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Yes on A - Fix Our Parks! $5 Million for nature trail and ecological restoration in the City's natural areas. This is a very important YES! Read more below. If this email is not displaying properly please click here or copy and paste this URL into your browser. |
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January 15, 2008 In this issue: News Yes on A!
Volunteer
OpportunitiesBig Year Publicity Centennial Muir Woods Earth Day Help Snowy Plovers Mt. Sutro Trails Reopened Society for Conservation Biology Stewardship Council Grant Workshops Nature in the City Calendar Big Year Events More Eco News & Events
Go online, email or call 415-564-4107. Nature in the City is a project of Earth Island Institute, a 501(c) California non profit public benefit corporation. We are now selling the 2008 San
Francisco Green Zebra guide, and receiving $10 of the proceeds!
 Go to Green
Zebra's website, and find the edition you like. Be
sure to enter or mention the code NIC955
when you check out so that
we will be credited $10 for each guide you purchase. Volunteer Opportunities 
Wednesday January 16 Presidio Park Stewards Presidio Nursery CNPS at Dragonfly Creek Thursday January 17 Crissy Field Landscape Lands End Stewardship Friday January 18 Presidio Plant Patrol Saturday January 19 Glen Canyon Holly Park Presidio Park Stewards Fort Funston Friends of Shields/Orizaba Rocky Outcrop Friends of Brooks Park Lands End Stewards Presidio Nursery Sunday January 20 Bernal Heights Holly Park Bernal Hilltop Native Grassland San Bruno Mountain For more information, contact info, and directions to natural areas go to the Community Calendar on the Nature in the City website. Up Calendar
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| Jan. 16 |
Parks Renovation Program: Open House
4-7pm City Hall, North Light Court 1 Carlton B Goodlett Place Come see recent and ongoing park renovation projects and accomplishments of the Recreation & Parks Department's Capital Renovation program. For more information go the SF Recreation and Parks Department website. |
| Jan. 19 |
Winter Birds of Richardson Bay
8:30 am - 10:30 am
A short hike around the sanctuary with Kerry Wilcox, the Sanctuary manager and experienced birder. Cost: $10 adult / $5 children. RSVP: 388-2524 ext. 103 Night Hike 6 - 7:30 pm Use all your senses to explore the Sanctuary after hours with a Naturalist led night hike. Cost: $10 adult / $5 children RSVP: 388-2524 ext. 107 |
| Jan. 30 |
2007-2008 Fall/Winter Talks Counterpulse 1310 Mission Street 415-626-2060 Free Peter Brastow and Brent Plater discuss the GGNRA Endangered Species Big Year |
| Feb. 1-3 | 12th Annual San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival Mare Island Vallejo, CA Celebrate the migration through the San Francisco Bay Estuary of 1 million shorebirds and hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese, hawks and even butterflies! Call 707-649-9464 or visit the website for more information. |
| Feb. 2 | Centennial Muir Woods Earth Day 8 am - 12:30 pm Fun projects and celebration! Muir Woods Mill Valley, CA |
*For more calendar items, as well as regular volunteer opportunities, go to the Nature in the City Calendar to view all posted events.
Big Year
Events
Sunday, January 20
10 am - 12 pm
Join naturalist and historian David Schmidt on a moderate 3-mile journey and learn about the lives of Coho Salmon as the fish return from the Ocean to spawn in the waters of Redwood Creek. Dress for cold, wet weather and wear boots as trails may be muddy. RSVP required: call 415-971-5201. Meet at Muir Woods National Monument south parking lot near the Dipsea Trail Exhibit. Park entrance fees apply, but the hike is free.
Tuesday, January 22
5:30 pm
Brent Plater presents an overview of the 2008 Golden Gate National Recreation Area Endangered Species Big Year to the Commonwealth Club of California. Everyone is welcome. $8 for Commonwealth Club members; $15 for non-members. Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105.
Wednesday, January 23
7:30 pm
Brent Plater presents an overview of the 2008 Golden Gate National Recreation Area Endangered Species Big Year to the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. Everyone is welcome.
Free. Orinda Library, Garden Room, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda, CA 94563.
