If you’re a lifelong learner interested in natural history, the Monday Morning Mind Walk Lecture Series is for you! Speakers are experts in their fields and welcome audience questions. Topics cover a broad range—there’s literally something for everybody! This is a fabulous opportunity to broaden your horizons and learn more about your community and the world at large. Mind Walks lectures are held in the auditorium at the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History every Monday morning from 10:15 AM to noon, January through March. CCNHA members may attend free of charge. Non-members must pay the standard museum entry fee.

January 4, 2010 PHIL ADAMS
Elephant Seals
Come and hear about the amazing Northern Elephant Seals. Learn about the challenges and adaptations for their incredible life at sea. Also covered will be the annual cycle of events to be seen at the Piedras Blancas rookery. You will leave with a new appreciation for them and their demanding life cycle.

Phil has been a Friend of the Elephant Seal docent for over 10 years. He helped write a book on elephant seals with his wife as a fund raiser for Friends of the Elephant Seals. He also volunteers with California State Parks and the Monterey National Marine Sanctuary. Phil lives with his wife Carole in Cambria.

January 11, 2010 JOHN LINDSEY
Converting Ocean Waves to Clean, Renewable Energy
Learn about how waves are formed and how it is possible to capture the great potential energy they carry. Understand the science behind current proposals to capture that energy off of our own coastline and convert it to clean, renewable energy. See some of the equipment that is being tested for this purpose.

Marine meteorologist John Lindsey has been forecasting weather and oceanographic conditions along the Central Coast of California for over 17 years. He is a corporate relations representative for Pacific Gas and Electric Company at Diablo Canyon power plant.

January 18, 2010 KARA HAGEDORN
Raptors of the Central Coast: Brooding Behavior Insights
Join raptor biologist Kara Hagedorn and Sunshine, an injured red-tailed hawk, for an entertaining story about raptor adoption. Every year Sunshine builds a nest and lays infertile eggs. In April, 2008, Kara and Sunshine were given a two-day old Red-shouldered hawk chick and a peeping egg. Hear Kara’s story and learn the details of raptor reproduction, development and behavior.

Kara Hagedorn is a former Naturalist and Environmental Educator for New York State Parks and volunteer at the Cornell University Hawk Barn Rehab Center.

January 25, 2010 AL STEVENS
Geology of San Luis Obispo County
For the past five years, Al has been taking people on field trips that focus on the geology of San Luis Obispo County. He will be sharing some highlights from those trips. He has also written a self-guided book on the geology of San Luis Obispo.

Al grew up in southern Michigan, attended Michigan Tech where he received a BS and MS in Geological Engineering. He spent over 37 years in the petroleum industry in the U.S. and abroad. After retiring, he and his wife settled here on the Central Coast.

February 1, 2010 GLENN STEWART
Peregrine Falcon Recovery
Glenn will discuss and take questions on the natural history and population recovery of the Peregrine Falcon plus the recent emergence of "fledge-watch" activities at urban nest sites where SCPBRG (Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group) has falcon nest cameras. As a special guest, Glenn will bring a tame peregrine falcon.

Glenn is a program manager for SCPBRG and a professor at UC Santa Cruz. He has studied raptors in many western states and has played active roles in several raptor recovery programs.

February 8, 2010 BRAD BUCKLEY
Abalone-Treasure of the Sea
Abalone has been cherished for centuries by the many cultures of the Pacific Rim. Once common along our coast, a decline in wild population led to closure of commercial diving. Brad shows us how they are farmed in Cayucos - from spawning through ready for market and worldwide distribution.

Brad has been the sales and marketing manager at the Abalone Farm for over 12 years. He began working there in 1987 in production and worked his way into his present position. He graduated from Mississippi State University with a Masters in Pubic Policy. His public sector ambition was trumped for a job with an ocean view.

February 15, 2010 STEVE SCHUBERT
The California Condor Recovery Program and Hi Mountain Lookout Project
Once down to a population of only 22, there are now more than 300 California Condors and more than half of those have been released and fly free in the wild. Steve will discuss the biology of endangered condors and other new world vultures, the captive breeding and reintroduction of condors to the wild, recent nesting activities, where to go to observe free- flying condors in the wild, and the continuing threats of lead poisioning and microtrash ingestion.

Steve Schubert is a Cal Poly graduate with a master's degree in biology and a past president of Morro Coast Audubon. He works Camp Keep, (the outdoor education program at Montana de Oro State Park), and teaches natural history courses for the Community Education Program at Cuesta College. He is author of “The Peregrine Falcones of Morro Rock: A 40-Year History”.

February 22, 2010 KEN BONDY and GARY POWELL
Nudibranchs in Morro Bay
Ken and Gary have taken underwater pictures all over the world for more than 20 years. They consider the photographic opportunities under the North T-Pier in Morro Bay to be some of the very best. Their photographs show the animals living among the man-made junk to be the most beautiful and bizarre creatures living in the world. Their equipment will also be on display.

Ken is a retired structural engineer and Gary is retired from international trading.

March 1, 2010 DOMINIC SANTANGELO
California Conservation Corps
Domenic will review the history of the California Conservation Corps, including its work history in San Luis Obispo County. He will also focus on the education and volunteer requirements for corps members.

Domenic has a Bachelor of Science degree from York College in Pennsylvania in police administration with minors in sociology and psychology. He is the Center Director of Los Padres California Conservation Corps.

March 8, 2010 BARB RENSHAW
Battle Tactics of Plants
We think of plants as passive, but plants compete fiercely and have evolved an enormous array of both offensive and defensive strategies and tactics. Join us in a “military history of plants.”

Barb Renshaw is a California State Parks docent and an amateur botanist. Her decision to focus her passion for art on plants led her to develop a vast working knowledge of local plants and their survival strategies. Barb is a graduate of Stanford University and a former software engineer.

March 15, 2010 FRANCIS VILLABLANCA
The Natural History of the Small Mammals of SLO County
This presentation will cover some of the common small mammals of coastal SLO County. You will learn the names, habits, and general ecology of a number of mammals, with a focus on rodents. In addition, you will learn how some of these rodents play a part in research being conducted at Cal Poly.

Francis Villablanca received his PhD at UC Berkeley. He is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences and Curator of Birds and Mammals at Cal Poly State University, SLO.

March 22, 2010 LEE THURSTON
Rock Art of the Chumash “Colors of the Earth”
Hidden within local mountain canyons and interior valleys, a rich artistic heritage is slowly losing a battle of survival. Colors of the Earth looks at the art itself, so that we might appreciate the ingenuity and creative genius of these unnamed artists. Lee shares his experiences and photographs accompanied by Chumash songs of these places, many accessible only by backpackers.

Lee Thurston is a 1971 Cal Poly graduate. He worked for the SLO Ag Commissioners office and has spent 26 years in retail management. He saw his first rock art in 1962 while on an Explorer Scout trip in the Los Padres National Forest. Beginning in 1978, he spent the next 20 years searching out these backcountry art galleries.

March 29, 2010 JERRY KIRKHART
Photo Favorites of Local Photographers
Enjoy the favorite photos of many local photographers. Types of photography will be exceptional flora and fauna including birds, marine biology, botany, macro, telephoto, and night time photos and several surprises seldom seen. Many of the photos are award winners, and you will also enjoy meeting the talented photographers who will be available to answer questions.

Our host, Jerry Kirkhart, is a California State Parks docent and a retired Bio/Zoo College Instructor. His passion for nature and photography blend to bring us this remarkable collection of local talent.