Arrived at Russian Olive trees at 5:00. Camp set up at 5:30, fire ready to go and now sitting down to eat at 5:45. Rifle range and then loud shot - honkers, down for evening, take to the sky with all too familiar honking, a flock of approximately 60 and a few mallards. Marsh hawks working till dusk, breeze from the west brings car sounds from Foothill Lane. I worked hard for Eddy Kleiner on his new wetland for 1 1/2 hours - got production going. 6:00 pm - flock of ducks up and flying around in slough. Gentle warm west breeze blows mosquitoes away and flops the tent. Ever try to eat a double row of sardines with an exacto knife? Pierce just behind the head along the back - it works ok. Have just seen two flickers hanging out in Russian olive. Have they been there all the time? Moments later, they split to the west and disappear into a coyote willow clump. The local breeze, responding to the setting sun, warms up the hills to the east of the Carson Valley. Hunter with two small boys returns with a big backpack full of decoys and one boy carrying two dead ducks. His white pick up with black pipe rack was parked near the truck at the south end of the east berm. Silver poplar grove just a few golden leaves left while the Poplar Fremontii just starting to turn a little ahead of the Truckee/Mayberry poplars. 6:30 and six mallards, two duck and four hens, come into the east channel while the moon, half full, starts to make a slow rising a couple hours ago. Wally’s lights are now visible. A soft pink glow to the east catches my eye just in time for a flicker checking out another Russian olive. So exciting, having finished eating, I don’t know which way to sit. Breeze now cooler, not so hot now in rain jacket worn because no mosquito lotion available. Coming off a three day fast, such a chore - eating! Not a cloud in the sky. Pines marsh up sierra ridgeline silhouetted in the evening sky. Mallards saying good night, the breeze brings their sounds from the west. Such a thrill, a long time dream, to be working for the Nature Conservancy. This is what needs to be accomplished now. Focus attention on this activity. This shall be my intention - how to make it work. Not by hope but by creating the causes that lead to the results. Hope is like wishing for something and this relieves the responsibility to take action to bring about the results. MOO - I wonder if the cows will pay me a visit tonight - Attracted to the fire that will soon be crackling in a sandy patch depressed and safe. Just to 15 or less. Where is the evening star? Brought a duck decoy kite but need time to put together. Would fly now but maybe there’s too much wind. Perhaps the evening star is west of the imposing Sierra ranch. The sky range disappears just west of the property. Standing on lupine mound just 4’ high next to rushes where the sandy channel bed starts. Walk on to the east channel flowing north. Clump of willows sing as they dance. A small bird chirps, quietly, then a different bird, pink sky gone now, sitting sheltered from the breeze on the channel bank. Ducks looking for a place? Did they see me hiding in the willows up just a few feet and the lights of Minden/Gardnerville now appear. Get down! Three Teal come overhead and disappear in the pond in back of the willow bank. Blue-gray glow just over the Sierra ridge line at 7:00 pm and still no stars. Lone duck overhead, big flocks come in from west. 25 honkers in a perfect V fly over east channel and find a place just 500 yards downstream. Another flock of a hundred come in from the southeast to join the first flock. 7:05 - the evening star is just over ridgeline but it’s twinkling and now it’s too dark to write. Walking in this sandy channel bottom will direct me back to camp. Moon almost bright enough to see this page. Smooth sand bed to see any animal tracks in morning. Casiopea now visible. Now 8:00 pm - can write by a small, crackling, mesmerizing fire. Just returned from a lifetime experience. Sitting quietly in front of east channel and a large bird — I presume an owl - flew just in front about 15’ in the air, straight at me, circled, again flew directly overhead, could see -moon shadow again circling from behind and a third time came in 10 feet directly in front of me. I sat very quiet, not turning, as the bird circled right behind me twice as the shadow from the moon was to the east. Wander over to dam area, scared a carp, listened to mallards, an occasional quack, a killdeer, then quiet. The wind stopped slowly coming and going till, feels still now, just a slight south breeze keeping the fire smoke in one direction. Dry cow dung helps continue the fire. I hope it’s ok Jerry, I’m stealing some of your organic matter! Not 30 meters from the car and tent was a natural sandy bowl about 3 meters across. The fire is now mostly cow dung. Soft south breeze comes and goes. So interesting to be sitting under the moon, near a small fire moving and writing with clipboard facing the fire. Killdeer and a truck backfires along Foothill Road. Big dipper now partially hidden by Sierra Ridge to the north. Flame dying down, but heat still coming, so sleep for a while. Moon over ridge about midnight or a bit later. Fire nothing but smoke, add a few chips to keep smoke coming for mosquitoes. Too cold around

