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Don't
miss the Nature in the City TALK on
Food Security & Urban AgricultureTonightCounterpulse, 7:30pm |
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| Then this Saturday, December 1st Join Nature in the City and the Mt Sutro Stewards From 9 AM – 1 PM at Mt. Sutro Open Space Reserve |
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November 28, 2007 In this issue: News - Help
Bring in the New Year!
Volunteer
Opportunities- GGNRA Protection of Western Snowy Plovers - Letter from the Editor of Bay Nature - Nature in the City TALK - Oil Spill Updates Nature in the City Calendar 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. Volunteer Opportunities 
Presidio Park Stewards at Presidio Hills CNPS Mt. Davidson Presidio Nursery Friday November 30 Presidio Plant Patrol at Lobos Creek Saturday December 1 Presidio Park Stewards at Lobos Creek Valley with Volunteer Party to follow! Mt. Sutro Stewards Volunteer Day Buena Vista Park Oak Woodlands Corwin Community Garden 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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| Nov. 28 |
Nature in the City 07-08 FALL/WINTER TALKS
Food Security & Urban Agriculture 7:30 p.m. CounterPULSE Amy Franceschini (Victory Gardens, past and present), Willow Rosenthal (City Slicker Farms), and Jason Mark (Alemany Farm, editor of Earth Island Journal) will be the speakers of the night. Public
Scoping Meeting The Presidio Trust will prepare an EIS supplementing the 2002 Presidio Trust Management Plan. |
| Nov. 29 | Holiday Tree Lighting McLaren Lodge at Golden Gate Park (501 Stanyan Street) 5:30 pm Celebrate the 78th annual lighting of the City's most majestic Monterey cypress, just on the other side of McLaren Lodge from Golden Gate Park's Oak Woodlands! For more information call (415)831-2700 or visit www.parks.sfgov.org |
| Dec. 1 | Urban
Composting Garden for the Environment 10am - 12pm Hands-on workshop teaching basic methods for backyard and worm composting! Learn easy methods to turn food scraps and fallen leaves into compost, a “gardeners black gold" For more information call: (415) 731-5627 Guided Walk: Winter Solstice Night Hike 5 - 8PM Celebrate the winter solstice with an evening hike that meets at Rob Hill and finishes with stories around a warm Baker Beach campfire. For more info email Registration. Bioregional Ecology Workshop: An Introduction to San Francisco 10am- 5pm Glen Canyon Park We will explore a holistic ecological approach to identifying and understanding Northern California's unique climate, weather, soil, landforms, watersheds, and native wildlife. For more info contact Planet Drum |
| Dec. 3 | Public
Safety Committee Hearing on the Spill 10am City Hall Room 263 As Chair of the Board of Supervisors' Public Safety Committee, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi has called a hearing to review the City's response to the oil spill. Public Meeting on the Cultural Institutions at the Main Post Request for Proposals 6:30 pm Presidio Officers' Club 50 Moraga Avenue An update will be offered on proposals received to date. |
| Dec. 6 | Mission Greenbelt Project 12 - 1pm Meet the Artist! Brownbag Lunch |
*For more calendar items, as well as regular volunteer opportunities, go to the Nature in the City Calendar to view all posted events.
News
Help
Bring in the New Year!
Join the San
Francisco Recreation and Park Department for a whole new year of Habitat Planting
at a park, garden or natural area in your community!
Check the calendar (it's a PDF!) to find upcoming
projects, or go to the Nature in the City community page.
To sign up for a project, please call 831-6328 or email Suzanna
Buehl.
Protection of Western Snowy Plovers
The National Park Service is proposing a rule to provide temporary protection for the Western Snowy Plover, a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Plovers over winter in the GGNRA, on portions of both Crissy Field and Ocean Beach.The temporary rule would continue seasonal protections now in place for the plovers until a Dog Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and special regulations for overall dog management at the GGNRA are completed, expected by winter 2009.
Comments must be received by January 22, 2008. Submit comments, identified by the Regulatory Information Number (RIN) 1024-AD53, by either of the following methods:
Online
OR
Mail or hand deliver to :
Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Fort Mason Building 201
San Francisco, CA 94123
Attention: Snowy Plover Protection Rule
For further information call 415-561-4728
Up
Letter
from the Editor of Bay Nature
November
21, 2007
Dear Bay Nature Readers,
It is now two weeks since the container ship Cosco Busan hit a support
pillar of the Bay Bridge and spilled 58,000 gallons of bunker fuel into
the waters of San Francisco Bay. Within a matter of hours, the tides
had scattered oil slicks and balls to beaches all around the central
Bay and out past the Golden Gate into the Pacific Ocean, as far north
as Bodega Bay, down to the San Mateo coast in the south, and west to
the Farallon Islands.
