Embedded Files
Next Volunteer Event is Oct 15th, 9-11am
๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆย Merry Christmas! ๐๐คถ๐
Mondayย - December 25th, 2023
Howdy, people!
I just wanted to wish y'all a Merry Christmas! Thanks for helping save the burrowing owls and monarch butterflies. Here's some art I'm working on for the project!
Here's a new burrowing owl rock for the Etsy shop. It still needs varnish but you'll be the first to hear when I add it.
This piece is to wrap up the first round of the Milkweeds for Monarchs project. Maybe it'll become a t-shirt design, a print, or... we don't know yet!
I also want to give a quick shout out to our volunteers!
They rolled out cardboard and shoveled mulch to suppress the non-native invasive weeds in preparation for our spring planting in the new location! Nice work, volunteers!
Our next volunteer event will be January 30th, from 9-11am. More details to come in my next email!
I hope you're all having happy holidays! ~โค๏ธ
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
PS. Opening monarch close-up courtesy of Daniel De Zordo!
๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆย Volunteer Tuesday 11/28 9-11am in a NEW AREA within Shoreline Park!
Thursdayย - November 16th, 2023Thank you, volunteers, for your efforts at last month's volunteer session! Thanks, Dan, for taking the group photo! ๐
Dan also managed to get a photo of our owls again this time too! Look how FLUFFY they are! ๐
There were a total of 24 burrowing owls residing at Shoreline Park at our last event! Remember when we started the project with 0 owls back in 2017? Persistence, commitment, and continuing to care got us here!
Our next volunteer session is:
Tuesday, November 28th, from 9-11am
I am intentionally scheduling the last Tuesday of each month at the same time so y'all can more predictably plan your schedules!
Here are the volunteer requirements:
โ๏ธ Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
๐ง Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
ย ๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆย Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
โ๏ธ The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided.ย
๐งค Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
โ๏ธ WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE AT BURROWING OWL BILLOWS
This is SUPER exciting! We are expanding the area we will be planting and maintaining the burrowing owl/monarch butterfly habitat at. We are still within Shoreline Park, but on the opposite side. Y'all will be sheet mulching the area in preparation for planting in the spring.ย
If you'd like to sign up, email me back so I can add you to the roster. I'll create a separate thread just for volunteers signed up to provide you with directions on where to meet.
Unfortunately, I will not be joining you as I'm usually able to at the end-of-year events. I injured my back in July and haven't recovered yet. However, I've been working on a t-shirt design of the burrowing owls and monarchs for y'all. I hope to share it with you soon! โค๏ธ
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆย Wanna weed tomorrow for the owls and butterflies at 9am?ย
Mondayย - October 30th, 2023Happy Halloween! ๐
Phil recently did his usual spiel about all his conservation work, but indoors, with slides and a projector! It's a lot more relaxed and easier to process in this format, with plenty of time for questions, and the City of Mountain View recorded and uploaded it online!
Thanks, Gail, for being there to represent us volunteers, recruit, and for sharing Phil's talk with me to share with everyone else.
We've got 8 or 9 volunteers signed up for tomorrow's weeding event tomorrow and you're more than welcome to join us (I'm there in spirit , but I'm looking to be there in person at next month's!):
Tuesday, October 31st, from 9-11am
Here are the volunteer requirements:
โ๏ธ Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
๐ง Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆย Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
โ๏ธ The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided.ย
๐งค Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
If you'd like to sign up, email me back so I can add you to the roster, where I create a separate thread with additional instructions for those volunteering tomorrow.
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ธ๐ Photos from our last volunteer event; Halloween is our next!
Wednesdayย - October 11th, 2023Boo! ๐ป
Our volunteers have done it again! They've shown up to care for our land, our plants, for the sake of saving our burrowing owl. Coo coo! Phil estimates there are about 20 owls in our habitat right now!
Look at that pile of weeds they pulled! It's HUGE! (Phil shot this photo on Dan's camera!)
Dan caught some photos of our owls in flight!
According to Phil, our City of Mountain View resident biologist, the owl is probably holding a fig beetle.
