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Audubon events January 2019

January 5: Ventura Audubon Christmas Bird Count – Leader: Frank DeMartino 856-906-8733 or you may call one of the Section Leaders listed on website.

Birders of all skill levels are encouraged to participate. The more participants we have, the more areas we can cover and we can cover them more thoroughly. Sector Leaders usually start at 8:00 or 8:30 although some of the more ambitious leaders may start earlier!

January 6: 8:00 a.m. Hedrick Ranch Nature Area – Work day Leader: Sandy Hedrick 805-340-0478.

Arrive at 8:00 for self-guided birding which usually yields some interesting birds. Work from 9am – noon. Long pants and boots or closed shoes are required. Bring water, gloves and sun protection.

January 8: 7:30 p.m. VAS Monthly Program: Ventura Seabird Restoration on the California Islands… with Annie Little (USFWS) at the Poinsettia Pavillion – 3451 Foothill Road.The presentation will highlight restoration efforts for seabirds on the Channel Islands and Baja California Pacific Islands, including invasive species removal, habitat restoration, and social attraction.

January 12: 8:30 a.m. Ormond Beach Leaders: Cynthia Hartley 805-795-4115 & Adele Fergusson 805-415-4304. Join us at this excellent coastal location, where we will look for a variety of waterfowl, such as Willets, Whimbrels, Black necked Stilts, Black bellied Plovers and other interesting birds. We will also look for Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Peregrine Falcon, and Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers. Please bring a scope if you have one.

January 19: 8:30 a.m. Soule Park Leader: Linda Easter 818-519-2833

Situated in east Ojai, this large park offers grasslands, large deciduous trees and riparian habitat that bring out winter feeding flocks of sparrows, bluebirds, and warblers and year round habitat for thrashers, woodpeckers, raptors and more.

January 27: 8:30 a.m. Canada Larga Leader: David Torfeh 805-794-5334

Meet near the beginning of the road off Hwy 33. We will carpool from that location as we walk and drive this long county road. Target species will include Barn Owl, Western Bluebirds, Lark Sparrow, Roadrunner, Phainopepla and various species of swallows.

People of many faiths come together for SOS!

“First we pray, then we act for justice.” So the Rev. Dr. Betty Stapleford opened the Interfaith Prayer Vigil at the “Sunday of Solidarity with Refugee Families” in Ventura on December 9th. It was held at the corner of Victoria and Telephone at the Ventura County Government Center.

Dr. Stapleford is a Unitarian Universalist minister in Santa Paula and co-chair of Ventura County Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE-Ventura County), convener of the event.

Dr. Stapleford welcomed the large crowd present and continued, “On this Sunday of Solidarity we have gathered to draw strength from each other and from those who have traveled so far, only to languish at our Southern border but with the hope of claiming asylum in the United States.”

Anne Ward, a member of the North Oxnard United Methodist Church and part of the organizing committee, said, “People of faith are frustrated. We cannot accept the fact that those seeking asylum are being treated so poorly and our asylum laws are not being followed. We cannot allow such cruelty to continue in our name.”

“Judeo-Christian scripture tells us repeatedly to welcome the stranger,” said event co-chair the Rev. Melissa Campbell-Langdell, pastor of All Saints Episcopal Church in Oxnard.

Stories of some of the migrant asylum seekers were read. Prayers were said for the migrants and for the people there to strengthen their resolve to call for changes to policies now hurting would-be asylum seekers. The vigil concluded with a call to action emphasized by the blowing of the Shofar, the Jewish ceremonial ram’s horn, by Rabbi Lisa Hochberg- Miller of Temple Beth Torah in Ventura.

Those present were charged with taking actions to ameliorate the situation at the border: contacting elected representatives, serving at the border, and donating to organizations that are supporting the migrants.

Event co-sponsors included:  Indivisible Ventura, Democratic Moms of Camarillo, Indivisible Ojai, Buen Vecino, and Coastal Alliance United for A Sustainable Economy (CA– USE).

CLUE-Ventura County is on the web at www.cluevc.org and can be reached via email at [email protected].

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We are healthcare advocates

Goal is to raise $10k to get a Children’s Dream Racer Car built

by Jolene Bibian

I’m part of a committee planning a local 5k in Ventura scheduled for January 12th, 2019.

