Exploring Nature in the San Francisco Bay Area

Could Oil Derricks Come To Mount Diablo?

BLM wants to open up areas for drilling near beloved Bay Area parks and wild spaces. We break down how likely that is.

  • Update: Lagunitas Creek

    Update: Lagunitas Creek

    “The Dream Given by You: Welcoming the Coho Back to West Marin” Our October-December 2001 issue highlighted the ecological and cultural significance of Lagunitas Creek’s endangered coho salmon, the largest coho population in central California. Recently, the watershed experienced its largest number of returning coho since surveys began 10 years ago. Given the coho’s 3-year…

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  • Update: Steelhead on Alameda Creek

    Update: Steelhead on Alameda Creek

    2005 “By the Water’s Edge: A Chronicle of Two Creeks” Our January-March 2005 issue highlighted the riparian habitats of the East Bay’s Alameda Creek watershed. Recently, the Alameda Creek Alliance (ACA) received $1 million from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for the construction of fish screens and the removal of an inflatable dam. In…

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  • Vasco Regional Preserve Open for Public Tours

    Vasco Regional Preserve Open for Public Tours

    At Vasco Regional Preserve, stone balls the size of dinosaur eggs litter the landscape, the winds burrow into stone, and cup-sized pools tucked into sandstone outcrops teem with fairies (of the crustacean variety). The preserve, owned by the East Bay Regional Park District, just recently opened its doors to the public after a trial run…

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  • East Bay Shoreline Parks

    East Bay Shoreline Parks

    The East Bay Regional Park District and other parks agencies own and operate an impressive array of shoreline parks in the East Bay. Visit a different one every week, and you’d still be busy for at least four months. Here’s a near-comprehensive list: Brooks Island 373-acre island just off the Richmond Inner Harbor shore. Features…

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  • Eastshore Park, Two Decades in the Making

    Eastshore Park, Two Decades in the Making

    Eastshore State Park, an 8.5-mile-long ribbon of East Bay shoreline between the Bay Bridge and Richmond’s Marina Bay, is proof that many good things don’t come easily. The park is the result of 20 years of advocacy, negotiation, and planning that started with a small group of devoted activists and grew to include the State…

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  • Bayshore Visitor Centers

    Bayshore Visitor Centers

    For many Bay Area commuters, the San Francisco Bay is unfortunately more an obstacle to be crossed during rush hour than the signature natural feature of our region. But a variety of shoreline parks and visitor centers offer us an opportunity to get close to, and learn more about, that body of water you’ve been…

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