THE SEA RANCH SOUNDINGS
PAGE 4 SUMMER 2007
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“BEAST IN GARDEN” AUTHOR WARNS SEA RANCHERS by Laurie Mueller
There is a beast in our garden,
warns author David Baron, and we
must be prepared to respond to his
presence. Baron’
s message about
mountain lions in our midst was
of great interest to the overflow
crowd at Del Mar Center who
turned out on March 31
st
to attend
Baron’s presentation based on his
best-selling book, The Beast In the
Garden.
A veteran NPR reporter, Baron was
prompted to write his book after
covering a fatal cougar attack in
1996 in Auburn, California. His
research soon led him to Idaho
Springs, Colorado.
In 1991, the town of Idaho Springs,
Colorado, nestled in the foothills
of the Rockies, was horrified by
the death of a teenager attacked
from ambush by a mountain lion
while jogging a short distance
from his high school on his lunch
break. After a two-day search, the
partially eaten body of 16 year-old
Scott Lancaster was found covered
with leaves.
While Baron’s book deals with
the specifics of the Idaho Springs
incident, The Beast In The Garden
also touches on the wider topic
of changes in human interaction
with wildlife as homes move into
wilderness areas. Baron’s slide
show presentation provided an
excellent overview of the issues
facing these communities.
SIGHTINGS INCREASE
In recent years mountain lion
sightings and reports of mountain
lion attacks on livestock, pets and
people have increased in many areas
throughout the Western states. While
attacks on humans by mountain
lions continue to be extremely rare,
they have polarized communities
where they have occurred, dividing
people into two opposing camps:
one group who regards the animals
as an unacceptable threat and wants
them to be killed and another group
who feels that humans have invaded
the animals’
territory and wishes to
continue protecting them.
Early settlers and ranchers uniformly
regarded mountain lions and other
predators as vermin to be destroyed,
and hunters and trappers were
rewarded with handsome bounties
for the animals they killed. As
threats from predators subsided and
appreciation for the role predators
played in the balance of nature
increased, these attitudes changed.
Bounties were removed and animals
such as wolves, bears and
mountain lions were protected.
This change has resulted in
unintended but predictable
consequences. No longer hunted
or poisoned, the number of
predators has increased while, at
the same time, more people are
choosing to live in areas close to
wilderness. Inevitably
, there are
more contacts between humans
and wild animals and more
opportunities for tragedies such as
the death in Idaho Springs.
“NATURAL” SURROUNDINGS
INVITE PREDATORS
According to Baron, the
groundwork for the Idaho
Springs attack was laid twenty-
four years earlier. In 1967, the
citizens of nearby Boulder voted
to retain the beauty of their natural
surroundings by building a wide
swath of greenbelt around their
community to preserve open space
and wildlife habitat, Baron points
out that while the terrain appeared
“natural”, it was, in fact, artificial.
Trees were planted and trails were
built as part of a managed park-
like area, designed for human
recreation and enjoyment. This
artificial landscape provided
additional food and cover for area
wildlife.
Since hunting was restricted or
prohibited, prey species such as
deer lost their fear of humans and
began venturing out in mid-day
photo courtesy of California Department of Fish and Game www.dfg.ca.gov.
SUMMER 2007
THE SEA RANCH SOUNDINGS P
AGE 5
HanneLiisberg.com
HANNE LIISBERG J.D.,LL.M BROKER ASSOCIATE 707. 884.3885 [email protected] WWW.HANNELIISBERG.COM
WHO SAYS SEA RANCH REAL ESTATE IS SLOW?
In 2006 Hanne Liisberg closed sales worth $13.5 million
Since December 2006 she has sold the following properties
$1,850,000 Unit 24 $468,000 “Church Site” lot
$1,225,000 Unit 34a $1,755,000 Unit 15
$1,295,000 Unit 28 in escrow $1,345,000 Unit 35B in escrow
PACIFIC REAL ESTATE
SEA RANCH BROKER ASSOCIATE FOR BUYERS AND SELLERS
A comparative market analysis is available for your property
Please call Hanne Liisberg for an appointment
rather than waiting until twilight
to graze upon the abundance
of attractive grass and foliage
growing in the greenbelt and in
homeowners’ back yards.
Where the deer moved, mountain
lions soon followed. Mountain
lions, who normally hide and
rest during the day, followed the
changing behavior patterns of
their preferred prey and began to
hunt during the day where the deer
congregated. No longer hunted,
lions had also lost their natural
wariness. As homes moved closer
to the wilderness and deer moved
among the homes, mountain lions
came into closer contact with
humans.
