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.
Sharp Park is at the center of a controversy over whether golfing can coexist with endangered species. The Pacifica course, which overlooks the ocean, is a unique coastal freshwater ecosystem with a lagoon that's great for the California red-legged frog and San Francisco garter snake. But if you want to keep the fairways open to business, much of that water has to be pumped away.
A seasoned climber, hiker, outdoorsman, and lifelong world traveler, Craig Anderson could have remained an "itinerant geographer and outdoor guide". Instead, he moved to Sonoma County fifteen years ago, signed up to work for a brand-new nonprofit called LandPaths, and stayed.
With the clock ticking toward a February deadline, the nonprofit Solano Land Trust is working to purchase 1,500 acres of land known as Rockville Trails in Solano County. Recently, a lawsuit put a stop to development plans and allowed the land trust to buy 330 acres of the property, with an option to purchase the remaining 1,170 acres for $15.5 million by February 28, 2012.
Ravenswood Open Space Preserve in East Palo Alto. Trail: 2.7 mi, 9 ft elevation gain, loop
The Bay Area program of the California Coastal Conservancy has been protecting critical open space landscapes and wetlands around the region for 15 years now. However, the program's anniversary is bittersweet: The sense of accomplishment from having played a central role in conserving 80,500 acres of valuable habitats and recreational open space is tempered by the knowledge that the program could soon run out of money.
Bay Nature mourns the untimely passing of David Yearsley, the founder and executive director of the Friends of the Petaluma River, in September 2011.
The Los Altos History Museum puts a local spin on California's epic tale of water in a new exhibit. Shaped by Water guides visitors past an artesian well to art installations depicting today's water use. Did you know the average Santa Clara County resident uses 153 gallons of water a day?
For kite aerial photographer Kris Benton, capturing images from the air is "more than just a hobby" - it's a way to record the history of a landscape.
In the past, a consumer had mainly two choices: real or artificial. Another voice has joined the debate over the “best” Christmas tree. “Sustainable” trees have hit holiday stands to become a viable option for green consumers. But what does the label “sustainable” mean and are these trees worth the premium price?
Some say it's a "military style" operation, and surely the level of expertise in the field can be intimidating. But the Christmas Bird Count is also great fun for normally solitary birders and a chance to grow the next generation of naturalists.
Independent, nonprofit environmental journalism connecting people with nature in the San Francisco Bay Area.
