The Marble Bluff Fish Passage Facility is located near Nixon, NV at Marble Bluff Dam, on the delta of the Truckee River where it ends at Pyramid Lake. The Cui-ui are spawning in large numbers this year. This endangered sucker fish is found only in Pyramid Lake in Nevada. There is a series of locks, ladders and bypasses to help the fish get up the Truckee River to lay their eggs. Jeff Delong of the Reno Gazette-Journal has a front page article With cui-ui thriving, the whole river teems with several great photos – one with a whole flock of white pelicans waiting for the fish to fly out of the water right into their mouths…well, almost! This year may be a record run thanks to all the winter snow we had.
There are several you-tube videos of the fish ladders from last year’s run. Here’s one. When it is done it will show you more choices as well.
Today’s Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival parade did go on as planned, thanks to the terse last-minute budget agreements made last night. Other sources said it would have gone on anyway. Here is a list of family activities for the festival – which is officially over tomorrow, but the trees don’t know that! They are so gorgeous in full bloom! The family activities can happen any time, too! Next year will be the centennial celebration of the festival in Washington DC. Plans are already in the making for the extra special 2012 event.
There are cherry blossom festivals all over the world, of course, and here is a selection of photos of beautiful photos.
This weekend is the last one for Reno’s Rink on the River! It closes on Sunday! If you haven’t had a chance to check out your skating legs yet, go for it! The kids will have great fun!
Hours for this last weekend:
6pm – 11pm today
11am – 11 pm Saturday
11am – 6 pm Sunday
America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better this year with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees. Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.
Mark your calendar for fee-free days left this year:
* August 14-15, 2010
* September 25, 2010
(Public Lands Day)
* November 11, 2010
(Veterans Day)
And to make the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors on this summer’s fee free weekends with the their own special offers.
Here’s a tip – many of your 392 national parks NEVER charge an entrance fee. So start Planning Your Visit!
Do click the links to get to additional information!!
If you are in the San Francisco area with your family, a fun adventure awaiting you is the Presidio Habitats exhibition at the Presidio of San Francisco, a 1,491-acre National Historic Landmark and national park site. The FOR-SITE Foundation is partnering with the Presidio Trust to sponsor the exhibit through May 2011, Wed-Sun. See the Walking Map to find the eleven artworks scattered in the northwestern corner of the park. The pdf brochure can be downloaded here. The July 2010 Sunset Magazine had a nice article about it but I could not find it on-line. Here is another Sunset Magazine article about rediscovering the Presidio.
The National Wildlife Federation President Larry Schweiger had a great email I want to share with you regarding enjoying nature with the kids (The following is copied directly from the email.):
As a father and a grandfather, I’m always looking for inspiration on how to do more for my family. And so often, I find it in nature.
It’s not always easy to know how to get children outside in nature, or even find the time to do so. Sometimes the weather gets in the way, sometimes competing schedules.
But outside play is so important, even in some ways you might not know. Studies show outdoor time helps children grow lean and strong, ignites imaginations, improves attention spans, decreases aggression and even boosts classroom performance.
That’s why I thought you might appreciate hearing some helpful tips from a few “real life” dads on how to connect with your family in the great outdoors.
* Visit your local garden center. Let your kids pick out their favorite flowers, plan their dream garden or be an imaginary explorer.
* Fly a kite and take advantage of a windy day.
* Start a collection. Help your kids find leaves, rocks, flowers or other artifacts.
* Put on some boots and go splash in the mud on a rainy day.
* Mark out your own backyard nature trail using stones and branches. Have fun identifying the flora, fauna and bugs that inhabit it.
Want even more ideas? Sign the Be Out There Pledge today and you’ll get a lot more tips, information and support for making outdoor play a priority.
Whether you’re a dad yourself or simply have one in your life, take some time out this weekend to experience nature, make some memories and “grow” wild with your family – take the Be Out There Pledge today!
Sincerely,
Larry Schweiger
President and CEO
National Wildlife Federation
Today I discovered this interesting article from National Wildlife Federation magazine called Top Spring Birding Spots. Yes, Spring has sprung –even if Reno is expecting snow tomorrow! Closer to home — We had fun this weekend watching the quail and house finches at the bird feeders. The cottontail bunny family was active, too. The baby is so cute! Kids love to look for birds. They learn so quickly what to look for, too! I have other blogs on this subject. Check here.
When our daughter was small she loved to go to Happy Hollow Park & Zoo in San Jose, CA. A couple years ago it closed. Just saw that there will be a great Re-Opening on March 20, 2010. Check out the photos in the San Jose Mercury News article By Mayra Flores De Marcotte! How great will that be for the young adults with small children of their own who remembered the fun they had in the park so long ago! As part of the Measure P Safe Neighborhood Parks and Recreation bond measure approved by voters in 2000, the park closed in 2008 to undergo a $72 million green renovation. Sneak-A-Peek of the ‘new’ park here! Here’s a list of the Yelp Old Memories – it will be fun to see how the new ones after March 20 will compare!
National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Watch is a national, nature-watching program created for people of all ages. The National Wildlife Federation can use your help to track the health and behavior of wildlife and plant species nationwide. You can also learn interesting tidbits on the Wildlife Watch website – wildlife news and facts, new ideas for attracting wildlife to your backyard and community. Check it out now on www.nwf.org/wildlifewatch and see what all is available to do!
Once you are finished with exploring your own back yard, you can get more ideas from NatureFind. It is an online destination database you can use to easily find a perfect spot for watching nature close to home. It also helps you discover what parks and trails are near you.
All you do is enter your zip code and check what activities you are interested in at http://www.nwf.org/naturefind to learn what is available around you!
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MyGrandmaSue 