.jpg)
Nature in the City News
Save Candlestick Point SRA!
 |
Candlestick SRA Photo by Alan Hopkins |
Lennar and the City are working hard to get the groundwork ready for their development of Bayview/ Hunters Point and a major part of that is Senator Leno's bill SB 792.
This bill would allow the Director of State Parks to sell 42 acres, over 25% of Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, to the City for the purpose of development.
We need letters and emails to Assemblypersons Ammiano and Ma asking them to oppose SB 792 until the State Park language is removed.
Here is a sample email:
"Dear Assemblyperson Ammiano:
I urge you to oppose S.792 (Leno) unless it is amended to remove the language that would allow for the sale of 42 acres of Candlestick Point State Recreation Area to the City for housing for the Lennar development. These 42 acres are less than 5% of the total development area and surely other land can be used for this purpose. Candlestick Point State Recreation Area is important to the City and to our communities. Any loss in acreage would seriously diminish the ability of the Park to serve the City's needs especially with 10,500 new units proposed for the Lennar development.
Again we ask you to oppose S. 792 unless it is amended so that Candlestick Point State Recreation Area will not be diminished."
DEMOCRATS Vote to Eliminate State Parks General Fund Support!
YESTERDAY, the Legislature's Budget Conference Committee took action to adopt the Governor's proposal to eliminate core, state funding for the state parks. The vote was split with ONLY DEMOCRATS voting for it and all Republicans voting against it. But the good news is that the committee also voted to enact the State Park Access Pass, the California State Park Foundation's proposal from last year.
Please TAKE ACTION and send a message to your legislator supporting the State Park Access Pass and urging the Legislature to Save Our State Parks!
 |
Critter at Candlestick SRA Photo by Alan Hopkins |
Will Closing State Parks Really Help?
Closing the parks could prove to be a budget blunder according to this recent study by CSU Sacramento about park-related visitor spending, based off of this 2002 study. And according to this proclamation signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in July 2007, he is in full favor of outdoor recreation. So why the hypocrisy, not to mention the stupidity?
Here is a snip from the SF Chronicle piece that ran last Thursday:
"Is your favorite park on 'The List'? The answer is probably 'Yes'... If the budget goes through as proposed, state park closures would start this fall. That would give state residents less than three months to enjoy their parks as they are now."
Read the full article here.
New Butterfly Population for SF County Found on YBI
 |
Rural Skipper Photo by Matt Zlatunich |
"On May 29th, I was invited to survey the property on Yerba Buena Island owned by the Coast Guard and off limits to the general public. At a place called Rocky Point, I caught a little brown skipper that I thought might be Ochlodes argricola, commonly referred to as the Farmer or the Rural Skipper. This is not a butterfly that is known to fly within the county mainland.
Matt Zlatunich and Dr. Jerry Powell joined me to look for other agricola on the island two days later. We went out to the magnificent oak habitat where the San Francisco Fiesta Flower grows, just left of the bridge. The clouds and wind were playing with my all-important sun. Then, landing right in front of me: The Rural Skipper. Matt was close enough to get a good shot with his camera. Jerry said that pretty much confirms a breeding colony. Only two entries of this species on the historic record: 1925 and 1915.
My work in the last two years has been primarily confirming the work of all the lepidopterists that went before me. This is the first time I have actually added a new breeding species. An island endemic to our county: Oclodes agricola."
Mariposa Lily in Bloom
 |
The yellow mariposa lilies, Calochortus luteus, at Hunters Point are in bloom! Photo by Margo Bors |
Smooth Owls Clover Found in SF
"A tiny yellow flower found recently in the Presidio is as good as gold to native plant specialists. The Smooth Owls Clover had not been seen at the former military base since 1917 when Presidio Trust naturalists stumbled across a surprise bloom while collecting seeds near Fort Scott."
New Volunteer Opp at the Presidio
Due to the demands for volunteer programming on Sundays and the success of the Presidio Park Stewards, a new volunteer opportunity is being presented called Sundays of Service. Volunteer efforts will be focused on the restoration of native plant communities in the Presidio. The kickoff event will be June 21st from 9 am - 1 pm. Regularly, this exciting program will be held the third Sunday of every month.
