Apr-Jun 2008

 

Issue Content

Black Coal, Bright Flowers

April 01, 2008 by Horst Rademacher

The peaceful hills of Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve weren’t always so: One hundred twenty years ago, you’d have found bustling towns full of miners and their families and, nearby, the mine works and railroads that carried out tons of coal and sand, feeding the booming industries of Northern California. Today, the park offers grand vistas, abundant wildflowers, and a mine tour that gives an illuminating view of both the work of the miners and the geological history that brought them here and shaped the aboveground landscape.

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2007-2008 Salmon Decline

April 01, 2008 by Aleta George

During the 2004-2005 winter salmon spawning season in Redwood Creek, which passes through Muir Woods National Monument before reaching the …

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Concord Naval Weapons Station Redevelopment

April 01, 2008 by Aleta George

Driving east on Highway 4 toward Pittsburg, I notice the man-made dirt bunkers on the right that look like giant …

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Ecocity World Summit

April 01, 2008 by Aleta George

While development plans for the weapons station are being honed, shaped, and scrutinized, innovative thinkers and planners are crossing the …

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Invasion of the New Zealand Mud Snail

April 01, 2008 by Aleta George

The scientists and volunteers with the Coho and Steelhead Monitoring Program don’t yet have to deal with New Zealand mud …

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Proposed State Park Closures

April 01, 2008 by Aleta George

In 1953, Sada Coe gave her family ranch to the public, with the stipulation that it become parkland and that …

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Flower Power

April 01, 2008 by Sue Rosenthal

Sepal, stigma, stamen, style; pollen, pistil, petal. Say what?! Like all scientists, botanists have a specialized language for talking about the things they study, in this case, flowers. Next time you’re out hiking, take a few minutes to look closely at a wildflower and you can discover these fascinating, strangely named parts for yourself.

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In the Wake of the Oil Spill

April 01, 2008 by David Carroll

Not long after the cargo ship Cosco Busan ran into the Bay Bridge last November, it was clear that the …

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Letter from the Publisher

April 01, 2008 by David Loeb

I had lived in the Bay Area for 22 years before I got around to visiting Henry W. Coe State …

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Marking Time on the Dunes

April 01, 2008 by Dan Rademacher

A walk at Lawson’s Landing is a step back into simpler times, when families returned to the same spot every …

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Muir Woods Anniversary

April 01, 2008 by John Hart

Though named for legendary conservationist John Muir, Muir Woods National Monument is really the legacy of William Kent, a wealthy landowner and politician. His gift to the nation 100 years ago of this redwood-lined valley in southwestern Marin, containing the last significant old-growth stands in the county, meant that millions of visitors from around the region and the world would get to witness these magnificent trees. The park’s anniversary caps a remarkable century of conservation in the Bay Area.

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Fluke of Nature

April 01, 2008 by John Muir Laws

Intrepid naturalist Jack Laws finds a fluke of nature in six not-so-easy steps.

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Shifting Sands

April 01, 2008 by Jules Evens

At the mouth of Tomales Bay, sand dunes and seasonal wetlands coexist uneasily with California’s largest coastal campground. The dunes at Lawson’s Landing, home to rare butterflies and plants like the dune tansy, are among the few left of a once-common coastal habitat that could be restored and maintained as a healthy, functioning ecosystem. But can that be accomplished without driving out the family-run camping operation at the dunes that, since 1957, has been an affordable summer getaway for thousands of visitors?

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The Fremont Peak Experience

April 01, 2008 by Doris Sloan

Discover rare rocks, distant stars, beautiful wildflowers, and a bit of California history all at one small state park south of San Juan Bautista.

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The Grunion’s One-Night Stand in the Sand

April 01, 2008 by Christopher Richard

Solstice is nigh, the tide is high, the full moon illuminates the midnight beach, and before us, thousands of glimmering …

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Why do dragonflies swarm?

April 01, 2008 by Michael Ellis

Q: Last October, while hiking on Mount Tamalpais, near Laurel Dell, I saw numerous swarms of dragonflies. Could you tell …

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