Community efforts don't go unnoticed. A wonderful group of people from Genentech, an Oceanside bio-tech firm, planned a day of hard (volunteer) work at the Buena Vista Audubon Nature Center in Oceanside earlier this week.

Genentech was voted one of the best 100 companies to work for by Fortune Magazine. A small group of employees donated their time, tenacity and resources to the grounds at the nature center.

They cut down trees, pruned shrubs, dug up island planters, hauled the brush and planted native plants. They accomplished a tremendous amount of work in a very short period of time. I still can't get over the improvements that were made that day. It was so fun working with them and sharing stories. One gentleman told me about a new cancer drug that they are developing, others talked about their kids and many asked questions about the native plants. It was a blast to see everybody getting dirty!

Joan Bockman, Native Plant Director, had the idea of using a boulder as a source of water for birds to bring them close enough for folks to view while visiting the area. Genentech graciously donated a 1000 pound boulder for the project. Once the pump is installed, water will always be available for visiting birds.

When all the work was done, the cheerful group took a guided nature walk led by the center's manager, Annette Schneider, where they got to see ruddy ducks, coots, frogs, osprey, monarch butterflies and other critters.

The Buena Vista Audubon Nature Center draws people from throughout the community - many come to learn and many come to help out. It's a great spot to bring kids (young & old) to get up close to nature and an opportunity to donate your talents to a local community jewel. A huge thank you goes out to the employees of Genentech for selecting the center as a place to spend their volunteer day.