Open Space Council's Blog

We're hiring!

The Bay Area Open Space Council is looking for an Executive Director! Jump over here to see the job posting and all that is involved. It's a detailed look at where the organization is in its development and where we want to go. But there aren't any pictures in the job posting. What's up with that?

We thought we'd share some here to round out the story. You could also scroll through our Flickr page, but here are some highlights.

 

Every year we hold a conference and people like love to sit outside at lunch.

 

Five times a year we convene Gatherings where over 100 people get together on a particular topic. We often hold them at the David Brower Center in Berkeley (above)

 

Our work isn't confined to the office. Sometimes we go for a bike ride and get our work done outside.

We care about getting people outside. All people. With Transit and Trails we're working to make that a reality.

We work with scientists. They know a lot of things that are really helpful to people managing land. Conservation Lands Network is one way we make this connection.

 

Our Flickr page has a lot more pictures. Our website has a lot of information. Our Twitter feed gives a taste for what we say in 140 characters or less. And then there's the job posting, of course, even though it doesn't have any pictures.

 

Open Space Happenings: 06.27.12

Every week we round up news, links, and more that tell part of the land conservation story here in the Bay Area. Here's this week's installment.

Alt. was held on a very hot Saturday, June 16 and one of the riders, Yu Kuwabara, mounted a camera to his handle bars as he descended the third and final mountain of the day. Watch this video and join him on the ride down. Read more about Yu's experience on his blog.

• Congressman Honda Says California’s Parks Must Be Preserved. U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, D-San Jose, said that California’s parks and other open spaces must be preserved at all costs, and selling them off to close budget gaps would be a violation of public trust. (New American Media)
• Two-thirds of California parks set to close may be saved. With less than two weeks until a July 1 closure deadline, Portola Redwoods State Park became the 31st park saved from the list of 70 parks that Gov. Jerry Brown had proposed to close to help balance the state budget. (Mercury News)
• Food Access: The Missing Sustainability Planning Topic? According to a recent national study conducted by APA’s Planning and Community Health Research Center, only 105 jurisdictions in the U.S. explicitly address an aspect of local or regional food systems in their comprehensive plans or sustainability plans. (APA Sustaining Places)
• A campaign to save California's coastal prairie. With golden summer hillsides and enticing mosaics of forest and field, the grasslands of California are iconic. Yet few people realize that some of those grasslands are actually coastal prairie, one of the most diverse - and most endangered -ecosystems in the world. (Bay Nature)
• California faces more serious risk of sea level rise than other areas. As the world continues to warm from climate change, most of California -- including San Francisco Bay -- will see a greater rise in sea level than other parts of the planet, according to a prominent national study released Friday. (Mercury News)
• Monitoring Conservation Easements. A radio show that provides an overview of what's involved. (KRCB)

 

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This is your weekly helping of land conservation news for the Bay Area. Scroll through past Happenings by clicking here.

 

Wildlife Corridors and Linkages - Animals Big and Small

Funny how mountain lions and badgers don't really care about county lines. Or property lines. Or any other line we humans draw on a map. 

Join us on Tuesday, June 26 and/or Wednesday, June 27 to talk about what lines the mountain lions, badgers and other animals would draw on a map if they could draw. 

On June 26 we'll be at the Moore Foundation in Palo Alto talking about the South Bay and East Bay. On June 27 we'll be at the Finley Community Center in Santa Rosa and the focus will be the North Bay. 

• Click here to register for the South and East Bay on June 26
• Click here to register for the North Bay on June 27

More information about the workshops can be found over here icincluding agendas and maps and a whole lotta information. Space is filling up so register if you plan to come!

This project is funded in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Resources Legacy Fund, S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, California Coastal Conservancy, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, and Peninsula Open Space Trust. 

Open Space Happenings: 06.20.12

Happy Summer Solstice! Here's a wrap-up of land conservation news and what-not for you on this very long day...

