David Loeb

David Loeb was the co-founder and Executive Director of the Bay Nature Institute and the publisher of Bay Nature magazine. Now retired, he continues to roam the trails and waterways of the Bay Area and points beyond and contributes occasional articles to baynature.org.
David Loeb, photo by Diane Poslosky

A Warbler Comes to West Berkeley

April 8, 2013 •  by

Last winter I noticed a different bird in the bare branches of the London plane trees outside the office. A yellow-rumped warbler. Not an uncommon bird, yet not one I would expect to see next to a cement plant.

PRBO Conservation ornithologist Rich Stallcup and partner Heather Cameron counting birds in Novato.

On the Passing of Rich Stallcup

December 17, 2012 •  by

I’m tremendously saddened to hear of the recent – and, to me, sudden – passing of master birder Rich Stallcup. Rich was one of the founders of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory (now PRBO Conservation Science). And he was one of the … Read more

Mapping the future of the coast

October 4, 2012 •  by

Most of the people in the world–and most of their infrastructure–can be found in jurisdictions bordering the coast or coastal watersheds. The Bay Area is no exception. However, in this era of climate change, the benefits of living close to … Read more

Fixing State Parks without the “scandal”

July 31, 2012 •  by

It’s certainly not hard to apply words like “outrageous” and “appalling” to the current scandal surrounding $54 million dollars in funding for state parks that had gone unspent and undiscovered for over ten years. But it’s not going to do … Read more

Letter from the Publisher

July 1, 2012 •  by

Point Reyes, the spectacular park that turns 50 this year, is also the reason I decided to stay in the Bay Area after coming for a visit decades ago.

Letter from the Publisher

June 15, 2012 •  by

As I write this note at the beginning of March, we’re enjoying our sixth weekend in a row without rain, spanning a period that’s generally the height of the Bay Area’s rainy season. For those of us who work all … Read more

Letter from the Publisher

January 1, 2012 •  by

As I write this on Thanksgiving weekend, I have many things to be grateful for. For example: On Thanksgiving morning, I watched a huge raft of cormorants take off from the surface of the Bay in front of Angel Island. But behind such moments and places of great beauty, several dark clouds are gathering.