In this issue (Apr-Jun 2007)

Photo by Wolfgang Schubert.

Whispers in the Water
Reviving the Past at the Presidio’s El Polin Springs

by Geoffrey Coffey

By a quiet picnic area in the Presidio, water gurgles out of the hillside, spills over ancient brick walls, and then disappears underground on its way north to Crissy Field and the Bay. This is El Polin Springs, celebrated by the Ohlone and the Spanish for bringing fertility to anyone who drank of it. The spring sits in the Tennessee Hollow watershed, a 270-acre drainage that has been significantly altered over the past two centuries. Now, ambitious plans to uncover the watershed's stream channels are peeling back interwoven layers of human and natural history to reveal a complete urban watershed from headwaters to the Bay.

From the Apr-Jun 2007 issue
Published April 01, 2007
Length: moderately-short

Photo by John Hurst.

Islands in a Sea of Grass
The Unexpected Life of Stock Ponds

by Kathleen M. Wong

The East Bay hills are dotted with hundreds of ponds, many of which offer welcome habitat and shelter to native wildlife, from threatened California red-legged frogs and tiger salamanders to toxic newts, voracious water bugs, and migrating waterfowl. Just about any pond—from a verdant clear blue pool to the merest muddy puddle—has something interesting going on beneath the surface. But perhaps the most remarkable fact about these ponds is that nearly all of them were created as watering holes for livestock. Today, the East Bay Regional Park District is working to understand the complex relationships between native species, grazing cattle, and artificial ponds.

From the Apr-Jun 2007 issue
Published April 01, 2007
Length: moderately-short

Photo by Jane Huber.

Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park

by Ann Sieck

From the Apr-Jun 2007 issue
Published April 01, 2007
Length: moderately-short

Photo by Lou Sian

Glen Canyon Park

by Lou Sian

From the Apr-Jun 2007 issue
Published April 01, 2007
Length: moderately-short

Photo by Horst Rademacher.

Ring Mountain Rocks!
Marin’s Exotic Geology Exposed

by Horst Rademacher

Perched 600 feet above San Francisco Bay, Ring Mountain has spectacular views of the surrounding ridgelines, Bay, and urban areas. But you can also find much deeper views into the earth preserved in the remarkable rocks strewn about this wild and open landscape.

From the Apr-Jun 2007 issue
Published April 01, 2007
Length: moderately-short