Phil took this shot of one, saying fig beetles are "quite large and slow flying with a beautiful green coloration. [The] strange thing is that I am seeing lots of fig beetle wings (elytra) at burrow entrances. We have never seen this many in the past. Maybe the weather, or the plants, or something is attracting them in large numbers. I have never seen this many before. [sic]"
Interesting... ๐ง
Dan took this cinematic shot of one of our monarch caterpillars:
We planted a total of 240 milkweeds this summer, for the 10th planting at Burrowing Owl Billows, since the project started in 2017. 60 were purchased from Watershed Nursery and 180 were grown from seed and transplanted by our volunteers from the Milkweeds for Monarchs project. What an incredible feat y'all accomplished! Congratulations!ย
Gail shot these photos of our plants and prep for the next planting (cardboard + mulch):
Dan shot this last shot of our California Rose with glamorous dewdrops on her petals.
Now, for our next volunteer opportunity... on Halloween!ย
Our next volunteer session at Burrowing Owl Billows in Shoreline Park, Mountain View, California is:
Tuesday, October 31st, from 9-11am
As usual, here are the volunteer requirements:
โ๏ธ Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
๐ง Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆย Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
โ๏ธ The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided.ย
๐งค Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
If you'd like to sign up, email me back so I can add you to the roster, where I create a separate thread with additional instructions for those volunteering that day.
ย Aloha! ๐บ
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ More volunteers for tomorrow's 9-11am event?
Mondayย - September 25th, 2023ย ๐บ Aloha, my furless friends! ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ
First off: Please enjoy this video I found of a burrowing owl enjoying a spray bottle bath:
We've got 6 volunteers signed up for tomorrow's event, but we could use more help!
We'll be meeting at Burrowing Owl Billows, Mountain View, California:
Tuesday, September 26th, from 9-11am
Here are the volunteer requirements:
โ๏ธ Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
๐ง Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆย Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
โ๏ธ The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided.ย
๐งค Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
If you'd like to sign up, email me back so I can add you to the roster, where I create a separate thread today with additional instructions for those volunteering tomorrow.
For tomorrow, we will focus on removing weeds from plants planted last year because the rains this year created a bumper growth of invasive weeds.
Email me back if you'd like to join Milkweeds for Monarchs to grow milkweed from seed for transplanting at Burrowing Owl Billows. We plan to plant them year round, as weather permits. We have irrigation so we don't need to rely on the rains, but we do need to avoid temperature extremes.
Aloha!ย (Note: If you're new or unfamiliar, I've been managing this project remotely from Maui the last 2ish years and return twice a year to join y'all in person.)
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
๐๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ Thanks volunteers and donors! Here's the next volunteer opportunity...ย
Thursdayย - September 14th, 2023ย ๐ป Aloha, folks! ๐บ
โญ๏ธ๏ธ If you're new, welcome to The Guardian Project mailing list! This list is to keep volunteers and donors up to date on how our effort to save the burrowing owl is going. There's quite a lot of overlap with the Milkweeds for Monarchs project, because the migratory monarchs and burrowing owls share the same habitat and planting native milkweeds benefits both species.
๐คฉ I'm excited to share how successful our Milkweeds for Monarchs project has been! Last month, we transplanted 117 narrowleaf milkweeds, that the volunteers grew from seed, at Burrowing Owl Billows in Shoreline Park, Mountain View, California! Thanks again, Gail, for the coordination and resource management on the ground floor. ๐ฅฐ
Photo cred: Melissa!
And here are our lovely growers and volunteers who did the job!
Photo cred: Ryan!
It looks almost like y'all color coordinated!ย
Photo cred: Melissa!
Our new wheelbarrow (thanks, donors ๐ค) in action!
Photo cred: Melissa!
Our volunteers in action!
Here are some photos of the monarchs they saw on milkweed we'd previously planted!
Photo cred: Melissa!
Photo cred: Ryan!
Photo cred: Ryan!
How fulfilling is it to see how effective our project is with our own eyes?
You can see more full res + and more photos the volunteers took here.
Phil, our city's biologist who overseas the work we do on government property, estimates that we had 14-16 burrowing owls present in the habtitat based on casual observations at the time of our last volunteer session.
๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ Volunteers!
๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ Volunteers!
Our next opportunity to volunteer is on:
Tuesday, September 26th, from 9-11am
Here are the volunteer requirements:
โ๏ธ Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
๐ง Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆย Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
โ๏ธ The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided.ย
๐งค Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
If you'd like to sign up, email me back so I can add you to the roster, where I create a separate thread with additional instructions for those volunteering that day.
We will be weeding, maybe mulching, and planting any other milkweeds the volunteers grew that may be ready. Email me back if you'd like to join Milkweeds for Monarchs to grow milkweed from seed for transplanting at Burrowing Owl Billows. We plan to plant them year round, as weather permits, as we have irrigation so we don't need to rely on the rains, but we do need to avoid temperature extremes.
