April 2021
CABR Monthly News & Updates
Welcome to the next edition of your monthly newsletter!
Bayside Trail Rovers Needed!
The annual migration of Homo sapian tornacense (common name: tourist) has been triggered by the emergence of flora within temperate coastal ecosystems.

That’s right, spring has sprung, and tourists are emerging from their covid hibernations for the first time in over a year to take advantage of the nice weather. As a result, we have seen an influx of visitors on the bayside trail towards closing time and beyond! Bayside trail rovers will help us by clearing the trail at the time that it closes. The trail closes at 4:00 pm during normal hours, and one hour before sunset during extended hours of operations (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays 5/28/21 - 9/5/21).

If you want a chance to stretch your legs after your own covid hibernation, this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for!

Current roving volunteers who have already been re-onboarded post-covid can sign up immediately. Everyone else, please email amanda_gossard@nps.gov to start the re-onboarding process for roving and we will have you out on the trail in no time at all! 
Celebrating National Junior Ranger Day!
On Saturday April 17, 2021, Cabrillo National Monument will host self-guided and socially distanced youth activities to celebrate National Junior Ranger Day! Kids and adults of all ages are invited to participate. Activities include: (1) The park’s new Junior Ranger booklets & (2) scavenger hunt with special prizes to find around the park.

**Activities will be socially-distanced and self-guided. All visitors over 2 years old are required to wear a CDC recommended mask when six feet of distance cannot be maintained. Please recreate responsibly.**

April 17 is a fee free park entry day. There is no charge for activities.  

We need volunteer help to run the event! Volunteers will assist with running tables for the scavenger hunt. All tables will be distanced: one in the lighthouse garden with fence surrounding, others will be staged to create 6 feet of distance.  

Please check Volgistics to sign up for a shift. Shifts are: 9am – 10am (set up), 10am – 12pm / 12pm – 2pm/ 2pm – 4pm (Scavenger hunt table shifts), 4pm – 5pm (clean up). The sign ups are listed under “Special Event” – if you do not see the sign-ups, please contact julieanne_fontana@nps.gov to add the Special Event role to your profile. 

 
For the Audio Described video, click here.

Interpretation Updates
Cabrillo will continue to host Naturalization Ceremonies once a month through June. 2 VIP sign-up slots are posted on Volgistics for each date from 9:00am – 1:00pm. Please email Julieanne (Julieanne_Fontana@nps.gov) for more information.  







Remember to brush up on radio protocol: if you need a copy of the new Radio SOP, let us know before your next shift and we would be happy to provide one for you (cabr_volunteers@nps.gov). You can also revisit our March Newsletter for full details.











We could use more help with the Visitor Center Outdoor Contact station! Visitor Center VIPs, if you are feeling ready to return please sign up for a shift and Julieanne will be in contact with re-onboarding materials. We especially need help Tuesdays through Fridays. Other VIPs, please email cabr_volunteer@nps.gov if you are interested in adding this VIP role! 





We have a new tool chest in the garden! Kevin Core, a woodworking expert and regular visitor to Cabrillo, donated his time to create a cedar chest for us. The chest is the perfect place to hide sharp tools that are needed regularly in the garden. It was created to fit in with the historic landscape – and will weather and fit in more over time.  





Take part in the Pollinatorpalooza, a 6-month long celebration of all things plants and pollinators! From March 18th 2021 - September 18th 2021 join community science projects in iNaturalist, check out some Naturally Speaking public talks, and watch masterpieces come alive during a plein air event that focuses on native plants. Want to know more? Check out the Pollinatorpalooza! page here.



Please welcome Madison O’Barr as Communications & Science Education Intern. She will be working with us part time through June 2021.
Madison O’Barr was raised in Palm Springs, California. Her love for resources developed while going on camping trips with friends, gardening with her mom, and spending summers on her grandparents’ farm. After graduating from High School, she moved to San Diego, California to continue exploring the Southern California landscape. Madison joined the Cabrillo National Monument VIP program as a TPERP volunteer in 2020 and is now thrilled to be an Interdisciplinary and Communications Intern with the Interpretation and Education Division. She is currently completing the final year of her bachelor’s degree through Oregon State University College of Forestry. Her field of study is in natural resources and ecology restoration. After graduating, Madison hopes to continue volunteering and spending as much time in San Diego’s natural landscape as possible. She hopes to have a career in conservation or community resource preservation. Her other goals are to further develop community science programs in our local area.

And if you have not yet met our Community Volunteer Ambassador, introducing Carmen Aurrecoechea. She will be working with us through January 2022.
Carmen Aurrecoechea (Ow-ray-ko-ay-chay-uh) was born and raised in San Diego, California and has been a student of its resources ever since. Her passion for parks was fostered from a young age going camping and hiking with family and friends. She first got her hands dirty while studying Geography at San Diego State University with an internship at a local non-profit, San Diego Canyonlands. Here, she was afforded the opportunity to learn first-hand what can be achieved through the hard work of habitat restoration as well as grassroots organization and community partnerships. After graduating and a brief stint backpacking in New Zealand and Australia, she returned to San Diego and has spent the last four and a half years as a Park Interpretive Specialist at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park in the mountains of Eastern San Diego County. Joining Cabrillo National Monument as the Community Volunteer Ambassador she looks forward to reconnecting with the coastal communities she grew up in. You will always find her with camera in hand (she is an avid photographer), admiring the natural splendor that is ever present in the county, and sharing the enjoyment of both with whomever will listen.
COVID-19 Update
 
Local Update:

The County of San Diego has moved to orange tier (less restrictive) starting Wednesday, April 7.   
  • Museum capacity can be raised to 50%. Following DOI guidance for maintaining distancing within buildings, the park will maintain capacity for the AKQ at 15 people, and the JRC exhibit at 10 people. 
  • Park staff are assessing safe options for the public for the light house, and for the military history bunker. 

