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In this issue (Jan-Mar 2010)

Beyond Jaws Photo (c) Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder.

Beyond Jaws
Fathoming the Ways of the White Shark

by Glen Martin

Fast, silent, and deadly, the great white shark has long evoked both fear and awe among those who live, work, and play along the California coast. Yet for all its press--both good and bad--we've known remarkably little about the life of this iconic creature. But recent scientific studies using pioneering tracking techniques are finally giving us a better look at the white shark's wide-ranging haunts and habits.

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

Worth the Wait Photo by Scott Hein, heinphoto.com.

Worth the Wait
The Improbable Transformation of Concord Naval Weapons Station

by John Hart

Fenced off in plain sight for decades, the Concord Naval Weapons Station is the largest piece of undeveloped, unprotected land in Contra Costa County. Now, after years of debate and planning, a large portion of the former base is poised to become a major new regional park, as well as a critical open space link and wildlife corridor stretching from the summit of Mount Diablo to the shores of Suisun Bay.

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

Development Threats in Los Medanos Hills Photo by Stephen Joseph, stephenjosephphoto.com.

Development Threats in Los Medanos Hills

by Dan Rademacher

The hills above the Concord Naval Weapons Station are part of a property proposed for development by local builder Albert Seeno’s Discovery Builders. But local open space advocates are hoping to negotiate protections for this vital greenbelt between Concord and Pittsburg.

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

Public Transit and Other Endangered Species Photo by Todd Gilens.

Public Transit and Other Endangered Species

Concept and photomontages by Todd Gilens

Might the streets we travel have once been migratory corridors for other species, now displaced and threatened by our urban ways? Did butterflies pass by this way, looking for mates, or did salmon swim up a creek long since buried? Could we once again share this landscape and these corridors with other species, if our own daily migrations became more communal--a few buses in place of a swarm of cars, a single train where SUVs now reign?

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

Climbing the Waves at Castle Rock State Park Photo by Karl Gohl.

Climbing the Waves at Castle Rock State Park
Santa Cruz Mountain High

by Paul McHugh

The high ridges and sandstone outcrops at Castle Rock have fascinated adventurers from explorer George Vancouver to the pioneers of modern rock climbing. Prolific wildflowers, great views, and an 80-foot waterfall add to the allure.

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

Cavallo Point/Bay Trail at Fort Baker Photo by Paul Vineyard.

Cavallo Point/Bay Trail at Fort Baker

by William Keener

Where can you stand on dry land and feel like you're on a Bay cruise? Try Cavallo Point at Fort Baker. The lodge here is pricey, but the hike is free. When the tide reaches full ebb, the whitewater rip currents will have you convinced you're on the deck of an eastbound boat.

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

Candlestick Point State Recreation Area Photo by Dan Hill.

Candlestick Point State Recreation Area

by Ann Sieck

Whatever the old stadium's current name, the land it sits on remains Candlestick Point, a nice spot for birding, picnicking, or watching windsurfers...

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

Round Valley Regional Preserve Photo by Marc Crumpler.

Round Valley Regional Preserve

by John Gallagher

Round Valley Regional Preserve is one of the East Bay Regional Park District's lesser-known jewels.

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

Rafting Time for Diving Ducks Photo by Rick Lewis.

Rafting Time for Diving Ducks

by Joe Eaton

The great rafts of ducks on San Francisco and Tomales bays, mostly surf scoter, greater and lesser scaup, and canvasback, are a wintertime spectacle. Scoter flocks can range from many hundreds to a few thousand birds. Why do they form these aggregations?

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

Petaluma's Teenage Fish Force Photo by Daniel McGlynn.

Petaluma's Teenage Fish Force

by Daniel McGlynn

At first glance the tan building blends into the rest of Petaluma's Casa Grande High School. It's nondescript from the outside, but it houses a rare kind of conservation organization, the United Anglers of Casa Grande. The high school student sin the club run their own hatchery, and learn more about salmon than most folks ever know...

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

At Home Under the Log Artwork by Tim Gunther, gunthergraphics.biz.

At Home Under the Log

by David Herlocker

A world awaits discovery under almost any humble log in winter, whether it’s in your backyard or deep in the woods. Lift that log and make some new discoveries. Just be sure to put that log back carefully...

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

What’s the deal with pelicans’ weird bills?

by Michael Ellis

Can a pelican really hold a week’s worth of food in its bill?

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

Hunger Shrike

by Jack Laws

Turns out this little songbird is a little fiercer than most: Loggerhead shrikes eat mostly grasshoppers and other insects in summer, but in winter they go after larger prey, including other birds. But they lack the sharp talons of raptors, so they use thorns or the barbs on barbed wire to finish the job.

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

Ear to the Ground Photo courtesy GGNRA.

Ear to the Ground
News from the conservation community and the natural world

by Aleta George

Restoring creeks for coho, building an off-the-grid environmental center in the Bayview, getting kids out on the Petaluma River, and more...

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue

Letter from the Publisher Photo by Diane Poslosky.

Letter from the Publisher

by David Loeb

Celebrating, and studying, the cycles of life in the Bay Area is part of our work here at Bay Nature. It’s also a great way to notice changes in local ecosystems. Explaining those changes is not so easy...

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short

State Parks Funding Cuts Not All Bad?

letter from David Daniels, Berkeley

A reader says state parks in California might be better off with less funding and more wildness.

From the Jan-Mar 2010 issue
 Published January 01, 2010
Length: moderately-short