๐ค Donors!
๐ค Donors!
Whether you bought from the gift shops, donated directly, and/or were matched by your company, thanks so much for your donations! This project wouldn't be possible without the fuel you provide.
Here are all our options to provide for this project in exchange for gifts:
We have an Etsy Shop
and a Shopify Sticker Shop
All art provided by muah. โค๏ธ๐ฉ๐ฝโ๐จ
Or you could just donate through Paypal or by check sent to PO Box 1909, Kihei, HI, USA.
Google, and other tech companies, have a nifty donation-matching program that you can sign up to provide reoccurring donations to help sustain this project. Thank you to those of you who've done this. ๐ฅฒ
I've been fundraising here in Maui through the Monarch of the Monarchs Stiltwalking Sticker Shop campaign, but I've paused editing those clips while I work on more art to add to the gift shops. I'll let you know when it's ready incase you're interested.
Here's the last clip I shared to Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok:
As previously promised, I'm still working on the Emergency Preparedness Tutorial, and will send it to you once it's ready. I don't have the most important part--the RADIO--yet!
ย ๐บ Aloha! ๐ป
PS. No sweat if you wanna unsubscribe! You can also see these updates on the website!
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ Volunteer to plant milkweeds tomorrow from 9-11am!
Mondayย - August 28th, 2023Did the month of August fly by or is it just me and the Maui Fires? ๐ฅ๐๏ธ๐
I'm still working on the emergency preparedness 1-minute video tutorial for y'all, so I'll get into more details about how the Maui Fires affected me in that update. Instead, let's focus on the volunteer planting session tomorrow!
We have 12 volunteers signed up for tomorrow to plant 117 milkweeds that 6 of them grew from seed as part of the Milkweeds for Monarchs project!
Here are some of their plants:
Melissa's โคด
Cheryl's โคด
Heidi's โคด
However, given that there are SO many weeds at Burrowing Owl Billows due to the rains this year, we could use more volunteers!ย
Our volunteer session is at Burrowing Owl Billows in Shoreline Park, Mountain View, California:
Tuesday, August 29th, from 9-11am
As usual, here are the volunteer requirements:
ย โ๏ธ Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
ย ๐ง Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
ย ๐จโ๐ง Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
ย The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided.ย
ย Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
If you'd like to sign up, email me back so I can add you to the roster, where I create a seperate thread with additional instructions for those volunteering that day.
๐บ Aloha!ย
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
๐ฅ๐๏ธ๐ฎโ๐จ Aisha Update: I wasn't directly affected by the wildfires.
Fridayย - August 11th, 2023A few folks have asked, so I want to preemptively let y'all know that I wasn't directly affected by the wildfires here in Maui. I live on the north side of the island, where it doesn't get as dry. All my friends also made it without loss of property, but we're connected to those who did lose property and their lives. It's not a big island. We're all neighbors. Everyone connected is heartbroken. ๐
I've signed up to volunteer to help with clean up after the firefighting, rescue, and reuniting efforts have concluded. Today, Lahaina residents are allowed to return. The general mood is "dazed and confused." No one understands the consequences yet of what just happened.
๐๐ฆ๐ฐ I did the stiltwalking fundraising campaign in Lahaina Town 3 days before the fires. I'll share this footage with you, but you'll get it sooner, as I edit it, if you subscribe to my Youtube channel and hit the notification bell. It's some of the last footage of the town and its people before its utter annihilation.
I'll also make a video tutorial about disaster preparedness. I took a class with Google on the subject, my dad and I also took it with the government, and we combined our notes to create the kits we use. Unless you prepare, there's no way you'd have everything you need for a kit just lying around, easily accessible, in the event of an emergency.
Thank you to those of you who checked in with me. โค๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ As a reminder, we've got another volunteer session at Burrowing Owl Billows in Shoreline Park, Mountain View, California on:
Tuesday, August 29th, from 9-11am
Our Milkweeds for Monarchs volunteers have 107 California native milkweeds they've grown FROM SEED that are ready to plant! That's A LOT! We could really use your help!
As usual, here are the volunteer requirements:
ย โ๏ธ Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
ย ๐ง Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
ย ๐จโ๐ง Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
ย โ๏ธ The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided.ย
ย Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
If you'd like to sign up, email me back so I can add you to the roster, where I create a seperate thread with additional instructions for those volunteering that day.
