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
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
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.
Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland. Trail: 33.1 mi, 524 ft elevation gain, loop
Mount Tam's Steep Ravine and Dipsea trails take you from conifer forest to open slopes to sandy beach. And, best of all, when you take the bus and not your car, you don't have to walk back uphill afterwards.
Each weekend, thousands of Bay Area residents try to “get away from it all” by driving to beaches, parks, and other open spaces. As a result, we contribute—unwittingly—to some of the very problems we are trying to escape. According to … Read more
On the edge of the tidal marsh fringing Suisun Slough, a streaky dark-brown sparrow gleans seeds of tules and other rushes from the exposed mud. A shadow passes: a northern harrier, cruising for mice. The sparrow vanishes into a tangle … Read more
Independent, nonprofit environmental journalism connecting people with nature in the San Francisco Bay Area.
