1. Dogs, dogs, dogs. Space, space, space
2. LTE on dogs
3. Rising waters at Ocean Beach
4. Presidio Habitats extended - outdoor art exhibit celebrates wild Presidio
5. Inner Sunset Free Fix-It Fair Saturday May 7
6. Restoring native oysters to the Bay - May 12
7. Helping two worthy groups is easy - vote for them every day: Citizens for Sustainable Pt Molate/Alemany Farm
8. Sunday Streets returns to the Mission for Mother's Day
9. Beyond Searsville Dam Coalition
10. Request for bids for 2011 Invasive Species eradication projects
11. SF Naturalist Society: The Wild World of Frogs - May 12
12. Living with Coyotes - May 12
13. Celebrate Endangered Species Day May 20
14. Acterra: Guided bird walk May 7/Green@Home Energy Specialist Volunteer Training May 10
15. Feedback: solar highways/Facebook, Twitter
16. The great human characteristic of our age, - gender equality? wealth? social mobility? sexual freedom? Try solitariness
17. George Monbiot wonders what the basis of his belief is....(me too)
18. Blue Greenway Planning - save the dates
19. Early-bird registration for September native plant gardening symposium
20. Annual UC Berkeley hydrology symposium May 7, 1-5 pm
21. Challenges facing preservation of culturally significant places - May 11 in Presidio
22. Scottish philosopher David Hume, born 7 May 1711 - important to founders of this country
23. Bioregional Ecology Workshops May 7, 14, June 4
24. Nature in the City: Treks/announcing brand-new gardener's collective/three volunteer intern positions
25. Year 2 for mission blue butterfly reintroduction on Twin Peaks
26. Arcturus, part II - its relation to Chicago World Fair in 1893
27. Science comedian Brian Malow (Rational Comedy for an Irrational Planet) - several Bay Area presentations in May
28. Scientific American potpourri
29. Tractors can be very sexy - two stories
30. Notes & Queries
1. Words, words, words: San Francisco Bay Guardian GGNRA dog issue poll
(The dog groups have posted this poll on their websites, leading to a lopsided result so far.)
http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2011/05/04/guardian-poll-dogs-and-next-mayor
The Bay Guardian article has sub-head "...leaves environmentalists cheering". Not that I'm aware of it. Changing National Park Service policy because of one interest group in one geographic area? Better a funeral dirge. Off-leash dog owners should be cheering over their palpable victory.
“Wilderness, above all its definitions and uses, is sacred space, with sacred powers, the heart of a moral world.” -- Michael Frome
########################################################
2. LTE on GGNRA website, from Louise Lacey:
A dog is a pet, not wildlife. There are certain very important differences.
A pet must be fed and housed. It focuses on its "owner" to decide its mental health.
A member of wildlfife does not need humans. It feeds and houses itself.
However, wildlife can have it's food and/or housing stolen or put in what amounts to a zoo.
Now: When the two meet, without humans, the pet is most likely to lose the interaction. I lived for 14 years in a place called Wildcat Canyon, in the hills behind Richmond. There were cougars and bobcats and coyotes there. I watched a cougar eat a deer. I watched the heads of cats in the gutters along the road.
So, to protect pets from wildlife, if possible, humans take over the territory, one way or another. Wildlife loses.
The GGNRA must remain firm in it's decision to keep unleashed dogs outside. Absolutely.
########################################################
3. Ocean rising - Ocean Beach: http://spur.org/publications/library/article/future-ocean-beach
########################################################
4. PRESIDIO HABITATS EXTENDED - OUTDOOR ART EXHIBIT CELEBRATES WILD PRESIDIO
Presidio of San Francisco (May 3, 2011) -- The Presidio Trust and the FOR-SITE Foundation announce that Presidio Habitats, a unique, site-based art exhibition celebrating Presidio nature and wildlife, has been extended through the summer. The exhibit has attracted more than eight thousand visitors to the Exhibition Pavilion since it opened last May. Tens of thousands more have experienced the art along Presidio trails. Originally scheduled to close May 15, Presidio Habitats will now run through September 30.
“I’m personally thrilled at the public response we’ve received for the Presidio Habitats exhibition and the opportunity to share this project with new audiences through the summer months,” says Cheryl Haines, the executive director of the FOR-SITE Foundation, which organized the exhibit in partnership with the Presidio Trust. “We are very grateful to our vocal supporters—they have shown that the Bay Area can foster the creation and experience of dynamic contemporary art about place.”
