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 > East Bay Regional Park District | Embrace Life! > Get Involved > Volunteer > Doc Quack's Wildlife Volunteers

Doc Quack's Wildlife Volunteers

Wildlife Volunteers Mission Statement

The Wildlife Volunteers are an “elite” group of caring people of all ages, striving to improve the quality of life for birds and wildlife in the East Bay Regional Park District.  We are dedicated to assisting the East Bay Regional Park District’s Stewardship staff with protecting, managing, conserving and enhancing the region’s important scenic and natural resources.  Wildlife Volunteers renew their connections to the land through hands-on conservation and resource management activities.

Please give some careful thought to the schedule of “Group Activities” you would most like to help with, and then call the District’s Reservation Department at 1-(888)-327-2757, option 2, to sign-up.  Also, please give us at least two week notice and a phone number where we can leave you a voice-mail message.  Based on weather conditions, or other unseen circumstance, projects can be cancelled. 

Dave "Doc Quack" Riensche
Wildlife Biologist, Certified Wildlife Biologist ®
docquack@ebparks.org

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Volunteer Activities

Schedule of Group Activities for 2013

Tentative and Subject to change please call two weeks in advance.

Habitat Helpers # 2106

During this fun-filled opportunity you’ll discover the “nutty wildlife truths” about oak trees, and help make the world a better place one tree at a time.  For your kind act toward nature, you will receive a “Habitat Helpers” patch. This project involves physical labor. Parent participation required.

Date:            Saturday, March 2, 2013     Time: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Location:      Lake Chabot Regional Park
Directions:    In Castro Valley on I-580 westbound, take the Strobridge Avenue exit. Turn right on Strobridge, right on Castro Valley Boulevard, and left on Lake Chabot Road. The Lake Chabot Marina is about two miles ahead on the right. In Castro Valley on I-580 eastbound, exit at Redwood Road and go left, go left at Castro Valley Boulevard, right at Lake Chabot Road, and follow the directions above.
Meet in the overflow parking lot south east of the kiosk.

Colony Caretakers # 2107
An exciting adventure over land and water to help create nesting habitat for the endangered California Least Tern and Western Snowy Plover.  We will pull weeds, place nesting materials, install tern decoys, build a chick fence, and set-up the sound system in anticipation of another exciting tern and plover breeding season. By participating, you’ll earn your “Colony Caretakers” patch. This project involves physical labor. Parent participation required.

Date(s):       Saturday, March 9, 2013        Time: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Location:    Hayward Regional Shoreline, Hayward
Directions:  In Hayward, from Hwy 880 south, right on Hwy 92, exit at Clawiter Road, make a left onto Breakwater Ave. (which parallels Hwy 92).

Colony Cartakers March 2012
                                    Colony Cartakers - March 2012

Least Tern Colony Monitors # 2109

Here is your opportunity to become a “Birding-Peeping-Tom” by peering into the family life of terns. You will be helping to record data about their nest distribution, chronology and reproductive success using the Type 2 monitoring method.  In this method, surveys are conducted from a vehicle approximately 25m (75ft.) from the island at various times of day, with the majority of the surveys conducted from 0700 to 1700 hours, seven days a week.  A Cabela’s professional 60mm (2.4 in) spotting scope on a car window mount will be available.  Space is limited to current Wildlife Volunteers. By participating, you’ll earn your “Least Tern” patch Parent participation required.

Date:           Saturday, May 18, 2013        Time:  2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Location:     Hayward Regional Shoreline, Hayward
Directions:   In Hayward, from Hwy 880 south, right on Hwy 92, exit at Clawiter Road, make a left onto Breakwater Ave., (which parallels Hwy 92).

Rail Rescue Ranger # 2110
During this hands-on adventure you’ll help create habitat for the federally and state endangered California clapper rail.  We will remove non-native plants, pick-up trash, and plant wildlife friendly vegetation which will restore the upland areas of the Roemer Bird Sanctuary for rails.  By participating, you’ll earn your “Rail Rescue Ranger” patch. This project involves physical labor. Parent participation is required.

Date:           Saturday, September 21, 2013     Time:  9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location:     Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary/ Crown Memorial State Beach
Directions:   Exit 880 on 23rd Ave, head west over the Park St. Bridge into Alameda.  Follow Park St. west across the island which dead ends at Shoreline Drive; turn left for the bird sanctuary (on the bay between Park St. and Broadway).  Meet at the Marsh Overlook.

