In the 1850s, ranchers corralled wild horses in a long, rocky canyon southeast of Livermore. Aptly named Corral Hollow, this valley—covered in the October 2001 issue of Bay Nature—is the center of a controversy between off-road vehicle enthusiasts backed by … Read more
Decontaminating Navy Land
Along the Mountain View shoreline in the South Bay, activists are pressuring the U.S. Navy to fully decontaminate bayside property that borders thousands of acres of salt ponds slated for restoration. Without a full cleanup, the Moffett Field Superfund Site … Read more
Flyway Festival
Heading farther east on Highway 37 toward Mare Island in Vallejo, birders and wetlands enthusiasts can come in for a landing at the Ninth Annual San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival from January 21 to 23. The free festival celebrates the … Read more
Ocean Film Festival
The second annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival, a three-day celebration of oceans and estuaries, kicks off on Friday, January 28, with a reception at the San Francisco Maritime Museum near Ghirardelli Square. On Saturday and Sunday, the event continues … Read more
Sonoma Baylands Purchases
As Tolay Creek pools and spills on its journey to San Pablo Bay, it passes several recent acquisitions by the Sonoma Land Trust (SLT), an organization that is piecing together a wide swath of land stretching across the shoreline of … Read more
Tolay Ranch Purchase
Nestled in a hidden valley southeast of Petaluma lies Tolay Lake Ranch and an “untold story of California history,” says Philip Sales of Sonoma County Regional Parks. The parks department has teamed up with the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and … Read more
Going Overboard
In 1985, when Jane and Ray Pittsinger rented a house at 548 Esplanade Avenue in Pacifica, they had a 30-foot-deep backyard that fronted on the cliffs, a staircase down to the beach, and the most amazing views of the Pacific … Read more
Letter from the Publisher
As I write this letter, it was exactly a year ago that I first felt a lump in my right thigh. Four weeks later, it was diagnosed as soft tissue sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. Now, 11 months on, … Read more
Night of the Salamander
On winter’s wettest night, you just might see a California tiger salamander on its trek from grassland to wetland.
Revitalizing Urban Creeks
Urban creek restoration involves more than removing nonnative plants and substituting local ones. Add to that: volunteer management skills and detailed knowledge of bird, amphibian, fish, and mammal habitats; flood plain control; water quality; government ordinances; and the right size … Read more