๐บ Aloha!ย
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ Thanks for volunteering to save our burrowing owls and monarch butterflies!
Fridayย - July 21st, 2023Happy Friday, Googlers!
Thank you so much for your hard work last week to save the burrowing owl and monarch butterflies in our habitat at Shoreline Park!
7-11 Tuesday's group shots (full size images):
7-10 Monday's group shots (full size images):
Please remember to log your volunteer hours! Google donates $10/hour to my nonprofit if you log it. We use that money to buy supplies like the new wheelbarrows you guys used!
My dad, who created this Google Serve event, wrote the below instructions about how to do so for Google Serve in 2019. I CC'd him to answer your questions in case they're outdated.
Go back to the GoogleServe activity page; on the activity page, click the red "LOG HOURS" button shown here:
I've recently started organizing monthly volunteer sessions for enhancing Burrowing Owl Billows, the burrowing owl and monarch butterfly habitat in Shoreline Park.ย
The next one is scheduled for August 29th from 9-11am.ย
If you'd like to stay updated on this project and potentially join another volunteer session, including getting notified of the next Googler event before the other Googlers do,ย
I'm also always fundraising for this effort, as well as the new projects I've added to save the 6 African penguins captive at The Hyatt hotel and the feral cats--both here in Maui, Hawaii, where I'm currently working as a mermaid. Google matches your donations, so, if you're willing and able to donate, I, and the animals, deeply appreciate it.ย
I've created donation incentives that you can find here on Etsy and here on Shopify.ย
If you enjoy social media, you can follow along and support me with my fundraising efforts by following me on Youtube, Tiktok, and/or Instagram.
Most recently I've been stiltwalking as the Monarch of the Monarchs in Maui selling stickers to save our animals with an Insta360 on my head to document it and increase my impact.ย
This clip is at nearly 5 million views on Tiktokย
(here it is on Youtube if you don't have a Tiktok).
And, yes, that's Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik on the sticker. I've been working on recruiting Ace Ventura to join us, with my latest effort being this musical:
If you're wondering, "How did you get started saving the burrowing owl while you were working at Google?" I made a video to answer your question.
Have a great weekend! Thanks again! Coo coo!!
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ ย Want to join the Googlers tomorrow to help weed?
Monday, July 10th, 2023Howdy, folks!
The Google Serve event today went fantastically, but Phil showed me how bad the weeds had sprung up this year and I was shocked to see OUR PLANTS COMPLETELY SWALLOWED BY THEM!ย
We have another Google Serve event tomorrow, but the Googlers don't know the differences between the natives and the weeds, and there's still a lot more mulching for them to do, so I'm extending the invite to y'all to come help out, especially if you already know the difference. I'm looking at you, Gail.ย
As you can see, you can hardly see our milkweeds!ย
We're meeting at 9am and go 'till 11. Let me know if you can come help!
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ ย Does anyone have a pickup truck?
Saturday, July 8th, 2023Hey, folks!
I'm back in Mountain View for the Google Serve events on Monday and Tuesday this week. They're fully booked with 20 Googler volunteers on each day and even a waitlist of 13 Googlers. Melissa has picked up 6 cardboard rolls for them to lay down and shovel mulch over, but I've been really wanting to purchase 2 new wheelbarrows to donate to the city that we can use. I just need someone with a pickup truck who can pick them up from Home Depot to drop them off Monday morning.
Can anyone do this? ๐ฅบ
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ ย June and July Events to Save the Burrowing Owl and Migratory Monarch Butterfly!
Monday, June 5th, 2023Howdy, folks!
Check out this steller group of volunteers from last month's session at Shoreline Park, Mountain View, CA! They planted 83 milkweeds, 60 we'd purchased (more on this below) and the rest had been grown at home by our volunteers of the Milkweeds for Monarchs project! Phil estimated that there were approximately 7 pairs of adult burrowing owls at the time.
Thank you so much for your service, guys, and to Phil, our lead biologist, who was the one taking the photo! Also, dang you guys look good in Dan's camera.ย
Gail picked up 40 showy milkweeds & 20 narrowleaf milkweeds from The Watershed Nursery, a new nursery we're trying out. You can see in her photo below that they're "test tube" sprouts. We're not sure how they're going to fair at Burrowing Owl Billows, so we'll see! Thanks Gail for going above and beyond to help our cause!ย
Joyce took this marvelous shot of our volunteers in action: planting, setting up irrigation, and weeding. ๐ช๐ผ
Tracy shot this of a monarch butterfly laying eggs on our milkweeds from our previous plantings! How precious is it that we get to see our desired effect play out in such close proximity, in both time and distance? ๐ฅน
We don't have a volunteer session this month because Phil is on a, much deserved, vacation. However, Eleanor Laney is hosting an annual event to give away milkweeds!ย The giveaway is tailored to home use, so it'll likely be 1-3 plants/household.
