About Our Tarsier Class for 4 - 6 Year Olds

Kumusta, our PaaMano Eskrima® Program teaches Eskrima and specially developed skills for 4 to 6 year olds. We focus not only on providing the foundational skills necessary to become successful martial arts practitioners but also on developing balance, coordination, self-confidence and helping students meet and exceed important child-developmental milestones. "Balance is the pillar beneath every skill we have," says Marjorie Woollacott, Ph.D., professor of human physiology at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

We incorporate important developmental exercises and foundational eskrima skills into interactive drills and games. Our Tarsier’s classes are fun as well as challenging. While we are committed to providing an enjoyable and welcoming training environment, respect for self and others is our primary principal. Our program fosters self-reliance, initiative, cooperation and collaboration.


Our students also have the opportunity to perform in shows at different events and venues throughout California, through our PaaMano Eskrima® & Performing Arts Company. The Filipino Martial Arts has a unique history. During Spanish occupation, practicing the Filipino Martial Arts was outlawed. Masters had to train in secret. For 300 years they practiced and taught under penalty of death. Thanks to them Eskrima was saved for us today. We want to honor their legacy and sacrifice by continuing to share the art.




Tarsier students will learn the foundations for: rolls front and back, breakfalls, footwork, offensive and defensive timing and distance, balance techniques, punches, kicks, noodle drills and basic Eskrima with single and double sticks. Our 45 minute classes disguise repetition in fun games and drills as well as teach the basic principals of respect and focus.

Register Now for upcoming September classes at PaaManoEskrima@gmail.com

Class Times
Friday 4:45pm-5:30pm
Sunday 11:45am - 12 noon


Maraming Salamat Po!

www.PaaManoEskrima.com

For any questions please contact us at PaaManoEskrima@gmail.com 

PaaMano Eskrima's Organizations

PaaMano Eskrima & Performing Arts

PaaMano Youtube Channel 

PaaMano Eskrima Facebook

Roland's Martial Flow

Kadan Martial Arts 

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Aurora's "Speak Your Art Blog Hub" combines posts from seven of her other blogs: In the Flow Studios Arts, In the Flow Studios Body, I Love Shelter Dogs, Mana Keepers, PaaMano Eskrima & Performing Arts, Self-Actualization thru Women's Empowerment and Speak Your Art Poetry. It brings her organizations together and offers her readers an easier way to follow new posts in one convenient location. 

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PaaMano Eskrima Sundays offers advanced martial artists as well as beginners the chance enjoy and learn  our style of Filipino Martial Arts.

PG Roland Ferrer brings his 40 years of martial arts experience to our Sunday practices. Use this link to learn more about Roland Ferrer.

About PaaMano Eskrima - Our Filipino Marital Arts Style

PaaMano Eskrima literally means paa-foot, mano-hand, Eskrima-skirmish. Master Roland Ferrer created and founded this style in 1992. The style combines multiple styles of weaponry with empty hand concepts as well as kicking applications. Elbows, knees, takedowns and disarms are an integral part of the system.  Eskrima is a flowing and rhythmic art.

Its’ practice was outlawed by the Spanish conquistadores. The Filipino people had to find a way to keep their art alive to pass down to the next generation. They solved this problem by incorporating the martial art into some of their traditional dances. The martial art was hidden in dance for centuries.

PaaMano Eskrima was created to honor all the evolutions and changes of the art throughout the ages. The Sayaws (dance/forms) created for this curriculum are a balance of accuracy and application with flow and artistry. They are a tribute to the fine warriors and performers that for so many centuries kept the art alive for us to enjoy today.


We are grateful for all the different Arnis, Eskrima and Kali, styles, instructors and practitioners for keeping the art alive for future generations and for sharing FMA with the world. Salamat po.

Advanced Eskrima Class
Sunday, 10am - 11am
•For advanced martial artists
•Admittance by PG approval only

The PaaMano Eskrima Advanced Program was developed for advanced martial arts practitioners in any style that also have intermediate/advanced eskrima training. These are fast paced classes that incorporate advanced empty hand, knife, single stick, double stick, sweeps, takedowns, joint-locks, throws and ground work. This is the first time PG Roland has agreed to teach these techniques outside of his immediate family.