At this point, some 20% of the oil has been "recovered" from the water,
and more has been scraped up from Bay and ocean beaches and hauled off
to hazardous waste disposal sites. We know the number of birds that
have been picked up and taken for cleaning (1,050 as of November 20),
and the numbers of birds that have been picked up already dead (1,467);
we have no idea how many more died and were not recovered. I have not
seen any solid information about the harbor seals and California sea
lions that live and feed in the now-contaminated waters. Official
hearings and investigations are underway to determine what happened and
who is responsible. No doubt reprimands will be issued, fines levied,
and reforms proposed.
The
local major news media have done a good job of covering the disaster as
it has unfolded. However, once the recovery vessels have left the scene
and the hazardous material trainings have ended, and the spill is no
longer front page news in the daily media, the long-term consequences
of this spill will continue to play out in the waters of the Bay and
coast. And that is what we will cover in the pages of Bay Nature as the
story emerges in the months and years to come. In the meantime, we have
posted on our website
a page listing a variety informational resources,
organizations, and volunteer opportunities related to the disaster...
If there is any silver lining to this disaster, it has been seeing the
outpouring of concern and action on the part of "ordinary citizens,"
local folks like you and me who really do love the Bay and the ocean
and the non-human species we share them with. We'll need all of that
concern and love in the months and years ahead to repair some of the
long-term damage from the accident.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, I give thanks to all of you for the concern
you have expressed, for the dedication you have demonstrated, and the
volunteer hours you have logged. We all have a lot more work to do to
make this region a secure and inviting home for both people and
wildlife; Bay Nature is committed to participating in, and telling the
stories of, the long and often difficult process of preserving the
natural environment of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Regards,
David Loeb, Publisher
Nature in the City 07-08 FALL/WINTER TALKS
Food Security & Urban Agriculture
Wednesday,
November 28
7:30 p.m.
CounterPULSE
Amy Franceschini (Victory Gardens, past and present), Willow Rosenthal (City Slicker Farms), and Jason Mark (Alemany Farm, editor of Earth Island Journal).
Oil Spill Updates
Check out the SF Gate website for an entire list of all their media coverage, as well as maps, photos and volunteer resources. Go to the Nature in the City volunteer page for important information and links about the oil spill.
Up
2007 Word of the Year: Locavore
(Oxford University Press)
The 2007 New Oxford American Dictionary Word of the Year is locavore.
The past year saw the popularization of a trend in using locally grown ingredients, taking advantage of seasonally available foodstuffs that can be bought and prepared without the need for extra preservatives.
The “locavore” movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locavores also shun supermarket offerings as an environmentally friendly measure, since shipping food over long distances often requires more fuel for transportation...
“Locavore” was coined two years ago by a group of four women in San Francisco who proposed that local residents should try to eat only food grown or produced within a 100-mile radius. Other regional movements have emerged since then, though some groups refer to themselves as “localvores” rather than “locavores.” However it’s spelled, it’s a word to watch.
Read more here.
One Cup or Two?
(Inhabitat)
Anna Bullus gives new meaning to the term ‘biodegradeable’ with a vanishing cup made entirely of sugar. With ‘One Cup or Two’ not only is there no leftover plastic or paper cup headed for the landfill, but there is also no need to add sugar to your tea or coffee — as you can just add your tea or coffee to the sugar cup and enjoy. One Cup or Two can be used up to four times and come in an assortment of flavors including plain, almond and Irish Whiskey.
Is Biodiesel a Terrible Illusion?
(BeyondChron)
Read the guest editorial by Eric Brooks from yesterday's BeyondChron to get another glimpse at this alternative fuel, and its possible devastation of the planet.
In the UCSF Mt. Sutro Open Space Reserve
Saturday December 1st
9 AM – 1 PM
Habitat Work & Planting:
Volunteer with the Mt. Sutro Stewards Habitat Crew led by Jake Sigg (CA Native Plant Society), Peter Brastow (Nature In The City), Rob Bakewell and Aaron Thies along with One Brick & Community Volunteers as we reintroduce native species into an area reclaimed from nonnative blackberry. Also help to remove ivy and blackberry from an endangered Nootka reed grass colony. We provide the tools, training, gloves and supervision.
Trail Work:
Join the Mt. Sutro Stewards Trail Crew led by Craig Dawson, Ben Pease, Dan Schneider and Bob Sigel along with One Brick, Boy Scouts & Community Volunteers as they reconstruct several switch-backs on the Lower North Ridge Trail. This effort will include construction of two stone drywalls. Learn old techniques for new construction! We provide the tools, training, gloves and supervision.
Meeting Location:
Meet at the Woods Building parking lot, located at 100 Medical Center Way. This lot is about half way up the hill from Parnassus Avenue. Parking is available for volunteers only during scheduled activities.
Maps Available Online:
Download a current map of the Mt. Sutro Open Space.
Refreshments will be provided at the conclusion of our activities.
NOTE: Dan and Craig will provide holiday refreshments this Saturday : • )
Contact Craig Dawson at 665-1077 for more information.
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