Discover Mare Island Preserve Blog

I Can See Clearly Now

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 09:28:48 -0700

Earth Day 2009 Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve
On a morning that started out dense with fog, and the slightest of chill, Archie, Robin, Gene, Phil, Doug and Myrna with the “help” of Ammo Barbie tackled an equally dense thicket of a french broom invasion and fennel infestation. The morning might also have been titled “now you see it...now you don’t” for the transformation that resulted from just a few hours of the application of enthusiasm, brute force and persistence in the removal of these two troublemakers in our native landscape.
The bonus: spectacular vistas opened up for anyone who rounds that curve in the road to for the first time take in the stunning view of the bridges over the Carquinez Strait, the shimmering water busy with vessel traffic and Mt. Diablo watching over. The narrow one-lane road to the hilltop vistapoints, widens here where a well-reinforced concrete and asphalt covered drive once led to a garage for the tractors and other equipment used by Navy workers to maintain the Naval Ammunition Depot acreage. While all that remains of the garage are concrete blocks on the hill below, the driveway we uncovered will make a fine flat spot for plein air painters, wheelchair users and hikers ready for a rest and restful view along the roadway trail. With the broom removal previously completed by Brian, Sue, Myrna and Doug on the old lighthouse road that intersects the roadway trail here, we can see our way clear to someday open that road up for a short jaunt along the bluffs through oak woodlands with magic clearings of native flowers sheltered from the blustery bluffs and breezes above.

Thanks to Sue for the reinforcements of homemade chocolate chip cookies and for putting out the direction signs and being the sentry at the entrance. Val, Richard, Frances, Nell and Sallie greeted the lucky visitors who stumbled onto the OPEN sign on the gate. Our visitors included a guy on the largest souped-up bright orange motorcycle I have ever seen (bringing the wife next time we’re open), John Johnson who used to work at the NAD out teaching his son Jason to drive, a couple from Fort Bragg killing time for an hour till their son who lives on Mare Island returned home, Ron who grew up on Navy bases and people on bicycles (Dave and Donna Steffens from St. Paul, Minnesota took a bike ride from their boat moored at the Vallejo Marina out to Mare Island and discovered us).

A Mare Island Tribute to USS Boston Shipmate Ray Andersen

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:13:00 -0700

As we promised, Sue and I did visit the Mare Island Naval Cemetery today to pay our respects to Ray Andersen, our inspiration for opening the Preserve to the public after 150 years of being off-limits. Ray died of a heart attack last week just a few days short of the one year anniversary of our Second Saturday Access Day. Here’s a short little movie of photos we took today at the memorial erected for 15 members of the crew of the Protected Cruiser Boston who died in an ammunition explosion at Mare Island Naval Ammunition Depot in June 1892. More than a century later, we honor Ray, a former crewman of another USS Boston in the U.S. Navy’s fleet. We’ll miss you Ray! Click here to watch Sue’s movie. We invite you to come out soon to the Preserve. Ray would have wanted you to!

If it Were a Snake it Would Have...

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:38:03 -0700

Brian Collett and Doug Smith happened upon this “beautiful “ rattlesnake at the Preserve on our Second Saturday, April 11th. This was a day of discovery, from golf balls hidden for the modified easter egg hunt to a new find of white “blue-eyed grass”. Brian has submitted this unusual photo taken in a spot in the Preserve the snake probably didn’t expect anyone to find it in, so it was not able to get away or coil to strike. Don’t try this at home!!! We have Brian to thank for swiftly compiling information about “our” rattlesnakes and writing up a thorough list of do’s and don’ts. Play it safe, please, please, please. Your very best bet is to stay on the roadway trail and keep your dog(s) on leash during the spring, summer and fall. This sure helps with ticks, too.
Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
Crotalus viridis oreganos
One of the more notable wildlife species found to occur on the Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve is the Northern Pacific Rattlesnake. It is a subspecies of Western rattlesnake and is the only venomous snake found in Northern California. The rattlesnake plays an essential role in the Preserve’s ecosystem. As a “pit” viper, it preys upon small mammals, birds and lizards. It uses its tongue and heat sensing pits to sense its prey. When it bites its prey, the snake will release 20-55% of its venom, which is 300 times what is needed to kill a small rodent. This excess venom is used to break down the tissue of the animal which then enhances its digestibility. The northern pacific rattlesnake hunts during the day on warm days, but waits until nightfall when the days become hotter. They are most active in spring and fall, and in the morning and twilight (or at night in warm weather). In cool weather or in the evenings, rattlesnakes will bask on logs or rocks that have absorbed the sun’s heat. When it’s hot, they seek shade under rocks, ledges, logs, brush, and in crevices, holes, and cracks.
It is hunted by various birds of prey, including the red-tailed hawk.
They are typically shy, non-aggressive animals that try to avoid contact with humans. They tend to strike only when startled or provoked. Given the opportunity, they will retreat when encountered by humans. Most snake bites occur when a snake is intentionally or accidentally disturbed or touched.