Do to the pace and the scope of the class all perspective students must submit an application and audition to enter the program. Students must adhere to a strong code of ethics and sign the PME ethics and comportment agreement. PG will not teach such advanced techniques to be used irresponsibly.


Eskrima Fencing Class
Sunday, 11am - 12noon
•Live Stick Fencing
•Must have full armor and sticks
•Admittance by Guro approval only

PaaMano Eskima Fencing Classes are about learning to implement the practical application of the live single and double stick(s). The class also develops timing, footwork, and the offensive and defensive skills needed to succeed in the sport of Eskrima. Full armor is required. Class available by audition only.


PaaMano Eskrima Family Class
Sunday, 12noon - 1pm

Our PME Family classes build a well rounded foundation in our Filipino Martial Arts system.
Our curriculum encompasses single stick, double stick, sword, dagger, empty-hand, sayaws, footwork and strategy training. The PaaMano Eskrima family class focuses on not only developing proficient Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) skills but also offers an opportunity for family members to learn together. Learning a new skill with your child, grandchild, sister or brother can help forge an even deeper bond and create memories that will last a lifetime. Ages 10 to Adult. Children under 10 years old must audition and have guros’ approval.

Classes begin July 2018
PaaMano @ EZ Aerobics Studio
6046 Beach Blvd.
Buena Park, CA 90621

For more info or to register email PaaManoEskrima@gmail.com or text (714) 890-0080

www.PaaManoEskrima.com
@PaaManoEskrima

Aurora's "Speak Your Art Blog Hub" combines posts from seven of her other blogs: In the Flow Studios Arts, In the Flow Studios Body, I Love Shelter Dogs, Mana Keepers, PaaMano Eskrima & Performing Arts, Self-Actualization thru Women's Empowerment and Speak Your Art Poetry. It brings her organizations together and offers her readers an easier way to follow new posts in one convenient location. 

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Chakra Stones Workshop Basics

My Chakra Stones Workshop was developed to educate participants about the seven major chakras in the human body as well as to further
develop their knowledge and understanding of the chakras' workings in relation to physical health, emotional well-being and consciousness. Participants will also learn about special stones that complement mediation and balance the energy centers of the body. They will learn about the importance of breath and of water in relation to vitality of body and spirit.

Nicola Tesla

Through my 25 years of training and study in multiple disciplines and arts I have  created my signature Chakra Stones Healing and Cleansing set. My set consists of 11 stones and 9 placements. The numbers 11 and 9 are important in helping to create an optimum energetic field for cleansing and detoxifying both the physical body and the energy body. Each stone resonates to a specific vibrational field and interacts with the subtle energies of our chakras and energy system. I will guide practitioners through a simple yet powerful meditation using the stones to release stress and to gently begin bringing the chakra system into balance. (Stones, minerals and crystals have been used for much more than decorations by numerous cultures throughout human history. They are still used for healing, meditation, protection and divination in cultures worldwide today.)

Chakra is a Sanskrit word that translates as wheel or disc. A chakra is a center of activity that receives, assimilates, and expresses life force energy. The chakras are like spinning spheres of bioenergetic activity emanating from the major nerve ganglia branching forward from the spinal column. Six of these wheels are located in a column of energy that spans from the base of the spine to the middle of the forehead. The seventh is beyond the physical region above the head. Each chakra in your spinal column is believed to influence or even govern bodily functions near its region of the spine. 

Eastern based medicines, religions, martial arts and philosophies all recognize the existence of electromagnetic fields throughout the human body. For thousands of years Eastern cultures have incorporated their knowledge of the workings of the energy “centers” or Chakras and the energy "rivers" or Meridians in the human body into health, healing, martial and consciousness expansion practices. Some of the practices that have become popular in West are Acupressure, Acupuncture, Reiki, Yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, Aikido, and Meditation. (Use this link to connect with "Free Guided Meditations" - UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center.)

Water Crystals after being exposed to words

Water is an essential component for life as we know it. Our bodies are comprised of more than 70% water. Humans can survive only a few days without water yet can survive a month or more without food. Water powers our bodies, from the elasticity of our myofascia (cognitive tissue) to the ability to process thoughts coherently, it literally is our life's blood. The quality of the water we drink will affect the quality of our health and consciousness. Participants will learn how to elevate the vibration of the water they drink and use daily. Use this link for more information on the importance of the quality of the water we drink. 

