Get Out into Nature at Galt Preserve
By Jo Ann Kirby, The Record, Stockton, Calif.
Jul. 5–Grab your camera and check out the sights and sounds of nature today at the Cosumnes River Preserve in Galt, where the public is invited along on a guided walk.
The event, which will feature tips from volunteer naturalists on photographing nature’s beauty, is just one in a whole calendar of family-friendly activities the preserve hosts each month. The July schedule includes a bird count and a guided paddle on the Consumnes River for those who bring a canoe or kayak.
On Wednesday, Tony Coppola and his 3-year-old daughter, Anna, were scouting locations to launch their own boat. The Elk Grove resident said he has visited the nature center many times as a teacher accompanying students on field trips and he planned to bring his family back Thursday.
“We just saw two huge turkey hawks,” Coppola said as he and Anna left the preserve’s visitor center. “They have this message board where people write down when and where they spotted wildlife. Kids really like it here.”
Outreach coordinator Jeff Rhoades said the preserve is open all summer for hiking, kayaking and bird watching. Many families enjoy using the preserve’s floating dock to launch small watercraft. Rhoades pointed out several paths for walking, including the paved Lost Slough Wetlands Walk.
“That one is great for moms with strollers,” he said of the mile-long trail. “It’s universally accessible.”
Another trail, the Consumnes River Walk, is a 3-mile dirt path. Part of it is closed due to work by Pacific Gas and Electric but more than a mile is still accessible.
The Consumnes River Preserve is staffed by volunteers in the summer who lead walks, give talks, help restore vegetation, conduct paddle trips and assist in monthly bird counts. On Wednesday afternoon, the preserve’s youngest volunteer was staffing the visitor center.
Ten-year-old Marcos Cabrera said there are plenty of things kids will find interesting at the preserve.
“It’s exciting,” he said.
And what makes it exciting?
“Whenever I see a bird or butterfly or animals,” Marcos answered.
Contact reporter Jo Ann Kirby at (209)546-8256 or jkirby@recordnet.com.
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Copyright (c) 2008, The Record, Stockton, Calif.
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