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The Lungs of the City

October 1, 2009 •  by

In 1934, local voters created the East Bay Regional Park District, the nation’s largest regional park district. Today, as the district celebrates its 75th anniversary, challenges abound: Sea level rise threatens shoreline parks, the recession and budget crises affect park operations, and a growing human population puts increasing pressure on open space. Nevertheless, the district continues to thrive, with strong public support for land purchases and an unsurpassed combination of diverse wildlife habitats and accessible parks that attract millions of visitors every year.

Top Billing for Shorebirds

October 1, 2009 •  by

As summer turns to fall, thousands of shorebirds return to the shoreline and mudflats of San Francisco Bay, either for a pit stop on their way south or to stay for the winter. Sometimes many different kinds gather in one place. How can you tell them apart?

Trial by Fire for Condors

October 1, 2009 •  by

In June 2008, when the Basin Fire burned through the Big Sur coast, California condors, and the biologists who monitor them, faced wildlfire for the first time in living memory. After a heroic rescue of juvenile birds, the scientists and the flock came out well. Now they face more insidious threats: lead shot in carcasses and deadly trash along roadways.

Protecting Raptors and Climbers at the Pinnacles National Monument

August 4, 2009 •  by

Every summer, Pinnacles National Monument staff lift seasonal rock climbing closures on several rock formations that close each year to protect nesting raptors. For the last 23 years, park staff have closed routes to climbers to allow the birds to nest undisturbed, and raptor health has stayed high.

A Night Out with the Bats

July 1, 2009 •  by

Spend a night out as a bat and you’ll be amazed by these critters’ abilities to “see” in the dark and fly nimbly as they catch fast-flying bugs.

Around the Bend

July 1, 2009 •  by

Put your boat or raft in the river above Healdsburg and follow a wild, green thread flowing through an altered landscape.

urchin galls

Call of the Galls

July 1, 2009 •  by

Standing sentinel near the highest point in the East Bay Regional Park District, an ancient blue oak is our window into a spectrum of life in the orbit of one grand tree.

Counting Gulls, with Protective Gear

July 1, 2009 •  by

Clad in bike helmets and ratty clothes, staff and volunteers with the San Francisco Bird Observatory brave the South Bay’s raucous seagull nesting colonies, where the explosion of breeding gulls threatens to push aside less aggressive species.