Jane (Cunningham) Warriner

Jane "Ricky" Warriner passed away peacefully at home in Watsonville, California at age 93 on April 11th, 2021 due to complications of COVID. She was surrounded by her beloved Norwich terrier, family members, and friends.

Born Frederica Jane Cunningham in South Bend, Indiana, Ricky graduated from the Ethel Walker School, then from Smith College, in 1949. Later that year she married avid bird-watcher John S. Warriner, and they soon moved to the small mining community of Perron, Quebec where John worked as a geologist. Subsequently, they moved to California and lived in Grass Valley, Menlo Park and Portola Valley, where they raised their two daughters and enjoyed tennis, birdwatching, and travel. In Portola Valley Ricky became an accomplished doubles tennis player. She and her husband, John organized and chaired several junior and adult tennis tournaments including the California State Tennis Championship.

In the late 1960s Ricky and John built a home in Pajaro Dunes west of Watsonville, CA and became involved in the local environment, centered on birds and coastal habitats. These endeavors shined a light on Ricky's considerable talents and core characteristics: her strong ethical core, a love of nature, a sharp and perceptive mind, and an amazing recall of details. Also, she was generous, hospitable and had an innate ability to create communities working toward worthy goals with humility, and grace. In 1977 they moved permanently to Pajaro Dunes and with a wetlands bird scientist from PRBO, Ricky became a creative and driving force in a research project studying the breeding biology of the Snowy Plover, a small shorebird of conservation concern that bred on beaches near their home. The study, involving individually color-banding the plovers and thousands of observation hours each year, revealed many aspects of the plover's life history. Ricky co-authored 10 scientific publications on the Snowy Plover, including an award-winning 1986 paper. The study drew attention to the conservation plight of the plovers, which led to its federal threatened status and helped to generate a scientific movement to study the plover in many locations from Washington State to Mexico. The research and monitoring of plovers continue to this day and highlight the high habitat values of coastal areas. Also with John, Ricky supported the establishment and operation of the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, which has provided millions of dollars to the preservations of Elkhorn Slough watershed lands. These dedicated efforts have won Ricky (and John) numerous awards and recognition from the local conservation community as well as from federal and state wildlife agencies. Annually from 1976 to 2020, she hosted approximately 100 birds watchers for New Year's Day dinner after the Moss Landing Christmas Bird Count, which she and John helped to organize.

Ricky was preceded in death by her husband John in 2013 after 64 years of marriage; brother Oliver Cunningham in 2013; and sister Anne McClure in 2015. Ricky is survived by her daughters Barbara Indra of Prescott, AZ and Sue Delmanowski (Mike) of Windsor, CA; grandchildren Dan Indra (Jenn), Rachelle Indra, Jessica Teem (Matt), John Teem; and great-grandson Cruz Indra.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Point Blue Conservation Science for the Monterey Bay Plover Project (Petaluma, CA 94954).

Mehl's Colonial Chapel has been entrusted with the funeral arrangements.

Published in The Pajaronian · April 23, 2021