News
I have nothing against golf, itself. Though I do wonder whether California and its rain-stingy Mediterranean climate is an appropriate place for a sport invented in Scotland, where it rains...a lot. I know nothing of the sport's origin story, but I have been to Scotland - in September. While Calilfornia is still cooking with heat and parched from summer drought (except for lush green golf courses), Scotland in August and September is as green as can be, a very sensible place for golf, a sport that requires acres and acres of emerald green grass.
Not only does the golf course at Sharp Park require the spring, summer & fall water that all courses in California do (never mind Nevada and Arizona), Laguna Salada and the course surrounding it are prime habitat for the federally threatened red-legged frog and "the most beautiful serpent in North America," the San Francisco garter snake. Remember, this is not the common garter snake, but a special species with a brilliant blue stripe, which only occurs on the San Mateo County coast. The narrow range of the San Francisco garter snake makes every single acre of habitat critical for its future survival. Should we pay attention to the needs of other species, at least equally with our own? In fact, by saving other species and by definition, the ecosystems of which they are a part and on which they depend, we are saving ourselves. We are of the Earth. Shall we continue to destroy our own habitat?
Sharp Park Golf Course is literally built on a wetland. The site has to be drained in order to keep the greens from flooding. Draining the site obviously makes the habitat worse for the frog and the snake, which depend on perennial water. And what of global warming and the inevitable sea level rise that will result from the melting of the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, and giant chunks of Antarctica? Will we continue to try to manage a coastal golf course at sea level or will we get smart and create conditions for the local habitats and critters to adapt to future environments? The more habitat we protect and restore, the more resilient ecosystems and species are in the face of global climate change.
Sharp Park is virtually surrounded by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the incomparable national park in our own backyard. This Franciscan Bioregion harbors truly fantastic biodiversity, including dozens and dozens of endangered species. These local native plants and animals are endangered of course because their habitats are endangered. If not for the California Coastal Commission, our west coast wetlands probably would have gone extinct. Thank goodness for government regulation! Of course, citizens have played the pivotal role in all of the ecological victories of the last few decades, including the establishment of our great national park. Isn't it time for a Sharp Park Restored to take its seamless, interdependent place among the remaining patchwork quilt of rich natural areas on the central coast, where local people can be proud that they live and interact sustainably with some of the country's rarest critters? - Peter Brastow
Another New Butterfly Species at the Presidio!
From Matt Zlatunich
"...We would have been perfectly contented with the thirteen species we had found by mid-afternoon during our Presidio-wide survey. But again, Liam O'Brien and I felt the thrill of discovery when we added our fourteenth species of the day, a Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis) that was nectaring on mock heather (Ericameria ericoides) in the Lobos Creek Valley. Although the Mournful Duskywing is considered to be fairly common throughout the Bay Area, this is the first solid Presidio record and only the second San Francisco record, the first being a specimen in the California Academy of Sciences dated Sept. 24, 1910 with the location given only as San Francisco. The Mournfull Duskywings larval host plant is oak, including the Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), which grows along the banks of Lobos Creek and elsewhere throughout the Presidio. We are consulting with some of the regional academic experts regarding this sighting. Some butterfly species are known to "stray" beyond the normal limits of their range, which may be the case here. Infact, this butterfly may not be a Mournful Duskywing, rather a nearly identical species from the south called a Funereal Duskywing. Stay tuned..."
Josiah Clark (ecologist & NTC Steering Committee member) will be leading a class called Wildlife Gardening. The class will focus on methods to increase the resources and carrying capacity for native SF fauna in all kinds of backyard settings.
Meet at the garden on October 25 at 10am. Registration and more information is available through Garden for the Environment.
Join Nature in the City!
Become a member today and get a new map! Nature in the City is a project of Earth Island Institute, a 501(c)3 California non profit public benefit corporation. |
Come to CounterPULSE on October 29, for the Nature in the City co-sponsored TALK, "Candlestick Point—State Park for the People." Speakers include, Alan Hopkins, Patrick Rump, and Claude Everhart.
Crissy Field Snowy Plover Monitoring Report
Check out Golden Gate Audubon's 10-page Crissy Field Snowy Plover monitoring report (by Matt Zlatunich) for 2007/2008. This is the fifth conescutive year the bird has returned to Crissy Field.
The SF Chronicle ran an article this morning about lead pollution at the Petaluma Trap and Skeet Club. It brings to mind the current controversy at the Pacific Rod and Gun Club at Lake Merced, where the gun club should be required to remove all lead from the lake and its uplands.
California Biodiversity Council Fall 2008 Meeting - Children in Nature
October 8, 2008: Field Tours and Dinner
Tours start at 10 a.m. from Oakland
October 9, 2008: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Meeting
Go to the CBD website for the agenda, posters, and more information.
San Francisco Bay Wildlife Tours help protect wildlife and encourage conservation through fun and exciting forays into the great outdoors. Customize your own private voyage, while their award-winning photographer documents your trip with your own camera. Available for wildlife presentations and lectures, and to guide group tours and classes.
Just go to the SF Bay Wildlife Tour website - tell them Nature in the City referred you and we recieve 15%!
The Randall Museum is hiring a few new staff members in the coming year. The first step requires the applicant to be on the Recreation and Park Department list. An application and qualifying exam are neccesary to get on this list. Application to take the qualifying exam due October 6! The application is available thru the SF GOV website.