The San Francisco Bay Area is bejeweled with hundreds of parks and open space preserves as well as a rich set of laws and policies meant to ensure the survival of vulnerable species and ecosystems. Real people made this happen through a dedicated call to stewardship.
Got rats? As appealing as it may seem to have your rodent intruders done away with the drop of a few blue pellets, the city of San Francisco is telling its citizens: “Don’t take the Bait.”The campaign seeks to turn public opinion away from best-selling rat and mouse poisons for the sake of wildlife and the environment. The trouble is that the poison-infused rodents eventually become toxic prey to any creature higher up on the food chain. Stick to the classic snap trap, officials say.
It’s showtime. What better way to spend a blustery day in early March than to visit the two green film festivals in San Francisco? This year’s line-up features a number of films from Bay Area filmmakers and ones that touch on local topics. Among them is Bay Area filmmaker Jon Shenk's "The Island President" about how the recently ousted leader of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, is trying to save his country from being the first obliterated by sea level rise. In an interview, Shenk explains why all coastal cities -- including Bay Area cities -- should take what's happening in the Maldives to heart.
Inspired by a teaching stint with inner-city kids 20 years ago, English-born teacher Mandi Billinge founded an organization that gives thousands of Bay Area children their first hands-on experience with nature.
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.
In west Petaluma, a hilly, treeless plot of land will be declared the Paula Lane Nature Preserve next month because of the tenacious work of local residents who were inspired by an equally tenacious creature -- the American badger.
Scientists and citizen scientists may share a love of nature, but they have few tools to exchange information. A new online tool called the Bay Area Bio-Atlas seeks to deepen those links in an effort to provide a real-time field guide to the region’s flora and fauna.
Berkeley Assemblymember Nancy Skinner muses about an early internship gathering park data, how local governments are leading the world on environmental issues, and why she wants to make reflective roofs as popular as recycling.
Stunned bobcats, entangled geese, sea-foamed birds – sound like the makings of a horror film? These are just a few of the creatures given a new chance at life by WildRescue, a Bay Area organization that delivers wildlife in distress to animal health clinics.
Petaluma photographer Scott Hess never shied from a debate about conservation. He's hiked, admittedly illicitly, around Lafferty Ranch to reveal the property's hidden beauty, and once snapped pinups of "ecobabes" for a calendar on climate change. In this Q&A, Hess explains how his activism and photography intersect, and the pitfalls of doing what you love most.