Saturday, January 26
10 am - 1 pm
Get your fingers dirty and help restore habitat for the critically endangered San Francisco garter snake, with a chance to see California red-legged frogs! Join Sue Gardner of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy for a day of planting around several newly created frog ponds at Mori Point in Pacifica. Dress in warm layers, wear sturdy shoes and bring lots of friends! We provide snacks, tools and gloves. Meeting spot is Mori Point entrance gate. A carpool from Fort Mason (leaving at 9:15 a.m.) is available to work site and carpool pick-up location. RSVP required: call 415-561-3067
9 am - 12 pm
Join Lew Stringer of the National Park Service at Inspiration Point to help with Presidio Clarkia and Marin Dwarf-Flax restoration. RSVP required: call 415-561-4856. Meet at the Crissy Field Center.
For the full list, go to the Big Year Calendar.
News
Yes on A - Fix Our Parks!
On February 5th, San Franciscans will vote on Proposition A, a $185 million bond to repair and rebuild neighborhood parks and playgrounds, plant trees, replace restrooms, reinforce recreation centers and restore open space across the City. Just as important, Prop. A fixes our parks while holding property taxes steady.
- Come get Yes on A window signs at the Nature in the City office! Call us at 415-564-4107 or email steward@natureinthecity.org if you would like to stop by!
- Join the phone bank brigade! Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the Yes on A campaign will be calling San Francisco voters to encourage them to vote Yes! Sign up by calling 415-240-4150.
- Join a Rally and Precinct Walk! The next one will be at 10 am on January 19, at 28th and Lawton. Raise awareness about Prop. A with Supervisor Sean Elsbernd then walk the Sunset and talk to voters about how Prop A will fix their parks! To find other walks in your neighborhood go to the Fix our Parks volunteer page.
This is a very important, and most needed yes!
For more information about Proposition A, to find out about campaign events, or to pick up a window sign, go to the Fix Our Parks website.
Big Year Publicity
Check out the GGNRA Big Year media page to read all of the spectacular publicity this unique and exciting project has received.
Up
Centennial Muir Woods Earth Day
Saturday, February 2nd
8 am - 12:30 pm
We'll have lots of fun projects to help take
care of the woods and watershed, including: mulching and de-compacting
impacted areas in the Woods; planting redwood understory plants;
weeding some of our favorite invasive plant species; planting native
plants into the newly re-graded areas at the Banducci site; and other
projects TBD.
Check out the Parks Conservancy website for more details.
Up
Help Protect San Francisco's Snowy Plovers
Please send public comment by Jan. 22 on new rules that affect
Western Snowy Plover habitat in San Francisco.
The Western Snowy Plover, listed as threatened under the Endangered
Species Act and included on the California Audubon’s Watchlist, winters along two beaches in San Francisco: Ocean Beach and Crissy Field. Both of these
beaches are managed by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
(GGNRA), which is considering enacting new interim rules to manage
the beaches for plover protection.
Western Snowy Plovers spend up to 10 months (July- April) each year at OceanBeach and Crissy Field resting and feeding in preparation for the breeding season. Their ability to breed can be greatly diminished if they are disturbed during this time. Activities such as dog walking, jogging, kite flying and horseback riding can cause Plovers a lot of problems.
As an interim measure to protect the Western Snowy Plover, the GGNRA is considering adopting a temporary rule to limit or restrict dog walking within Western Snowy Plover wintering sites. Dogs, especially off-leash, are widely recognized as major threats to plovers. Limits to dog walking in plover habitat are an important first step in Plover conservation. Setting aside Plover areas from human activity in other California coastal sites has led to dramatic recovery of plovers in those affected areas. Please voice your support for Western Snowy Plover Protection by encouraging the GGNRA to adopt dog-walking and other recreational restrictions within Western Snowy Plover habitat.
Audubon California encourages you to send written comment by Jan. 22. Letters should reference number RIN 1024-AD53, and can be sent by any of the following methods:
o By visiting the federal website: and enter RIN 1024-AD53
o Mail or hand delivery to:
Superintendent Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Fort Mason
Building 201
San Francisco, CA 94123
Attention: Snowy Plover Protection Rule
For further GGNRA information contact: Brian O'Neill, General
Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Fort Mason, Building 201, San Francisco, CA 94123, (415) 561-4728.
