Be trained for an emergency. It will be necessary to use volunteers in a large scale disaster. With this in mind, Marin County and its many fire departments have joined forces to create the CERT (Community Emergency Response Training) program for civilians to be trained in the case of widespread disaster. I just received my official card registering me as a disaster service worker from the Marin County Disaster Council. This is based on the FEMA CERT program and the program is designed to prepare volunteers in basic emergency skills such as:

• Fire prevention and suppression
• Search and rescue
• Disaster first aid
• Emergency preparedness
• Terrorism watch out situations

Living in an area known as “earthquake and wildfire country” it is important to take responsibility for our own safety for five days. Taking this training will help you learn how to do that for your family and your neighbors.

Watch for more information this month, Disaster Preparedness Month, to what steps you can take to prepare. Be trained for an emergency.

Posted by:Judy LeMarr

One of the many benefits of living in Marin is the dedication to nature and open space in our county. One such example is the Audubon Canyon Ranch in Stinson Beach overlooking the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. This thousand-acre wildlife sanctuary supports a major heronry of Great Blue Herons and Great and Snowy Egrets. It was founded in 1962 to save the heron and egret nesting colony from development. The birds nesting at Bolinas Lagoon Preserve are a main attraction of this preserve, even though there is an abundance of other species making their home in the area.

This time of year the Audubon Canyon Ranch, whose mission is to protect the natural resources of its sanctuaries, is open for visitors to see the nests and babies of the herons and egrets that return to this location annually to build their nests and hatch their eggs. The number of nests varies but usually totals more than 100. Pairs of herons and egrets return each spring to nest in the tops of the tall redwood trees in Picher Canyon and feed in the shallow waters of Bolinas Lagoon and nearby tidelands.

Sunday, March 14th is Community Day at the Ranch. Celebrate with the family with hikes, kids’ activities, your favorite picnic, ice cream and more. Open from 10am to 4pm, this is the perfect way to celebrate spring, new life and the beautiful nature of the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve of the Audubon Canyon Ranch, located at 4900 Shoreline Highway, three miles north of Stinson Beach.

Posted by:Judy LeMarr