Here's more info on that event:
June 17th, 9am-noon - Milkweed giveaway at Rinconada Community Garden
They will be distributing narrow leaf and showy milkweed seedlings, zinnia and tithonia (Mexican Sunflower) seeds.ย
If you're interested in learning more about Shoreline Park's history regarding its wildlife, specifically birds (including our burrowing owls!), and habitat conservation, the City of Mountain View is hosting a 2-hour talk that includes an optional birdwalk at Michael's Restaurant: June 24th, 9:30-11:30am
We also have two Google Serve events coming up in July, on the 10th and 11th from 9-11am, which I will be in attendance for. If temperatures are 80 degrees and higher the week of, we will not be planting any more of the volunteers' milkweeds. I need to touch base with Phil about inviting everyone else to these events. I'd like to at least invite those who've previously attended multiple events so I can catch up with them while I'm in town.
If you're a Googler, check out the Google Serve link here: go/owls-googleserve
Thanks, Dad, for setting these up!! ๐ฅฐ
I know that those of you with kids have been ITCHING to get involved, especially if they're too young to attend our on-site events. I will be STILTWALKING as a burrowing owl on Castro Street, Downtown Mountain View, on Sunday, July 9th, in the afternoon, probably around 4-6, but TBD on exact times. I'll send another email about this once it's sorted.
That's all for now, folks!
Coo coo!!!
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ Need more volunteers for tomorrow's planting!
Monday, May 29th, 2023Happy Memorial Day! ๐บ๐ธ
We've only got 8 sign ups so far for the volunteer session tomorrow:
Tuesday, May 30th, 9-11am
in Shoreline Park, Mountain View, California, at Burrowing Owl Billows.ย
and there's A LOT of work we have planned!ย
We're planting the first round of milkweeds from the volunteers who've participated in Milkweeds for Monarchs as well as 40-80 additional milkweeds we've purchased from a new nursery we're trying! There is also A LOT of weeding that needs to be done
As usual, here are the volunteer requirements:
Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided. Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
If you'd like to sign up, email me back so I can add you to the email I send the other volunteers who've already signed up!
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ ย Come volunteer to plant milkweeds on May 30th: 9-11am!
Monday, May 22nd, 2023Merry Monday! HO hO Hooo! (wut... am I some kinda spring Santa? o_O)
We've only got 4 signups so far for the volunteer session next week:
Tuesday, May 30th, 9-11am
Tuesday, May 30th, 9-11am
in Shoreline Park, Mountain View, California, at Burrowing Owl Billows.ย
We've got TONS of weeds around the milkweeds we've planted previously and they need to be SAVED by the power of your weeding! This is also a special session because those participating in Milkweeds for Monarchs will be bringing their largest plants to transplant at Burrowing Owl Billows. I'm also coordinating with Gail to see if she can pick up some additional milkweeds for you to plant from a new nursery we'd like to try.
As usual, here are the volunteer requirements:
Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided. Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
If you'd like to sign up, email me back! More instructions about where to park and meet Phil for the planting will be sent to the volunteers signed up.
I've also already scheduled next month's volunteer session which will be:
Tuesday, July 11th, 9-11am
Tuesday, July 11th, 9-11am
because I'll be in attendance! Whoot! I'm stoked to come and get my hands dirty again with y'all again! At this session, we'll be rolling out cardboard and mulching alongside the Googlers from GoogleServe: Google's annual summer months of company-endorsed volunteer service.
The other dates to keep in mind are July 8th and/or 9th, for your kiddos! I'll be bringing my stilts back with me so I can stiltwalk as a burrowing owl down Castro Street and around the new Google campus! Isn't that exciting?!? I'll be doing it to raise awareness and funds for our projects, so you could come bring your kids to interact, high five, take photos, dance, and buy stickers from me! Stay tuned for exactly what times I'll be where around Mountain View!
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
Thursdayย - May 4th, 2023
I specifically held off on this email just so I could wish you...
Also, happy Earth Day (it was on the 22nd last month)!