“V” is for Viper - How can you tell if it’s a Rattlesnake?
Northern Pacific rattlesnakes are often smaller than snakes seen in the movies or on television. Typically they are less than three feet long, though five foot northern Pacific Rattlesnakes have been observed. However, they can be distinguished from other non-poisonous snakes found on the Preserve including gopher snakes and garter snakes by their distinctive body shape and markings. They have comparatively thicker bodies (up to three inches) and blunt tails and then typically their characteristic rattles. But rattlesnakes can lose their rattles, so don’t just rely on seeing the rattles for identification. Northern Pacific rattlesnakes usually have large, rectangular blotches along their backs, against a main body-color of brown, gray, or olive-green, and black and white bands right before the rattle (See photo). Viridis, the species name, means ‘green’ in Latin, and comes from the snake’s occasional distinctive green cast. But rattlesnakes have wide variations in color and pattern; so check the other traits to positively identify it as a rattlesnake. Also useful in its identification is the shape of the head. Rattlesnakes have a wide, “V”-shaped head, much wider at the back than the front, and a distinct, thin ‘neck’ area as typical of all viper type snakes. Non-poisonous snakes in California generally have heads the same width as their bodies, with no discernable ‘neck’ region. The non-venomous gopher snakes are often mistaken for rattlesnakes. Gopher snakes have sharply pointed tails without rattles, and when relaxed, their heads are narrow with a relatively smooth transition to the body. However, when alarmed, gopher snakes may flatten their heads; vibrate their tails, and strike, which makes them easier to mistake for rattlesnakes.

How to Avoid Rattlesnakes and Rattlesnake Bites – Leave them Be!
Rattlesnakes are active spring through fall in California. In warmer weather, you are more likely to encounter rattlesnakes under rocks, ledges, or logs. In cooler weather, watch out for them on top of rocks and logs. If a rattlesnake senses your approach and has an avenue of escape, it will leave the area, probably before you ever see it. Startling a snake by touching it or coming too close is the way most people get bitten. If the snake cannot escape, it will flatten its body and head, and rattle its tail to give you warning. Should you encounter a rattlesnake, or hear its warning rattle, stand still until you have located the snake, then walk away from it calmly. Rattlesnakes cannot crawl as fast as you can walk, and you should have no trouble leaving the area. Though rattlesnakes can strike in a split second, they can only strike within a distance of one to two and a half feet.
The following tips can help you avoid snake bites:
• Wear hiking boots.
• Stay on paths, trails and other designated routes.
• Avoid tall grass, weeds, and brush where snakes may hide.
• Look for concealed snakes before picking up rocks, sticks, or other objects.
• Check carefully around stumps or logs before sitting down.
• In general try to observe where you will place your next step.
• When climbing, look before placing your hands. Snakes climb walls, trees, and rocks.
• Keep hands and feet out of areas you can’t see, such as holes, or piles of rocks or brush.
• Consider using a walking stick when hiking. If you encounter a snake it may strike the stick instead of you.
• Walk heavily, snakes may sense the ground vibration from your footsteps and leave the area.
• Baby rattlesnakes are poisonous and do bite!
• Don’t handle a dead snake; if it was recently killed you can still be bitten as a result of a reflex response.
• Don’t tease a snake.
• Teach children to respect snakes and to leave them alone.
• Give rattlesnakes the right-of-way.

Visitors should not kill or attempt to move snakes of any type. If you are concerned about a snake you have encountered on the Preserve please report it to one of the Preserve docents. In the United States each year, an average of 800 people are bitten by rattlesnakes. Of those, only one or two die. More people are killed by bee and wasp stings than rattlesnake bites.

There is some truth to the old saying: “The first one over the log wakes it up, the second one makes it mad, the third one gets bitten.” EVERY Shoreline Heritage Preserve visitor should look before reaching or stepping.

“Egg Scramble” and One Year Celebration

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:32:44 -0700

Our Easter Egg and Golf Ball Hunt was a pretty great success if you consider that kids were netting as many as 40 golf balls to exchange for easter eggs! See the action on Sue’s Egg Scramble movie. Then, there was the one year anniversary celebration with cake and brownies Sue made. Thank you Sue! It’s been an amazing year, hasn’t it?! Thank you Frances, Val and Richard for deploying cake and brownies to the hungry crowd! Bring on the chocolate...it’s time to thank someone else, too. Gabriel and his team at Cagwin and Dorward, the landscape contractors for Lennar Mare Island beautifully mowed the egg hunt area in front of the Visitor Center and the strip along the road, too. Thank you all!

