Mission

The Bay Nature Institute, based in Berkeley, California, is dedicated to educating the people of the San Francisco Bay Area about, and celebrating the beauty of, the surrounding natural world. We do so with the aim of inspiring residents to explore and preserve the diverse and unique natural heritage of the region, and of nurturing productive relationships among the many organizations and individuals working towards these same goals.

History

The idea for Bay Nature arose out of a conversation between Malcolm Margolin of Heyday Books in February, 1997 and David Loeb, current publisher of Bay Nature. The concept was to create a luminous and intelligent publication that would both reflect the natural beauty of the San Francisco Bay Area, honor the region’s legacy of environmental advocacy, and nurture its wealth of creative talent.

Margolin and Loeb launched Bay Nature magazine in January, 2001, with invaluable collaboration from Marilyn Hope Smulyan, Amy Hunter, Dennis Gallagher, and Dave Bullen; and with lead funding from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation.

Bay Nature began life as a project of the Clapperstick Institute, the nonprofit affiliate of Heyday Books. In 2004, Bay Nature Institute was formed as an independent tax exempt charitable organization and took over publication of the magazine. Today, the Institute publishes the magazine, sponsors the production of “Bay Nature on the Air,” arranges and leads outings to places featured in Bay Nature magazine, and hosts the BayNature.org website.

From its inception, Bay Nature has drawn from the legacy of conservation leadership and action that is a hallmark of the Bay Area. As such, Bay Nature is an expression of the dynamism and creativity of the region’s conservation and natural history communities—including local nonprofits, museums, research institutions, open space agencies, and individuals.

Programs

Bay Nature Institute works towards its goal of promoting a deeper connection to the natural world of the Bay Area through several programs, including:

1. Bay Nature magazine, a full-color quarterly publication launched in January 2001 that explores the landscapes and wildlife of the Bay Area, and highlights the people and organizations that are working to understand them, protect them, and educate others about them. You can subscribe to Bay Nature online; back issues may also be purchased online.

2. Bay Nature Hikes & Events consists of free naturalist-led hikes and outings to places featured in the magazine, as well as occasional community events. Go to our Events page for more information or to sign up on our outings email notification list.

3. Bay Nature on the Air is a series of short video spots that run in between regularly-scheduled programs on Northern California PBS-affiliate stations. The 2½ minute shorts showcase the natural diversity of Northern California and highlight the efforts of organizations and individuals who work on its behalf.

4. BayNature.org is an online gateway to experiences in the natural world of the San Francisco Bay Area, providing access to all Bay Nature content, searchable by topic or location.