In this issue (Jul-Sep 2007)

Illustration by Jack Laws.

Nature at the Table
The Many Lives of a Picnic Area

by Chris Clarke

On summer weekends, the nearly 4,000 picnic tables of the East Bay Regional Park District are packed with families from many of the Bay Area's diverse communities, returning year after year to their favorite spots, along with great blue herons hunting gophers, crows and ravens pillaging trash cans, and raccoons swiping meat right off the grill. All just part of the curious ecology of our local picnic areas.

From the Jul-Sep 2007 issue
Published July 01, 2007
Length: moderately-short

Paddling on the Wild Side
Close Encounters with Marine Life

Text by Paul McHugh, photography by Michael Powers

Few craft can match a kayak for allowing you to immerse yourself in the watery universe of bay or ocean, moving silently through the world of seals, otters, dolphins, and seabirds. Two of our region's most experienced sea kayakers take us out on the water for up-close and personal encounters with some of the bountiful and charismatic marine life plying our local marine habitats.

From the Jul-Sep 2007 issue
Published July 01, 2007
Length: moderately-short

Photo by Saul Chaikin.

Highway to the Flyway

Though they get a lot less attention than their South Bay counterparts, the ongoing restoration efforts in the North Bay, particularly along the Highway 37 corridor near San Pablo Bay, are guided by the same bold vision of bringing back large swaths of the wildlife-rich wetlands that once characterized much of the San Francisco Bay shoreline.

From the Jul-Sep 2007 issue
Published July 01, 2007

Photo by Rob Lehman.

At Home off the Range
A Cattle Baron's Refuge at Mount Madonna

by Richard Mahler

Once home to California's largest landowner, Mount Madonna near Gilroy showcases an impressive range of habitats, from redwood forests to open oak woodlands, serpentine barrens, and chaparral.

From the Jul-Sep 2007 issue
Published July 01, 2007
Length: moderately-short