After a series of controversies spanning 16 years, environmentalists and developers have reached a deal to preserve the only north-south land bridge over Highway 24 — Gateway Valley, a critical wildlife corridor and link in a 20-mile swath of open … Read more
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.
Natural World Museum Exhibit: Anima Mundi
In its debut exhibit, the San Francisco-based nonprofit Natural World Museum (www.naturalworldmuseum.org) presents an exploration of ancient and contemporary environmental art. Called Anima Mundi, Latin for “Soul of the World,” the multimedia exhibition show-cases modern works by renowned wild-life painter … Read more
A Tall Order
There are many factors to consider—from endangered species and sediment deficits to flood control and budget deficits—when you restore 16,500 acres of salt ponds.
Bay Activist: Florence LaRiviere
When Florence LaRiviere heard last year that 16,000 acres of Cargill’s salt ponds had been acquired for restoration, the longtime Bay advocate rejoiced. “This work will start changing the land and the waters back to what they looked like a … Read more
Invitation to a Restoration
Planners designing a strategy for one of the biggest wetlands recovery projects ever undertaken in this country—the South Bay salt pond restoration—want to hear what folks like you and your neighbors have to say about it. You may have ideas … Read more
Refuge Volunteer: Eileen McLaughlin
The baylands’ swampy smells and power lines are distasteful to many. But to Eileen McLaughlin, Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge was unknown territory to be explored. This energetic woman started volunteering at the refuge in 1998, going out to closed … Read more
Scientist: Howard Shellhammer
Howard Shellhammer is known as the champion of a very rare mouse. A world expert on the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse, the former San Jose State biology professor has studied these diminutive rodents for over four decades, and spoken … Read more
Darn ‘Skeeters, the Unwelcome Summer Guests
A little standing water is all it takes for mosquitoes to get going, so it’s no wonder they’ve been making evolutionary hay for over 30 million years—and acting as efficient disease transporters along the way, even here in the temperate Bay Area.
Bullet Train Through Henry W. Coe State Park and Orestimba Wilderness
Where can you find more than 80,000 acres of wildlands with hundreds of miles of trails only 36 miles from San Jose? In Henry W. Coe State Park, the adventurer can hike for days without seeing any signs of urban … Read more
Disappearance of Native Oaks in the Bay Area
Although solidly rooted in California’s natural and cultural history, our native oaks are disappearing at an alarming rate. The loss of these magnificent trees to urbanization and Sudden Oak Death has been widely publicized, but there is another threat that … Read more