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Nature in the City News
San Francisco is a Birdwatcher's Paradise
SF Gate
Check out the February 23 article in the SF Chronicle, featuring Nature in the City Steering Committee member, Josiah Clark!
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The Presidio Photo by Paul Chin www.sfgate.com |
"People may think that San Francisco's avian population is limited to overindulged seagulls and raggedy pigeons.
Not so. Despite 150 years of development in the city, hundreds of species come here - most of them to the spots they inhabited before the Gold Rush. Birders in San Francisco over the past century have compiled a list of 396 species, nearly half the birds in North America."
Supervisor Mirkarimi Appointed to the California Coastal Commission
District 5 Report
"Are you worried about oil drilling in the Pacific, or preserving access to the California coast, or ensuring that developers don't ruin our coast? Then you'll be glad to know that Supervisor Mirkarimi has been appointed to the California Coastal Commission. His appointment marks the first time in more than thirty years that a San Francisco representative has been appointed to this commission--arguably one of the most powerful land-use regulatory bodies in the United States.
The Commission is charged with regulating the use of all the land and water along California's 840 miles of coastline, and meets monthly. Ross would like to thank the Board of Supervisors for nominating him, Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg for his support, and Senator Mark Leno for helping him navigate Sacramento's choppy waters."
Natural Areas Program Gets to Stay
Jake Sigg, CNPS Conservation Director and Nature in the City Steering Committee member, expressed his thanks to Jared Blumenfeld, interim General Manager of the Rec and Park Department, for saving the Natural Areas' home:
"I was very gratified to learn of your decision to keep the Natural Areas and Volunteer Programs in the Park Aid Station. The location and the physical space here is close to ideal in terms of operations and interaction with volunteers. Now we can concentrate our energies over the many other problems afflicting biodiversity and our natural heritage. It is also good news to hear the Proposition 40 funds have been released by the State for its renovation."
Supervisor Seeks Federal Stimulus Money to Clean Mountain Lake
SF Examiner
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Mountain Lake Photo by Daniel J. McKeown |
"A lead-contaminated lake in the Presidio could soon be full of clean water. Critical of cleanup delays, Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier is now seeking federal stimulus dollars to fund the removal of toxins from the four-acre Mountain Lake - one of the last two remaining natural lakes in San Francisco - and prevention of future contamination. "
Open Space Community Workshops
Go and advocate for natural areas and biodiversity conservation and restoration! Public input will inform the creation of an Open Space Framework for San Francisco.
Visit the Open Space 2100 website for the full calendar.
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. |
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Photo by Amber Hasselbring |
Wednesday March 11
Alcatraz Gardens
Presidio Park Stewards
@ Dragonfly Creek
California Native Plant Society
@ Lake Merced
Presidio Nursery
Redwood Creek
Thursday March 12
Crissy Field Landscape
Lands End Stewards
Friday March 13
Alcatraz Gardens
Presidio Plant Patrol
@ Coastal Bluffs
Quail on the Presidio
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Presidio Clarkia on Tank Hill |
Herons Head Marsh
Area A Landscape & Maintenance
Presidio Park Stewards
@ Crissy Field
Oak Woodlands
Lands End Stewards
Presidio Nursery
Friends of McLaren Park
Colma Creek
Redwood Creek
Friends of Edgehill Mountain
Sunday March 15
Ocean Beach Cleanup
Bernal Hill Native Grasslands
Haight-Ashbury Native Plant Nursery
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.
Rossmoor Woodpeckers Update
WildCare
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Acorn Woodpecker with insect. Photo by Greg Wilson www.wildcarebayarea.org |
U.S. Fish and Wildlife listened to the appeals and is in the process of officially reviewing the depredation permits that were granted. The Rossmoor has communicated to WildCare that no woodpeckers will be killed until the review process is complete.
Thank you to everyone who signed the petition, made calls and encouraged friends to do the same. Click here to read more on this issue and to learn how we can continue to advocate for a humane and effective resolution to this conflict!"
Richmond Hopes to Protect 5 Miles of Wetlands
SF Gate
"The north Richmond shoreline has seen its share of blasts and explosions - from the dynamite factory, shooting range, oil refinery and a century of political fireworks.
But negotiations are under way to make the 5-mile stretch of wetlands - among the last undeveloped swaths of San Francisco Bay shoreline - a much quieter, calmer place.
Developers, city officials and park advocates are working to transform three parcels of private property into permanent open space, most likely part of the Eastshore State Park."
Fishermen Brace for New Ban on Salmon
SF Gate
"The bad news about fishing was couched in numbers and graphs, study results and scientific jargon, but there was no mistaking the message: Californians won't be eating much local salmon this year.
That was the gist of a day-long meeting in Santa Rosa Tuesday [March 3] at which state Department of Fish and Game biologists told fishermen, conservationists and others that surveys and studies show the state's salmon fishery in near-complete ruin."
California Invasive Species Council Announced at World Ag Expo
Coordinated Effort Will Help Guard Against Non-Native Species Statewide
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Brassica Rapa - Field Mustard |
"California officials today [February 10] announced a coordinated effort to prevent and control harmful invasive species infestations throughout the state. The California Invasive Species Council will assist in minimizing the negative effects of non-native species on the state's agriculture, lands, natural resources, and waterways in rural and urban environments.
The Invasive Species Council will protect California's consumers and our environment from destructive pests, plants and diseases that also threaten our food supply, said Secretary A.G. Kawamura of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, chairman of the council."