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Images of activism

January 27, 2012 •  by

Petaluma photographer Scott Hess never shied from a debate about conservation. He’s hiked, admittedly illicitly, around Lafferty Ranch to reveal the property’s hidden beauty, and once snapped pinups of “ecobabes” for a calendar on climate change. In this Q&A, Hess explains how his activism and photography intersect, and the pitfalls of doing what you love most.

A tale of two species, and a lagoon

January 24, 2012 •  by

Sharp Park is at the center of a controversy over whether golfing can coexist with endangered species. The Pacifica course, which overlooks the ocean, is a unique coastal freshwater ecosystem with a lagoon that’s great for the California red-legged frog and San Francisco garter snake. But if you want to keep the fairways open to business, much of that water has to be pumped away.

Taking Care of Baby Salmon

January 23, 2012 •  by

Proponents of the Yolo Bypass Floodplain Fishery Enhancement Project are starting small but thinking big. During the first year of the pilot project, scientists will test whether raising juvenile chinook salmon on flooded rice fields in the Yolo Bypass will help the fish get stronger and bigger before being flushed down to San Francisco Bay and out to the Pacific.

LandPaths Executive Director Craig Anderson in the Swiss Alps

Exploring the Bay Area’s “Islands of Wildness”

January 20, 2012 •  by

A seasoned climber, hiker, outdoorsman, and lifelong world traveler, Craig Anderson could have remained an “itinerant geographer and outdoor guide”. Instead, he moved to Sonoma County fifteen years ago, signed up to work for a brand-new nonprofit called LandPaths, and stayed.

Benicia wants to run state park on California’s dime

January 17, 2012 •  by

The cash-strapped city of Benicia has come up with a novel way to keep its local state recreation area open and off the list of California park closures: get the state to foot the bill. The city says it can operate the 500-acre park at less than half the state’s budget.

Deadline Looms for Solano’s Rockville Trails

January 10, 2012 •  by

With the clock ticking toward a February deadline, the nonprofit Solano Land Trust is working to purchase 1,500 acres of land known as Rockville Trails in Solano County. Recently, a lawsuit put a stop to development plans and allowed the land trust to buy 330 acres of the property, with an option to purchase the remaining 1,170 acres for $15.5 million by February 28, 2012.

East Palo Alto turns trash into treasure

January 9, 2012 •  by

A toxic waste dump may seem an unlikely place to stroll around and enjoy the San Francisco Bay. But East Palo Alto is restoring and capping such a site in order to give the public access to the water for the first time. The restoration project will also restore marshlands for struggling species like the clapper rail and salt mouse harvest mouse.