According to new state guidelines for gatherings, under the red tier, outdoor gatherings can occur for a maximum of 25 people, starting April 15. The park will adjust the maximum for Special Use Permits (e.g., weddings, re-enlistments) accordingly to 25 people or fewer starting April 15. 

Anyone 16 and older will be eligible for a vaccine in California, starting April 15. Some options for those following for vaccines: 


What does this mean for volunteers? Continue to wear masks when volunteering! If you are hiking alone on Bayside Trail, it's okay to pull down your mask, but be prepared to pull it back on and cover your nose and mouth if any visitors approach. If you are working in proximity of other volunteers or visitors, keep your mask on to protect you and the people around you. Most indoor areas will continue to be closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you have any questions about specific scenarios, please email cabr_volunteers@nps.gov and we will find an answer!



Resource Management & Science
The resources staff is hard at work conducting vegetation monitoring at the park, and will finish work by Mid-April. Additionally, a group of pollination researchers, facilitated by VIP Patricia, will be conducting bee surveys at the park on alternating Saturdays April through October of this year. We are looking forward to hearing about their findings!

If you’re interested in hearing more about the long-term rocky intertidal monitoring program, tune in to the SAMO Fund call on April 29th, where marine biologist Dr. Lauren Pandori will give a seminar on the past, present and future of the program. 
 
CABR Talks: Thank You!
A big thank you to the VIPs that were able to tune in to the first CABR Talks of 2021! I am so grateful for the opportunity to introduce myself and see some of your wonderful faces. It really is immensely helpful to put faces, without masks, to names. I hope to get to know more and more of you throughout my term here.

If you weren't able to tune in, here is a quick highlight from the survey I had sent out:

In the survey, I asked you all to choose 3 words that best describe Cabrillo National Monument to you, and below you can see the word cloud I created with your responses.

Word clouds are created by organizing the submitted words in varying sizes based on their frequency. History is so large because it was mentioned 12 times! Followed closely by beautiful and peaceful, descriptions of the park that I know we can all agree with.

I hope this word cloud gives you some insight into our shared enjoyment of the park, its resources, and our roles within it.

If you have not had an opportunity to complete the survey, you still can! The survey will remain open, so if you have a moment to take part and share your thoughts, please do.

You can reach the survey here.

Planning is underway for future talks which I hope to continue regularly, so stay tuned for updates!

Carmen Aurrecoechea
SAMO Fund Zoom Calls

Our partner park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area (SAMO), is continuing their virtual speaker series in April through their foundation’s Zoom platform. See schedule below for topics this month!

Zoom sign on information is the same for the entire series, so save it for future sessions! 
 
Join Zoom Meeting Link 

Meeting ID: 819 0689 8251  
Passcode: 996607  


April's Zoom Session Line Up:
Here are the YouTube links for the Zoom Sessions for the month of March:

Partner Update: The Maritime Museum of San Diego 

A special note from Theresa Smullen with the Maritime Museum: "If visitors inquire about San Salvador visits, she is open and on display dockside for self-guided tours as part of the outdoor visitor general admission experience. We continue to temporarily pause the San Salvador day sailing for now. We should have that experience become available in late June or July."

Maritime Museum Of San Diego Resumes Daily Operations -...

Maritime Museum Of San Diego Resumes Daily Public Tours April 1, 2021 General Admission Includes Outdoor Top Deck Tours Add $5 For 45-minute Sightseeing Historic Bay Cruise* SAN DIEGO, CA - Maritime Museum of San Diego, serving as the community...

Read more
sdmaritime.org
Partner Update: CNMF
Hi VIPS! 

Hope you will register for this fun, entertaining and inspiring virtual event experience. As you know, the Foundation funds much of the volunteer and TPERP programs, so we will be highlighting YOU and your inspiring work (you may even be featured). It is our goal to bring more awareness to the amazing Park programs and to raise money so they can continue to be amazing. The virtual event is free to attend, register at http://1cau.se/aSr. Thank you for your continued support!

Monday - Thursday 11 a.m - 3 p.m.
Friday - Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Dana, CNMF Store Manager, is highlighting new Jr Ranger items in the store in preparation for National Jr Ranger Day on April 17. We hope you will pick up something for your favorite Jr Ranger and bring them to the event too!

On the VIP Voice this week:
VIP Voice Website Revisited

NPS Photo/P. Geisler The photo above was taken a year ago on April 11 by Pauline. This was when the park was closed, nature was enjoying a break from humans, things were quiet. That's also when we had rain, remember what that is? A weird time for ...

Read more
cnmvipvoice.org
VIP Voice is a blog site run by volunteers for volunteers to keep connected to the Cabrillo National Monument VIP community. It is not a federal website. This link does not imply endorsement of any opinions shared on the website.
Summer Employment Opportunity: SeaCamp San Diego

Opportunity shared by VIP Scott: Sea Camp San Diego is hiring full time Marine Science Instructors for 6/14/21 – 8/21/21.

For more information and to apply, see their website: https://www.seacamp.com/employment/
Don't Forget to Log Your Hours!