CSERC Blogger

So far, our blogs have focused on the efforts and interests of CSERC. In this blog however, we’d like to focus on the accomplishments and actions of our CSERC members who bring the local environment into their daily lifestyle. Recently, two of our CSERC members, Tracy Knopf and Bob Carabas approached us with an interesting and engaging fundraising idea. Every year, Calaveras County Chamber of Commerce has the Painted Frogs of Calaveras County fundraiser. It works like this. A local Calaveras County business sponsors the cost (including artist fee) for an enormous three-foot tall frog. A local artist paints or decorates the frog in any style, and then the frog is displayed in front of the sponsor business until October. The business gets the benefit of being “put on the map”—Chamber of Commerce publishes a tourist map with all the frog locations in the County displayed. In October, there is a big benefit where the frogs are auctioned off and the proceeds go to a designated charity.

Tracy Knopf, a loyal CSERC member and volunteer for many years, is an amazing mosaic artist. She collects old dishes, teacups, and glasses from yard sales and thrift stores, broken bottles, old hubcaps, and other supposed “junk” and turns this junk into beautiful mosaic stepping stones, mirrors, and yard art. Tracy has truly perfected the system of recycling! Tracy’s most recent creation is a mosaic Painted Frog of Calaveras County modeled after the native and threatened California red-legged frog. We first discovered her idea about this creation when she came to our Center looking for an image of a red-legged frog to model her mosaic. A Calaveras County optometrist sponsored her and she spent a month creating her mosaic frog for the October auction. You can visit her frog on display at Chatom Vineyards and the proceeds of the auction will benefit Bret Harte High School in Calaveras County.

Hubcap by Tracy Knopf

Painted Frog by Tracy Knopf

When Tracy found out that there remained one unpainted frog yet to be sponsored and decorated, she talked to another of our CSERC members who is also an artist, Bob Carabas. Bob is an abstract artist, using both acrylic and oil paints on canvas, and easily agreed to paint a frog to benefit CSERC. Bob and his wife Leslie, also a remarkable textile artist, are incredibly generous members of CSERC, and in addition to painting the Calaveras frog, have also donated the artist fee for this project, and donated even more money to help sponsor the frog.

Bob and Leslie Carabas with unpainted frog

Central Valley by Leslie Carabas

Fantasy by Leslie Carabas

Children of War by Bob Carabas

6×6 Yellow by Bob Carabas

Bob and Leslie take their love of the aesthetic even beyond their work and into their home. I visited their home and studios on the Art Trails exhibit, and explored not only their artwork but also their beautiful strawbale home. Bob and Leslie have perfectly demonstrated that a sustainable home can also be gorgeous. Their strawbale home is so well insulated, that on the 95 degree day that I visited (during our May heatwave) it was a maximum of 75 degrees inside (no air conditioner!). The concrete floor also helps with the cooling. During the winter, the strawbale insulation is also perfect for keeping in the heat. With the adobe plastered on top of the strawbales, the house has lovely rounded corners. In addition to the house itself, Bob and Leslie are also installing solar panels for electricity, and a 9,000-gallon cistern to collect rainwater from the roof to water their bright and beautiful native landscaping. Bob designed and helped build this house himself and also designed another 6 strawbale homes in Tuolumne County.

Kitchen in Bob and Leslie’s strawbale home

Bob’s studio

The Sierra Nevada Adventure Co. (SNAC), owned by CSERC members Tonja Peterson, and Jill and Shawn Seale will also be sponsoring our painted frog, and the frog will be on display at their new store in Murphys. SNAC is a wonderful local business with stores in Sonora, Arnold and now Murphys that provides top quality outdoor gear and also does their part to promote respect for the environment, in part by supporting organizations like us. Check it out if you get a chance, and if you really fall in love with the frog, make a bid at the auction in October!

SNAC’s new store in Murphys

-Brenda Whited, Staff biologist

Are you or someone you know a person who brings the natural environment around you into your daily lifestyle? Show and tell us!