May your new year include lots of good books from the library, meaningful connections with your community, and delightful strolls in the park!
Many thanks to these generous donors who gave to FLF in 2022 to support enhancements and programs for the Felton LIbrary and Discovery Park.
2022 Donors Supporters $1,500+
Wild Roots Market
Contributors $500+
Barbara Kaiser
Denise Dondero Schaffer
Marilyn Robertson
Sean Wharton
Peter Dal Ferro
Community Builders $100+
Brian Frus
Doug Urbanus
Jenny Yeaney & Ti Lamb
Judi Sherman
Karen Holl & Michael Loik in honor of John Holl
Kelly Francis
The Largay Family
Todd & Betty Laporte
New slat wall sections in both the children’s area and the adult reading lounge were purchased with funds from FLF donors, and will be used for displays and information.
Events at the Library
Upcycled Calendar Art. Wednesday, January 18, 10:30 a.m.–noon. Make unique cards and beautiful small paper boxes by repurposing images from calendars! Materials will be provided, but please bring any old calendars you may have. This Community-led Learning class will be taught by Nancy Gerdt and Michele Mosher.
All January events at the Felton Branch are listed on the SCPL calendar.
Volunteer Spotlight
Felton resident Chris Soriano volunteers with FLF as the Environmental Science Coordinator on the Community-led Learning Team. He organized the fall series on fire and looks forward to this winter’s programs on SLV water and on gardening.
Chris works as the Field Programs Coordinator at the Santa Cruz Museum, where he leads interpretive programs for school groups, creates curriculum, and does classroom presentations. He also leads the Earth Stewards, alternative high school students who work in habitats countywide, including the Felton Discovery Park. Chris says, “Outdoor education is the only job I’ve had that no matter how tired you are at the end of the week, you know what you’re doing is saving the planet.” Read more about Chris here.
Discovery Park News
Plant identification signs were recently purchased and installed by the FLF Park Team to help visitors identify native plants, as one of FLF’s goals for the Discovery Park is to inspire visitors to plant natives in their home gardens. In addition to the common and botanical name, the signs feature icons of specific pollinators, essential for plant reproduction. Tree identification markers are coming soon.
Here are some fun facts about why we love having native plants in the Discovery Park. California is home to 6,500 native plant species, more than any other state. 2,428 of those natives are rare, with more than half of those found nowhere else in the world. California is one of only 36 global biodiversity hotspots, defined as places that are rich in life and also at high risk for destruction.
Two of the tallest and oldest trees in the world are natives: the Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), which can grow to 300 feet tall and 30 feet wide, and the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva), which can live for thousands of years. For more information check out this colorful poster on the California Native Plant Society website.
Volunteer Opportunities
On Saturday, January 28, weather permitting, plan to join the crew at the Discovery Park work party from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. to move young manzanita plants from under the oaks to sunnier locations and, as always, remove invasives. The welcome rains canceled the regularly scheduled work party January 7.
FSCPL Chapter News
Our Community Reads is sponsored by The Friends of the Aptos Library. Mary Coin by Marisa Silver, was chosen this year. Many events related to themes of the book, including the Great Depression, photography, and farmworkers, will be offered in February throughout the county. The complete listing is here.
FLF will sponsor two events at the Felton branch library. On February 25 at 2:30 p.m., Patti Maxine and Alison Steele will play songs of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, followed by a short documentary on Dorothea Lange, the photographer portrayed as Vera Dare in Mary Coin. The “Reading in the Redwoods” book group will discuss Mary Coin on February 22 at 6 p.m.
Celebrate endings—for they precede new beginnings. — Jonathan Lockwood Huie
