YMCA Camp Jones Gulch invites you to attend our Annual Spring Open House Sunday, April 19, 2009, 12:30 to 3:00pm

Meet our staff and join us for a day of fun! At YMCA Camp Jones Gulch we take great pride in the programs and services we have to offer. Please join us at our Annual Spring Open House to sample our program activities and tour our beautiful 927 acre facility.

Take a walk through the Buckeye Grove, stroll through the Valley of the Giants or enjoy a guided tour of our Leadership Ventures Ropes Course.  Our facility is a resident camp for youth ages 6-16, a retreat center for groups of all ages and sizes of up to 400, and the Outdoor Education host site for San Joaquin and San Mateo Counties. 

Open House activities include: Climbing tower, zip line, archery, facility and garden tours

There is no charge to attend this event but please RSVP on or before Wednesday, April 15th     (650) 747-1200.

A barbeque lunch is available from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased via phone or at the barbeque.
The cost for lunch is $10.00 per adult and $7 per child. All proceeds will benefit our Strong Communities Campaign and Kids to Camp Scholarships.

YMCA Camp Jones Gulch
11000 Pescadero Road
La Honda, California 94020
http://www.campjonesgulch.org

Montara photographer Robert Buelteman will be exhibiting his work at the Seed Gallery of Photographic Art, in the Thoreau Center at the San Francisco Presidio from April 9 through June 6, 2009. The opening will be Thursday from 5-7pm.

Says the photographer in a letter on the exhibit: "This exhibition is special to me, as I sought out this opportunity to express my commitment to the preservation of our biosphere.  I first found my voice in the 1970’s volunteering my time for a variety of service organizations, and later, with the visionary guidance and support of Audrey Rust at the Peninsula Open Space Trust, learned the joy of giving my art a purpose bigger than myself."

Mavericks has announced the close of their waiting period without a big wave surfing contest.

That much-anticipated call was never issued this year, however, as contestable conditions did not develop during the waiting period, and the giant appears to be entering its annual slumber until next season.

"After consulting with a large number of the Mavericks family—Contest Director Jeff Clark, longtime Mavericks competitors, agencies focused on environmental protection and public safety, surf forecasters, and our sponsor partners—we have decided to conclude the 2009 waiting period and turn our eyes towards next season," said Mavericks CEO Keir J. Beadling.  "I want to personally thank our army of more than five-hundred special human beings and seventy-five committed organizations for their efforts in getting ready and staying on alert for Mother Nature this season.  It’s a tremendous undertaking unlike anything else, and we’re very lucky to have such a passionate support crew."

Cunha Intermediate will host an "Open House" Thursday night.  Dinner is at 5:30 provided by Spanish Town Restaurant and is $8.00 per person.  The Cunha Band will provide entertainment.  At 7:00 pm there will be a brief presentation to parents of new, incoming students in the Multi Use Room and from 7:00-8:30 pm all the classrooms will be open.  Great way to see the new construction! You can also meet all the Staff.

Coastside Mothers’ Club presents its 15th annual preschool open house, with 14 Coastside preschools open to the public on April 18.

The Coastside Mothers’ Club presents its 15th annual Preschool Open House hosting 14 Coastside preschools from Half Moon Bay to Montara.  The preschools will be open for tours on Saturday, April 18, 2009 from 10:00am – 1:00pm.

The Preschool Open House is a great opportunity for interested families to meet directors and teachers, discuss curriculum, daily schedules and other program information, pick up enrollment forms and inquire about waiting lists.  No RSVP is required for the open house tours.  Attendees may visit any preschool on the list at their leisure during open house hours.

This event is open to the public and free of charge as a community service to all Coastside residents.  Children are welcome. 

Open Preschools Include:

With the window closing for Mavericks in 2009, organizer Jeff Clark has extended the deadline for waves by a week, reports NBC Bay Area.

That’s because he extended his permit to hold the contest until April 8 and there is a chance that the waves will be big enough Sunday or Monday.

The ideal conditions would be waves around 30 to 40 feet.

"At this point, the storm season and winter are breaking down and  we’re going into spring now, and summer is soon to follow," he said. "We  don’t get snow in the summertime, and the same storms that bring us snow  bring us big waves in the winter."

Mavericks has been skipped three times since it began: in 2002, 2003 and 2007.

Become a Volunteer Naturalist & Sanctuary Ambassador.  Share Your Passion for the Ocean Become a sanctuary volunteer and inspire others to discover the San Francisco-based Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary—one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world.

During our 4-day training, you will learn how to interpret sanctuary exhibits, feed animals in our cold saltwater aquaria, and collect and view plankton from the historic tide station pier in the Presidio. Join us and discover the sharks, whales, seabirds and all the diversity of life just outside the Golden Gate!

Training will be at the sanctuary San Francisco office in the Presidio; with a field trip to the California Academy of Sciences. Volunteering will be at the Gulf of the Farallones Visitor Center & special outreach events.

Training schedule; applicants should save the following dates & times:

April 23rd, 7 pm - 9 pm (Thurs)
April 25th, 9 am - 1 pm (Sat)
April 30th, 7 pm - 9 pm (Thurs) 
May 2nd, 9 am - 1 pm (Sat)

Applications must by received by 5pm, April 10th Applications can be downloaded at: http://farallones.org/documents/NC2009.pdf or requested by contacting Justin Holl at (415) 561-6622 x308 or [email protected]

A "body in a wetsuit" reportedly found at Montara State Beach Monday afternoon turned out to be a decomposed seal or sea lion, reports Channel 5.

A fisherman reported the body around 3:30 p.m. in the area of Eighth Street and state Highway 1, according to San Mateo County sheriff’s Lt. Ray Lunny.

Search and rescue personnel responded to help reach the body due to the difficulty of the steep cliff and rocky shoreline, Lunny said. The body was initially reported to be clad in a wetsuit.