then, he has helped each season, personally counting almost 17,000 birds!! He also helps with the MAPS bird banding program and recently started participating in the new shorebird surveys along Strawberry shoreline.
Noah Schlager came to the attention of RBAC when he interviewed our staff for his documentary “Our Bay” (2008). Soon after, during the Fall of 2008, he began volunteering with the Center, initially helping out initially with office work. It became clear upon getting to know him, however, that his interests and skills went well beyond just helping with the filing! In January, he was interviewed for the Toyota Together Green website. The following is an edited version of that interview, which can be read in its entirety at http://www.togethergreen.org/Volunteer/FeaturedVolunteer.aspx?featuredVolunteerID=7
Beginning November 2008, Drake High School seniors Nick Lorig-Roach and Alanna Cotrell began an internship at the Center. This cooperative project which is overseen by the Marin County Internship Collaborative, aims to provide high school juniors and seniors with practical experience and leadership training. 
Tony Harrow was an esteemed volunteer whose expertise and passion are greatly missed. His relationship with the center began many years ago and was re-established with an act of generosity when, in the fall of 2006, he stopped by to donate a spotting scope. Afterwards, Tony signed up for regular winter surveys to monitor waterbird populations on Richardson Bay. An accomplished and enthusiastic birder, he was always quick with a smile and an anecdote about the birds seen; the surveys truly benefited from his presence. Among the thousands of birds (5312 to be exact!) that he personally documented during the surveys, two species uncommon in the area stand out: The first was a Redhead which he spotted in the southeast corner of the sanctuary resting among a group of Canvasbacks; the second was a young Parasitic Jaeger which he kept tabs on during the fall of 2007 as it harassed terns for food.
Originally from Chicago and Los Angeles, Barbara Shafran has lived in Tiburon since 2005 and has volunteered in the office at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center since 2007. Barbara originally volunteered with us because she wanted to keep busy and meet people. She is friendly and likes to feel that she is involved with her local community.
Originally from Wisconsin, Jean Storrs has lived in Marin since 1964 and has been a volunteer with us for the last two years. Jean initially volunteered as a Bay Shore Studies docent, because she liked working with the kids and learning about the science of the Bay. She has always been interested in nature and spent a lot of time exploring beaches and tidepools with her three children while they were growing up. 