Up
Mt. Sutro Trails Reopened After Storm
Mt. Sutro Steward leader, Craig Dawson, reports: "On Saturday the 12th a crew of a dozen volunteers spent the morning clearing storm debris from the Mt. Sutro trail network.
Now open and cleared are the Historic Trail, North, South and East
Ridge Trails, Fairy Gates Trail and Mystery Trail. The steep West
Ridge and the Gardeners Trail remain closed until a very large and
dangerous fallen tree top can be cleared. The short trail link between
the North Ridge and the Summit garden also remains closed until the
remains of a large cypress can be cleared off the rock outcrop and
trail.
If you wish to venture out on Mt. Sutro please don't do so if it's
windy. The last weeks rain and wind combined will continue to cause
additional trees to fall. This happened last year in the Woodland
Canyon area for weeks after the storms passed through."
Map Available Online:
Download a current map of the Mt. Sutro Open Space. (PDF)
Up
We will
inaugurate our new chapter by reviewing the chapter’s mission,
electing officers, and sharing our exciting 2008 program of dinner
speakers and field trips. Networking begins at 6:30pm. The program will
start at 7:00pm. Dinner at your own expense will follow the chapter
business.
Our featured dinner speaker is Dr. Stuart Weiss of the Creekside
Center for Earth Observation. Dr. Weiss will be talking about the Bay Area Open Space Council’s Upland Habitat Goals Project.
An RSVP is required so that we can plan dinner. Please RSVP.
If you cannot attend the meeting but wish to join the chapter, please
Up
Stewardship Council Youth Investment Program 2008 Grant Workshops
The stewardship council will be hosting workshops to explain how to apply for grant funds and how our targeted grant-making program aims to reduce physical, financial and social barriers to enable youth participation in outdoor experiences.
There will be a brief presentation followed by a question and answer period.
If you are interested in attending one of our workshops please email Latoya Gaham RSVP required.
San Francisco
January 24
3 pm - 4 pm
California Public Utilities Commission
Hearing Room A
505 VanNess Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
For more info and other workshop dates visit the Stewardship Council website.
Up
More Eco
News and Events
ACT locally, ADVOCATE globally
Help Protect Polar Bears
Polar bears are in trouble. The melting of the
Arctic is killing them. Some are already starving and drowning. If
global warming is allowed to continue, the Arctic will be entirely
ice-free during the summer, dooming polar bears to extinction.
But
as you may have seen in the news over the past few days, federal
bureaucrats are illegally delaying a decision to protect the polar bear
under the Endangered Species Act. Meanwhile they are fast-tracking
Arctic oil drilling while the bear remains unprotected!
The
Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Greenpeace are preparing to go to
court to force the administration to finalize the Endangered Species
Act listing. But they need your help as well. Polar bears need a massive
groundswell of public support to show that people are watching and will
not tolerate delays, denial, or political game-playing.
Please click here to sign the polar bear petition today. Tell the Bush administration to immediately list the polar bear as an endangered species. With your help, they will send the petition with 50,000 signatures to the White House on January 31st.
Conference on Global Warming
Wednesday, January 30, 9 am - 9 pm
Thursday, January 31, 9 am - 6 pm
SFSU
Jack Adams Hall
1600 Holloway Ave
San Francisco
This free, two-day event features world class speakers, such as Van Jones, expert panels, a roundtable discussion with elected representatives, and a live satellite webcast featuring Hunter Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute and many others. Click for more info or call 415-405-0326.
Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council Meeting
The Stewardship Council Board of Directors will hold a public meeting on:
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
San Mateo Public Library, Oak Meeting Room
55 West Third Avenue
San Mateo CA 94401
For additional information please call (866)- 791 5150, send an email to info@stewardshipcouncil.org, or submit written requests to:
Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council
15 North Ellsworth Avenue, Suite 100
San Mateo CA 94401
15 North Ellsworth Avenue, Suite 100
San Mateo CA 94401
For additional information go to the Stewardship Council Website.
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