Bay Nature Local Heroes | Environmental Justice | Farming and Ranching | Health | Parks | Policy | Pollution | Stewardship

Catching Up to Texas, California Now Has Certified Naturalists

September 6, 2011 •  by

If someone asked you to name the 26 states that offer certified “master naturalist” programs, there’s a good chance you’d class California among those. Until recently, you’d have been wrong. But, like Texas before us, we in the Golden State now finally have such a program.

On Site with Sue Gardner

September 1, 2011 •  by

Bay Area native Sue Gardner says her work on stewardship programs combines her two passions: people and nature. For almost 20 years, she’s been running innovative programs that get diverse groups of people out helping take care of the diverse habitats of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Turning a Weedy Island into Prime Habitat in Richardson Bay

August 17, 2011 •  by

Can a pile of dredge spoils covered in a jumble of invasive weeds be transformed into an island paradise for shorebirds, songbirds, and seals? The folks at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary think so. And after years of planning, ground-breaking on their ambitious restoration project has finally begun on a small island near Tiburon.

Crissy Field Youth Program Wins National Award

August 12, 2011 •  by

As the Crissy Field Center celebrates its 10th anniversary, the center continues to bridge the gap between urban youth and environmental education. In July 2011, the center’s Inspiring Young Emerging Leaders (I-YEL) program won the “Take Pride in America” national award given by the Department of Interior for outstanding youth program. Jie Chen, a former student intern and current manager of the I-YEL program described the award as “amazing to see and be a part of.”

SF to Shift Street Tree Care to Property Owners

July 20, 2011 •  by

Due to looming city budget cuts, SF Mayor Ed Lee recently produced a budget package that cut $300,000 from street tree care. The proposal would shift the city’s responsibility for 24,000 trees in front of private property onto the property owners over the next seven years.

SF Aims to Make City Safer for Birds

July 14, 2011 •  by

Every year in North America, a billion birds die by colliding with windows, buildings, and communication towers. Many of these deaths could be avoided by doing things like tinting windows and turning off lights between dusk and dawn. A proposed new city policy, would aim to better protect birds in San Francisco, which has more than 400 bird species and sits right on the Pacific Flyway.

Jenner Headlands to be Run by Land Trusts

July 1, 2011 •  by

When the Sonoma Land Trust acquired the Jenner Headlands, the best guess was that it would become a state park. Instead, the land trust will work with the Southern California-based Wildlands Conservancy to manage the large parcel, which includes a spot hawk watchers have staked out as a new “Hawk Hill north.”

Living Landscape Lives Large in South Bay

July 1, 2011 •  by

Even with state park closure looming, South Bay land trusts and philanthropists are thinking big with a major new initiative to protect 80,000 acres from San Benito County to San Francisco.