This event is our first attempt at our goal of raising $10k to get a Children’s Dream Racer Car built for VCMC Pediatrics unit. These cars are built by Mark ‘Smitty’ Smith who worked on NASCARs in the 90’s. He sold his shop in 2008 to use his talents in building Children’s Dream Racer cars for children in hospitals receiving care. They are designed to help ease the anxiety of children going through treatment and help them “just” be kids in an otherwise scary situation.

I’m the president-elect of “Ventura County Association of Health Underwriters”. We are not underwriters, but rather healthcare advocates. VCAHU proudly serves our community with a vision of providing access to private sector solutions for health insurance through the unbiased advice of local agents and brokers.

Incoming presidents of the local association are encouraged to lead an event within the association prior to their term as president. Typically, these are aimed at our own industry by way of professional development. This time around, we decided to do an event that was community facing. If we meet our goal, and get that car to the kids, we will be the first west coast chapter of our national association to do so! We would love for our VCMC kids to have one of these cars and for our community to be a part of making that happen! The power of play is a vital resource for the healing process.

Registration is open for the 5k and readers of the Breeze can use a promo code BREEZE to receive a discount.

We encourage registering before Dec 12th to help in planning efforts.

People can donate and register online: https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Ventura/VCAHU5k

We are also actively looking for community members to fill our sponsorship spots or include their raffles prizes for the morning of the 5k.

MERITO Foundation: Inspiring our youth to become environmental stewards

Volunteers sorting the debris they picked up…some is trash and some are recyclables. Photo courtesy of MERITO Foundation

Sustainability Now News
by Maryann Ridini Spencer (@MaryannRidiniSpencer)

“We all deserve to live in a world with clean air, clean water, and abundant, healthy food sources and it’s all our responsibility for the care of our planet,” said Rocio Lozano-Knowlton, MERITO Foundation’s Founder and Executive Director. “Research has shown that the best time to influence children and reinforce healthy habits is from a young age. At MERITO Foundation, we’ve made it our mission is to teach children how to think, act and live sustainably.”

MERITO (Multicultural Education for Resources Issues Threatening Oceans), established as a not for profit in 2014 after being a program of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary for nine years, educates youth about ocean health and environmentally friendly practices through education programs, hands-on conservation, and in-the-field citizen science experiences.

“We work to provide opportunities to demonstrate to students first-hand how their actions can impact the environment,” said Lozano-Knowlton. “During field retreats, students learn about our watershed as well as collect field data that contribute to ongoing scientific research.” In our in-classroom educational outreach programs, they engage in the development of environmentally-friendly products as well as spearhead projects and activities that help reduce their school’s carbon footprint and utility costs.”

MERITO’s two main programs feature MERITO Academy, a comprehensive hands-on Earth, and ocean science education program that provides educators with the tools to teach students about current issues facing our ocean and coastal environments. The EECCOA Program (Energy Efficiency to Mitigate Climate Change and Ocean Acidification), is a project-based science education program that provides energy, climate, and ocean literacy services and products to 8th-12th-grade teachers and their students. Every year the program culminates with a public award ceremony honoring event winners with cash prizes. Both MERITO Academy and EECCOA are aligned to the Next Generation of Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core Standards (CCSS).

“The teachers can select certain components of our programs based on their needs (i.e., curriculum, field experiences, student projects, etc.). Our only requirements are that teachers instruct 10-15 lesson plans through the school; allow us to administer pre and post-program evaluation to their students, and to guide their students to deliver an end of year projects,” continued Lozano-Knowlton.

With MERITO programs, teachers choose when and which lessons to teach, as well as if they would like to have their students participate in MERITO’s field experiences.

MERITO works with a host of top educators and environmental and ocean science professionals to help develop their bilingual curricula, field activities, instructional guides, and educational videos, and to date, MERITO’s teacher training workshops have trained 413 educators working with school districts across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

“Through our programs, students get exposed to careers in science, technology, engineering,” added Lozano-Knowlton. “The knowledge they gain helps encourage them to pursue careers related to the ocean, the environment, as well as art-related fields, all with the intent and a passion for preserving our precious natural resources.”

“When we take students out into the field or expose them to issues impacting our natural environment, we’ve found the kids love to come up with ideas and solutions that make a difference,” said Lozano-Knowlton, “Engaging in environmental problem-solving and contributing possible solutions excites and empowers them.”

