The San Francisco Bay Area may be one of the densest metropolitan areas of the country, but roughly 40 percent of the region's total land area is made up of farms and rangelands.

Canal neighborhood gets new community garden

September 17, 2012 •  by

San Rafael’s culturally diverse Canal neighborhood is well known for its bustling community centers and family owned businesses. But until now, the 5,000 residents who live here have lacked direct access to garden harvested produce. Earlier this month, residents gathered to … Read more

MidPen brings cattle back to the land

September 6, 2012 •  by

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is embarking on it’s first major foray into managing rangelands with the planning of the Purisima-To-The-Sea trail, which connects the Santa Cruz mountains to Highway 1. The district has adopted a policy of  “conservation grazing” … Read more

EcoFair Marin Returns!

August 13, 2012 •  by

Mark your calendars for September 9th! EcoFair Marin is back, and even better this year, with over 80 exhibits, do-it- yourself demonstrations and speakers, including author Van Jones, as keynote presenter.  Inspired by San Rafael’s Climate Action Plan and presented in … Read more

High Plains Drifters

August 10, 2012 •  by

My current beach reading has the usual ingredients: a steamy love triangle, a pitched battle between mortal enemies, and colorful characters cavorting in exotic locales. This is no dime-store novel, though, but an homage to the North American prairie entitled … Read more

A School Garden is Born in Marin

April 7, 2012 •  by

After a decade of stalled efforts and 18 months of negotiations, students at Drakes High School in San Anselmo installed a large school garden that will be used by several special programs at the public high school.

Yes, there is such a thing as a free lunch

February 27, 2012 •  by

A group of renegade agricultural activists is challenging the notion that nothing comes for free by grafting fruit-bearing branches onto trees lining city streets.Over the past year, the Guerrilla Grafters – a diverse group of volunteers who started in San Francisco – has been splicing fruit-bearing branches onto ornamental fruit trees around the city in an effort to grow apples, cherries, pears, and other fresh produce that urban residence can enjoy for free.

HIdden Villa white barn

Back to the Land at Hidden Villa

February 21, 2012 •  by

Whether you’re looking for lessons in seed saving or hikes in nature, you’ll find them in the hills above Los Altos at Hidden Villa, which was home to the region’s first youth hostel and interracial summer camp.

Taking Care of Baby Salmon

January 23, 2012 •  by

Proponents of the Yolo Bypass Floodplain Fishery Enhancement Project are starting small but thinking big. During the first year of the pilot project, scientists will test whether raising juvenile chinook salmon on flooded rice fields in the Yolo Bypass will help the fish get stronger and bigger before being flushed down to San Francisco Bay and out to the Pacific.