Interview with Mike Tyner's brother Tim Skeens

Photo courtesy of Ventana Wildlife Society

On May 19, 2012, a memorial gathering was held at the Hi Mt. Lookout to celebrate the life and work of our dear friend Mike Tyner. A number of Mike's family members were in attendance that day, and Hi Mt. volunteer John Fitzrandolph sat down with Mike's brother Tim Skeens to ask him a few questions about Mike's life.

John recently found the recording he made of the interview, and thought it might be something Mike's friends would enjoy hearing. Mike's family has given their blessing to share it with the world via this website. Tim has a great speaking voice, and he shares some wonderful and poignant insights.

We hope that Mike's story will continue to inspire and uplift both those who knew him, and those that have only heard of him. Thanks to Tim Skeens, Nancy Tyner, and John Fitzrandolph for making it possible to share this interview.

You can listen to a web stream of the interview here:



Or, you can download the interview as an mp3 podcast (13mb) from this link.

Marcelle Bakula Named Cambria Citizen of the Year

We are very proud to announce that Hi Mountain Lookout staffer Marcelle Bakula has been named as Cambria California's Citizen of the Year!

Marcelle Bakula has been a volunteer since with the Lookout Project since 2004, and has become the driving force behind our fundraising and volunteer training efforts. Marcelle helps keep the Lookout open to the public (during spring and fall) in order to educate visitors and provide tracking data. She also helps with the Annual Open House, Winter Bird Festivals,  and all kinds of other public outreach.

"The Cambria Chamber of Commerce has selected Marcelle Bakula as the town’s 2013 Citizen of the Year. She was among three candidates recommended by a group of previous Citizens of the Year. The chamber board made the final decision. Bakula is an inveterate volunteer and ultimate organizer who leads and coordinates all sorts of events, from art auctions to wildlife care, from the historical society bookstore to a classic bicycle race and other events."

You can read the entire article at the Tribune website here. Congratulations Marcelle, and thanks for all you do!

Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2012/12/20/2334215/marcelle-bakula-is-cambrias-citizen.html#storylink=botnext#storylink=cpy

Mike Tyner Honored in the Congressional Record

It gives us great pleasure to announce that our Mike Tyner has been honored in the Congressional Record by a statement made on December 12, 2012 by Congressman Sam Farr.

"Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise today to honor the memory of Mike Tyner. Mike gave his life to help endangered species flourish, and his life is a reminder that we can all play a part in devoting ourselves to making the world a healthier and more beautiful place."

You can read the entire text here.

Jan Hamber - Protector of the Condor

From the Santa Barbara Independent
http://www.independent.com/news/2012/nov/21/local-heroes-2012/

Jan Hamber - Protector of the Condor

Of all the species faced with extinction, few came as close and meant so much as the California condor. “It was the symbol of wilderness,” recalled Jam Hamber, who’s fought for the bird’s survival since the 1970s. “It was the symbol of freedom.”

Wanting to be a naturalist since age 9, Hamber started bird-watching as a Cornell University student in the 1950s, and began volunteering in 1959 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, where, among other duties, she painted the tule reeds, set cactus spines in the original bird exhibit, and helped clean birds after the great oil spill of 1969, the year she was also hired as an employee. In the mid 1970s, legendary naturalist Dick Smith needed help tracking condors, and she signed right up. “It was my dream to be an outdoor naturalist, not an indoor naturalist,” said Hamber, who still works at the museum today as a condor archivist. “It was my dream come true.”

From 1976-1985, Hamber tracked a pair of condors named Groucho and Spot and participated in many of the recovery program’s milestones, including her call to the trappers who captured the last wild condor. “It was one of the hardest things I ever did,” said Hamber of that event on Easter Sunday 1987. “It still affects me.” But she doesn’t regret it, never agreeing that, as some argue, the bird should have gone extinct with dignity. “I don’t think there’s anything dignified about being poisoned with lead and slowly dying in a month,” said Hamber, who’s frustrated that lead ammunition remains the dominant yet preventable cause of condor woes.
Thanks to Hamber and the countless others she’s worked with over the years, those 27 last condors bred and are now 410 individuals, including 230 flying free in the wild. Said Hamber, “My goal has always been to save the species.”