Events:

Dear Friend of Heyday,

Wow! When we asked you to tell us about your favorite California animal, we didn’t expect such a flurry of incoming emails. Obviously, this is a subject near and dear to all our  hearts. While there could only be one winner chosen at random, there were so many heartfelt responses that I wanted to share them with you. See below for some of the entries, including a beautiful poem about the Elderwood Coyote. Interestingly enough, I received more entries about the coyote than any other animal. I wonder why?

For this month’s giveaway, you’ll get the chance to win not just a copy of our brand-new Laws Pocket Guide Set for the San Francisco Bay Area but a chance to win original artwork or even to go on a personal hike with John Muir Laws himself! We’re launching the publication of his new foldout guides by encouraging everyone to become a fan of Bay Area nature! For more information on how to declare yourself a fan and enter the giveaway, check out our website. For you environmental nonprofits: we’ve dedicated a section on this web page to help promote your cause. Just reply with a link, and we’ll do the rest.

Finally, I want to solicit some book ideas from you. It’s quite clear you’re all enamored of California animals, so I’m all ears. Do you know of an animal that has made a difference in the history of California?

Warmest regards,

Susan Pi
Marketing and Publicity Director

P.S.: Are you following the exploits of the mysterious Literary Ranger?

Wilderness preservation has never been more important—or more possible.  In the last four years, wilderness advocates have succeeded in establishing over two million acres of protected wilderness.  

Curious about what it takes to succeed on this scale?  Come to the Western Wilderness Conference at UC Berkeley from April 8-11, 2010.  This three-day event will gather grassroots activists from California and other western states to encourage citizen participation in local conservation projects.  Workshops will discuss the economic benefits of wilderness, the integration of GIS into wilderness adventures, and building grassroots support through campaigns and Web 2.0.

At the Saturday evening reception, Malcolm Margolin will moderate a panel on the role of books in wilderness preservation.  Slated to speak are Ruth Nolan (editor of No Place for a Puritan), Kimi Kodani Hill (editor of Topaz Moon and Shades of California), and Tim Palmer (author of Luminous Mountains and Rivers of California).

Save the Redwoods League proudly announces an art contest just for kids in grades K–12.  Entitled “President Obama: I Love Redwoods,” the contest encourages students to learn about and visit the coast redwoods and/or giant sequoias, draw a picture about the experience, and write a message to President Barack Obama about why redwoods are special to them.

Download contest information and an entry form beginning March 18, 2010. All entries must be postmarked no later than April 30, 2010.  Winners will be announced May 31, 2010.

Congratulations to Frances, who submitted the winning entry to our February giveaway. Her favorite California animal is the coyote, and she supports the Humane Society of the United States. Frances will receive a copy of Califauna: A Literary Field Guide!

Here's her entry:

“One quiet Sunday morning I was on the UC Riverside campus and I saw a weather-beaten "dog" creeping through the plants. I called to it and it stopped and stared at me, fearless but without aggression. As I approach, it looked at me curiously but dispassionately before walking calmly away. Only later did I learn it was a coyote, something I had never seen before. I admire their determined survival amid our encroachment on their environment. They live among us but avoid us, observe us but seem not to fear us. That I respect.”

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The next six entries are a sampling of some of the best entries we received for our February giveaway!

“My favorite critter in California is the Steller's jay. The jay is an iconic Californian. He is aggressive and brash, as were the pioneers who marched into a populated area and took over. He is colorful and easily identified; so are most Californians. He is a punk, with his "Mohawk" hairdo; California has lots of out-there punk-style people. His cry is the iconic cry of summer, all over the state. From Camp Mather and Yosemite to the Bay Area, the Steller's jay lets you know that it's picnic and barbecue time. He is not afraid to let you know who's in charge in his territory, and that is the entrepreneurial and political spirit currently at play in California. He is adaptable to any diet, will eat whatever is on your table. Californians are famous for taking lemons and making lemonade. I think, in all honesty, that the jay should be the state bird. We're not always cute and nice in California, but we get the job done and no one mistakes us for residents of anywhere else. Same for the Steller's jay.” —Stephanie L., supporter of Swords to Plowshares, an organization of veterans helping veterans readjust to civilian life.

