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.
This is the time of year—that porous border between winter and spring—that I look forward to the most. As I write this in early March, bird songs greet me in the morning, wildflowers are emerging on green hillsides, and it … Read more
On December 9 I received an e-mail from Guy Oliver at the Oceanic Society, announcing the appearance of the first gray whale of the season in San Francisco Bay, a 30-foot individual sighted east of Angel Island. The news came … Read more
In mid-1997, as Malcolm Margolin and I were meeting weekly to figure out how to launch a magazine about nature in the Bay Area, we received some excellent advice: Produce a sample of the magazine to show potential funders and … Read more
I don’t usually like to leave the Bay Area in April, my favorite time of year around here. I’d rather wait until summer, when the hills have turned golden. But the invitation to spend a week kayaking in the Sea … Read more
I was driving my son to school in El Cerrito one morning in late January. There had been a rainstorm the night before and it was cold; I knew there might be snow at higher elevations, but I was completely … Read more
The past three months have not been easy ones for our planet. The events of 9/11 continue to reverberate globally, from bombs over Afghanistan to imperiled civil liberties and recession at home. It is not immediately clear what the role … Read more
The browning and dropping of the leaves off California buckeyes in August is a sure sign that summer is waning. The arrival of the advance guard of southbound shorebirds along the coast is another good signal, a trickle that becomes … Read more
Awareness of nature isn’t just an exercise for the eyes. As summer approaches, I listen for the return of the haunting song of the Swainson’s thrush. Perhaps you’ve heard it, too, while on an early evening walk in late May … Read more
Wow! I’ve just come back from a hike at Las Trampas Regional Preserve. I’ve been there quite a few times before, but still … wow! It’s early March, and no matter how much I truly love all the seasons in … Read more
For most of the nearly four years it has taken to turn BAY NATURE from an idea into the magazine you now hold in your hands, I worked out of my house in north Berkeley. Could be worse: there’s a … Read more
Independent, nonprofit environmental journalism connecting people with nature in the San Francisco Bay Area.