Riparian Re-Leaf & Hole-in-the-tree-Gang #2111
Here is your opportunity to help the park’s wildlife by planting willow, cottonwood and sycamore trees and meet the park’s star cavity nesting critter – the tree swallow! If time permits we will repair, build and install nest boxes. By participating, you’ll earn your “Wetland Partners” patch.   Meet in the overflow parking lot adjacent to the entrance gate kiosk. This project involves physical labor.  Parent participation required.

Date(s):        Saturday, November 2, 2013         Time: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Location:     Coyote Hills Regional Park, Fremont
Directions:   In Fremont, take Hwy 880 to 84 – Decoto Road exit. Drive west on 84 and turn right to Paseo Padre Parkway.  Drive approximately a mile, then left on Patterson Ranch Road to the park entrance.

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Publications & Reports

Volunteers’ efforts have contributed to these documents listed below.

Riensche, D.L., M. L.  Elliott and S. H.  Euing. 2013.  Breeding status, nesting densities & diet trends of two endangered  California Least Tern colonies. Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering.  2012: 1135-1145

Riensche, D.L., S. DuLava, E. Brownlee, D. A. Bell, S. High, M. Schynert, D. Wiley, S. Wiley and L. Vallee. 2012.  Kleptoparasitism by Forster’s Tern on California Least Tern.  Pacific Seabirds 39 (2): 55-56

Riensche, D.L., C. L. Kitting, T. C. Groff, S. Dulava and D. A. Bell. 2012. California Gull Predator Management and Reproductive Success of Endangered California Least Terns in the San Francisco Bay, California. Proceedings Vertebrate Pest Conference 25: xx-xx

Riensche, D., M. Morrow, M. Clark and C. Kitting.  2010.  Monitoring trends in a breeding bird assemblage with implications for riparian conservation.  Transactions of the Western Section of the Wildlife Society 46: 7-20

Riensche, D., C. Robinson-Nilsen and C. High.  2010.  Killdeer observed depredating a Western snowy plover nest.  Western Birds 41:184-185.
 
Riensche, D., J. Mena and A. Shawen. 2009. Western and Clark’s grebe nest platforms designed for fluctuating water levels.  Transactions of the Western Section of the Wildlife Society 45: 7 -16

Riensche, D. 2008.  Effects of Cattle Grazing on Lizard Diversity in Managed Central California Grasslands.  Transactions of the Western Section of the Wildlife Society 44: 4 -10

Riensche, D. 2008.  Sweat Equity at East Bay Adobe Acrobat PDF – How volunteers advance the cause of conservation.  The Wildlife Professional, Vol. 2, # 4: 53-55.

Riensche, D. 2007.  California Least Tern Habitat Enhancement and Nesting in the East Bay Regional Park District, California.  Transactions of the Western Section of the Wildlife Society 43: 62-71

Bell, D. A. and D. L. Riensche. 2006.  Lizard Abundance in Managed Central California Grasslands. Pages 1-2 in CAL-PAC Society for Range Management Symposium Grazing for Biological Conservation – June 23, 2006

Riensche, D. July-August 2003.  Born to be Wild: California Quail Reintroduction, the Coyote Hills Experience. Quail Unlimited, pp.16 -18.

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Restoration, Monitoring and Research Projects

Project flyers and brochures available for download in Adobe Acrobat PDF format Adobe Acrobat PDF.

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Special Projects

If you are available on a weekday, a current Wildlife Volunteer, and are willing to help on these special projects listed below, please give me a call at (510) 544-2319, or e-mail me at docquack@ebparks.org. Also, please give me at least two weeks notice and a phone number where I can leave you a voice-mail message.  Based on weather conditions, or other unseen circumstance, projects can be cancelled.   
 
Volunteer recruitment
Volunteer Poster and Brochure Distribution.  We need help identifying recruiting new members to support our wildlife habitat enhancement and research projects.  Please place our current posters and brochures in a visible location to generate support for our project.

Event Photographer
We need photographs/digital images of volunteers participating in our diverse array of projects and subject matters.  

Wildlife Volunteers Newsletter Editor
We need someone with good writing skills willing to work closely with “Doc Quack” at developing, writing, editing, and producing an annual Wildlife Volunteer Newsletter.

