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Restoring Franciscan nature and biodiversity
by connecting
people with nature where they live.
Final Green Hairstreak Walk
of the Season: Saturday, May 10!
Please join us
by becoming a member and: Volunteer to
do
habitat restoration, Plant a
wildlife-friendly backyard, or pressure
City officials
to take care of San Francisco's nature and natural
areas.
The
Ecology of San Francisco
Wild Nature
in the
City
Imagine the city of San Francisco
from above, painted upon the ancient
peninsula, transforming and fragmenting the natural landscape
into disconnected ecological islands. Despite urban development, the
city harbors its own local ecology,
including a great biodiversity of birds, reptiles &
amphibians, mammals, and butterflies.
These wild creatures endure in precious and vulnerable native
habitats and natural areas. Our urban nature and rich natural
heritage is
magnificent, but it is imperiled.
Local
Environmental Crisis
A consensus has emerged
that Earth is warming rapidly, heading for a potential global
climate catastrophe. Scientists and activists work hard to
convince our national and international leaders that global warming may
lead to the destruction of many of the Earth's ecosystems.
San Francisco is located in a global biodiversity
hotspot, harboring myriad rare and threatened
habitats for endangered plants and animals. The wild nature of San
Francisco is
in its own state
of ecological crisis:
·
The
City's watersheds and biodiversity are fragmented and
severely impacted
by invasive plants,
ecologically insensitive uses, and public and institutional lack of
awareness;
·
In
the modern world, opportunities for people, our children, to connect
with
nature are elusive; our
culture is becoming increasingly disconnected and
disassociated from nature.
more on the Crisis...
Our Local Nature
Imagine the future
city of San Francisco when our rare critters and their
habitats are conserved for generations within an ecologically
sustainable network of restored watersheds and wildlife
corridors. Such an ecological future is only
possible if we evolve a new culture of local nature awareness &
stewardship.
As San Franciscans, we can celebrate
our indigenous habitats and natural areas. We must also activate. We can and we must
restore ecological integrity to the City's
wildlands and biodiversity, and play our role in helping the
globe. Many other urban places do not have the fortune of San Francisco
- we can
connect with nature
where we live by stewarding
nature
in the city.
Save Candlestick Point!
As most of you know, Governor Schwarzenegger's FY 08-09 state budget proposes to close 48 state parks. The list includes Candlestick Point State Recreation Area,
one of the very few open spaces in Bayview Hunters Point and a critical
wetland and wildlife habitat.
Candlestick is in the midst of a
multi-year remediation and restoration project that addresses acute
contamination from industrial and military pollution. Literacy for Environmental Justice's Native Plant Nursery at Candlestick trains
youth interns from Bayview Hunters Point to grow the native plants
for the Candlestick wetland restoration project. Closing the park
throws the future of the remediation and the community based restoration project into doubt; we
urge you to find out more at The California State Parks Foundation and write to your legislators.
LEJ is circling a petition that needs to have as many signatures as possible by March 1.
Nature in the City and LEJ are collecting signatures in support of keeping Candlestick Point open.
Please print out a petition form, fill it out and gather signatures, then mail it to:
Literacy for Environmental Justice
800 Innes Ave #11
San Francisco, CA 94124
Shortly after the end of
the month LEJ has arranged a meeting with Mark Leno's office about the potential closure and other
development based threats Candlestick is facing. At the meeting they
intend to deliver the petitions in person. If you have any questions
or would like to get more involved call LEJ at 415-282-6840 or email Patrick.
The California State Parks Foundation recently released a new campaign, called Save Our State Parks (SOS).
Go to the website to find out ways you can help keep the parks from
closing, spread the word about the campaign, contact local legislators
and tell them why Candlestick means so much to you (and to ALL of San Francisco!!)
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