EXPERT HUNTERS
Male mountain lions, which can
weigh up to 200 pounds at maturity,
have a hunting range of about 50
square miles. Female lions are
somewhat smaller at between 80
and 130 pounds with a 30- square-
mile range. A male lion’s range may
overlap with the ranges of several
female lions and their cubs. As
cubs mature, they must find their
own hunting range. Increasing lion
populations place mountain lions in
even closer proximity to humans as
young lions spread out to find new
territory. In Colorado, naturalists
believe that the expanding lion
population spread from Boulder
along the Front Range to reach
Idaho Springs.
The mountain lion is a powerful
predator. An adult male can
bring down a full-grown bull elk.
Mountain lions generally hunt
from ambush and attack their prey
from behind. While deer are their
favorite prey, mountain lions are
opportunistic hunters and will
attack other wildlife, livestock, pets
and even humans if they seem to be
an easy catch.
As ambush hunters, mountain lions
are experts at concealment and
are rarely seen by their prey or by
people who may pass by them on
the trail. When looking for potential
prey, lions tend to select either
young animals or lone animals
away from the herd. Most human
victims of mountain lion ambush
attacks have been children or lone
adults.
PARALLELS WITH SEA RANCH
As Baron described the situation
in Boulder, it became clear that
there are many parallels to our own
community. We live close to a
wilderness area and most residents
enjoy and even encourage the
variety of wildlife we can often
view up close. Deer are abundant
and graze openly during the
daytime. Predators such as bears,
bobcats and mountain lions are
seldom hunted or molested and
have little reason to fear humans.
Sighting mountain lions in daylight
is a strong indication that they have
taken up permanent residence in
the area. Judging from the large
number of hands that went up when
the forum audience was asked who
had seen mountain lions in our
local area, we definitely have a
beast in our garden.
WHAT WE CAN DO TO REDUCE
THE RISK
According to Baron, communities
have considered several possible
solutions to reduce the threat of
mountain lion attacks:
1. Eliminate Deer
2. Eliminate Lions
3. Educate People
4. Frighten or Annoy Lions
Mountain lions are protected by
California state law, and killing
either the lions or the deer they feed
on usually faces strong community
opposition, which make options
one and two politically unfeasible.
Boulder and other communities
have focused on educating people
on the best ways to reduce the risk
of mountain lion attacks.
While communities have also
experimented with ways of
frightening or annoying lions,
such as using rubber bullets, loud
noises and extremely bright lights,
public education seems to be the
most effective method of reducing
the number of attacks by mountain
lions.
To reduce the likelihood of an
ambush attack
•Don’t walk alone
•Don’t walk at dusk or at night
• Keep dogs and children close to
and in front of you
If you encounter a mountain lion
•Do not approach it
•Back away, do not turn and run
•Look as large and intimidating as
you can
•If you or a companion are attacked,
fight back or beat off the attack
To protect livestock and outdoor
pets
•Put roofs on livestock pens or pet
runs
•Confine animals at dawn, dusk and
night
•Don’t allow pets to wander
Living Lightly With Lions.
Local efforts to educate our coastal
community about mountain
lions are being organized by a
recently formed non-profit group,
Living Lightly with Lions, which
sponsored the forum with David
Baron. The group is currently
collecting data and has asked local
residents to contact Joel Crockett
at The Four-Eyed Frog bookstore
in Gualala at 884-1333 with any
information they may have about
local mountain lion sightings or
incidents. For further information
about the group’s activities, call
Rich Perry at 785-2096.
RESOURCES
The Beast In The Garden: A
Modern Parable of Man and Nature,
by David Baron
California Department of Fish and
Game
Keep Me Wild website at www
.
dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/ has useful
information about interactions with
California wildlife including deer
and mountain lions
The Mountain Lion Foundation
www.mountainlion.org
a California nonprofit conservation
and education organization
Living Lightly With Lions, a local
educational non-profit organization
Contact: Rich Perry 785-2096
IF YOU SEE A MOUNTAIN LION
•If you happen to spot a
mountain lion on The Sea
Ranch, please contact Security
at 785-2444 (non-emergency
number) so that they can place
signs in the area warning people
of the lion’s presence.
•Inform the Living Lightly
With Lions group of any
local sightings, so that they
can add the information to
their database. Contact: Joel
Crockett at 884-1333 or
Since David Baron’s lecture, six
local sightings of mountain lions
have been reported, including a
confirmed sighting near Horicon
School.
MOUNTAIN LIONS from page 4
THE SEA RANCH SOUNDINGS SUMMER 2007
PAGE 6
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We invite all Sea Ranchers to join our active group
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Help us change the balance in 2006!