Photo by Lech Naumovich of two CA State Park Rangers shaking their Alt. Ride cowbells on Saturday. It was a hot 98 degrees on the top of Mt Tam. More about the event at www.altride.org

 

• Snapshots of an Epic Ride. On Saturday June 16 a group of riders rode to the tops of Mt. Hamilton, Mt. Tamalpais, and Mt. Diablo using Caltrain, Golden Gate Ferry and BART to connect the three mountains. Lech Naumovich shares his pictures of the day.
• An Iron Man for transit advocates. 128 miles. 12,000 feet elevation gain. 17-plus hours of exercise. 3 transit agencies. Add to that  temperatures well into the triple digits in some places, and you've got the makings of a great story. (Bay Nature)
• Supporters struggle to buy time for endangered state parks. Whether it's a wealthy donor writing a check, $5 donations or management by a nonprofit, backers are seeking to prevent closures until a lasting solution can be found. (LA Times)
• Sempervirens forges deal with state to keep Castle Rock State Park open. The State Park, a forested expanse that plunges seaward from the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains, will stay open under a one-year deal between Sempervirens Fund and state being announced today. (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
• Rockville Trails funds pouring in. A year after Solano Land Trust launched a $15.5 million campaign to purchase Rockville Trails, the organization said Tuesday it is nearing its goal. (The Reporter)
• Habitat set aside for western snowy plover doubles. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday designated 38 square miles along the West Coast as critical habitat for a federally listed beach- and mud-loving bird called the Pacific Coast western snowy plover. (SF Chronicle)
• Benicia officials say financial, legal risks sank state park deal. The city and state were unsuccessful in reaching an agreement for the city to maintain the Benicia State Recreation Area (Times-Herald)
• Few stepping up to save Candlestick Point Recreation Area site as parks shut down. Cities and nonprofit groups seem likely to save as many as half of the 70 state parks destined for closure under the latest proposed state budget. But tiny Candlestick Point Recreation Area in the Bayview may not be so lucky. (SF Examiner)
• Supes OK Annadel deal. The last Sonoma Valley park on the state park closure list has been saved after the county’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a contract to allow Sonoma County Regional Parks to manage Annadel State Park, beginning July 1. (Sonoma Magazine)

 

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This is your weekly helping of land conservation news for the Bay Area. We do this every Wednesday.

Next Tuesday and Wednesday we'll be talking about habitat linkages with the Critical Linkages Project: Bay Area and Beyond. On Tuesday the 26th we'll be at the Moore Foundation in Palo Alto with over 100 participants focused on the East Bay and South Bay. On Wednesday the 27th we'll be in Santa Rosa with 75 people focused on the North Bay. Find out more about the project and the symposiums over on our Events page. Registration is almost full!

Liveblogging from the Alt. Ride!

10:17pm:

YES!

18 riders rode to the tops of Mt. Hamilton, an unusually hot Mt. Tamalpais, and an oppressively hot Mt. Diablo in one day using Caltrain, Golden Gate Ferry and BART to get between the base of each mountain. Another 9 people rode to the top of Mt. Tamalpais and Mt Diablo which on a day like today is not an easy feat (for some of us, regardless of weather, it's harder than hard). With a hot dog cart and food from Taheri's in Walnut Creek, the riders and family and friends held a Closing Ceremony in the plaza across from the Pleasant Hill BART station. Ron Brown from Save Mount Diablo and Gail Murray, a member of the BART Board of Directors, spoke to the crowd about the value of parks and our transit systems. And medals were awarded to those that braved the heat and accomplished the day's goal.

You can get a sense of the event on the event's website - www.altride.org - from a variety of perspectives. Those pictures do way more than I can in words on this blog.

Everyone is on their way home now. Riders hailed from around the Bay Area: Mill Valley, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Oakland, Walnut Creek, San Jose, Fremont, Berkeley, and more. I'm reminded, again, about how Bay Area this event is. I love the Bay Area!

We are so grateful for sponsorship from CLIF Bar, Coastal Conservancy and Peninsula Open Space Trust. Thank you!

A great group of partners provided permits, volunteers, gear, food, drinks, encouragement, and more. We want to thank our Lead Partners: East Bay Regional Park District, REI, Save Mount Diablo, and Trust for Public Land. And also thanks to our Partners: Alameda Natural Grocery, California State Parks, Caltrain, Chipotle Mexican Grill, MTC / Clipper, San Francisco Parks Alliance, Santa Clara County Parks, Skratch Labs and TransForm.

