💭 We’re listening. Take our community survey and help shape Bay Nature’s future.
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Things begin rumbling about now. Storm clouds pile up along the outer Coast Ranges, the winds shift and come out of the south, days get shorter, and the air gets colder. We all know what’s coming: the rainy season. Termites and spiders know it too, and they’re getting busy.
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Universal access to nature and recreational activities is a work in progress, and opportunities, though currently somewhat limited, are expanding. Here’s a list of resources.
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Purisima Creek Preserve The shaded understory at uncrowded Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve on the Peninsula is a delicious place to ramble in hot weather, especially when berries start to appear in early summer. Mature second-growth redwoods, mingled in places with … Read more
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Native Treasures: Gardening with the Plants of California, by M. Nevin Smith, UC Press, 2006, 288 pages, $24.95 http://www.ucpress.edu It’s almost an embarrassment of riches for native plant enthusiasts: two comprehensive new books on gardening with California natives published in … Read more
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As a sighted person, I take in most of my information about the world through my eyes. So I’m wondering how my fellow travelers perceive this journey when they can’t see the backdrop to our adventure: the impressive green of … Read more
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Losing your eyesight or the use of your legs doesn’t mean you lose your desire, or ability, to explore the natural world. Until recently, opportunities for people with disabilities to do so were few and far between. Fortunately, local activists have been knocking down these barriers, creating more opportunities for access, such as kayaking on the Bay, hiking in the hills, and cycling along the shore.
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The sticky monkey flower, common on sunny Bay Area hillsides, hosts an array of insect visitors. Edward Ross’s intimate photos of these visits are but a small sample of the thousands he’s taken over six decades of studying insects near and far.
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The single-track trail along the creek looks quite inviting: just wide enough for hiking, with no fallen limbs or nasty briars sticking out, a canopy overhead. It all seems so natural. But Melvin Johnson knows better. As operations coordinator for … Read more
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Trails are the main way we access most of the Bay Area’s diverse and abundant open space. Despite that, it’s easy to forget that trails have to be planned and built by someone. However, for the East Bay Regional Park District, which has over 1,000 miles of trails, this is a full-time job. At places like the newly-opened Brushy Peak Regional Preserve, trail planners must balance people’s desire for access with the needs of native plants and animals.
