Will Jeri Lewis inspire you?

Wherever she lives, Jeri Lewis takes her passion for conservation with her.  Our Wildlife Tree signs mark her movement from Arizona to southern and now the central coast of California.  Imagine her good fortune!  The oak studded hills of Arroyo Grande are her back yard!  But to Jeri, good fortune is also opportunity.  She has recently joined the Board of Arroyo Grande “to influence the conservation of our majestic dead oaks for continued critical habitat.”  Jeri knows the ultimate mission of a tree!  It can take an oak (or some other species) hundreds of years to commence its slow decline.  Life doesn’t end when the last leaf falls.  Nature has a plan for the tree, and wildlife are the primarily beneficiaries.

Jeri’s community maintains 50 acres of open space, she says.  It serves as a corridor for cougar, deer and coyotes, and supports many birds including hawks, owls and songbirds.   She says that Acorn Woodpeckers benefit greatly from the deteriorating oaks.  And we know that if they do, so do other cavity-nesters within that habitat!  But to provide additional support, Jeri and a neighbor have installed nest boxes for flickers, bluebirds, kestrels, barn owls and screech owls.  Her next step is an educational effort to raise public awareness about the rodent management services birds of prey and other wildlife provide.

We hope Jeri inspires you to do the same.