We want to thank the John McNeil Studio for their creativity and for their belief in disruption. Lech Naumovich is a photography hero and we can't wait to see his pictures. Our volunteers lugged heavy bags of trailmix, made sure riders had enough water, and took pictures and to all of them we are grateful. And since it's me here at the keyboard and not him, I want to thank Ryan Branciforte for his ideas, for his passion, and for being a really great person to share an office with.

 

1:19pm:

The riders are almost to the top of Mt Tam by now. 21 riders safely made it to the top of Mt Hamilton this morning about 6:30am. They zoomed down to San Jose Caltrain station and devoured breakfast (or is it lunch since they've been up since 4am?). They boarded a 9am train northbound for San Francisco and arrived at 10:36am. From there they rode over to the Ferry Building where another 15 riders were waiting. These 15 will do Tam and Diablo, or at least that's the plan. It's hot!

The next critical time is the 3:50pm ferry from Sausalito to San Francisco. They miss that ferry and it's really hard to finish all three peaks.

There's a whole lot happening over at www.altride.org. Check it out and contribute! Remember, email pictures of you outside and moving today and enter to win a sweet bag from Timbuk2, burritos from Chipotle Mexican Grill and yummy bars from CLIF Bar. All ya gotta do is email pictures to submit [ at ] altride [ dot ] org  SO simple!

 

6:50am:

The day started early for the Alt. riders attempting Mt Hamilton, Mt Tam and Mt Diablo. This is Annie Burke reporting to you live from Santa Clara Street in downtown San Jose. I'm en route to San Jose Caltrain station and making a stop for coffee for the riders. I don't drink coffee and so I don't get it, but I guess I'm in the minority. I'll be posting here on this blog as I can throughout the day, but more frequently over at www.altride.org

It's a Spare the Air day in the Bay Area which means it's a perfect day to take Caltrain, Golden Gate Ferry and BART. Which is what we plan to do!

More later....

 

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Today is the Alt. Ride: a bike ride party up Mt Hamilton, Mt Tamalpais and Mt Diablo in one day using public transit to get between the three peaks. More information can be found by scrolling down or hopping over to altride.org. The Alt. Ride is coordinated by the Bay Area Open Space Council and Transit and Trails.

Open Space Happenings: 06.13.12

Some state parks are closing in 3 weeks. And this Saturday people around the Bay Area will go outside and celebrate the Bay Area's parks, including two state parks (Mt Tam and Mt Diablo). Will you join us for the Alt. ride?

When did our parks become parks? Enjoy this time lapse from GreenInfo Network. We recommend watching it more than once.

 

• Nonprofit groups scramble to keep California state parks afloat. Dozens of California state parks struck down by the budget ax are slated to close their doors in three weeks. Yet that process remains so unsettled that even state officials can't say with certainty how many parks will actually close. (Sacramento Bee)
• Goodbye to Benicia?If you were hoping to visit Benicia State Recreation Area sometime soon, don’t delay. After months of negotiation with the city of Benicia to keep it open, the state has decided to shut the gates on July 1. (Bay Nature)
• California moving to closing Benicia recreation area within weeks. With just a few weeks before a July 1 deadline, the California State Parks Department will this week decide on how to close the Benicia State Recreation Area. (Times Herald)
• Creative Connections at Earth • Science • Art Exhibit. Helen Golden is a digital fine artist; her daughter Nadine Golden is a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Pacific Coast and Marine Science Center and they're exhibiting at the R. Blitzer Gallery in Santa Cruz. (KQED blog)
• California Leopold Conservation Award seeks nominees. Sand County Foundation, Sustainable Conservation and the California Farm Bureau Federation are seeking nominations for the 2012 California Leopold Conservation Award. (Sand County Foundation)
• What's at Risk: Stopping Sprawl by Mapping Land. The threat of sprawl and the new Greenbelt Mapper from Greenbelt Alliance (Huffington Post)
• The Story of California’s State Parks Captured in Award-Winning Film California Forever.Backcountry Pictures and KQED present California Forever, a two-part PBS television special that tells the story of California’s magnificent state parks from Yosemite in 1864 to the present day.  (KQED Quest)
• Environmental Forum of Marin has educated citizen advocates for 40 years. 2012 commemorates numerous special anniversaries for Marin's public lands and conservation non-profits. (Marin IJ)
• Wrecking ball coming to Mount Umunhum -- but the radar tower stays, for now. For years, the only thing most people have known about Mount Umunhum, a towering peak on San Jose's southern edges, is the giant concrete radar tower on its summit. Its future is being debated. (Mercury News)
• Santa's Clara's Ulistac project is native Californian gem. Nestled next to the Guadalupe River in Santa Clara is one of those outdoor gems that Bay Area residents are so lucky to have in their backyards, a piece of old California landscape replete with native plants. (Mercury News)
• Mixed open space marks. Sonoma County 3rd highest in protected acres in Bay Area, but has most land threatened by potential development, report says. (Press Democrat)