3: 00, Orion is marching up to center stage. Plieades overhead, Big Dipper now circled around, totally visible through the faint glow of Carson City. Steam rises near Wally’s catching the light from a few street lamps. To the East a long string of lights from Minden/Gardnerville. Still in sleeping bag, it’s getting colder; I’ll put on another pair of pants and socks. Now at 4:00 A.M. and too cold, just lie for a while enjoying the stars, Milky Way overhead and a meteor now and then. But too cold, need to pull sleeping bag back to tent, get warm in car to write these notes and wonder at the wildlife that can survive out here after night. As I climb into the car, frost is on the car roof. Throughout the night cows would occasionally bellow and moo, a few cars along Foothill, their sounds reflected East off Sierra slopes. Now, 6:30 A.M., it’s light. I’m starching in my sleeping bag. Cold and stiff, but warmer in the tent and with more clothing on. Clouds are full of pinks and oranges at 6:50 A.M. Eat some fruit in the car, get warm and start the day as the sun glows over the eastern hills. Six small flocks of ducks and geese are flying northeast. Sun’s

Glow proceeds down the Eastern face of the Sierra, not yet to Genoa. There is always a thrill to watch flocks of ducks and geese fly in the distance. Now just silhouetted in front of the rising sun. Reminds me of my boyhood chasing flocks of geese across Iowa gravel roads waiting to see the corn field they choose. 7:14 A.M.: suns up bringing new dimension to the River Fork Ranch. Seed heads quiver in the slight breeze, bright orange and brown with the rising sun. A Marsh hawk, out for an early snack, low to the ground moving quivering from side to side, an agile flyer. I wonder where the Marsh hawk spent the night. The geese overhead under a partly clouded sky. First clouds in a week or so! Meadowlarks greet the cloudy day. A Wren flits into the rushes from wildflower berm and thistle. Scattered with a few remaining flowering lupine. Three deer bounce off after giving me a quick, nervous look. Deer peering at me from across east channel from ungrazed section of browns and tans. Browns are tall grasses while tan is Bull Rush with just a tiny bit of cattail. At extreme southwest corner 6 night herons jump up from east channel with a couple of strange noises. 9:00 AM walking fence lines and a King Fisher interrupts the other familiar sounds as it flies south over east channel. Sun comes out to make a shadow first time today. Brightens up everything. Bang, bang, bang over and over at the shooting range across Foothill Rd. A flock of Teal or something approaching. I sit down, then shooting starts again and the flock turns around and leaves the area. Conflict here? When down, camera fell out in grass? Now 9:35 AM looking for it. When I discovered it gone I had been walking for 10 min. in meadow and Bull Rush area. Found after a 15 min. search, lying in the meadow. So thankful. Now to continue my southwest loop from camp-lost in a Bull Rush Maze — better than a Corn Maze!! One needs safety glasses walking the narrow pathways made by cows and others. Back in camp at 10:00 AM. Ready for a drink, energy bar, rest. Call Amy and Jerry. So restful and calming to be sitting near my tent, looking out over River Fork and Genoa. Four small flocks of Mallards just came in one at a time about 150 in all to Slough area, a meadow lark fly by followed by a Flicker to the russian olive and white sulphur butterfly. Flocks of honkers cruising south of Wally’s off again as two hawks (red tails?) ride the air currents up higher as they cruise. Chirp chirp — what small bird may this be under partly cloudy skies. Oh I see it, a Meadow Lark-not the familiar sound I know. Just talked with Amy. She warned about experiencing hard Carson Valley winds — no more then an instant after hanging up, a gust hit the tent bending in the west side. Break camp, then start a loop to the northeast area of property. Taking digital photos and walking along sandy channel bottom that heads from Willow Club to long pond. Walking back, see Jerry’s truck. Talk for a long time about Jerry’s visions, tell stories and agree to meet next week to review east ranch areas. Mixed emotions, told about Carolyn’s influence and family history, ideas about fencing and getting to let lots of cattle in for several days to mow down vegetation, burning Bull Rush, a desire to have us come in slowly, work with what we have rather than make any big changes. Has lots of potential to improve ranching and cattle grazing. Has 250 cattle only 150 are here. He and Carolyn are working on a plan — was thankful for map so can show fence lines etc. Wind gets cold and nasty — don’t feel like making 24 hours in this weather, drop off transmitter to Amy’s home and head back to Reno 4:00 PM.