Point Arena Lighthouse is pleased to present the sixth season of the popular Lighthouse Lecture Series. Each presentation takes place in the Fog Signal Building Museum on the third Saturday of the month and features a local naturalist, historian, volunteer or expert presenting on topics of public interest relevant to the Lighthouse or our area. Lectures in September through May will begin at 4 p.m. and lectures in June through August will begin at 5 p.m.  All lectures last approximately one hour. Lighthouse volunteer extraordinaire Kitty Wolfe put together this great lineup for this year:

Saturday, January 19, 4 p.m.  – CANCELLED due to illness

Saturday, February 16, 4 p.m. – Robin Joy Wellman on California Collection – The Project of the Sonoma- Mendocino Artifacts in St. Petersburg Kunstkamera – Presented

Saturday, March 16, 4 p.m. – Sara Bogard on Open Space Preserved: Harbor Seals and other Inhabitants of the Point Arena Lighthouse and the Point Arena/Stornetta Public Lands – Presented

Saturday, April 20, 4 p.m. – Katy Tahja on Emily Fish Introduces Lady Lighthouse Keepers! – Presented

Saturday, May 18, 4 p.m. – Dr. Nancy R. Morin on Plants of the Mendonoma Coast–what have we learned, and what mysteries remain? – Presented

Saturday, June 15 – Scott Mercer on Large Baleen Whales of the Local Coast – Presented

Saturday, July 13 – Michael B. Combs on Point Arena in the 1950’s – Growing Up in a Beehive of Activity – Presented

Saturday, August 17, 5 p.m. – Eric Wilder – Kashaya Pomo Song Story – Presented

Saturday, September 21, 4 p.m. – Doug Forsell on Birds and Mammals of the Eastern Aleutian Islands, or why Tufted Puffins are the Coolest Seabirds – Presented

Saturday, October 19, 4 p.m. – B Bryan Preserve Hoof Stock Managers Eunice Contreras & Zane Krakowski on I am a Zookeeper! – Presented

Saturday, November 16, 4 p.m. – Jeanne Jackson on The Fascinating World of Fungi

Saturday, December 21  – CANCELLED

Admission to all lectures is $5 per person (except October 19 lecture by Eunice Contreras & Zane Krakowski, see details in Future Lectures below), with the proceeds benefiting the Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc.  To make reservations or for more information on our lecture series and other special events, see our Calendar of Events or call the Lighthouse at 707-882-2809 extension 1.

Spotlight On Our Next Lecture

Photo by Craig Tooley

On Saturday, November 16  at 4 p.m. Jeanne Jackson will present “The Fascinating World of Fungi“ as part of the Lighthouse Lecture Series.

Mendonoma Sightings author Jeanne Jackson, joined by fungi foragers Hal Ferguson and Catherine Miller, will present a slideshow of edible and non-edible mushrooms that grow on the Mendonoma Coast. You will learn some of the basics of foraging, a fun activity for the entire family. This lecture will be perfect for beginning foragers.

Photo by Craig Tooley

Fungus has symbiotic relationships with various trees. You will learn which type of tree you might hope to find a particular type of mushroom, when the first mushrooms appear and what time of the year various edibles appear.  If the first edible mushrooms have appeared in time for this presentation a tasting will be provided. Recipes for some of the most common edibles will also be shared.

Jeanne moved to the coast 24 years ago from the San Francisco Bay Area where she grew up. 14 years ago she queried Editor/Publisher of the Independent Coast Observer, J. Stephen McLaughlin, about writing a column where people share their nature sightings. Jackson’s popular column has expanded to be one full page (and sometimes more). To further share the many photos she receives every week, she started a daily Sightings blog from her website www.mendonomasightings.com. Jeanne enjoys hiking with her husband, Richard, and their rescue golden retriever, Duffy, believing that her connection with Nature adds immensely to her life.

Future Lectures