 

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This is your weekly helping of land conservation news for the Bay Area. We do this every Wednesday unless something more fun comes up.

 

 

Monday Morning Quiz

How well do you know the land conservation community of the Bay Area? 

Let's take a pop quiz on this beautiful Monday morning and see what you know about the region's parks and trails. Ready? Of course you are.

Courtesy of Google Maps

STEP ONE: Take out a piece of paper and a #2 pencil (we're old school, but taking notes on a screen of some kind is allowed).

STEP TWO: Read this article on Off Metro San Francisco.

STEP THREE: Answer this question - How many park agencies are represented in the article?

STEP FOUR: Choose one of the following ways of sharing your answer:

• Whisper it quietly to yourself  
• Email it to your colleagues and see if they had the same answer
• Write it in the Comments section of this blog post
• Tweet it and include @BA_OpenSpace with your tweet

 

Everyone who submits the correct answer in the comments and/or on Twitter will win a lot of respect from the Open Space Council staff and will be recognized here on this blog. Bonus points for creative answers and pictures.

Ready? Go! 

 

From the Rooftop: Sempervirens Fund

Our State Parks: Saved by the Bell?
Op-ed, Mercury News, May 1, 2012

By Reed Holderman

Seventy State Parks are set to close on July 1, 2012, in an effort to reduce the state's nearly $10 billion deficit, unless somebody – anybody – steps us to save them. Fortunately, several nonprofit groups have done just this, for fear that temporary closures could become permanent. California’s parks contain our history, our culture, and natural beauty found nowhere else on the planet. As the Executive Director of Sempervirens Fund, the organization that helped create the first state park at Big Basin and establish the state park system, I feel it is my duty to voice my concern for the future of our parks.

But first I would like to consider how we got to this place. Sadly, it started with decades of disinvestment and cuts to State Parks, resulting in $1.3 billion in deferred maintenance costs. Our parks are literally falling apart, despite the incredible work of State Parks’ staff to keep everything together with little financial support.

In 2010, the conservation community launched Proposition 21 in an effort to permanently fund State Parks.  That measure was defeated.  When voters were asked why they voted against Proposition 21, many replied that they support parks, but don’t trust that Sacramento would use the money for them.
Governor Brown is threatening to close parks as a way to save money, even though the this plan will, at best, shave off less than one-half of 1% of our deficit and, at worse, actually cost the state money in the long run.

Ironically, during the Great Depression, when things were much worse, elected officials could have chosen to go down the “cut everything” path like we are doing now. But they didn’t. Instead of closing parks, they opened California’s largest at Anza Borrego and christened Grand Canyon National Park. They built the Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam. When Rexford Tugwell, a New Deal architect, was asked what he was trying to accomplish, he replied: put people to work and give them hope. We could use a little of both right now. 

But it is not the 1930s, and our current strategy appears to be to cut to our way out of the problem and close places that provide us with refuge and inspiration, and connect us to something larger than ourselves. This is why Sempervirens Fund and others have taken the unprecedented step of jumping into the breach to save as many parks from closing as we can until the state can return to stewarding these places we all care so passionately about.

When I say stepping into the breach, I mean putting money on the table to keep parks from closing; money that comes from people like you and me. This is not something we had planned on doing, but we have no choice. Closing parks helps no one and does very little to improve the state’s bottom line. It only reinforces the notion that we are in an inevitable cycle of doom and gloom, which we have no control over and can’t get out of – neither of which are true. 

Only by demanding that our parks must stay open and doing something about it will we secure their future. Until then, we fight to save one park at a time. 

