Census of the birds

Birding enthusiasts will participate in the Sacramento Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count in Folsom on Monday and on Dec. 31 throughout the Sacramento region.

The counts are part of a National Audubon Society program in which thousands of birders tally bird populations during the Christmas holidays. In California alone, more than 5,000 birders will count the birds in more than a hundred 15-mile circles scattered from Eureka to the Salton Sea.

Mark Cudney of the Sacramento-area count said he hopes to match last year's tally of 166 species, the highest in the count's nearly 60-year history and one of the highest inland totals recorded nationwide.

For maps and information on how to participate, go to www.sacramentoaudubon.org and click on Christmas Bird Count.Hunter-educators sought

The state Department of Fish and Game seeks veteran hunters to share their skills for its 2012 education courses.

The courses, which are offered throughout the state on weekends and weekday evenings, help ensure that the newest generation of hunters has a thorough understanding of safety, ethics and conservation.

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be at least 18 years old;

• Successfully complete the hunter education course before submitting an application;

• Have no felony convictions;

• Complete a course of study before taking a supervised examination covering the basic topics of hunter education.

The testing process takes about two hours and applicants must score a minimum of 80 percent. After passing the exam, the volunteer will take an oath and work with an experienced instructor before leading a class.

To retain current Hunter Education Instruction certification, an instructor must teach one class per year and attend one conference. More information on the requirements can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered.

Docents wanted

Columbia State Historic Park is seeking applications for its docent program through Jan. 7.

A docent is a volunteer who has completed a training program that includes history lectures, park etiquette and rules, costuming guidelines and more. Among the park's needs are museum workers at the information center, teachers at the historic school, gardeners and costumed interpreters.

Call the park office at (209) 588-9128 for an application. Training begins Jan. 21 and will run for five consecutive Saturdays.

Soda Springs opens

Soda Springs Winter Resort at Donner Summit opened Friday, featuring Tube Town Tubing, Planet Kids and mini snowmobiles.

Soda Springs will not offer skiing or snowboarding outside of Planet Kids. However, Boreal Mountain, sister resort to Soda Springs, is open from top to bottom.

For more information, visit www.skisodasprings.com.

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