The first site-based art exhibition in a U.S. National Park, Presidio Habitats began in mid-2009, when more than two dozen artists, designers and architects were asked to design habitat sculptures for selected “animal clients” of the Presidio. From 25 proposals, eleven were selected to be created and installed along Presidio trails and walkways.
“This has been a wildly successful exhibit,” says Michael Boland, chief planning, projects and programs officer for the Trust. “We’re extremely excited about the opportunity to reach even more people over the next four months. The exhibit draws visitors to the Presidio’s trails and allows them to explore the park’s diverse landscapes.”
An audio tour, available by cell phone, an indoor Exhibition Pavilion, and an array of special events accompany the exhibit and invite the public to interact with the art and the park. Created from three repurposed shipping containers arranged around a covered central atrium, the Exhibition Pavilion is the starting point for Presidio Habitats. The pavilion exhibits all 25 proposals submitted for the exhibition, scale models, and other artist material as well as video about the Presidio’s plants and wildlife. An exhibition guide and map will lead visitors on a self-guided journey of all installation sites. Located at the corner of Ralston and Storey avenues, directly across from the historic Log Cabin, the pavilion is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Admission is free.
The Log Cabin Series—a series of talks, multimedia presentations and performances inspired by the Presidio, its wildlife and the art of Presidio Habitats—will continue over the summer, as will the other public programs, guided hikes, and family-oriented events that have accompanied the exhibit since its opening. For details and a schedule of events visit www.presidio.gov/habitats.
#######################################################
5. Inner Sunset Free Fix-It Fair
Saturday, May 7th 10a - 4p, Irving at 6th Ave.
Last items in at 3p.
We’ll try to fix anything—except electronics & relationships—for FREE.
Yes, for free. No hidden charges, no fees, no gobbledegook.
Bring your wobbly, loose, broken, frayed, splintered, torn, ripped, cracked, or severed item. We will glue, solder, clamp, re-wire, sew, chop, sharpen, file, cut, adjust, weld, screw, etc. If we can’t fix it, we’ll give you twice your money back!
Barbara: 415/246-4748 (for questions or to volunteer)
########################################################
6. Bubbles & Bivalves
Thursday, May 12, 2011, 7:00pm - 9:30pm
The Aquarium of the Bay
San Francisco Bay was once home to the West Coast’s largest oyster industry. More than seven decades after the last commercial oyster harvest, award-winning oyster author Rowan Jacobsen is coming to San Francisco to support The Watershed Project’s efforts to restore native oysters to the Bay.
Join Jacobsen and other special guests for oysters, champagne and libations, and sustainable bites from the Bay Area’s finest sustainable restaurants, wineries, and breweries. Guests will learn about our native oysters while helping restore the critical underwater ecosystems of our magnificent San Francisco Bay.
Participating restaurants include: Waterbar, Farallon, Slanted Door, Greens and Slow Club. Oysters will be provided by Hog Island Oyster Co., Drakes Bay Oyster Co. and Tomales Bay Oyster Co.; wine and beer by Hess Collection, Radio-Coteau, Handley Cellars, Unti Vineyards, Anchor Brewing and Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery; and desserts by Bi-Rite Market, Scream Sorbet, and TCHO Chocolates.
All of the restaurants, wineries, and breweries serving at Bubbles & Bivalves are committed to protecting our environment and have donated their time and talent to the event. All proceeds from ticket sales go directly to funding The Watershed Project's Living Shoreline program.
There are 3 ways to purchase tickets:
1) Online via Eventbrite (a small service charge will apply).
2) Call Event Coordinator Diana Dunn at (818) 298-5824 with any major credit card.
3) At the event (we highly recommend purchasing tickets ahead of time as we expect to sell out).
logo.gif
########################################################
7. Two worthy groups you can help by your vote:
Citizens for a Sustainable Point Molate
Help us Win Bay Citizen's Citizen of Tomorrow Award! Every Vote Counts
CFSPM has been chosen as one of five finalists for the Bay Citizen's 'Citizen of Tomorrow'
Award. Each year, Bay Citizen selects five individuals or groups in the Bay Area who are making a difference, and hosts a contest to determine the winner. CFSPM is honored to have been chosen as one of the finalists based on our community visioning work to create a new destiny for Point Molate.
The contest ends on May 16th and you can vote each day until the contest closes. Help us achieve our goal to bring a lively and interactive visioning event to Richmond's neighborhoods so that the community at large can have a voice in defining Point Molate's future.
View our contest entry on YouTube and learn about our community design plans.
82.jpg
AND, while you're in the voting mood:
Alemany Farm right here in SF is in the running to be one of 5 community gardens in the US awarded $4000. Whether it gets the money or not depends on votes from the public. Like yours.