Our Dear Friend Ray Andersen Has Died

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:14:17 -0700

This evening after an exciting and fun-filled one year anniversary of our Second Saturday Access Days at the Preserve, where we held our first annual Easter Egg and Golf Ball Hunt (see Sue’s movie, “Egg Scramble”), and celebrated our anniversary with cake and brownies, we are so very sad to learn of the unexpected death of our friend Ray Andersen of Michigan. You see, he was the inspiration for opening of our beloved Preserve to the public just one year ago. It was his heart-breaking story of driving over 3500 miles (one-way) to pay his respects to the crew of the USS Boston buried in our cemetery, only to find the gate locked, that prompted Myrna and Sue to open the Preserve to the public, in April 2008, a month after receiving his email letter. We have gotten to be great friends of Ray’s and through him and his friend Edgar, we have met a great group of folks, all former shipmates aboard one of the last 3 of the 7 USS Bostons that have served in the U.S. Navy fleet. For our dear friend Ray, we pray for “fair winds and following seas” wherever your journey now takes you. We offer our sincerest condolences to Ray’s family, his wife, daughter and her family.

And, to Ray’s fellow USS Boston Shipmates, Edgar, Walt, Barry, Art and others who have become such special friends across the country, we offer our love and deepest regrets for the loss of your fellow shipmate. In his and your honor, we will visit our Naval Cemetery at Mare Island, which he tried so valiantly to visit, and pay our own respects to him as family and friends gather for a celebration of his life Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 10:30am in Grand Haven, Michigan.

Know that Ray will always have a place in our hearts and will always be with us here in California, so far away from his home. We will never forget a man who, on the spur of the moment, drove an additional 500 miles out of his way to pay his respects to 15 members of the crew of another USS Boston who died here June 13, 1892. Ray, you are welcome to visit as often as you wish, now! No need to call ahead or have the gate unlocked. For everyone else who wishes to visit, my phone number’s on the gate. So, thanks to you, no one else will be turned away from our cemetery or park by the Road Closed sign. You are our hero!

I’ve thought as we honor you, we will sing a couple verses from the Navy Hymn, as surely your family and friends will, too.

The Navy Hymn
Eternal Father, Strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep; O hear us when we cry to thee, for those in peril on the sea.
And, when at length her course is run,
Her work for home and country done,
Of all the souls that in her sailed
Let not one life in thee have failed;
But hear from heaven our sailor’s cry,
And grant eternal life on high!
--Author and date unknown

Email note from Ray’s daughter received 04/12/09

It is with a heavy heart that I am writing this email. It's been a busy few days making arrangements and too hard for me to make phone calls without getting extremely emotional. I apologize if this news comes to you more than once; if you did not know my father well; or if I have forgotten to include someone, as I have the hard task of going through his email contact lists and trying to figure out who to contact. My Dad-Ray Andersen-passed away Tuesday evening of a massive heart attack.

My mom asked me to write my dad's obituary, so I am attaching it here along with a picture of him enjoying time with my boys-his grandsons-at our cabin. The obituary gives times and dates for the service and visitation. This obituary will appear in Monday's Grand Rapids Press and the Grand Haven Tribune. I do not think this will appear online at the vbk site listed below until Monday, due to the Easter holiday.

Please feel free to pass along this information to anyone I may have missed. My family does not need assistance at this time, but appreciates your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,
Michelle Browne (see below)

Raymond James Andersen, age 66, of Hudsonville passed away peacefully at a cabin up north in Baldwin, MI, where he loved to spend time around the campfire, talking with friends/family, cooking and surfing the internet. Ray was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend.

Ray was the third child of four born to Christian and Irene (Opacki) Andersen. He was born on February 8, 1943, in Grand Rapids. He served in the Navy on the USS Boston from 1961 to 1963. He was actively involved with fellow shipmates, the discussion boards revolving around the ship, and attended reunions each year.

He married Sandra (Shields) on July 29, 1967 in St. Andrews Cathedral. Ray and Sandy have one daughter, Michelle. He was known as Papa Ray to his twin eight-year-old grandsons with whom he loved to engineer Lego creations, play checkers and other games.

In 2008, Ray retired from Riviera Tool Company (Grand Rapids) where he had held several positions over the years, including Head of Engineering and Data Administrator.

Surviving are his wife of 41 years, Sandra; one daughter, Michelle (Randy) Browne; two grandchildren: Knoel and Kaden Browne; one sister, Arlene (John) Morris; and two brothers: Frederic (Nancy) Andersen and Phillip (Barbara) Andersen; several nieces and nephews.

The family will greet family and friends Tuesday, April 14th, 2009, from 6-9 PM at the VanZantwick Bartels Kammeraad Funeral Home, 620 Washington Ave., Grand Haven. A celebration of Ray's life will be held at 10:30 AM Wednesday, April 15th, 2009, with a viewing available at 10 AM, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church at 920 Fulton Street, Grand Haven. The family appreciates your continued prayers, support and requests memorials in honor of Raymond James Andersen be made to the Dominican Center at Marywood/Dominican Sisters, 2025 E. Fulton, Grand Rapids or Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 551 36th Street, SE, Suite C, Grand Rapids. Please visit www.vbkfuneralhome.com to confirm visitation/service times and dates and sign Ray's online guest book or share a memory with the family.