On this virtual outing, Merav Vonshak and Claire Elliott will take you on a tour of nature at these ponds, including what lives in the water, and some of the birds and plants that make this area their home. You may see (or hear) hawks, the Botta's pocket gopher, or even a damselfly.

Ogier Ponds have a unique history, and the route of the Coyote Creek has changed since the 2017 flood. You can see part of that change while enjoying other spectacular areas of the Coyote Valley. After the tour, you can come out to the ponds along the Coyote Creek Trail and enjoy the wildlife that surrounds them.

Claire Elliott is a senior ecologist with the nonprofit, Grassroots Ecology, where she teaches about and restores nature. Claire teaches an annual California Naturalist class and water pollution prevention classes in schools. In addition to restoring ecosystems in open space preserves, she designs, installs, and maintains green stormwater infrastructure projects such as rain gardens at rain barrel systems. Prior to joining the team in 2006, Claire worked for Stevens and Permanente Creek Watershed Council, Hidden Villa, consulting companies, the City of Palo Alto and the USEPA. Claire has a B.S. in biology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, one year of freshwater ecology studies at the University of Uppsala, Sweden, and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering and Science from Stanford.

Merav Vonshak is a community science organizer, leading public events and programs in the South Bay. She is organizing BioBlitz events and leading hikes and iNaturalist workshops in collaboration with many organizations, such as Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, Saved By Nature, and others. She is leading community science programs, such as pacific newts roadkill surveys and the Jasper Ridge Ant Survey. She also teaches natural history at SJSU and contributes to various citizen science projects. Merav founded the BioBlitz.club, a home for community science events in the South Bay, where people can learn about future activities and download free material, such as bird and flower guides. She has a BA in Biology, MSc in Ecology, and a Ph.D. in Zoology.

Supported by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful , BioBlitz.club, Grassroots Ecology, Open Space Authority, and Santa Clara County Parks

Photo Credit: Merav Vonshak