Christine Sculati is a Bay Nature contributor and writes about state park closures and nature on her blog, christinesculati.com.
Nearly forgotten today, the native oysters of San Francisco Bay once formed large shallow-water reefs, providing critical habitat for other creatures and a major food source for Native Americans. Now, local scientists and Bay advocates are hoping to coax the remaining populations of this small mollusk back to health.
This summer, a new exhibit in San Francisco’s Presidio celebrates one of the world’s most diverse urban bird habitats. From July 9 through August 29, “Birds of the Pacific Slope: Sights and Songs” fills the galleries of the Presidio Officers’ … Read more
Where can you find more than 80,000 acres of wildlands with hundreds of miles of trails only 36 miles from San Jose? In Henry W. Coe State Park, the adventurer can hike for days without seeing any signs of urban … Read more
At the sight of a diving juvenile Cooper’s hawk, “the squirrel reared back and opened its mouth with its paws raised in the air in a defensive pose,” notes Jim Brulet while monitoring a nest in the city of Berkeley. … Read more
Although solidly rooted in California’s natural and cultural history, our native oaks are disappearing at an alarming rate. The loss of these magnificent trees to urbanization and Sudden Oak Death has been widely publicized, but there is another threat that … Read more
Hikers and equestrians can find a new swath of accessible open space in the bucolic eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The 2,428-acre Rancho Cañada del Oro was the site of walnut orchards at a time when Silicon Valley, … Read more
Purple needlegrass may soon gain recognition as one of California’s official state symbols, like the golden poppy, our state flower since 1903. For native grass advocates, “the hope is that a new state symbol might draw some public attention to … Read more
by Ann Marie Brown, Foghorn Outdoors, 2003, 340 pages, $17.95 (www.foghorn.com). Visually engaging and rich in information, this second addition of 101 Great Hikes presents trail descriptions written with the ardor of a naturalist. Divided into sections on Napa … Read more
by Tracy Salcedo-Chourré, Globe Pequot Press, 2003, 318 pages, $16.95 (www.falcon.com). This new book covers two of the Bay Area’s finest public open space treasures, where beaches, coves, undulating terrain, and dramatic seascapes provide oppor-tunities for discovery any time … Read more
Independent, nonprofit environmental journalism connecting people with nature in the San Francisco Bay Area.
