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| OHCC LIVING | FEBRUARY 2024 |25 February is Anticipation Month for the SMB Club, as we begin the countdown for the return of our wonderful Monarchs in the next few weeks. It all depends on the weather – two years ago, a mild winter meant that the butterflies arrived at our brand-new sanctuary in mid-February. Last year's rains and winds had the opposite effect; our milkweed bloomed very late, and we didn't see our first Monarchs until the very end of March, with most of them waiting for the somewhat warmer days of April before making their entry. Let's hope for a warm spring and an early return! Meanwhile, the Western Monarchs have gathered at their overwintering sites along the California coast, which we hope will be more hospitable than they were last year, when those winter storms took a severe toll. The results of this year's butterfly count have not been reported as yet, but it would not be surprising if there was a slight decline from last year's very encouraging increase in the state's Monarch population, which was estimated at about 330,000. This represented a tremendous rebound from the disastrous numbers of 2018, when the Monarchs neared extinction in the state, but it is also a reminder of just how fragile their situation remains. We can't allow ourselves to become complacent about our precious Monarchs just yet. The SMB Club has big plans for 2024, starting with the expansion of the areas within OHCC dedicated to the milkweed and flowering plants needed to maintain and grow our butterfly count. We have already planted another 200 milkweeds in the park area adjacent to the sanctuary, and we will continue to expand in that space. Next up is new space in the gardens adjacent to Aeolia. We have added another 30 volunteers to our garden maintenance teams, but these additional spaces will require as many new workers as we can find. If you'd like to volunteer for this very satisfying work, join the SMB Club (if you haven't already) and call Myra Esler. Save the monarch butterfly PLC president Ellen Kippel welcomes all the new and returning members. We will be sponsoring the OHCC 40th Anniversary event on Fri., May 17. Save the date and we'll be sending more details. Please register your dogs and cats on Dwelling Live, even if you did not do it with your vehicle registration. Please include a local contact in case of emergency. Pet Lovers Club Genealogy Interest Group The Genealogy Interest Group is a growing group of individuals who want to find out about their heritage and their ancestry. Curiosity about those who came before and formed us is important. The group provides tools to do your research and help in getting started. For the experienced we can offer suggestions to break through the brick walls of past generations. Meeting with others looking in the same geographical areas is a great help. We have both Apple computers and PCs in the computer room. We will meet for a Help Session on Fri., Feb. 16 at 10 am. Newcomers are welcome. All sessions can be seen on the TAG calendar. We are happy to offer the World Explorer version of Ancestry.com free of charge in the computer room. This program would cost an individual over $100 a month. We also offer the Family Tree Maker on several of the computers in the lab. A family tree can be started and compiled with either or both of these programs with many hints to assist in your research. Coordinators are Dorothy Miller, Shirley Rock and Peggy Singh. Contact us at rootsatOHCC@gmail.com. ~ Written by Peggy Singh

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