Participants will receive a 55 page ebook with in-depth information regarding all the topics discussed in the workshop.

Date: Sat, 8/18/18
Time: 2pm - 5:00pm
Place: La Mirada, CA
Cost:  $50 does not include my Special Chakra Set 
*Participants my not substitute other Chakra Stones sets as the set I have developed has unique pieces that I have worked with for over 15 years.

You may use this PayPal button to register for workshop.

Class size is extremely limited so please reserve your spot as soon as possible. 

Use this link to connect to our Facebook Event.

Thank you for visiting. Wishing you Peace today and everyday.

Website: http://manakeepers.com
Shop: http://shopmanakeepers.blogspot.com
Instagram:http://instagram.com/manakeepers or @ManaKeepers

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mana-Keepers/187105678024226?ref_type=bookmark
Blog: http://manakeepers.blogspot.com

Aurora's "Speak Your Art Blog Hub" combines posts from seven of her other blogs: In the Flow Studios Arts, In the Flow Studios Body, I Love Shelter Dogs, Mana Keepers, PaaMano Eskrima & Performing Arts, Self-Actualization thru Women's Empowerment and Speak Your Art Poetry. It brings her organizations together and offers her readers an easier way to follow new posts in one convenient location. 

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Vision Book Workshop

Helping our dreams become our reality...

For more info ManaKeeper@gmail.com 

Our Vision Book Workshop focuses on sharing age old wisdom forgotten by many in our modern age. This workshop is designed to help each participant gain a deeper understanding of the subconscious mind and it’s (subconscious) effects in our physical reality. Students will learn fun, simple and practical applications to work with their subconscious minds. By using this new understanding students will create a personal vision book to use as a tool and a guide in manifesting their dreams and uncovering their talents.

This workshop is open to the general public and all are welcomed but we highly encourage artists and idealists to attend. These techniques and lessons are especially helpful to those that work through inspiration. Participants develop easy and enjoyable ways to feed their inner muse daily.

The Inner-child and the Body

For thousands of years great spiritual cultures understood the importance of our connection and communication with the subconscious mind. This knowledge and understanding was passed down through verbal history. Most of those practices have been forgotten but some have survived. The ancient Hawaiians used some of these practices to harvest Mana (Divine Life Force Energy). They used Mana not only to enrich their bodies and spirits but as a sacred breath to feed their dreams and bring them into reality. The Australian Aboriginal cultures used Dream Time as a way to communicate with the heavens. Through understanding the meanings of their dreams they were able to predict and avoid dangers as well as bring the dream world into the waking. Tibetan Buddhist monks practice Lucid Dreaming as a way to understand the subconscious mind in multiple realms of reality. 

In contemporary society we also have great minds that have taught us the importance of the subconscious mind in how we live and perceive our realities. Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Carl Jung spoke of the subconscious mind’s power to manifest in our daily lives. Albert Einstein said “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking” and “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” The imagination is a product of our subconscious. Joseph Campbell is known for many great things, not the least of which is the philosophy of "Following Your Bliss". By following your bliss you are reflecting the unique talents that lie within. 


"Follow your bliss.
If you do follow your bliss,
you put yourself on a kind of track
that has been there all the while waiting for you,
and the life you ought to be living
is the one you are living.
When you can see that,
you begin to meet people
who are in the field of your bliss,
and they open the doors to you.
I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid,
and doors will open
where you didn't know they were going to be.
If you follow your bliss,
doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else." 
— Joseph Campbell

Our subconscious is the key to getting in touch with our deepest dreams and latent talents. This workshop shares easy and effective tools to re-connect with the inner-child or sub-conscious mind. Through forging a healthy relationship with the subconscious participants are able to co-create their realities and manifest their Divine talents. 

Date: Sat. 3/10/18
Time: 2-3:30pm
Location: La Miranda
Cost: $50
Class size is extremely limited so please register now to ensure your space.

Please email ManaKeeper@gmail.com for further information 

You may register for workshop via PayPal or via email. 

Thank you for visiting. Wishing you Peace today and everyday.