SAVE THE DATE FOR “SAVE THE LIGHT” CULINARY EVENT
by Rae Radtkey
SAVE THE LIGHT CULINARY
CELEBRATION
Saturday, September 15, 2007,
2p.m. to 5 p.m.
Dancing from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
At Point Arena Light Station
While busy with her new restau-
rant, Hughes is simultaneously
serving as volunteer Food Direc-
tor for the Save the Light Culi-
nary Celebration Committee. The
Honorable Chairperson of the
Committee is Pauline Zamboni,
Hughes’ longtime friend. Zambo-
ni—who has been seen helping out
at Lorca—is owner of The Inn at
Victorian Gardens, which reopened
its guest rooms and dining room
in June. For reservations, contact
Pauline Zamboni at 707-882-3606.
Zamboni’s late husband chef Lu-
ciano Zamboni had the inspiration
for the Save the Light, a culinary
celebration for Point Arena Light
Station. At the time of his death in
2006, Luciano Zamboni was the
president of the Board of Direc-
tors of the Point Arena Lighthouse
Keepers Inc. He had a dream of
bringing leading chefs together at
the Point Arena Light Station to
cook with him in an effort to raise
funds for the Save the Light cam-
paign which Zamboni spearheaded
in 2005. Hughes is part of a com-
mittee of friends of the Zambonis’
and the Lighthouse who have com-
mitted to carrying out this dream.
The Save the Light event, sched-
uled for Saturday, September 15,
2007, will bring together as host
chefs: John Ash, chef, author and
teacher; Margaret Fox, founder
of Cafe Beaujolais, and currently
Catering Director of Fort Bragg’s
Harvest Market; Shannon Hughes;
Russ Parsons, Food Editor of the
LA Times, and Congressman Mike
Thompson, well-known as an en-
thusiastic and skilled cook. Hughes’
efforts will coordinate the food and
chefs for the event. The chefs will
be cooking for their guests under
the tent at the Light Station from
2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The event will
feature music and dancing to “The
Swingin’ Boonville Big Band.”
from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The culinary celebration will open
the Point Arena Light Station’s
fundraising campaign to raise
$200,000 in matching funds for
major restoration to which the Point
Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc.
Board of Directors have committed
to ensure the future preservation of
an historic national treasure.
The Inn at Victorian Gardens is
the founding sponsor of the Save
the Light event. Pauline Zamboni
serves on the Board of Directors
for the Lighthouse Keepers and has
committed to being Project Man-
ager for the proposed restoration
project.
Zamboni, who is known for
the elegance of events she produced
at Victorian Gardens, is an integral
part of the volunteer committee
planning the Save the Light event.
The festivities under the tents begin
at 2 p.m. with food prepared by the
celebrity chefs served until 5 p.m.
and local wines served until 7 p.m.
Virtually all food, wine, and labor
for this event will be donated. The
event offers a special opportunity to
visit the Light Station, participate
in a tour of the 115-foot lighthouse
tower, enjoy a self-guided tour of
the 137 year old historic Fog Signal
Building that houses a museum and
gift shop. Attendance at Save the
Light Culinary Celebration of the
Point Arena Light Station will be
limited to 300. Culinary Celebra-
tion Supporters will receive two
tickets for their $500 donation, rec-
ognition, and priority parking for
the event.
Tickets are $150 donation per
person. To become a Supporter
or purchase tickets contact Point
Arena Lighthouse Keepers at 707-
882-2777. You can also request
tickets by emailing PALight@mcn.
org or mail your payment to Point
Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc.
at P. O. Box 11, Point Arena, CA
95468. For further information
about the event, visit our website
www.PointArenaLightHouse.
com. The Point Arena Lighthouse
Keepers, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-
profit corporation.
*Note: The Lighthouse Keepers
are looking for volunteers for
the event. Contact Rae Radtkey,
Executive Director, for more
information 707-882-2811.
Lisa Scott for her creative and self-
less leadership towards establishing
a more effective design department.
Jeff Pond for inspired and effective
leadership of the Facilities and Re-
sources field crews.
CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIA-
TION
Presented by Director Derek Bray
to a group “who have consistently
performed above and beyond our
expectations”:
The Staff of The Sea Ranch
Water Company provides for
the daily maintenance and opera-
tion of a complex system. Bray
said, “They have the expertise and
OUTSTANDING SERVICE
AWARDS
Leigh Mueller presented the awards
to four members of the TSRA staff
for exceptional effort to benefit the
Association:
Janice Bonora for her successful
assistant editorship of the Bulletin
and pursuing improvements to Sea
Ranch communications.
