Pioneering Women Naturalists of the Bay Area

January 1, 2006 •  by

From a modern perspective, it is difficult to imagine the time when women in this country were discouraged from seriously pursuing vocations in science and natural history. But until the late 1800s, there were few if any women working in … Read more

Update: Franklin Canyon

January 1, 2006 •  by

“Ascending Franklin Ridge: A Greenbelt Grows above Martinez” Back in 2004, a fight was brewing over ballot Measure M a proposal limiting development in Hercules’ Franklin Canyon to one home every 40 acres. Voters passed Measure M despite opposition from … Read more

Update: Steelhead on Alameda Creek

January 1, 2006 •  by

2005 “By the Water’s Edge: A Chronicle of Two Creeks” Our January-March 2005 issue highlighted the riparian habitats of the East Bay’s Alameda Creek watershed. Recently, the Alameda Creek Alliance (ACA) received $1 million from the National Fish and Wildlife … Read more

New Life For The Laguna

October 1, 2005 •  by

Thirty years ago, few people gave a second thought to the Laguna de Santa Rosa, the North Coast’s largest freshwater wetland. The once-teeming marshland had become a dumping ground. But things are changing, and this complex waterway is finally beginning to recover some of its former glory.

Bayshore Visitor Centers

October 1, 2005 •  by

For many Bay Area commuters, the San Francisco Bay is unfortunately more an obstacle to be crossed during rush hour than the signature natural feature of our region. But a variety of shoreline parks and visitor centers offer us an … Read more

East Bay Shoreline Parks

October 1, 2005 •  by

The East Bay Regional Park District and other parks agencies own and operate an impressive array of shoreline parks in the East Bay. Visit a different one every week, and you’d still be busy for at least four months. Here’s … Read more

Eastshore Park, Two Decades in the Making

October 1, 2005 •  by

Eastshore State Park, an 8.5-mile-long ribbon of East Bay shoreline between the Bay Bridge and Richmond’s Marina Bay, is proof that many good things don’t come easily. The park is the result of 20 years of advocacy, negotiation, and planning … Read more

A Landscape Renewed by Fire

July 1, 2005 •  by

Enter the woods on Inverness Ridge and pause for a moment to listen. Natural history weaves itself into stories for those willing to hear—whether teased from the patterns in stone, distilled from the rings of a tree, or gathered from … Read more

Fire on the Ridge

July 1, 2005 •  by

On a clear January day in 2005, I took a walk up from my house on the east slope of Inverness Ridge to the trail that runs south from Mount Vision in Point Reyes National Seashore to Drakes View Drive … Read more