Website: http://manakeepers.com
Shop: http://shopmanakeepers.blogspot.com
Instagram:http://instagram.com/manakeepers or @ManaKeepers

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mana-Keepers/187105678024226?ref_type=bookmark
Blog: http://manakeepers.blogspot.com

Aurora's "Speak Your Art Blog Hub" combines posts from seven of her other blogs: In the Flow Studios Arts, In the Flow Studios Body, I Love Shelter Dogs, Mana Keepers, PaaMano Eskrima & Performing Arts, Self-Actualization thru Women's Empowerment and Speak Your Art Poetry. It brings her organizations together and offers her readers an easier way to follow new posts in one convenient location. 

POI

In the Flow Studios Arts Open House and Allie Fundraiser

The In the Flow Studios Arts Open House and Allie Fundraiser promises to be a day filled with artistic inspiration and lots of heart! Come enjoy an afternoon full of inspired art and help Allie and her family win the battle with childhood Leukemia. Our In the Flow Studios Arts Open-houses feature veteran visual and performing artists as well as talented new comers.

We'll have musicians, dancers, singers, poets, painters, photographers, sculptures, martial arts, fire-knife, visual arts displays, artisan booths, photo booth, raffle and much more.

Our generous artists are also donating arts and services for a silent auction/raffle and 100% of admission goes to Allie and her family.



Admission:
Adult
Pre-sale $15.00
At the door $20.00
Kids 4-12 yrs
Pre-sale $5
At the Door $5
Kids 3yrs & under FREE
Order pre-sale tickets: https://allierose.mydagsite.com/

Come out and share in the artistic flow and you'll be showing your love and support for a beautiful little angel. Please share this event with art lovers, family and friends. They won't be disappointed.


Our Performing Arts Lineup:

Mahal Ramos - Poet and Spoken Word

Chrissy DePauw - Singer/Songwriter

Kadan Martial Arts - Kids' Taekwondo Demo

Roland H. Ferrer/Sound of Zero - Harpist

Isabel Beyoso - Singer

PaaMano Eskrima - Filipino Martial Arts 

Kadante Ferrer/Hip Hop Martial Arts - Fire Knife

Joan G. Grand & Joel Samonte - Singers/Musicians

Leiya & Aleenah Samonte - Singers/Musicians

Our Visual Artists & Artisans

Ruben Palma - Aztec Artisan

Kip Henderson - Comic Artist

Josie Stocks - Painter/Animator

Molly Bupp - Painter

Jon Luce - Painter

Denise Luce - Photographer

Haring Ibon Children's Program - Exhibit

Mana Keepers - Dewdrops Images - Crystals & Books

Food and Bake Sale

We'll have slow-cooked Southern Pulled Pork sliders with coleslaw on Hawaiian King Bread Rolls





Fresh deli sandwiches strait from Santa Fe Importers.







Vegan Jackfruit “pulled pork” sliders.












Our bake sale is sure to be a favorite with a multitude of delicious treats to satisfy your sweet-tooth.














Thank you for visiting. May inspiration overflow throughout all of your creative processes.


Contact Info for In the Flow Studios Arts

Website: http://intheflowstudios.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheFlowStudioArts

Instagram: http://instagram.com/speakyourart or @SpeakYourArt 
"In the Flow Studios is a grassroots organization dedicated to empowering the arts, the artist and worthy causes."

Aurora's "Speak Your Art Blog Hub" combines posts from seven of her other blogs: In the Flow Studios Arts, In the Flow Studios Body, I Love Shelter Dogs, Mana Keepers, PaaMano Eskrima & Performing Arts, Self-Actualization thru Women's Empowerment and Speak Your Art Poetry. It brings her organizations together and offers her readers an easier way to follow new posts in one convenient location. 

POI

"The Women OF The World Are Crying" Honoring V-Day 2017

V-Day and 1 Billion Rising 2017 - Solidarity to End the Exploitation of Women

V-DAY is a global movement to end violence against women and girls. One Billion Rising Revolution is solidarity to end the exploitation of women. February 14th is an opportunity for women and those that love them to stand together, celebrate women and girls and at the same time demand an end to the violence against women and girls worldwide. 