The MERITO Foundation has educated 14,581 students to date in understanding our watershed, ocean, and climate change sciences programs at over 25 public schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Help support MERITO Foundation’s mission, donate or volunteer. Find out more about MERITO’s programs and events. Visit www.meritofoundation.org or email [email protected]

Cabrillo Middle School brings home robotics honors

Celebrating their victory!

The Riptide Robotics team from Cabrillo Middle School in Ventura recently participated in the First LEGO League Los Angeles Area Championship Tournament, after winning the Champion’s Award at the Ventura Regionals. They came home with the coveted First LEGO League Research Project Award for the work they did on their project, the “Veggie-Sphere.”

This year’s theme “Into Orbit” allows teams to build and compete with their robots but also expands the challenge and asks all teams to develop a project that would allow for humans to stay alive, healthy, and happy while living and working in outer space. This team took the problem of growing food in space and developed the “Veggie-Sphere.”

“Finding a way to grow food in the dark, without gravity, and very little soil was a hard problem to tackle. Through many tries and failures we think we developed a way that would allow astronauts to grow vegetables in these conditions,” stated team member Sam Quiroz.

“We were provided with the opportunity to talk with NASA Engineers in Florida, we took a tour of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labs and worked with engineers at Sessa Manufacturing who assisted us in developing our prototype,” stated team member Connor Upham.

Coached by JD Sessa, the Riptide Robotics team is made up of ten students; Alicia Ali, Alexander Blomquist, Olivia Blomquist, Emiliano Ferro, Matheus Gamble, Sam Quiroz, Burton Sessa, Conner Upham, and Scott Vreeland. The team is currently fundraising and looking for additional sponsors to assist them with project/robot costs and the purchase of two new laptops. Individuals can donate to their GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/help-cabrillo-robotics-blast-off and companies who wish to sponsor can reach out to fundraising committee member and team parent, Marieanne Quiroz at [email protected].

FIRST LEGO League is an international program for 9 to 16-year-old children (ages vary by country) created in a partnership between FIRST and the LEGO Group in 1998 to get children excited about science and technology – and teach them valuable career and life skills. Children work alongside adult Mentors to design, build, and program autonomous robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS® and create an innovative solution to a real-world problem as part of their research project.

Museum of Ventura County names new Library and Archives Director

Deya has launched library renovations and new programs including collections reorganizations and building renovations.

The Museum of Ventura County has announced Deya Terrafranca as its new library and archives director. Terrafranca will be responsible for managing all aspects of the regional special collection and historical research library, including collection development and supervision of more than 20 volunteers.

Terrafranca’s appointment follows the retirement of Charles Johnson, who came to Ventura County nearly 30 years ago to take the position as librarian and became the Museum’s longest serving staff member.

The library houses more than 170,000 items relating to Ventura County’s history including maps, photographs, newspapers, books, periodicals, manuscripts, oral histories and video tapes, including many rare and one-of-a-kind, articles of incorporation and other county records.

“One of the Museum’s goals is to increase the public’s accessibility to the full breadth of the incredible library collection that has been amassed under the leadership of Charles, the Museum’s Accessions Committee and its many volunteers,” said Elena Brokaw, the Museum’s Barbara Barnard Smith executive director. “Deya’s experience working with Charles on this goal will help maintain continuity in moving it forward.”

In addition, Terrafranca will spearhead the Museum’s commitment to ensure that all at-risk collections are conserved and properly cared for, and that the entire collection is housed in one consolidated, climate controlled and ADA-compliant space that allows discovery, instruction, research, and collaboration.

Terrafranca has worked at the Museum for nearly two years in a variety of positions from visitors’ services and administrative support staff to advancement director, responsible for cultivating corporate and individual donor opportunities, increasing membership and developing and promoting the museum’s diverse programming, events and exhibits. Terrafranca holds a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and a bachelor’s degree in sculpture and political science from Concord University in Athens, West Virginia.

In her library experience Terrafranca has worked in administration, cataloguing, reference, research, circulation, and programming. She has served as programs coordinator, supervising city librarian and assistant director of library systems in Ventura and West Virginia. In those roles she launched library renovations and new programs including collections reorganizations and building renovations.

