NATURE CENTER Winter 2014-2015 Newsletter OUR MISSION: Friends of Hidden Valley Nature Center exists to advocate for quality educational programs and activities at the Hidden Valley Nature Center; to promote preservation of the environment and conservation of natural resources; to increase the visibility of the Center and community awareness of its goals; and to raise funds through membership fees, donations, and fundraisers for the enhancement of the Center s programs and physical operations. OUR WEBSITE: www.friendsofhiddenvalley.org Board Members: President Jayne Rendel Fundraising Vice President *** Open Position *** Membership Vice President Tanya Arsenault Secretary Randi Rubin Treasurer Shannon Paul To contact any Board member, please send an e-mail message to: friendsofhiddenvalley@yahoo. com Letter from our President As always, the Friends of Hidden Valley Nature Center have been busy since our last newsletter update, and we are excited to share our progress. Fundraising to build the Nature Discover Zone outdoor classroom has begun in earnest. Thanks to Glen Ivy Hot Springs, U.S. Bank, and Riverside County Employees (donations made via the United Way), we have raised over $9,500 to date. It is a great start on the way towards our goal of raising $60,000! Some of the upcoming events include: January: iherd Sheepdog Trials will take place on January 2-5 th at Hidden Valley. Check out the flyer on page 5. February: Astronomy Night on February 20 th. Details on page 4. Homeschool Environmental Science Day Camp for grades 4 6 on February 25 th. Please see page 6 for details. March: Running Wild for Hidden Valley Fun Run on March 7 th. Please see page 4 for more details. Thank you again for your continued support of Friends of Hidden Valley Nature Center. Because of you, we are able to continue our support of our favorite nature center s fantastic educational programs, community outreach services, resident animals, and special events.
News from the Nature Center November's Nature at Night was a big success. We had close to 200 people attend. Margie and her staff modified the program to handle a larger crowd. Everyone stayed safe and had a great time. Big thanks go out to the STEM Academy students who wore the costumes and help direct on the trail AND to the Poly HS Jr. ROTC Cadets who did the face painting and helped direct on the trail as well. We also had our HVNC junior volunteers who helped with crafts, in the center, and serving hot chocolate and cookies. Margie shared, These kids (45 in total) were the backbone of the evening s program, and we could have never have pulled it off without them. Thanks to Vicki and Allen Mills!! Their sponsorship of the beautiful, new science cart helps to keep things organized and mobile in the Nature Center.
Treasurer s Report: January June 2014 INCOME Membership Dues $ 150 Nature Classroom $2,880 Donations $1,521 Fun Run $3,438 Duck Daze $1,077 Adopt An Animal $ 30 Total Income $9,096 EXPENSES Credit Union Fees -$ 5 Website -$ 60 Postage -$ 19 Misc. Supplies -$ 115 Misc. Expenses -$ 88 Fun Run Donations to Center -$5,513 Nature Explore Classroom -$2,400 CA State Mural -$1,095 Summer Camp Speaker -$ 200 Program Support at Center -$ 1,365 Total Expenses -$10,860 Member News! Just as a reminder, memberships are renewed annually. Please renew promptly so that you don t lose any of your benefits. You will receive an email when you are due to renew. Thank you for your continued support as a Friend of Hidden Valley. Volunteer! Margie and her staff are looking for assistance with computerbased tasks, greeting visitors to the Nature Center on Saturdays, and more. Please visit the Volunteering page on our website to learn more about how you can help! Board Member News If you love Hidden Valley Nature Center as much as we do, please consider joining our Board of Directors. The position of Fundraising Vice President is currently vacant. Your commitment of just a handful of hours each month will make a dramatic impact on our ability to support Hidden Valley Nature Center and all that it offers our community. We are also looking for someone with grant writing experience to join our Board. Please contact us if you or anyone you know is interested.
To sign up for the run, please visit our website at www.friendsofhiddenvalley.org, and click on the Fun Run 2015 page! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PLEASE NOTE: The price of Hidden Valley Nature Center patches will go up to $4 as of March 1 st. In 2015, Friends will be excited to offer a LIMITED number of Duck Daze patches and Bug & Reptile Day patches at those event as well.
We hope you have enjoyed this issue of our Friends of Hidden Valley Nature Center newsletter. If you have any ideas or suggestions for articles or information that you would like to see in the newsletter, please let us know. Any Board Member can be reached by e-mailing friendsofhiddenvalley@yahoo.com.