Each year I try to find a new way to honor and stand with my sisters near and far. For V-DAY 2014 I wrote "Eve Ensler Kicks Off our VDAY Celebration" and "Celebrating VDAY!" This year brought a very special dream of mine into fruition. I had been working with a poem about the abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence directed at women, girls and Mother Nature for over 6 years. Honoring women's and girl's (human) rights and Mother Nature are very important to me and so I agonized over the words to keep and those to let go, the tone, the flow and so on. I edited the poem down from 11 pages to a page and a half and it still didn't feel right until I realized it was meant to be shared by many voices standing as one. With only seven days notice, I sent email invitations and created a Facebook event and invited all the inspiring sisters I knew to stand with me and share their voices and hearts to help give life to the poem "The Women Of The World Are Crying". I was incredibly touched that nine beautiful souls were able to commit on such short notice. 

We read the poem three times as we had technical difficulties and commuting problems. Each time we read in reverence, in prayer and in solidarity. No word was taken for granted. Each one of us felt our sisters' pain, our sisters' despair, our sisters' sadness, our sisters' outrage and our sisters' conviction to end the violence, the suffering, the oppression and the exploitation of women, girls and Mother Earth. This was not an easy read but it gave us the opportunity to speak painful truths and to raise our voices as one..."The women of the world are crying, No More! No More! No More! 

10 women of different ages, ethnic backgrounds and professions, some having never met before this day, standing in solidarity as one voice and one heart sharing, "The Women Of The World Are Crying". 

"The Women Of The World Are Crying" By Aurora Ferrer

The Women Of The World Are Crying

A newborn  
Staring up, through her lifeless eyes
from the bottom of a basin of water,
and the women of the world are crying.

Dissecting nature’s architecture
with a sharpened piece of glass,
the nine year old is held down by her mother,
and the women of the world are crying.

His hand slowly rises up her skirt
while the other covers her mouth,
he promises it won’t hurt one day,
and the women of the world are crying.

Women losing the ownership of their bodies,
religion, man, and culture dictate, 
all pulling in different directions,
and the women of the world are crying.

Large metal shipping containers filled with
rice, water, salted fish and human sardines,
fresh girls needed to feed the starved of virtue,
and the women of the world are crying.

Machetes make short work of what is left of her, 
she is a human sacrifice, 
a female at the altar of war,
and the women of the world are crying.

Sorority girl cocktail with a special knock-out punch,
friends too busy being popular to care,
bruises, hyckies, broken hymen, severed heart,
and the women of the world are crying.

First-world/Third-world; She is a second class citizen,
glass ceilings, economic dependency, poverty, 
keep her soul in slavery and blind her to her worth, 
and the women of the world are crying.

Bombs falling over cities,
cement and mortar turn human bodies 
into abstract sidewalk oil paintings,
and the women of the world are crying.

Their tears gathered, swelling rivers,
turbulent waters of pain, despair, neglect, abuse,
each drop imprinted with their memories.
Screams, howls, and prayers, collide
creating a super-sonic-boom that shakes the land,
faults split, continents shift, waves erase all trace,
and the women of the world are crying.

Collective-female-pain body 
reaching deep into the Earth,
raped and pillaged, drilled and cut
poisoned by toxic minds and greed,
she hemorrhages black into the Gulf,
and the women of the world are crying.

Why can’t we see that we are each other. 
Our molecules intertwined 
dancing from place to space and back again.
We are the children of the Earth
and the children of our Mothers’.
There is no pain inflicted on HER
That does not find its way back to the sender.

Reason - limiting vision 
Intellect - crushing dreams
Aggression - destroying imagination 
The known - impeding discovery
The rhythm of nature is askew  
The angles are silent...

And the women of the world are crying,
NO MORE!!!  NO MORE!!! NO MORE!!!
By Aurora Ferrer

I would like to thank Horacio A. Gomez and Kadante Ferrer of Hip Hop Martial Arts for the photography and filming, Roland H. Ferrer from Sound of Zero for entertaining us with his music and  Roland Ferrer Sr. for proving the food, the setup and the cleanup. Thank you to my all my sisters that were unable to participate but wished us well and were with us in spirit and a very special thank you to the sisters that made this possible Bertha Banuelos, Conchita Gomez, Erin Haffner, Athena Heller, Charlene Larson, Katya Miller, Sandra Neunuebel, Franci Pennington, Brianna Malaya Regan and Miss Bitsy. Your voices and hearts were exactly what this poem had been missing all along. I am forever grateful for your generosity of spirit, your courage and your sisterhood. 

Thank you for honoring the feminine and thank you for visiting. 
Wishing you peace.