Reed Holderman is the Executive Director of Sempervirens Fund, a nonprofit conservation group that helped establish the first State Park, Big Basin, and continues to help build and protect the parks and redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

 

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Three outstanding organizations stepped up as generous sponsors of the 2012 Open Space Conference: Canogle, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and Sempervirens Fund. We are grateful for their support. And we want to shout from the rooftops about our appreciation. Pretend with us that this blog is a rooftop. Our thanks to all of the Ecosystem level sponsors!

 

Open Space Happenings: 06.06.12

What are you doing on June 16? Join hundreds of people around the Bay Area as we all get out, get moving and get involved for Alt. Don't know about Alt.? Watch this video.

Click here to see the video of Ryan Branciforte being interviewed by KTVU's Rosy Chu.

• Alt. on June 16, 2012. Hop over to the Transit and Trails blog for ways you can participate in this regional event. 
• Land Trusts Partner with Farmers to Conserve Agricultural Land. A radio show about Peninsula Open Space Trust and their work on agriculture. (KUSP)
• Creating Possibilities for Conserving Open Space. An overview of the Open Space Conference we held on May 10. (Bay Area Monitor)
• First new Bay ferry in decades to open Monday. When the new ferry service between Oakland, Alameda and South San Francisco picks up its first official passengers Monday, it'll be fair to say it's been a long time coming. (Mercury News) (Editors: We want to know how many parks and trails are accessible by the new ferry. Anyone know?)
• New trail system dedicated in American Canyon. Several Napa County, American Canyon and Department of Fish and Game officials dedicated the 2.1-mile stretch of river trail and a 1.8-mile loop trail around the city’s old landfill. (American Canyon Eagle)
• Wildlife Conservation Board funds environmental improvement and acquisition projects. The 30 funded projects will provide benefits to fish and wildlife species, including some endangered species, and others will provide public access opportunities to important natural resources. (Lake County News)
• Wetlands Restoration Program Sees Record Year In California. Radio show on a federal program to restore wetlands added a record amount of land in California last year. Landowners voluntarily participated to protect more than 18 square miles of wetland. (KPBS)
• Parks and recreation: The best American cities for green spaces. Trust for Public Land (TPL) has devised a system that allows you to keep tabs on your city’s progress, and compare your hometown to the burg next door. It’s called ParkScore (Grist)
• How 'Nature-Deficit Disorder' Is Making Us Fat, Sick, and Depressed. An interview with Richard Louv and a good reminder that you should somehow participate in the Alt. ride on June 16. (GOOD)

 

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This is your weekly helping of land conservation news for the Bay Area. We do this every Wednesday unless something more fun comes up.

 

15 Years: The Coastal Conservancy and Kids

School is out, or almost out, for the summer. And it's got us thinking about kids and getting them outside. It's time to go outside!

Chances are good that the Coastal Conservancy's Bay Area Program has somehow touched whatever community-based environmental program or education center the thousands of school-aged kids visited during the school year, or will visit this summer. The Bay Area Program is celebrating their 15th birthday and so let's dig a little deeper on what they've done.

The Coastal Conservancy has provided approximately $2.5 million to 28 different nonprofit organizations and public agencies for hands-on projects that involved over 50,000 people throughout the bay Area, including many from underserved communities. Programs include: 

• Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed
• Golden Gate Audubon Society’s Eco-Oakland Program
• Pearson-Arastradero Project 
• Save The Bay

Examples of education centers supported by the Coastal Conservancy include:

• The visitor center at Ano Nuevo State Reserve
• Heron's Head Eco-Center in San Francisco
• Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve Nature Center in San Mateo County
• The Laguna Learning Center in Santa Rosa
• The Interpretive Center at the Redwood Shores Library.

Have you been to one or more of these?

The full 15th anniversary report tells the stories of these places, organizations, and the tremendous impact they've had. It's worth reading. And maybe this summer you, too, can get outside and explore some of these centers and programs.

 

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This year we're celebrating 15 years of the Bay Area Program of the Coastal Conservancy. The impact this program has had on the region is awesome. We'll be highlighting some of their work on this blog over the summer. Download their 15th anniversary report here and get the whole story all at once. 

For hard copies of the report and questions about the Coastal Conservancy's work, please contact Amy Hutzel at ahutzel at scc.ca dot gov and 510 286 4180.