Photographer: Elizabeth Boehm
Did you also notice the similarities between burrowing owls and porgs or is it just me? They're like... if burrowing owls were mammals.ย
Thank you so much to our last crew of 11, including city biologists Phil and Ryan, for their hard work planting 78 plants for the burrowing owls and monarch butterflies at Shoreline Park, Mountain View, California last month!
At this planting, we planted the California natives ceanothus, manzanita, black sage, california buckwheat, mule fat (blooms year-round), chapel current, pink flowering currant, witch hazel (oooooo), desert mallow, and bladder pod.
WHOO HOO!!!
Thanks Melissa for grabbing this epic group shot that also includes one of our lovely, flowering babies in the foreground. I.... don't actually know what plant this is that we planted. It looks like blue-eyed grass, because of the flowers, but it's obviously not because it's got sage-y looking leaves. Anyone know? Obviously our project's data needs a refactoring as it's no longer easy for me to look up what plant this is based on previous plantings.ย
Phil led the way, teaching the volunteers how to hook up (most of) the drip irrigation system! If you didn't already know this: drip irrigation is the most cost-effective, water-efficient way to water (California native) plants. We water the new plants twice a week for 1-2 years until they are established and then no more watering is required. Previously on this project, Phil has had to go water the plants with a water truck as we've had (and, I believe, still have) issues with how the recovered landfill compresses, thus disrupting more-permanent water systems that had been in place.
Melissa also took some epic hero shots this time!
Melissa also took some epic hero shots this time!
Here's Gail, with a massive weed she just uprooted. Good job, Gail! Gail has been helping me project manage our Milkweeds for Monarchs project by finding, buying, distributing seeds, forming relationships with milkweed specialists, and new opportunities to attract more volunteers! Thanks so much, Gail!
Mary-Sonja is doing her best burrowing owl expression above a newly planted plant she's planted.
Alan's got all the right equipment. Check out those knee pads!
Welcome newcomer Theresa, who's showing us how it's done (by punching holes in rubber tubing to create our irrigation)!
And then we have these two, Michelle and Gabe, who are just standing around and goofing off. JK! I'm just teasin'. Gabe you should let me know when you're attending so I can make sure you're on the email list with the other volunteers for info/photo sharing!
I have no idea what's happening between Ryan and Tim in the following photo but it made me LOL!ย
And here's Daniel's hero shot! He was out taking photos of the owls for us so he missed the group photo but Melissa didn't miss him!
Here's what he was looking at:
Here's what he was looking at:
It's one of our owls!!! There were a total of 7 owls present in the habitat at the time of the planting! Just a reminder: we started this project with 0, yes, 0 owls back in 2017!
You can see more of Daniel's gorgeous birding photography (and more!) on his instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniel_dezordo/
3 students from San Jose State planted 28 more plants for the City of Mountain View as well later the same week, bringing us to a total of 106 plants planted this season so far.
Now, ARE YOU STOKED ABOUT PLANTING MORE PLANTS?!
Unfortunately, and alarmingly so, this planting season has been shortened because of the increasingly dramatic weather, so we won't be doing a weekend, non-profit-sponsored planting this season (and I'm still working on this fundraising campaign anyway). What we will be doing is planting another 70-80 plants, including narrowleaf milkweed, funded by the City of Mountain View (potentially Google's funding), so it has to be on a weekday, but we will also be planting OUR milkweeds we grew from seed... if they're ready. Milkweed-growers, I'll be sending you a separate email shortly. I will also be looking into scheduling a weekend, kid-friendly volunteer event in the summer when I come to visit you, my family, and the owls!
For now, the next volunteer event is:
Tuesday, May 30th, from 9-11am
Tuesday, May 30th, from 9-11am
in Shoreline Park, Mountain View, California, at Burrowing Owl Billows.ย
As per usual, requirements are as follows:
Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided. Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
If you'd like to sign up, email me back! More instructions about where to park and meet Phil for the planting will be sent to the volunteers signed up.
MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOUUUUU!
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
Mondayย - April 10th, 2023
Howdy, folks!
We've got 78 plants to plant tomorrow (including MILKWEED!) but only 3 volunteers have signed up! We need more help, please! Our milkweeds from last year are also starting to germinate but they're getting choked out by nonnative weeds that need to be pulled as well!
Our next volunteers session is:
TOMORROW! April 11th, 9-11am
Here's what's required, as usual:
Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided. Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
If you'd like to sign up, email me back! More instructions about where to park and meet Phil for the planting will be sent later today!
