Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region, by Doris Sloan, UC Press, 2006, 360 pages, $17.95 www.ucpress.edu “The world-famous Bay Area rocks tell a geologic story that reads like a Russian novel with a very large cast of characters. Because … Read more
Book Review: Legacy: Portraits of 50 Bay Area Environmental Elders
Legacy: Portraits of 50 Bay Area Environmental Elders, photographs by Nancy Kittle, text by John Hart, Sierra Club Books, 2006, 156 pages, $29.95 www.ucpress.edu It’s no accident that the heavily populated Bay Area is surrounded today by such natural beauty … Read more
Book Review: Native Treasures: Gardening with the Plants of California
Native Treasures: Gardening with the Plants of California, by M. Nevin Smith, UC Press, 2006, 288 pages, $24.95 www.ucpress.edu It’s almost an embarrassment of riches for native plant enthusiasts: two comprehensive new books on gardening with California natives published in … Read more
Book Review: New Guardians for the Golden Gate
New Guardians for the Golden Gate: How America Got a Great National Park, by Amy Meyer with Randolph Delehanty, UC Press, 2006, 338 pages, $29.95 www.ucpress.edu How quickly we forget. Less than 40 years ago, the Presidio was an active … Read more
Book Review: The Islands of San Francisco Bay
The Islands of San Francisco Bay, edited by James A. Martin and Michael T. Lee, Down Window Press, 2006, 200 pages, $55.00 www.islandsofsfbay.com Ask any ten locals, and chances are that none will know how many islands there are in … Read more
Book Review: Waterfall Lover’s Guide (Northern California)
Waterfall Lover’s Guide (Northern California), by Matt & Krissi Danielsson, The Mountaineers Books, 2006, 256 pages, $16.95 www.mountaineersbooks.org I never considered myself a “waterfall lover” before, but what’s not to love? Last summer, I found myself pulling over in my … Read more
Book Review: Wave-Swept Shore: The Rigors of Life on a Rocky Coast
Wave-Swept Shore: The Rigors of Life on a Rocky Coast, text by Mimi Koehl, Photographs by Anne Wertheim Rosenfeld, UC Press, 2006, 179 pages, $39.95 www.ucpress.edu This book is not quite what one might expect. The title and the stunning … Read more
Ballot Initiatives for Open Space
Not so very long ago, two counties on opposite corners of the Bay competed to grow the best stone fruits in the West. With fertile soils and favorable climates, Santa Clara and Solano counties have rich agricultural heritages stretching back … Read more
Christmas Bird Count
Rain or shine, Bay Area birders participate in their own Christmas tradition when they grab a pair of binoculars and head out for the annual Bay Area Christmas Bird Count. Begun in 1900, the Christmas Bird Count takes place between … Read more
Delisting of the Brown Pelican
While you’re heading to the polls this November, California brown pelicans will be returning to breeding grounds that range from the Channel Islands south to Mexico. From May to September, these stately birds fly as far north as British Columbia. … Read more