“As a librarian, my experiences in libraries have ingrained a deep respect for a sense of place; I believe our history can help us connect to that sense of place and create a sense of belonging. I think belonging is critical to active engagement in our community’s life and future. The first-year plan for the library is to increase the public’s access to the full breadth of the incredible library collection which has been amassed under the leadership of former librarian Charles Johnson, the Museum’s Accessions Committee, and many additional volunteers. My goal is to ensure that all at risk collections are conserved and properly cared for, and that the entire collection is housed in one consolidated, climate controlled, and ADA compliant space that allows discovery, instruction, research, and collaboration. That goal is several years out but we are getting jump start on it! The community’s access to this rich cultural history has to be expanded and that will take place through a consolidated catalog, online access to the collection contents, and digitization of items like maps and photographs.”

“We are thrilled to have someone with Deya’s qualifications take over the role of library and archives director,” said Kate McLean, the Museum’s board chair. “Her extensive knowledge and library expertise, coupled with her first-hand experience with the Museum, makes her an ideal person to step into the role. We will support her efforts in every way possible.”

Vol. 12, No. 6 – Dec 19, 2018 – Jan 2, 2019 – Forever Homes Wanted

Say hello to Ripley! This gorgeous girl is friendly, playful, and loves affection. She knows some commands and is a great learner! Her favorite activity is fetch and she is quite the pro at it. Not only is she easy to walk, but she is also easy to bathe! She loves to get scrubbed during baths and doesn’t give her volunteer friends any trouble. She has wonderful manners and can’t wait to find a loving family that will appreciate her many wonderful qualities. Ventura County  Animal Services – Simi location – 670 W. Los Angeles Ave Ripley A690403

Hi: I’m Anakin a 7 year old Labrador mix who is in need of a new home as I started not getting along with my litter mates. I have a great personality – active, affectionate playful and outgoing. I know basic commands and I’m good on leash. I’m house and crate trained, know how to use a doggie door and will let you know if I have to go outside. I’m good with older children, but have never been around younger ones. I just want to be loved. Canine Adoption and Rescue League C.A.R.L.

The Ventura Film Society is about to be reborn.

Reception introduced the new Ventura Film Society 2.0.

The Ventura Film Society 2.0 hosted a reception at the Museum of Ventura County on December 7th to preview its 2019 season. Commentary from past VFS members and introductions from past VFS director Lorenzo Destefano, along with new Executive Director Mike Miller were presented.

The Ventura Film Society is about to be reborn. Founded by Ventura-based filmmaker Lorenzo DeStefano in 2008, the VFS brought over 400 films to discerning audiences before going on hiatus in 2016 so that Lorenzo could produce and direct his film, Hearing is Believing. He has just completed his play Shipment Day which opened in Hawaii.

By video Lorenzo congratulated the new VFS Team of Mike Miller, Braedon Freeland, Gina Nemo, John-Arthur Ingram and Justin Viar as they embark on the next generation of bringing independent films and filmmakers to Ventura. He also thanked all who have supported the Society and asked for their financial support as well.

“Please support their efforts in the coming months as they continue on their own path of celebrating Film as Public Art and bringing people together in the dark.” stated Lorenzo Destefano, Founder & Former Director, Ventura Film Society.

The Ventura Film Society’s mission is to provide a foundation for our community to grow and thrive through the art of film with imaginative and compelling cinematic experiences in our city.

A possible way to reduce dementia

African Americans are more likely than whites to develop the condition.

Older African Americans with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who got help setting goals to be more socially, physically, or cognitively active had slower memory decline than those who did not receive such help, concludes an NIA-funded study published Sept. 10 in JAMA Neurology. The results point to a possible way to reduce dementia risk in African Americans, who are more likely than whites to develop the condition.

Past studies suggest that a more active lifestyle may help prevent cognitive decline, but few of these studies have included African Americans. MCI—a condition in which people have more memory problems than normal for their age—often, but not always, leads to memory loss and other signs of dementia.

In the study by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, 221 African Americans age 65 and older with MCI (average age, 76 years; 79 percent female) were randomly assigned to one of two interventions, and 164 completed the trial. One group received “behavioral activation,” in which community health workers helped them choose goals to be more active, then develop step-by-step action plans. Goals included, for example, relearning how to play chess or rejoining a church group. The control group received “supportive therapy,” conversations with community health workers that did not involve setting goals. Both groups had 11 one-on-one, in-home sessions with African-American community health workers, with each session lasting 1 hour, over 2 years.