Photo by @brianbrownephotography (Instagram)
And now, a little Q & A:
Question: But, Aisha, if this is a planting, why isn't it scheduled on a weekend so my kids and I can come help?
Answer: Because these plants were purchased through the City of Mountain View so must be planted on the city's time. Plants purchased through my nonprofit can be planted on weekends. There will be such a planting later this season! Stay tuned!
Question: I'm in the Milkweeds for Monarchs program and my milkweeds have grown! When can we plant them?
Answer: We will start planting them at next month's volunteer session (in May). I'll send an email just to those of you in the program asking for updates on your plants momentarily. If you'd like sign up to grow milkweeds from seed to be transplanted for the owls and monarchs in Shoreline Park, just email me back letting me know you're interested!
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
Tuesdayย - March 28th, 2023
Howdy, folks!
If you're new, check out the website for all up-to-date information on this project to save the burrowing owl in Mountain View, California, in collaboration with the City of Mountain View. Otherwise...
Here's our group shot from the last session in February! It was WET! Thanks for coming out to volunteer despite the weather, troopers! Thanks for grabbing the group shot, Dan!
We didn't end up having a volunteer event this month due to the weather, but we went ahead and scheduled next month's volunteer event! It'll be on:
April 11th 9-11am
It'll include the usual weeding and woodchips, but Phil also has around 20 plants from his personal garden we might also transplant!
Here's what's required, as usual:
Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided. Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
If you'd like to sign up, email me back!
How's the fundraising going, Aisha?
Well, it's going. I still haven't finished creating data visualizations of our proceeds for you because it's not going as well as I'd hoped. I expected that I'd be moving a lot more stickers and receiving a lot more donations because I'd be able to get up in my stilts a lot more, but I've only managed to get up twice this year so far due to the weather. HOWEVER, I did get my first 1-million view viral video and it resulted in 5 sales for fundraising! Whoo hoo! AND it happened on my birthday!
I really didn't think I'd get a millionaire viral video until later. I have this video I haven'tย finished editing where I get attacked--verbally, but in the middle of town, in the street, while I'm stiltwalking, but, hey, I'll take what I can get.
I finally officially quit the post office and am starting at an art gallery in Lahaina today. Maybe I'll gain better sales skills to get better at fundraising...
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
Mondayย - February 27th, 2023
Hey, folks!
Even though it looks rainy tomorrow, we're still on! Bring your raincoats and boots! ๐ง๏ธ
Here's when our session in Shoreline Park, Mountain View, CA is planned:
Tuesday, February 28th from 9-11am (2 hr)
The same requirements apply as previous events:
Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided. Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
We will be weeding and, potentially, shoveling more mulch on top of the cardboard we laid out last time to suppress the nonnative invasives!
Reply back if you'd like to sign up!
Sign ups will receive another email with more instructions and details about the event!
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
Thursdayย - February 2nd, 2023
We're already in February!!! WHAT!
Thanks for attending the last volunteer event, folks! Thanks to Dan, we've got some lovely photos of both the owls and the crew saving them!
OH ME GOSH! HE/SHE IS YAWNING!! ๐ฅบย And they look SO fluffy. ๐ญ
Look at our heroes! Thank you so much for saving the burrowing owl!! Also, those overalls are rad, Gabriel! Gabriel just joined us having heard about us from Nextdoor. Whenever I ask you guys to sign up for volunteering, I also post to Nextdoor. It's kind of interesting that I can post in a city I don't live in, but it's totally valid... it just makes me wonder if others have exploited this angle for eviiiiilll. Evviiiiilll!
Phil also got a candid shot of everyone in ACTION! You can see how they've laid out and mulched more cardboard.
Meanwhile, over in Maui, I've been vigorously editing my fundraising footage to show you how it's going over here! Check out the full VIDEO on Youtube.ย
Don't worry. The second time I did this, I made $92, so that's a 360% increase. I'm still learning how to "work the crowd," and I've upgraded my camera so you can see what I see better in the next video I'm editing to show you.
If you'd like to donate--and we NEED donations--please donate through Youtube (unless your company--like Google--has a matching program). The reason why is because then there are no fees and we automatically get that progress bar. Like, if it were through Paypal, Paypal takes a cut.
