
Naturalist Katie Colbert introduces us to the amazing tarantulas that wander the interior hills of the Bay Area.

Environmental action often hinges on what not to do at home: don’t leave lights on, don’t bring home plastic bags, don’t use pesticides. But what about actively creating a wildlife habitat right outside your backdoor? San Franciscans will soon have help doing just that, from the nonprofit Nature in the City, which will offer backyard…

Ever since an epiphany with pickleweed in Oakland as a kid, Asha Setty has wanted to learn as much as possible about native plants. She started working for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy more than 12 years ago as an intern, and now she helps get the word out about projects happening at GGNRA.

Two weeks ago, Los Angeles supervisors voted to ban retailers from distributing single-use plastic bags in unincorporated parts of the county. Then on November 29, the governor argued for a statewide ban of plastic bags at a Sacramento press conference. Now San Jose becomes the nation’s largest city to ban plastic bags.

Last year, City Slicker Farms grew and distributed almost 7,000 pounds of pay-what-you-can produce in West Oakland. That number may double in coming years, thanks to a $4 million grant the nonprofit won last week. City Slicker Farms will use the money purchase and develop a 1.4-acre neighborhood farm and park.

People travel from around the world to visit the America’s National Parks. They come for scenery, wildlife, human history. But rarely do they come for the food. Instead they usually find the same fare available at most any shopping mall food court. That may soon change soon thanks to work being done at the Golden…