Membership Update - April 2015

Members Sunset Hike.

By Julie Bartice, Development Director

April, 2015

At Pepperwood we believe all of our activities should support our mission of advancing the health of Northern California's land, water and wildlife. We also believe in meeting the needs of our members. After all, membership contributions provide the foundation for accomplishing our mission.

In addition to the "feel good" of knowing you are playing an important role in helping accomplish important conservation work, members have received invitations to four events each year. These events have ranged from private exhibit opening to lectures to hikes, with each offering a behind-the-scenes component to give members an insider's look into our work. The behind-the-scenes feature may be a Q&A with President and CEO, Dr. Lisa Micheli, dinner with scientists, or hiking with experts in various fields.

Members explore Double Ponds on a hike to Wiemar Falls.

Day long excursions have been a particular favorite. No big surprise, I suppose. Pepperwood occupies 3200 glorious unspoiled acres of woodlands, Doug fir forests, redwood forests, sweeping meadows and gorgeous panoramic views of Mount St. Helena, Knights Valley and more.  It is a peaceful, pristine, even magical place where coastal fog fills local valleys and peaks float like islands in the mist above our ecosystem.  And membership gives you access to explore places otherwise unknown to you. Recognizing the gift the land is and the desire our members have to be on this land, we are restructuring the Membership Program to offer excursions to remote areas of Pepperwood four times a year, once each quarter. These hikes will last the majority of a day and end with informal social gatherings. Each hike will have an educational component. Perhaps you'll learn about ferns as you visit Weimar Falls or discover the ecosystems that live at the top of redwood trees as you descend into Redwood Canyon. In addition to these four hikes, members will also receive invitations to two other non-hike events. There will be a celebration around the holiday season followed by an event in spring showcasing future plans.

Members explore the summer sky at a stargazing event.

If you're a member reading about this restructuring, I hope you're pleased. If you're not yet a member, I hope these offerings inspire you to join the Pepperwood Family, take an even more active role in conservation efforts, and enjoy these rewarding benefits in the process.

As in the past, members will receive postcards on all membership activities a month or more prior to the activity and they will be showcased on our website.

Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at jbartice@pepperwoodpreserve.org or at (707) 591-9310 ext. 202.

With thanks,

Julie Bartice

Development Director