NTC TREKS
2010 Spring Urban Treks
Download the Spring 2010 TREKS flyer!
To download descriptions, click here.
Our Spring TREKS are over but stay tuned to our website and newsletter for information about more TREKS this Fall!!
Check out these blog postings by TREK participants Daphne Powell and Jeff Diehl!
Previous TREKS
Tune Into Spring on Twin Peaks
with Josiah Clark
March 28
9 am - 12 pm
SOLD OUT
Join local Ecologist Josiah Clark to explore one of San Francisco's most prominent yet misunderstood natural landmarks, to focus in on the plant and associated breeding bird communities of Twin Peaks & Mt. Sutro. Seeking and finding dozens of native and introduced organisms, we will consider the specific opportunities and limiting factors of each. Josiah will help the group to interpret and decipher signature natural resources, combining fundamental principles in landscape ecology with an intimate knowledge of the needs and status of San Francisco's unique and disappearing wildlife species.
We will make a special effort to listen to the unique song dialects of San Francisco's last Nutall's White-crowned Sparrows as we look for the last endangered Mission Blue butterflies, which will be just hatching out. Also, we'll keep a sharp eye out for signs of breeding birds and migration. Blink and you will miss it. Tune into the ephemeral, vibrant beauty of spring!
Explore Yerba Buena Island
with Ruth Gravanis
April 3
1 - 2:30 pm
SOLD OUT
Join us for a lively walking tour of a little-known treasure, visiting remaining indigenous Bay Area ecosystems right in the middle of San Francisco Bay. We'll discuss the cultural and natural history of the island and its restoration needs while observing vegetation, critters, geologic features, cultural landmarks, and great vistas.
Mt Sutro in Bloom
with Craig Dawson
April 10
10 am - 12 pm
Walk at a leisurely pace along the dappled trails of Mt Sutro, with founder of the Mt Sutro Stewards, Craig Dawson. We will focus on the abundant native flowers in bloom at this time, as well as learn what to look for on future visits with the changing seasons. Craig will share from his vast knowledge and stories about the rich history, flora, and fauna of this mountain that he has known since childhood, and become its greatest steward today.
URBIA Adventure League in Green Hairstreak Corridor
Family-fun event!
April 10
10 am - 12 pm
Come at any time between 10 - noon to the base of the brilliant community-mosaic Tiled Steps at 16th Ave & Moraga, to receive and begin your 2-3 hour self-guided URBIA Adventure along the Green Hairstreak Corridor, during the short time that this rare local butterfly is flying. Take the tour alone, with friends, or as a family with children ages 3 and up, and find out about more URBIA Adventures.
Twin Peaks Watershed and Botany Walk
with Amber Hasselbring
April 17
1 - 3 pm
Taking a new look at Noe Valley as a watershed, we will explore the natural topography of the land, observing how water has shaped the urban landscape above and below ground. We will trek to find the remnants of Precita Creek, and continue along stairways and walking paths to the summit of Twin Peaks, stopping at viewpoints along the way as we climb to 922' elevation. As we walk through urbanized spaces, we'll also discuss sidewalk and habitat gardening, botany, history, geology, birds & insects, and ecologically sensitive ways to improve San Francisco's ecosystem. Check out this blog about the last Urban Trek with Amber Hasselbring!
Green Hairstreak Butterfly Corridor
with Liam O'Brien
April 24
11 am - 1 pm
SOLD OUT
Take a captivating walk with lepidopterist Liam O'Brien as we seek a glimpse of the stunning iridescent green, locally endangered Green Hairstreak butterfly. Walking through some of its last island breeding areas, we will discuss its life-cycle, plant associations, and efforts in the neighborhood to increase its habitat and to create a connected habitat corridor. We will have Liam's expert eye on the lookout for other butterflies and their host and nectar plants as well, and learn out how to plant for the Green Hairstreak and other local butterflies in your own neighborhood. Click here to see Liam and the Green Hairstreak butterfly on the Channel 7 news!
Earth Day in the Twin Peaks Bioregion & Eco-Corridor!
with Peter Brastow
April 24
4 - 7 pm
SOLD OUT
Have you ever imagined hiking through the heart of the city for 2 or 3 hours only having to cross 2 major busy streets? Nature in the City is partnering with City agencies and organizations to make that a reality! Join Nature in the City's Founder & Director, Peter Brastow, for this extra special 2010 Spring TREK and inaugural community exploration through the Twin Peaks Bioregion & Eco-Corridor!