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“There are so many wonderful creatures unique to California, but the one I love the most as a symbol of this state is the double creasted cormorant. Not only are they found all along the coast perched on every craggy rock island surrounded by crashing waves, but in estuaries floating, diving for fish or simply basking with their wings outspread in the morning sunshine. Not just any duck, cormorants are streamlined sleek swimmers. Their jet-black feathers make them easy to spot. The way they hold their heads up suggests a sort of pride as they glide across ponds and waterways.” —Stephanie M., supporter of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association

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“Coyote keeps watch at the bottom of the hill where I live. On nights of full moon he brings friends, scrawny mariachis without spangles or sequins, but always in great voice.  They entertain me by singing ballads of the hunt or of the heart, sometimes even songs of humor to make me smile. Loyal companion of the night, when the sky is its wintery blackest, coyote still keeps watch. He yips a note or two reminding me that he is there, and I'm not alone. Of course he is my favorite.” —Ross, supporter of The Sequoia Riverlands, an organization that creates preserves to keep the spirit of the original landscape of California free for indigenous flora and fauna.

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“The crow is not unique to California. That’s the reason it is a favorite animal. I was born and raised in Southern California. I lived in Northern California for many years. And I now live in the Pacific Northwest. Crows are a link between my current home and my beloved California roots. A social intelligent animal, they thrive in urban and rural areas. Many California animals have greater star power, but the common crow is not ordinary to me. This marvelous animal is a part of all our daily lives.” —Claudia, supporter of the Book Club of Washington, where book lovers collect and preserve printed materials.

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“I have to say the opossum is my favorite California wild animal and certainly one of our most misunderstood! They are nature's little cleaner-uppers, hanging out at night eating leftovers and trying to stay out of everybody's way. Yet, they seem to get in everybody's way, in the trash, on the road, mixed up with dogs and cats. They have more teeth then any other mammal and love to show them off, which makes people think they are ferocious. They are really quite docile and live a mostly solitary short (two years in the wild) life. I love the little guys and have made it my goal to speak up for them whenever possible!”—Kelly, supporter of Great Valley Museum, where she loves volunteering in children's programs that promote local wildlife.

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Elderwood Coyote

He orchestrates the cacophonous

canine choir of edgy soprano yips,

alto howls and slow baritone woofs

with the savvy of an anarchist

at midnight.

After remarking the solid boundaries

that Robert Frost extolled,

he penetrates the Alpo dreams

of town dogs,

            his upwind scent wafting

            with the neighborhood strains

then lopes to his granite knoll

for the real sport -

watching the light show

            of square yellow stars

            blink

to his direction.

—John Dofflemyer ("Poems from Dry Creek," Starhaven, 2009), supporter of Western Folklife Center, an organization that celebrates the everyday traditions of people who live and work in the American West.

The Association of Partners for Public Lands held an awards ceremony at their recent convention in San Diego, where two of our publications, Granite, Water, and Light: The Waterfalls of Yosemite Valley and First Light: Five Photographers Explore Yosemite’s Wilderness, won honorable mentions in the “General Interest” category.  The APPL chose the recipients of these Media & Partnership Awards for their creative approaches to communicating “what is special about our nation’s public lands."

To learn more about what we do, the benefits of sponsoring us, and the valuable contributions we make to California's literary legacy, visit our donation page.

The International Raw Milk Symposium is set for Saturday, April 10 in Madison, Wisconsin. It is being sponsored by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. The full agenda and registration info will be coming out in a few days. In the meantime, go to the Wisconsin Alliance for Raw Milk site at http://tinyurl.com/rawmilksymp where you can RSVP if you will attend, might attend or not and see the comments. Make sure you also join one of fast-growing 25 state ARMs of the Alliance for Raw Milk Internationale at http://wholefoodusa.org
 

2nd Annual International Raw Milk Symposium

April 10 in Madison Wisconsin

SAVE THE DATE