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August 2021 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 1
& AUGUST 2021
KEEPING NATURE'S AVIAN WORKFORCE ON CULINARY ANGELS Founded by Lisa THE WING McNaney in November
By Jody Morgan
The California Condor, North America’s largest terrestrial bird, boasts a wingspread of over nine feet. Thanks to the tireless efforts of dedicated scientists, the iconic bird of prey was saved from near extinction in the late 1980s. Still critically endangered with only 504 known survivors at the Kestrel Banding: Carie Battistone bands an American Kestrel chick as part of a nest box monitoring study. (Photo close of 2020, the condor courtesy of CA Department of Fish and Wildlife) symbolizes what is possible and what must be achieved to put other diminishing species on the rebound and stabilize populations of non-endangered raptors facing the same threats that make the continued existence of the California Condor problematic. Teams of citizen scientists are helping professional ornithologists document and respond to the complex factors involved in keeping raptors on the wing. Thanks to their contributions, there’s lots of good news to temper the bad. Raptors are key members of nature’s pest control workforce. Their prey ranges from rodents to insects. Carrion consumers, including condors, prevent the spread of disease by cleaning up decaying carcasses. But how can you get a bald-headed bird that relishes rotten meat to solicit support? In Nature’s Flying Janitor, Victoria Cox and Stan Applebaum succeed in introducing children to an essential avian helpmate. “For years, I have been portrayed as The American Kestrel is North America's smallest a villain. In Western movies, I am usually seen perched on a daytime-foraging falcon. (Photo by Greg Cochran) cactus or a dead tree, waiting for a lost prospector to give up and die. ... But I am not really a villain. I almost never attack a living creature. I just wait around to do my part in Nature’s Sanitation Corps. I help to keep the landscape tidy. You could call me a ‘flying janitor,’ but my name is Turkey Vulture.”
See Raptors continued on page 20
Local Postal Customer
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit 263 Alamo CA
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By Fran Miller
of 2016, Culinary Angels is a volunteer, donationbased organization that provides nutrient-rich meals and nutrition education to those facing serious health challenges. Meals are delivered free-of-charge throughout Livermore, Dublin, Pleasanton, San Ramon, and Danville; about 95% of recipients are undergoing cancer treatment. Michelle Bradley and Nafisa Lillie Culinary Angels was created to not only provide hope, health and wellness, but to give the opportunity to exemplify nutritional education to its recipients. Volunteers are trained to cook with as many organic ingredients as possible with a focus on nutrient-rich, plant-based, seasonal ingredients. Culinary Angels believes this helps promote health, wellness, and hope to people who are compromised by their challenge. McNaney shares more:
See Angels continued on page 12
BEYOND THE HORIZON AND TINY HORIZON STORIES
EUGENE O’NEILL FESTIVAL SEASON 2021
Just beyond the horizon this September is the exciting return of The Eugene O’Neill Festival. The 2021 Festival Season has offerings for all individuals to get involved – both virtual and live. The festival’s centerpiece will be a filmed version of O’Neill’s first great drama, Beyond the Horizon will be released on October 2nd, via the Eugene O’Neill Foundation (EONF), Tao House website. Supporting the unique
See O’Neill continued on page 6
The Editors Serving the communities of Alamo, Diablo, and Danville
Volume XXI Number 8
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Volume XII Number 8
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