They will use the money for plants, tools, and programming at the site.
Here are the instructions:
Go to http://www.deloachcommunitygardens.com
That will get you to a colorful display of 15 small photos, each one of which represents a community garden somewhere in the US. Alemany Farm's photo is the one in the upper left corner.
Each photo has a whitish arrow in the middle of it, Click on the whitish arrow.
You will then be linked to a box in which you may vote. You need to type in your email address and your name, and, presumably click on the little box that says you don't want to get messages from the nice folks at Deloach. Click on "Submit your vote". That's it! You should see the total of votes go up by one.
Here's the most important thing of all: EACH PERSON MAY VOTE ONCE PER DAY FROM NOW UNTIL AUGUST 1. SO DON'T JUST VOTE ONCE! BOOKMARK THE SITE, AND VOTE EVERY DAY!
For more info on the farm, and volunteer workdays visit alemanyfarm.org - 3rd Sundays, 1:00-4:00 is the native plant area workday
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." E.B. White
########################################################
8. Sunday Streets returns to the Mission for Mother's Day
http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/417137/a038757ef3/1490000697/c6af090a69/
########################################################
(JS: Yet another issue descended on me from cyberspace just now. It was much too long to post in its entirety, so I drastically condensed to this. Go to the webpage to get grounded in the issue.)
9. Beyond Searsville Dam Coalition
In light of Stanford's recently proposed and significant alteration to their Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) to exclude Searsville Dam and all "activities", following public review and comments, we are sending out the following press release today and have submitted the following letter to National Marine Fisheries Service and US Fish & Wildlife Service, as they continue to consider the HCP and prepare the EIS.
REPORTS AND DOCUMENTS CITED IN OUR LETTER CAN BE VIEWED AT OUR HOMEPAGE: www.BeyondSearsvilleDam.org
########################################################
10. BAY AREA EARLY DETECTION NETWORK (BAEDN)
REQUEST FOR BIDS FOR 2011 INVASIVE SPECIES ERADICATION PROJECTS
go to BAEDN.org
########################################################
11. SF Naturalist Society
Thursday, May 12 - The Wild World of Frogs
How long do frogs live? How many types of frogs are there? What's the difference between a frog and a toad? Why are frogs disappearing worldwide and what can be done to save them? Dr. Kerry M. Kriger answers all these questions and more as he introduces the audience to The Wild World of Frogs.
Dr. Kriger is the Founder & Executive Director of SAVE THE FROGS! (www.savethefrogs.com), America's first and only public charity dedicated to amphibian conservation.
Randall Museum, 7:30-9 pm. For more information, go to www.sfns.org. Free.
########################################################
12. Living with Coyotes: May 12, 2011 (6:30pm PST)
Gina Farr- guest speaker; presentation- Living with Coyotes. Sponsored by San Francisco Recreation & Parks and Project Coyote. San Francisco County Fair Bldg, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. more info.
########################################################
13. Celebrate Endangered Species Day - May 20, 2011
On May 20, our nation will celebrate America’s commitment to protecting and recovering endangered species. As we well know in Southern California, without the Endangered Species Act, our natural heritage would be hopelessly lost.
Let's celebrate successes, like the brown pelican and gray whale, as well as our own endeavor to protect the California gnatcatcher, arroyo toad, and quino checkerspot butterfly in a regional reserve network.
The goal of Endangered Species Day is simple – to educate people about the importance of protecting endangered species.
Click here to visit the Endangered Species Day website <http://www.stopextinction.org/esd.html> and:
• Find a worthwhile and fun event near you
• Get help in planning an event
• Access educational materials like 10 Things You Can Do at Home to Protect Endangered Species
• Send an Endangered Species Day e-card
• View the winning entries in the Endangered Species Day Youth Art Contest
• Meet Endangered Species Day Ambassadors
########################################################
14. Acterra
Guided Bird Walk
Saturday, May 7, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Pearson-Arastradero Preserve [map]
82.jpg
Learn about bird habitats and local species during this FREE guided bird hike at beautiful Pearson-Arastradero Preserve.
The hike will be led by John Wills of the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society (SCVAS), who actively monitors the bird boxes at Arastradero Preserve and is a wealth of avian knowledge. Acterra's Arastradero Preserve Project Director Joan Dudney will also share Acterra's latest accomplishments in habitat restoration at the Preserve.
Scopes and binoculars will be provided. To register for this hike, please visit the Acterra Stewardship Events webpage.
Green@Home Energy Specialist Volunteer Training
Tuesdays, May 10 AND May 17, 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Menlo Park (location TBA)
Want to help hundreds of local residents reduce their energy use by providing free home energy assessments and installing basic energy saving devices? Then become a Green@Home Energy Specialist Volunteer!