If you plan to attend the first Sunday program e-mail or call (415) 561-3333. However, the following programs will run on a drop-in basis.
Coyote in Glen Canyon
Margo Bors snapped some beautiful photos at the CNPS workparty in Glen Canyon last Wednesday, June 10. Click here to see more!
New Film Shows Failure of Popular Stray Cat Management Program
The American Bird Conservancy has produced a new, short film Trap, Neuter, and Release: Bad for Cats, Disaster for Birds. The film reveals how a feral cat management program called trap, neuter, and release is failing to substantially reduce cat numbers despite advocates' claims, and is contributing to the deaths of millions of birds each year, including endangered species.
Read the full press release here.
This phenomenon occurs in San Francisco as well. Local groups that are well intentioned have continued a well organized, feral cat feeding program around the city, and the cat population is actually increasing! As Nature in the City Steering Committee member and local naturalist, Josiah Clark wrote, "These cats are likely the ones we see hunting in wetland areas just to the south and east of the piers. Impacts on breeding wetland birds and their chicks are a primary concern."
 |
| Wednesday June 17 |
| Alcatraz Gardens Presidio Park Stewards @ Inspiration Point California Native Plant Society @ Brotherhood Way/Lake Merced Blvd Redwood Creek Presidio Nursery |
| Thursday June 18 |
| Crissy Field Landscape Lands End Stewards |
| Friday June 19 |
| Alcatraz Gardens Presidio Plant Patrol @ Wherry Corridor |
| Saturday June 20 |
| Friends of Glen Canyon Friends of Sheilds/Orizaba Rocky Outcrop Area A Landscape & Maintenance Presidio Park Stewards @ Baker Beach Fort Funston Friends of Brooks Park Lands End Stewards Presidio Nursery Redwood Creek |
| Sunday June 21 |
| Haight-Ashbury Native Plant Nursery Ocean Beach Cleanup Bernal Hilltop Native Grassland Sundays of Service 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.
Bring in the Cows
High Country News
"'There they are, the keystone herbivores!' shouts conservation biologist Stuart Weiss. Framed by the front window of his Toyota truck, a small herd of cattle can be seen grazing near the crest of Coyote Ridge, a craggy promontory of serpentine rock that towers over the city of San Jose, Calif., unofficial capital of Silicon Valley...
These are well-mannered cows that don't overgraze because they are regularly moved from pasture to pasture. As a result, Weiss says, the grass-nibbling they do is beneficial... their presence in these rugged rangelands may well be the only thing standing between an iconic insect, the Bay checkerspot butterfly, and near-certain extinction."
Lyme Disease In San Francisco?
Richmond Review
"Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that is carried by ticks, was recently discovered in San Francisco. Testing is now going on to determine if two individuals have the disease - they have the symptoms. One was bitten in Golden Gate Park... and the other case was in Glen Park."
Green Apartment Campaign Kickoff
The SF Deptartment of the Environment is offering tenants in multi-unit buildings the chance to compost for the first time! Their overall city goal of diverting 75% of landfill waste by 2010 is possible with increasing participation in the composting program.
The official kick off party and press event is being held on June 17th with a goal of having at least 100 people willing to sign up for a volunteer day throughout the summer, to help educate people and hand out kitchen pails! E-mail Sunshine Swinford if you are interested!
Nonprofit to Buy Aquarium at Pier 39
SF Gate
"The long-awaited purchase of San Francisco's Aquarium of the Bay [which you can find on our Nature in the City MAP] by the nonprofit Bay Institute is expected to be completed today [June 11] to the delight of environmentalists, educators and scientists who will have a stake in the future of the attraction."
Smart Growth - Oxymoron or Sustainable Future??
SF Gate
"The Bay Area could serve as a national model for environmental sustainability by creating new jobs and housing on underused and blighted land while cutting carbon emissions, according to a Greenbelt Alliance initiative announced Wednesday."