Lin Plescia for assuming and suc-
ceeding in development of a new
emergency radio communications
structure capability within disaster
operations at Sea Ranch.
dedication to keep the water flowing
while responding to emergencies on
a 24-hour basis.” They were: Brad
Clayton, Mary Condon, Russ Hay-
ter
, Steve Reeves, Hunter Stanland,
Chuck Steffen, Marc Taylor and Bill
Ward.
Before announcement of the elec-
tion results, Election Committee
Chair, Norm Wohlken, invited
members who had comments about
the election process to send their e-
mail to [email protected]. The
Election Committee will be meeting
shortly to assess the election pro-
cess. by KG
ANNUAL MEETING from page 3
SUMMER 2007
THE SEA RANCH SOUNDINGS P
AGE 7
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Email: [email protected]
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Captivating Arch Rock
BETTY BUFFUM GOURAUD,
JANUARY, 2007
If Sea Ranch could be said to have
a heart, it would probably be The
Sea Ranch Chapel. In 1985, Betty
and Robert Buffum, who vaca-
tioned in their home here from the
earliest days of Sea Ranch, were
inspired to build a non-denomina-
tional chapel for meditation and
spiritual renewal. They bought the
land (then part of OCI property),
engaged famed San Diego artist/
sculptor James Hubbel and gave
him free reign to design a structure
suitable for meditation and prayer.
Working from just a clay model,
contractor Thamby Kumaran led
local carpenters and sculptors in the
construction of the chapel. Sculp-
tor/carpenter Bruce Johnson said
of the chapel, “…in spite of the
effort and unique design and exqui-
site materials and beautiful stained
glass, there will be modesty and
tranquility there. The scale is inti-
mate and the building and site fi t…
This chapel has a life of its own and
we have just helped it along.”
The chapel is dedicated to the mem-
ory of Kirk Ditzler
, a young artist,
aviator and zoologist who believed
that art is the intermediary between
the physical and the spiritual. The
soaring lines of the structure are
reminiscent of some of his art. At
completion, the Buffums donated
the chapel to The Sea Ranch, in ad-
dition to an endowment to cover
most of the cost of use and mainte-
nance. Donations cover the rest.
Betty Buffum Gouraud died in
January 2007 in San Diego. She
was born in Mineral Wells, Texas
but grew up in Pacifi c Palisades,
California. After graduating from
UCLA in 1941, she married Robert
Buffum. After their divorce, Betty
married Jackson Gouraud in the
1980ʼs. He preceded her in death.
Robert was a native of California
and graduated from Stanford. He
died in Petaluma in 2001. Betty
and Robert were generous support-
ers of the arts. Betty was especially
active in providing marketing op-
portunities for crafts of Far East
refugee women. She is survived by
daughter Deborah Buffum May.
ROBERT A. BOGUSKI, SR.
AUGUST 25, 1934 – MARCH 2, 2007
The Sea Ranch has lost a 30-year
resident, Bob Boguski, who died
suddenly on March 2, 2007. Sea
Ranchers and friends mourned his
loss in a memorial service on March
31 at Mary Star of the Sea Chapel
in Gualala, followed by a reception
at Gualala Arts Center.
A successful electronics industry
executive, Bob held positions in
New York, Southern California, and
Silicon Valley. He and his wife Pat
fi rst came to the Sea Ranch in the
mid-1970ʼs, eventually purchasing
their own home on Timber Ridge
in 1977. Weekend residents for
twenty years, Bob and Pat became
permanent residents in 1997
following the closure of their San
Jose electronics business.
The Boguskis participated in
numerous Sea Ranch activities.
They were fi xtures among family
and friends at many a summerʼs
beachfront fi sh fry. Pat served from
1979 to 1981 on the Sea Ranch
Board of Directors. Bob frequented
the Sea Ranch Golf Links for
nearly 25 years. In recent years he
operated a successful housekeeping
and property management business
here on the North Coast.
Bob had a long and loving marriage
to Pat, who preceded him in death
by four years. His devotion to her
,
even at the expense of his own
health, was nearly all consuming in
the last years of her decline from
Alzheimerʼs disease.
He is survived by son Robert Jr. and
daughter-in-law Regina Lathrop,
of the Sea Ranch and Sausalito;
son Mark and daughter-in-law Kris
Lyons, of Oakland; and son Peter,
of Los Gatos. Granddaughters
Madissen and Remy Stewart of
Sunnyvale also survive him.
Bobʼs ever-cheerful demeanor and
friendly laugh warmed our hearts
and will be missed.
REMEMBERING...
THE SEA RANCH CHAPEL
