Mount Diablo’s Chamise, Researcher Shows, Likes It Hot
A Berkeley researcher is using chamise seeds collected from Mount Diablo this fall to explore the plant's response to fire.
Author Archives: Joan Hamilton
Joan Hamilton is producer of Audible Mount Diablo, a podcast for people who love the outdoors and want to know more about the plants, animals, and history of the Bay Area. Her interest in fires was sparked by the 2013 Morgan Fire in Mount Diablo State Park. She wrote two articles and numerous web posts for Bay Nature about nature's recovery from that conflagration, and has been a fire follower ever since. Most recently, she's been working on Diablo Range Revealed, a series that explores life in the inland coast range after the SCU Lightning Complex fire. You can find evidence at savemountdiablo.org/learn/diablo-range-revealed/.
Oasis on Mount Diablo: Perkins Canyon’s Trial By Fire
The Morgan Fire transformed more than 3,100 acres of meadow, chaparral, and woodland on Mount Diablo’s south and east sides, including Perkins Canyon. “It was a once-in- a-generation event,” says Seth Adams — the biggest fire on the mountain since 1977.
Fog and Redwoods: Demystifying the Mist
Fog means survival for many Bay Area plants and animals. What will happen to this life-giving airborne moisture in an era of global warming?
The General’s mission for California state parks
Major General Anthony Jackson came out of retirement for one more mission: to turn around California's state parks department. In a Bay Nature interview, Jackson explains why, "My goal, honest and truly, is not closing any parks."
Will park groups accept the state’s apology?
The California parks department is figuring out how to disperse $10 million to groups that kept their local state parks from closing this year. But some parks fans wonder how they'll get out from the shadow of a parks department in scandal.
In state parks uproar, Benicia keeps its cool
While park advocates around the state expressed shock and anger over the discovery of a secret stash of $54 million in the state parks department, the city of Benicia kept its cool. “I was surprised there was that large a … Read more
Lawmakers scramble to avert park closures
With state park closures only a month away, California lawmakers are scrambling to send long-lasting aid to the state park system and keep the gates open.
First to the finish line: Jack London State Park
For the past 35 years, Valley of the Moon Natural History Association has been helping greet and educate visitors at the Jack London State Historic Park in Sonoma County.As of May 1, however, it’s taken charge of the whole park: 1,400 acres, 10,000 artifacts, and more than a dozen historic buildings.
Ancient Redwoods and Camping in Mendocino
Hendy Woods State Park in Philo. Trail: 3.6 mi, 282 ft elevation gain, loop
McGrath’s Army Takes Back the Beach
McGrath State Beach has plenty of visitors and plenty of revenue. So how did it end up on the closure list? The park’s sewer line was broken, and the state couldn’t afford to fix it. But the local community rallied around the park, raised the money to fix the sewer, and now the park will stay open.