Turtle Trackers
Discover the beauty, mystery, and magic of our only native freshwater turtle while participating in field research to conserve and manage these special status species.  These are on-going dates that include setting up research stations, trapping, using radio-telemetry monitoring equipment, vegetation survives and the completion of field forms.  By participating, you’ll earn your “Turtle Telemetry Team” patch.  Space is limited to current active Wildlife Volunteers. Parent participation required.  These are remote and rugged areas that require all participants to be “self-contained resources.”
Date(s) & Location:     TBA – call or email if interested.

Salt Marsh Harvest Mouseketers
We need help with an effort to document the continued presence of the Salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris) with in the properties operated by the District along its 40 plus miles San Francisco Bay Shoreline.  These are on-going dates that include setting up research stations, trapping, vegetation survives and the completion of field forms.  By participating, you’ll earn your “Salt Marsh Harvest Mouseketers” patch.  Space is limited to current active Wildlife Volunteers. Parent participation required.  These are remote and rugged areas that require all participants to be “self-contained resources.”
Date(s) & Location:     TBA – call or email if interested.

Mouseketers-2012
                Mouseketers on a trapping adventure – Summer 2012

Amphibian Ambassadors
Discover the region’s “moist-skinned” treasures while participating in field research and restoration project to conserve and manage these amazing “tongue zappers”, newts and salamanders.  These are on-going dates that include setting our research plots, netting, monitoring, a vegetation survey and hands-on data entry.  Space is limited to current active Wildlife Volunteers. Parent participation required.  By participating, you’ll earn your “Amphibian Ambassadors” patch.  These are remote and rugged areas that require all participants to be “self-contained resources,” and in most cases vehicle access is by four-wheel drive. We recommend outdoors clothing (long pants), waterproof footwear, hat, water, insect repellant, and sunscreen.
Date(s), Time(s) and Location: TBA – call or email if interested.  

Lizard Legionnaire
Discover the beauty, mystery, and magic of the region’s reptiles while participating in field research to conserve and manage grassland wildlife.  These are on-going dates that include setting our research plots, trapping, monitoring, vegetation survey and hands-on data entry.  By participating, you’ll earn your “Managed Grasslands Research” patch. Space is limited to current active Wildlife Volunteers. Parent participation required. These are remote and rugged areas that require all participants to be “self-contained resources,” and in most cases vehicle access is by four-wheel drive.  
Date(s) & Location:     TBA – call or email if interested.

Lizard Legionnaires 2012
         Lizard Legionnaires in the wilderness building traps - Summer 2012
        
Breeding Bird Biologists
Here is your opportunity to get “nose to beak” with birds, while “conduckting” real fieldwork, during the early morning hours to help manage our feathered friends.  We will be using the area search method developed by PRBO Conservation Science to estimate breeding bird densities at various sites in the East Bay Hills in support of the Wildfire Hazard Reduction & Resource Management Plan. By participating, you’ll earn your “Breeding Bird Biologists” patch.  Parent participation required.  

We recommend the following personal protective items for recording breeding bird activity in a wet, muddy, and insect rich environment: Outdoors clothing (long pants), hiking/mud boots (waterproof footwear), gloves, hats, water, insect repellant, and sunscreen.  Desired “Breeding Bird Biologists” are able to follow scientific protocols (20 minute search, identify birds encountered by sight, sound or call) and visit their assigned plots three times throughout the breeding season (April through July).
Date(s) & Location:     TBA – call or email if interested.

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How to Volunteer

To become an “official” Wildlife Volunteer, please attend several of our Group Activities (listed above) and then request an application from:

Dave "Doc Quack" Riensche
Wildlife Biologist, Certified Wildlife Biologist ®
East Bay Regional Park District
P.O. Box 5381
Oakland, CA 94605-0381
docquack@ebparks.org


Scheduled group activities require registration. To register, call the District’s Reservation Department at 1-888-327-2757 to sign-up at least two weeks before the event. Based on weather conditions or other unseen circumstance, projects may be cancelled.

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Make a Tax-Deductible Donation

Please make check payable to the Regional Parks Foundation in support of a Doc Quack program of your choice and send to the Regional Parks Foundation, P.O. Box 21074, Crestmont Station Oakland, CA 94620. The Regional Parks Foundation's Federal Tax ID # is 23-7011877.
Visit the Regional Parks Foundation online!