Nonprofit agency to offer food, nature walks June 20
The Pinnacles Partnership, the nonprofit effort that connects
private citizens and Pinnacles Monument staff together in efforts
to advance the Pinnacles National Monument, will host its third
annual picnic June 20 at the RS Bar Guest Ranch.
Nonprofit agency to offer food, nature walks June 20
The Pinnacles Partnership, the nonprofit effort that connects private citizens and Pinnacles Monument staff together in efforts to advance the Pinnacles National Monument, will host its third annual picnic June 20 at the RS Bar Guest Ranch.
“We are having the picnic outside the monument boundaries for the first time,” said Mark Paxton, a Pinnacles Partnership board member. “It’s about 17 miles from the entry to the monument at the RS Bar Guest Ranch, an 18,000-plus acre property where California condors have nested and are rearing a chick.”
The day includes a variety of events, including a barbecue from noon to 2 p.m. at the Guest Ranch; docent-led nature walks and birding expeditions; as well as a chance to view the nesting site for the condors. The birds are the first pair in at least 70 years to breed in the wild near Pinnacles National Monument, and it is the first documented pair to rear a bird in 110 years. Lodging is available on site and there will be a star party at dusk.
The picnic is free to Pinnacle Partnership members, though the condor viewing is $25 a person for three pre-planned trips that have already booked up.
For non-members, the picnic is $50 and they can view the condor site for an additional $25. Some additional trips to the viewing site will be available the day of the picnic on a first-come, first-served basis. Those interested in joining the partnership before the picnic, can visit www.pinnaclespartnership.org or call 389-4485, ext. 25, to find out more about membership levels, which start at $25.
“We’d like to build our membership up,” Paxton said. “About half is out of state, which is wonderful, but local membership means people have a different relationship [with the monument].”
Since its inception in December 2006, the Pinnacles Partnership has focused on five projects within the park:
– Condor Recovery Projects
– Wayfinder – an effort to put up more signage in Pinnacles
– Development of astronomy and night sky events
– Campground restoration – an effort to eradicate of non-native plants
– Camp Pinnacles – an effort to support and develop educational opportunities at the Pinnacles for rural schools
