Hi Mtn. gate installations

Hello all,

This past summer and fall culminated four years of planning, obtaining approval,
purchasing and installation of the two new security gates located near the
lookout on Hi Mountain Road. Generous donations from several individuals, the
Morro Coast Audubon Society Board of Directors, and the recent fundraising
'Condor Benefit' event at Saucelito Canyon Winery made possible the $4,800 in
costs for purchases of the two gates, backhoe rental fee for two days,
contractor labor, concrete mix and other supplies used in construction and
installation. Time and labor on the project were also provided by Dave Berry,
Tom Murphey, Kevin Cooper, and Steve Schubert.

Following are excerpts from a message by Dave Berry, whose energetic and
enthusiastic volunteer efforts made the final stages of the gate installations
possible:

Steve,Dennis Byrnes and I worked on the lower gate horse step over and side panel. Weare both members of the Toyota Land Cruiser Association(T.L.C.A.)Dennis bought a 5 or 6 ft piece of pipe.... the rest of the pipe came from theForest Service. At his shop he used his wire feed welder and a lot ofwelding wire. The pipe was cut with his plasma cutter. Dennis also loaned usthe cement mixer for the upper gate. I took a total of six trips to Hi Mtn.,1st with Tom Murphey to plan the gate and two days to install the lower gate. Itook three trips up to Hi Mtn. with my 1 1/2 ton flatbed truck. Once totake measurements with the pipe panels mocked up, second to haul and install thecompleted panels for the lower gate, the third time tocarry the gate, water, gravel and cement for the upper gate.Dave

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8th Annual Hi Mountain Campout and Open House

8th Annual Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Campout and Open House Event
Saturday, October 10, 2009 (all day event)
Hi Mountain Lookout, San Luis Obispo County, Los Padres National Forest

Come and discover one of the largest and most endangered flying birds of North America. California Condors re-introduced into the wild are radiotracked from Hi Mountain Lookout, flying between Big Sur in Central California and the Sespe Condor Sanctuary in Southern California. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about condors and the effort to return these magnificent birds back to the wild. The Hi Mountain Lookout Project is a collaboration between Morro Coast Audubon Society, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service, Cal Poly Biological Sciences Department, Ventana Wildlife Society, and Pinnacles National Monument.


Hi Mountain Lookout has been restored as a biological field research station and visitor center. The interpretive visitor center has condor and other local wildlife displays and an extensive library of local natural history references.

The open house event will include condor radiotracking demonstrations, native plant identification, bird watching, and a local geology walking stroll. Volunteers and staff will be participating in a number of work projects throughout the day.

Join us for a potluck dinner, complimentary serving of wine by staff from Saucelito Canyon Winery and cheese tasting,live band music, and enjoy the sunset watch. Overnight camping is optional.

There will be Hi Mountain hats and other merchandise for sale and a fundraising auction, with the proceeds supporting our lookout project.

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8th Annual Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Campout and Open House Event

8th Annual Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Campout and Open House Event
Saturday, October 10, 2009 (all day event)
Hi Mountain Lookout, San Luis Obispo County, Los Padres National Forest

Come and discover one of the largest and most endangered flying birds of North America. California Condors re-introduced into the wild are radiotracked from Hi Mountain Lookout, flying between Big Sur in Central California and the Sespe Condor Sanctuary in Southern California. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about condors and the effort to return these magnificent birds back to the wild. The Hi Mountain Lookout Project is a collaboration between Morro Coast Audubon Society, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service, Cal Poly Biological Sciences Department, Ventana Wildlife Society, and Pinnacles National Monument.

Hi Mountain Lookout has been restored as a biological field research station and visitor center. The interpretive visitor center has condor and other local wildlife displays and an extensive library of local natural history references.

The open house event will include condor radiotracking demonstrations, native plant identification, bird watching, and a local geology walking stroll. Volunteers and staff will be participating in a number of work projects throughout the day.

Join us for a potluck dinner, complimentary serving of wine by staff from Saucelito Canyon Winery and cheese tasting,live band music, and enjoy the sunset watch. Overnight camping is optional.

There will be Hi Mountain hats and other merchandise for sale and a fundraising auction, with the proceeds supporting our lookout project.

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Benefit 7/19 @ Saucelito Canyon Winery, Edna Valley

*Note: This event is not being held at the Hi Mountain Lookout. It is being held at the Saucelito Canyon Winery tasting room in the Edna Valley of San Luis Obispo

What: Condor Benefit Mixer

When: Sunday July 19th, 3-8pm

Where: Saucelito Canyon Winery tasting room in the Edna Valley of San Luis Obispo, off of Hwy. 227 (Broad St.) on Biddle Ranch Rd.

Why: To benefit ongoing Condor research at the Hi Mountain Lookout and enjoy some wonderful, local wines

For details, click on the flyer to your left. Hope to see you there

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Sociable Hermits: A Story of Lookouts by Matt Geer

Sociable Hermits: A Story of Lookouts by Matt Geer @ youtube.com

This is actually just a 10 min trailer for a video documentary that I’m not sure ever got made. When I was an intern at Hi Mt. in the summer of 2002, Matthew Geer came up for a visit. He was shooting scenes for this movie and wanted to use the Hi Mt. Lookout as an example of a vandalized and disfunctional Lookout site. At the time, we had just barely begun the restoration process at Hi Mt, and there are a few good shots of the interior of the Lookout and the West wall before Anthony’s mural was painted. Also in this video are interviews with Kathy Ball and some magnificent aerial video of the famous Buck Rock Lookout. Hope you enjoy this, and thanks to Matthew Geer for putting this together and sending me the VHS tape. -Paul

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The Amazing Hi Mt Hummers

Lookout volunteer Peter Dullea spent some quality time on Hi Mt. last week. Peter wrote:

Actually, the hummers were the highlight of the trip. I hung the feeder Thursday morning; by late afternoon there were 15 or 20 birds competing for a perch. The great majority of the birds were Selasphorus spp. I saw two probable make Allen’s in the morning along with many Rufus, and maybe one or two female Black-chinned. At dush there was a frantic scrum involing 8 or 10 Rufus and 4 or 5 Anna’s. It was great to watch. I got a few photos with my little point & shoot digital camera, some from as near as 24″, maybe even a little closer. At one point I needed to move the feeder briefly, and 3 or 4 RUHUs came along with me, pecking at some orange lettering on my hat and trying to land on the feeder. Photos attached, for what they’re worth.

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