San Francisco Bay is our largest open space, yet much of its shoreline has long been off-limits. Twelve years ago, the Bay Trail Project set out to change all that by creating a 400-mile ring of multiuse paths around the Bay. Now half complete, the Bay Trail is fulfilling its promise of increased access to the expansive vistas, rich wildlife habitats, and recreational opportunities of this incomparable estuary.
The Bay Trail through the Palo Alto Baylands is among the best places to see the endangered California clapper rail and multitudes of other shorebirds.
To See the Stars Well do I know that I am mortal and a creature of one day;but when my mind follows the massed wheeling circles of the stars,my feet no longer touch the earth…—Ptolemy, epigram to the Almagest Observatories … Read more
by Nancy BauerCoyote Ridge Press, 200156 pages, $14.95(707) 829-3910 In The Habitat Garden Book, Nancy Bauer deftly paints her philosophy: gardening for wildlife by creating habitats. Most books give instructions for attracting one type of critter at a time, usually … Read more
Calling all lovers of native trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs, and seeds! With the advent of the rainy season, fall is an excellent time to plant natives: Moist soil gives roots a much better opportunity to grow deeply without frequent watering. … Read more
What do grigs, mantids, lace-wings, and damselflies have in common? They’re all bugs, and now’s your chance to learn more about all of them. San Francisco’s Randall Museum is featuring a free, interactive exhibit entitled “Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!” through mid-September. … Read more
Small fragments of San Francisco’s original plant communities still survive today, the last vestiges of the unique grasslands, dunes, oak woodlands, and creeks that are the natural heritage of the City by the Bay. Through site stewardship, the San Francisco … Read more
Back when I used to teach children about nature, I often relied on a “hook” to keep them focused. Slapping myself with stinging nettle was a great attention grabber, but banana slugs worked just as well and didn’t hurt as … Read more
Years ago, there was a quail refuge on the outskirts of the town of Bolinas. Seeking to restore her yard to the coastal prairie it used to be, Bolinas writer Judith Lowry decided to shape her garden to meet the quail's habitat needs. In the process, she discovered how a covey of quail can stitch together a sometimes fractious neighborhood.
Each spring, River of Words (RoW) serves up a refreshing tonic: sparkling poetry and art by kids about their ecological address. The idea for RoW—learning about local ecosystems and building communities to work together within watersheds—was hatched in 1995 by … Read more
Independent, nonprofit environmental journalism connecting people with nature in the San Francisco Bay Area.