After 2 years, the behavioral-activation group participated in significantly more cognitive activities, the researchers found. There were no differences in physical or social activity levels. Both groups had memory decline, measured by performance on a standard memory test, but the behavioral-activation group declined by just 1.2 percent, compared with 9.3 percent for the control group. In addition, behavioral activation was associated with stable everyday function and improved executive function.

The study provides evidence that a behavioral intervention can slow memory decline in older African Americans at risk for dementia. Although several factors may influence cognitive decline in this population, it’s possible that planning a more active lifestyle could reduce the disparity in dementia risk between African Americans and whites.

This research was funded by NIA grant 1R01AG035025. ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01299766.

Reference: Rovner BW, et al. Preventing cognitive decline in black individuals with mild cognitive impairment: A randomized clinical trial.JAMA Neurology. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.2513.

Eligible for the Medicare Special Enrollment Period Due to the California Wildfires?

by Rick Beavin, California Market President Humana

The federal government has announced a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for people with Medicare impacted by the wildfires in California and who live (or did live at the time of the disaster) in impacted areas where the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared an emergency or major disaster. This SEP is also available to people who don’t live in impacted areas, but rely on help making health care decisions from friends or family members who live in the impacted areas.

The SEP will run at least through March 8, 2019, giving individuals with Medicare additional time to change their Medicare medical and prescription drug plans for 2019, including Medicare Advantage plans, in the event they were unable to do so during another qualifying enrollment period.

If you are eligible for Medicare, qualify for the SEP, and haven’t yet selected a 2019 Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Plan here are four simple steps to help you make the best decision:

1. Review your current Medicare health plan. Look at what you’ve spent on health care in the past year, including hospital expenses and prescriptions. Evaluating what you spent in 2018 will help you decide whether your current health plan meets your needs, both financially and medically.

2. Know your options for Medicare coverage:

· Original Medicare (Medicare Parts A and B): Provides basic coverage for medical services and supplies in hospitals, doctors’ offices and other health care settings. Original Medicare does not include coverage for most prescriptions and includes cost-sharing in the form of deductibles and coinsurance.

· Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C): Includes all the coverage offered under Original Medicare, and typically also includes prescription drug coverage. Medicare Advantage plans may include additional benefits as well, such as dental, hearing and vision coverage; a nurse advice line; and a fitness program. Medicare Advantage plans are offered through private insurers, like Humana, and are steadily gaining in popularity: The number of Americans choosing this option is expected to climb to 36 percent in 2019, up from 33 percent in 2017, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

· Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Medicare Part D): Offers coverage for prescription medications. Such a plan can be added to Original Medicare, a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan or to some Medicare Advantage plans (that do not include prescription drug coverage), some Medicare Cost Plans, and some Medicare Medical Savings Account (MSA) plans.

· Medicare supplement (Medigap) Plans: Pays most costs not included under Original Medicare, such as deductibles and coinsurance. These plans do not have a set provider network, and enrollment is not limited to the Medicare Annual Election Period but they are often subject to underwriting. These plans are also sold by private insurance companies, like Humana. Medicare Supplement plans on the market today do not include prescription drug coverage.

3. Comparison shop. Research a plan’s out-of-pocket costs, and its network of doctors and hospitals. Check to see if your prescriptions are on your plan’s formulary (list of covered drugs), as these can change each year. Compare plan benefits, such as dental, vision and hearing benefits; a fitness program; virtual doctors and behavioral health coverage.

4. Ask an expert. You are not alone! There are resources if you have questions:

· If you prefer to learn more in person, you can meet with a licensed sales agent. To speak to a Humana licensed sales agent call 1-877-877-0714 (TTY: 711) 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, seven days a week.

· If you prefer to do your research online, you can visit websites such as Medicare.gov and humana.com/medicare to view and compare plans in your area.

· You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (TTY: 1-877-486-2048) 24 hours a day, seven days a week to speak to someone by phone about 2019 Medicare plan information.

To learn more about Special Enrollment Periods, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (or TTY: 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, seven days a week.