The next two-part volunteer training session will be held in Menlo Park. For more information and to register for the training, please visit the Green@Home webpage or call Deb Kramer at (650) 962-9876 ext. 353.
Green@Home is now doing HouseCalls in Mountain View! For more information, please visit the Green@Home HouseCalls webpage.
########################################################
15. Feedback
ML Carle (re solar roads):
> From an ex- reviewer for the old Whole Earth Catalog which some of you may remember:
>
> Cool, but they carefully avoid the price (including making the panels and installing them), traction, (especially ice) fire, snowplows and snow chains, glare, frost heaves, potholes (Inevitable if the underlayment shifts a bit), theft, tornado damage, maintenance, steel- wheeled farm tractors, drag racing, speed and location monitoring, route choice, destination, time records, etc.
> Jay Baldwin
>
> And from Vishnu, who elaborates on the traction problem:
> They didn't quite explain, once it started to drizzle, what would keep every car driving south from sliding into every car driving north, if you get my drift.
>
> And from me: How about grasshopper plagues?
Jenny Ta:
> Hi Jake: Thanks again for posting my request for Boston area conservation-related organizations. I got some good tips from people who responded. I'm now a land steward intern at the Mass Audubon Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary helping with GPS mapping of invasive species. Learning lots about the invasive plants here in New England!
John Bosley:
> Greetings, Jake, from the shores of the Chesapeake Bay--which shares a very doubtful eco-future with that other great estuary out your way, San Francisco Bay. Both are sore beset by man's idiotic habits and perverse practices.
>
> I just hollered with glee when I read this exchange in the latest Nature News:
> On Apr 29, 2011, at 6:25 PM, Christina Salvin wrote:
> Have you considered Facebook? We would so easily read your posts--some could be long and some could be short and many could have pictures or video. It's super user-friendly even for non-techies.
> Christina: I don't even know what Facebook is--or Twitter or LinkedIn either. And I don't want to know.
> Good for you, Jake! And your added comments weren't necessary. These are truly insane social tumors that I hope and pray will collapse soon of their own weight and sink into a much-deserved oblivion.
Yah, but of course, John, we know Mark Zuckerberg et al are laughing all the way to the bank. What fools these mortals be. Sinking into that deserved oblivion may be the whole of Western civilization. Facebook was only a pustule on the disease-wracked corpse.
> Yes they are, Jake--but I think it's another bubble. A bubble made from bubbles. I mean think about it! An actual value for Facebook or Twitter stuff? What? Where? To whom is it valuable? I just don't get it. Well, I DO get it; Wall Street will sell anything if it can find people silly enough to buy it. And such people apparently exist. Sigh.
Our economic system is largely supported by trivia and non-substance. In that case, will Facebook last as long as the system does? I think of Twitter, Facebook, &c as froth, as symptoms of a dis-ease. Our sense of community is selling stuff to each other; it doesn't matter what the stuff is, as long as exchange is happening and people have the illusion that something is going on. It's an irrational, functionless, purposeless world. And very destructive.
> Oh, I do get the idea, Jake. My friend David Harvey, in his 2009 book "Enigma of Capital," refers to "fictitious markets." Markets that are just made up to move money around. There were numerous fictitious markets involved in the 2008 crash bubble creation. The core theme of the book is this: Capital ("Capitalism") requires 3% annual growth per year, compounded. Harvey asks, "How long can Planet Earth afford such a system?"
Postcript: Several years ago, David Brooks remarked about the cell phone (not exact quote): Most of the conversations are trivial and inane, eg, 'Yah, the takeoff was just fine; they're serving coffee and juices now.' (Wife): 'I decided to stop at the hardware store on the way home. I think I'll get that new can-opener we talked about.'
Most of the conversations I have overheard (involuntarily) have been of this nature. It gives those who don't know who they are a temporary sense of identity.
##############################################################
16. Review extract by Jeremy Paxman in Observer of The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim by Johnathan Coe
Reprinted in Guardian Weekly 28.05.10
If someone asked you to identify the great human characteristic of our age, what would you say? Gender equality? Wealth? Social mobility? Sexual freedom? It seems to me the answer could just as easily be solitariness. This, surely, is one of the oddities of the present: at a time when there have never been more of us Britons crowded on to a small island, it has never been easier to be isolated.
The biggest household change mapped by sociologists is the steady growth in single-occupancy dwellings. You can travel to work alone, spend your day communicating with others only by screen or telephone, eat a solitary lunch in your wo
...
[Message clipped] |