In this issue (Apr-Jun 2006)

Painting by Alan Chou.

Squawk of the Auklet
Going Underground at Ano Nuevo Island

by Michelle Hester

Not many people get to visit Año Nuevo Island—you need a rubber boat, a strong stomach, and a research permit. But sea lions haul out here in droves, and hundreds of seabirds—including rhinoceros auklets—come to breed on its few wind-swept acres. Today, erosion is threatening the auklets' deep burrows, so researchers are working to restore this critical breeding site for these strange-looking seabirds.

From the Apr-Jun 2006 issue
Published April 01, 2006
Length: moderately-short

Photo by Caryn Becker.

On the Beaten Path
These Trails Are Made for Walking

by Bill O’Brien

Trails are the main way we access most of the Bay Area's diverse and abundant open space. Despite that, it's easy to forget that trails have to be planned and built by someone. However, for the East Bay Regional Park District, which has over 1,000 miles of trails, this is a full-time job. At places like the newly-opened Brushy Peak Regional Preserve, trail planners must balance people's desire for access with the needs of native plants and animals.

From the Apr-Jun 2006 issue
Published April 01, 2006
Length: moderately-short

Photo by G.K. Gilbert, U.S. Geological Survey.

In the Fault Zone

On April 18, 1906, a massive earthquake centered just west of San Francisco ruptured the earth from Humboldt to San Juan Bautista. While the more dramatic traces of this 7.8 temblor may be hard to find one hundred years later, the tectonic forces that moved the earth that day are still relentlessly shaping our young and active landscape, carrying us towards another cataclysm in the near future.

From the Apr-Jun 2006 issue
Published April 01, 2006

Photo by Charles C. Benton.

Growing a Greenway in Hunters Point
Heron's Head Park

by Wanda Sabir

On San Francisco's southeastern waterfront, Heron's Head Park hosts nesting avocets, nature education programs, and the seeds of a revitalized city Bay shore.

From the Apr-Jun 2006 issue
Published April 01, 2006
Length: moderately-short