The San Francisco Bay Area is bejeweled with hundreds of parks and open space preserves as well as a rich set of laws and policies meant to ensure the survival of vulnerable species and ecosystems. Real people made this happen through a dedicated call to stewardship.
It’s rare for a Bay Area city to be in the position of deciding what to do with a windfall of thousands of acres of open space within existing city limits. Yet that is precisely the challenge—and the opportunity—that the … Read more
Those of us behind the technological times may bristle at the convergence of computers and nature. What, you might ask, does an iPod have to do with an egret? “Education,” responds Caroline Warner of the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture, … Read more
Sure, it can be frustrating to see that land purchased for a park is still closed to the public. But buying open space is only the first step in creating a new park. After that come the land-use plans and the search for funds to pay for facilities and staff. Here we take a look at what it will take for the East Bay Regional Park District to transform the 15,000 acres in its land bank into parks.
Organizations Several local nonprofit organizations work to protect open space on and around Mount Diablo and to inform the public about the natural and cultural history of the area. Save Mount Diablo Save Mount Diablo (SMD) was founded in 1971 … Read more
Barbara Salzman was “hooked on nature” after taking her young son on field trips with Elizabeth Terwilliger, Marin’s legendary environmental educator. Salzman is now president of the Marin Audubon Society (MAS), which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The organization … Read more
Across San Pablo Bay, Contra Costa County is also trying to manage growth wisely. The population here is expected to increase by 127,000 within 20 years, and housing for those newcomers will be built somewhere. The trouble is, developers are … Read more
The Bay Institute of San Francisco Works with public agencies and nonprofits to promote wetlands restoration around San Pablo Bay, including a partnership with Dept. of Fish & Game and Sonoma County Water Agency on the use of reclaimed water … Read more
You reach Fred Dickson’s place by turning south off Highway 37 near Sears Point on Reclamation Road, the very name a reminder of the glory days of diking and draining. “This was nothing but a marsh at the beginning of … Read more
Some threatened and endangered amphibians and reptiles are content to share habitat with cattle, as we reported in our April 2007 feature Islands in a Sea of Grass. Others, it seems, have been willing to coexist with another introduced species: … Read more
Last November, the Bay Area electorate headed to the polls to help decide the fate of several important land-use issues. As our votes slowly turn into policy and action on the ground, Bay Nature asked two regional open space advocacy … Read more
Independent, nonprofit environmental journalism connecting people with nature in the San Francisco Bay Area.