This year, I'm aiming for Youtube as the secondary source of donations, if not the primary. I know that Google is going through some growing pains, but it is your guys' buildings surrounding the burrowing owl and monarch butterfly habitat!ย
Rumor has it that Google has put up a sign calling what we've been calling "Burrowing Owl Billows" something like "Monarch Way Station."ย ย
Google is still stepping on me even when I'm no longer there. Whatever. When Ace Ventura joins us no one will be able to step on me anymore.
ANYWAY, I'm still working on the 2022 summary, so more on that later.
The next event will be:
Tuesday, February 28th from 9-11am (2 hr)
The same requirements apply as previous events:
Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided. Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
We will be weeding and, potentially, shoveling more mulch on top of the cardboard we laid out last time to suppress the nonnative invasives!
Reply back if you'd like to sign up!
Have a great weekend!
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
Mondayย - January 23rd, 2023
Happy Lunar New Year ๐๐งง๐๐งจ๐!
The next volunteer event is:
TOMORROW, January 24th from 9-11am (2 hr)
We've got 6 volunteers signed up and we could use more! Phil has some additional cardboard, and there are wood chips, as usual, so you will be doing sheet mulching in the area tomorrow. We had some heavy frost several days last week so it's a good thing we've been waiting until spring to do plantings the last couple years (and skipping the fall plantings that we used to do).
ย
The ground is saturated with the recent rains so vegetation, especially the grasses and weeds, are going to bolt this year. The larger the area we get mulched the better it will be for the long term.
The same requirements apply as previous events:
Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided. Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
Reply back if you'd like to sign up!
I'll send everyone who's signed up so far and signs up today instructions on where to meet.
Last time, Phil had some volunteers sow California poppy seeds in a few areas where we had the piles of wood chips stored and the poppies are already germinating. Please take photos and share with me so I can see and share with the rest of the mailing list!
Last time, Phil had some volunteers sow California poppy seeds in a few areas where we had the piles of wood chips stored and the poppies are already germinating. Please take photos and share with me so I can see and share with the rest of the mailing list!
We are also in need of more folks who can grow milkweed from seed!
We've got lots of seeds that Gail has been distributing and Phil has plenty more pots. Remember that you can get reimbursed for soil. See more about the Milkweeds for Monarchs project here.
Here are Tim's milkweed seedlings! This project doesn't take a lot of your time or effort. :)
Email me if you'd like to join and I'll coordinate getting your seeds and pots to you!
Mike has been prototyping bird boxes in his workshop so we can set up a volunteer event on the weekend to make them together for installation at Burrowing Owl Billows!
He's been figuring out how to do the part that requires a power track saw, so the rest can be done with hand tools in many different stages. We might be able to assembly-line this!ย
This year I'm x10 our fundraising goal from last year!
With the crazy campaign I've launched, I'm confident that we will at least be able to raise more than last year, but aim for the moon and at least we'll hit the stars, right? I'll show you the financial breakdown and a fundraising campaign page I'm putting together in a later update, but, for now, enjoy this first perspective video of the fundraising campaign series I'm creating over here in Maui:
Unless you get matched donations from your company (*cough*Google*cough*), donating to the Youtube campaign is the most helpful way to encourage others to do the same!
Purchasing from My Etsy Shops (yes... I need to consolidate them: The Guardian Project and Shop Aisha with an Eye) also feeds into the campaign and I'll be putting the total tally on the fundraising page I'm putting together.
Have a great week!
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
Thursdayย - January 12th, 2023
Happy New Year!
I hope your 2023 has gotten off to a splendid start!
New email-update-subscribers! Check out savetheburrowingowl.org to see an overview, previous updates, and stories. Learn about the burrowing owls in my puppetshow sing-along!
If you missed the chunky last update of the year, or you're new, you can find all previous update emails at latestupdateto.savetheburrowingowl.org!
I'm still working on a 2022 summary for y'all, but I want to remind you of the upcoming volunteer session!
The next event will be:
Tuesday, January 24th from 9-11am (2 hr)
The same requirements apply as previous events:
Wear sun protection (sunscreen + hat) and close-toed shoes and pants that cover your legs (to avoid scratching yourself on the prickly weeds)
Bring a water bottle (and eat a hearty breakfast for energy)
Be at least 12 years old, and accompanied by a guardian if under 18
The rest of the tools, such as shovels, pick axes, wheel barrels, etc. will be provided. Gloves will be provided as well but it's highly recommended you bring your own.
We will be weeding and, potentially, shoveling more mulch on top of the cardboard we laid out last time to suppress the nonnative invasives!
Reply back if you'd like to sign up!
Aisha with an ๐๏ธ
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