From the native coast live Oak Woodlands of Golden Gate Park, over Mt. Sutro, Twin Peaks and then down Glen Canyon, we will explore the great wilderness in the city, talking about species and habitats but also issues and controversies. Along the way, we'll visit the HANC native plant nursery, the California native garden on the summit of "Blue Mountain", and walk through half a dozen different City government jurisdictions highlighting the ecological and political fragmentation, but also the glorious opportunity, for the city's natural heritage at the top of the city's watersheds.
Ending the hike in one of San Francisco's most charming neighborhoods, Glen Park, you are invited to join us for a bite to eat there, or we can hop on BART to the Mission District for food and revelry in the heart of social and cultural San Francisco..
This will be a moderately strenuous one-way hike, going over the top of Mt. Sutro on the way to Twin Peaks and Glen Canyon, with easy access to BART and MUNI lines.
Spring Bird Migration at Mt Davidson
with Dominik Mosur
April 25
8:30 - 11 am
SOLD OUT
Join experienced local birder Dominik Mosur for a beautiful morning seeking out spring migrants at one of San Francisco's premier birding locations, Mt. Davidson. Birds we are likely to see include Black-headed Grosbeaks, Bullock's Orioles, Western Tanagers, wood warblers, Empidonax flycatchers, a variety of sparrows, and there is always the chance of an unexpected vagrant as well. Mt. Davidson is also host to dozens of species of native plants, insects as well as several species of reptiles. Depending on conditions, and the number of birds present, we may also check nearby Glen Canyon Park. Remember to bring your binoculars and bird guides!
Green Hairstreak Butterfly Corridor
with Liam O'Brien
May 2
11 am - 1 pm
SOLD OUT
Take a captivating walk with lepidopterist Liam O'Brien as we seek a glimpse of the stunning iridescent green, locally endangered Green Hairstreak butterfly. Walking through some of its last island breeding areas, we will discuss its life-cycle, plant associations, and efforts in the neighborhood to increase its habitat and to create a connected habitat corridor. We will have Liam's expert eye on the lookout for other butterflies and their host and nectar plants as well, and learn out how to plant for the Green Hairstreak and other local butterflies in your own neighborhood. Click here to see Liam and the Green Hairstreak butterfly on the
Get out & Get dirty in GG Park
Family-fun event with Chris Giorni
May 29
9:30 am - 12 pm
Gather at the enchanting Tree Frog Treks' Frog Hall to meet the animals, slither with a snake, sip hot tea /coffee, & nibble freshly popped popcorn. Then we will venture off to the Oak Woodlands in search of scrub jays, ravens, brown towhees, rolly pollies & slender salamanders. We will then get down in the dirt to help restore a small corner of this wilderness in the city. We will finish up with a flush of fuchsias in the dell & towering redwoods, that impell us to stop, look & listen to the nature in the city. Rain or shine. Ages 4 & up; pre-K through gray!
Sunset Trek in the Twin Peaks Bioregion & Eco-Corridor!
with Peter Brastow
SOLD OUT
June 5
3 - 7 pm
Have you ever imagined hiking through the heart of the city for 2 or 3 hours only having to cross 2 major busy streets? Nature in the City is partnering with City agencies and organizations to make that a reality! Join Nature in the City's Founder & Director, Peter Brastow, for this extra special 2010 Spring TREK and inaugural community exploration through the Twin Peaks Bioregion & Eco-Corridor!
From the native coast live Oak Woodlands of Golden Gate Park, over Mt. Sutro, Twin Peaks and then down Glen Canyon, we will explore the great wilderness in the city, talking about species and habitats but also issues and controversies. Along the way, we'll visit the HANC native plant nursery, the California native garden on the summit of "Blue Mountain", and walk through half a dozen different City government jurisdictions highlighting the ecological and political fragmentation, but also the glorious opportunity, for the city's natural heritage at the top of the city's watersheds.
Ending the hike in one of San Francisco's most charming neighborhoods, Glen Park, you are invited to join us for a bite to eat there, or we can hop on BART to the Mission District for food and revelry in the heart of social and cultural San Francisco..
This will be a moderately strenuous one-way hike, going over the top of Mt. Sutro on the way to Twin Peaks and Glen Canyon, with easy access to BART and MUNI lines.