You can find more information about Aurora Ferrer and Self-Actualization thru Women's Empowerment at:

Website: http://www.empowerment.ws/home.html
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/EmpowermentWS?ref=hl
Kadan Martial Arts and Development Center: http://kadanmartialarts.com

Aurora's "Speak Your Art Blog Hub" combines posts from seven of her other blogs: In the Flow Studios Arts, In the Flow Studios Body, I Love Shelter Dogs, Mana Keepers, PaaMano Eskrima & Performing Arts, Self-Actualization thru Women's Empowerment and Speak Your Art Poetry. It brings her organizations together and offers her readers an easier way to follow new posts in one convenient location. 

POI

The California Condor; A Story of Tragedy, Survival and Redemption

Friends of the California Condors

The plight for the survival of the California Condor, the largest flying bird in North America has been a perilous one. These majestic, birds with a 10 foot wing span, once reined freely over the skies of North and Central America but by 1982 were reduced to a population of 22. In 1987 conservationists and biologists surmised that the only way to save the species from extinction was to capture the remaining California Condors and start a captive breeding program designed to raise their numbers and eventually release them back into the wild. It was called the California Condor Recovery Project. To date the project can boast to over 400 live California Condors and over 200 of them have been released and are living in California, Arizona, Utah and Baja California. 
I had the privilege of watching a screening of "The Condor's Shadow" at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center hosted by Friends of the California Condors Wild and Free. I found it a moving, nostalgic, informative and inspiring film. The footage of the condors' in their natural habitat is awe-inspiring and the dedication of the humans entrusted with their care brings hope for a better tomorrow. 

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When I was a girl I remember the debate over the correct action for humans to take over the fate of these birds. Some said that the condor had had its day and should be allowed to become extinct, others felt that humans had directly contributed to its potential extinction and that humans had a responsibility to preserve the species. I agreed with the latter. I remember going to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park and seeing their enclosures in the late 80's and early 90's. I visited the Los Angeles Zoo and learned about the captive breeding programs and the plans to reintroduce them into the wild. The film brought me back to my journey with the California Condor, at times it was sad, at times it was incredulous and then the miraculous happened, condors we reintroduced into the wild and hope sprang eternal.

"The Condor's Shadow" encompasses much more than the conservation history of the condor. It takes the viewer behind the scenes and shares the world not only of the condor but of the biologists and conservationist that work tirelessly to protect them. One of the most poignant parts of the film for me was when, Jane Hamber - condor biologist and activist, read her journal entry on the day the last free condor was captured. Her entry eloquently illustrated the depth and breadth of what so many must have felt that day. It brought me to tears and gave me a new understanding of the tremendous weight of responsibility these biologists and conservationists must have felt. 

The Condor's Shadow is a bittersweet story told beautifully and authentically. It captures the plight of the California Condor's survival and the work of diverse groups of people coming together to ensure its success. Below is the trailer from the film. Please visit the links provided to the film's website for more information about the film and for screening opportunities.  

The Condor's Shadow - Trailer - YouTube

I had the opportunity to meet Joseph Brandt, one of the featured condor biologists in "The Condor's Shadow", at the screening. Spending over a decade in the field and interacting intimately with the magnificent California Condor, he brought firsthand knowledge of the birds and their struggles. While he clearly conveyed the challenges that face this bird he also brought stories of hope for a brighter future. People like Joseph Brandt are the unsung heroes of our planet. They quietly and consistently endanger life and limb to protect the wild for the rest of us and for future generations. Without the vision, commitment and compassion of those lovers and protectors of nature our own future as a species is in jeopardy. A heart felt thank you to Joseph for taking time away from the field to meet with us and to inspire us out of our doldrums.

He was sporting this beautiful shirt designed by a group of grade school students, reminding us that we each, regardless of age or ability, have talents to contribute to the conservation effort. Whether we are painters, poets, photographers, musicians, biologists, hunters, geneticist or third graders, we all have unique and needed gifts to share. 

In his TEDx Talk, "How we brought the condor back from the brink", Michael Mace shares the amazing story of the California Condor, the challenges it still faces and how far the population has come from the beginning of the California Condor Recovery Project in the 1980's to the present.

How we brought the condor back from the brink | Michael Mace | TEDxDeExtinction

There are three major challenges faced by California Condor to its successful survival in its natural habitats. 

