Monthly meetings are held from 7:00-9:00 PM on the first Thursday of each month September-June in the Padua Room of Alexander Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Dr., Claremont, adjacent to Lewis Park.
Our meetings begin promptly at 7 PM with a short bird identification (or teaching) session to help you become a better birder, followed by light refreshments and a short business meeting. Guest speakers present an evening program related to birds and/or conservation. Guests are welcome. Meeting is over by 9:00 PM.
Directions: On Towne Ave. head north from Foothill Blvd or south from the 210 freeway. Turn east on Scripps Drive (signal) and then turn south on Danbury Dr. (no signal). Hughes Center is a large ex-school building on the east side of the Danbury. The Padua room is on the south side of the building. There is easy parking and access on both the west and south sides of the building.
Mask use is based on your comfort level and current guidelines.
Meetings are on the first Thursday of the month, from September to June.
Spring 2025
Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 7 pm Jennifer Chebahtah, CalBG “Building a California Native Garden for Birds”
Join horticulturist Jen Chebatah, from the California Botanic Garden as she introduces us to the basics of gardening with California native plants. Then dive deeper as together we will use a blank slate “yard” via slideshow and build a landscape plan from scratch with specially selected California native plants that support birds throughout the year. The audience will be provided with blank paper to design their own garden using dimensions from their own home garden space. (Bring a clipboard and measurements from your yard to the meeting with you.)
In her role as a horticulturist at Cal BG, Jennifer Chebatah, takes care of about 6 acres of native plants. She attended community college at San Bernardino Valley College and received her bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UC Santa Cruz where she was fortunate to do fieldwork on the campus’ Forest Ecology Research Plot among the redwood forest. Her love of nature came from her grandpa who always had a bird field guide with him. The Coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia, is her favorite plant.
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Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Dr. Suzanne Thompson “Protecting Burrowing Owls in the Pomona Valley: The Story and Fate of the Ontario Airport Owls”
The PVAS Burrowing Owl (BUOW) Project, led by Suzanne Thompson, the BUOW Committee, and PVAS members have fought for years to protect 200 acres of prime owl habitat east of the Ontario Airport. The Airport and the city of Ontario chose big warehouse dollars over small owls and the fields were destroyed. Pitzer Professor Anne Kaneko will introduce and screen her fascinating short documentary, Operation Owl, showing dramatic footage of the owls before their homes were lost. But what happened to the owls after that? Dr. Thompson has reviewed hundreds of pages of public records that detail the fate of the owls after being removed from their home. She will tell the story of the relocated Ontario owls and the current status of the owls in the Pomona Valley, including both the promising and the less encouraging prospects.
Suzanne Thompson received a PhD in Psychology from UCLA and is Emerita Professor of Psychology at Pomona College where she taught and conducted research on the intersection of psychology, health, and medical care, as well as environmental psychology.
PVAS Annual June Meeting and Party will be held Thursday, June 5, 2025 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
please NOTE earlier start time!
What’s Involved?
Great Food – the earlier starting time is to allow a social hour from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to enjoy great food and conversation. PVAS will be providing food, but you are invited to bring a favorite dish from home. (Historically this event was a potluck and now it’s a hybrid. 😊) The social hour also gives you time to shop the…
Silent Auction – Who knows what treasures you will find at this year’s silent auction. Bird and nature themed items, homemade crafts and works by local artists can be donated before May 15 by bringing them to the April and May meetings or contacting Laura Jaoui at ljjaoui01@gmail.com. Silent Auction items can be purchased with cash, check or PayPal.
Elections and Awards – Elections will be held for the Board of Directors and the Henry E. Childs, Jr. Flock Leader Award for 2025 will be awarded to an outstanding member for their contributions to the chapter.
Entertainment – Photo Showcase and Photo Challenge – May First is the deadline to submit your beautiful bird photography for our Annual Photo Showcase and Challenge. The Photo Showcase is about “show and tell” – submit your best 15-20 bird photos and narrate the stories behind your shots at the party. This year’s Photo Challenge theme is “Birds Feeding.” (Photos can range from backyard birds on a feeder to a Great Egret swallowing a fish and everything in between.) Submit your best photo(s) to Seth Thompson at polpsych@gamil.com. Please show respect for birds and the places they need to thrive and capture your photos responsibly. Thank you. https://www.audubon.org/photography/awards/audubons-guide-ethical-bird-photography-and-videography
Cost – To help pay for the mandatory additional cleaning fee associated with a “party” a $5 donation is requested. Thank you.