One of these challenges is something called micro trash. While many people wouldn't give littler of this small size a second thought it is lethally dangerous to young condors. Parents bring the micro trash into the nest and the babies feed on it. It is impossible to digest and can cause fatal impaction of the gut. We can all make a difference in the accumulation of micro trash. We can make sure that we don't litter even small plastic bottle caps. We can make sure to pick up after ourselves even bits of broken glass or wires. We can carry a bag to fill with trash when we go on walks or hikes. We can also volunteer our time and labor for Micro Trash clean ups. 

Another potentially lethal challenge is lead poisoning. Studies have shown that condors ingest lead by eating the remains of animals that have been hunted with lead bullets. While in our modern society, responsible hunters provide an important food source for the California Condor and help ensure its survival, hunters that use lead ammunition are directly poisoning the condors. At least half of the wild condor population must be treated for lead poisoning on a regular basis. If a bird with high levels goes untreated for too long it is fatal, as we see happens in the film A Flight Plan for the California Condor. If you are a hunter and are interested in learning more about how you can help save the condor by changing your ammunition please visit Hunting with Non-lead Ammunition's website.

Challenge number three directly relates to the previous challenges. Our human behaviors such as littering and hunting with lead ammunition are directly responsible for almost every condor fatality in the wild. Therefor we need humans dedicated to the welfare and health of the condors to intervene on behalf of the rest of us. It is currently the only way to counter act our ignorance and potentially fatalistic behaviors towards the condor in particular and the natural world in general.  

You can learn how you can help support these efforts by visiting Friends of the California Condors Wild and Free , Hopper Mountain National Refuge or The California Department of Fish and Game.

A Flight Plan for the California Condor

In the film A Flight Plan for the California Condor we hear from field biologists, geneticists and condor activists. The film shares the important roles key zoos have played in the breeding program and the challenges they face in keeping a healthy population in the wild. There is also information about the California Condor live streaming program. It gives people from around the world an opportunity to get to know these amazing birds in their natural habitat.


Education and knowledge are key if we are to ensure the California Condors' survival for future generations. Teacher and educators can play an important part in educating our future generations about condors with Condor Kids, a curriculum designed to help students fall in love with the California Condor. 
About The Program:

Condor Kids has received the 2016 Superintendents Award in Excellence in Education. 

The curriculum is designed with active learning in mind. All 27 lessons are teacher friendly and standards aligned – correlated to NGSS & CC standards & organized with the EQuIP rubric. This curriculum is part of a much broader conservation partnership between U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Santa Barbara Zoo. Designed with Fillmore Unified School District students in mind, our project includes the development of this curriculum, nest monitoring strategies (and live streaming cameras), as well as student field trips to Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge, and the Santa Barbara Zoo. This link, Condor Kids, will take you to their website.

The California Department of Fish and Game is a great resource for all things related to the California Condor. They even have live streaming cam links directly on their site. 

Hopper Mountain National Refuge is another incredible source of information with live Condor cams and links to references and resources to protect, educate and inspire. They have a "get involved section" on the website offering several opportunities to make your own contribution towards the survival of the California Condor. 

If you are a Facebook user The Condor Cave is a page you'll love to visit. About The Condor Cave page in their own words. Flights, camera, action! The stage is set to watch a wild condor nest develop from hatch to fledge thanks to the first wild condor nest camera. Follow the highlights on our page!


In closing, I hope you will enjoy this song by Roland H. Ferrer of Sound of Zero inspired by the majestic California Condor. It is also a thank you to Joseph Brandt and all of the people that have dedicated their lives to protect the condor.

California Condor - Harp Free Flow - YouTube

Placerita Canyon Nature Center

A special thank you to Placerita Canyon Nature Center and to Friends of the California Condors Wild and Free for hosting "The Condor's Shadow" and for all that they do to protect and preserve nature and all of the creatures that live in it (including humans).

Thank you for visiting. Wishing you Peace today and everyday.

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Aurora's "Speak Your Art Blog Hub" combines posts from seven of her other blogs: In the Flow Studios Arts, In the Flow Studios Body, I Love Shelter Dogs, Mana Keepers, PaaMano Eskrima & Performing Arts, Self-Actualization thru Women's Empowerment and Speak Your Art Poetry. It brings her organizations together and offers her readers an easier way to follow new posts in one convenient location. 

POI

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