Open Space Council's Blog

The Olympic Games of Land Conservation

If we could hold the Bay Area Land Conservation Olympic Games, the opening ceremony parade would look like this:

• Alameda County Resource Conservation District
• Bay Area Ridge Trail Council
• Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust
• California Rangeland Trust
• California State Coastal Conservancy
• California State Parks
• California State Parks Foundation
• City of Brisbane
• City of Daly City
• City of Oakland
• City of Palo Alto
• City of San Jose
• City of San Mateo
• City of San Ramon
• City of Walnut Creek
• Coastside Land Trust
• Conservation Corps North Bay
• County of San Mateo
• County of Santa Clara
• County of Santa Cruz
• County of Sonoma
• East Bay Municipal Utility District
• East Bay Regional Park District
• Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
• Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
• Lagoon Valley Conservancy
• Land Trust of Napa County
• Land Trust of Santa Cruz County
• LandPaths
• Livermore Area Recreation and Park District
• Marin Agricultural Land Trust
• Marin Audubon Society
• Marin County Open Space District
• Marin Open Space Trust
• Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
• Muir Heritage Land Trust
• Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District
• Peninsula Open Space Trust
• Pepperwood Preserve
• Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County
• San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
• San Francisco Bay Trail Project
• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
• Santa Clara County Open Space Authority
• Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
• Santa Cruz County Department of Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services
• Save Mount Diablo
• Save the Redwoods League
• Sempervirens Fund
• Silicon Valley Land Conservancy
• Solano Land Trust
• Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District
• Sonoma Ecology Center
• Sonoma Land Trust
• The Nature Conservancy
• The Presidio Trust
• Tri-City County and Planning Cooperative Group
• Tri-Valley Conservancy
• Trust for Public Land
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• U.S. National Park Service
• Volunteers for Outdoor California

 

These are the members of the Bay Area Open Space Council. And they are some of the world's finest athletes in their ability to preserve land, connect people to nature, protect biodiversity, steward the land, think big, and work in partnership.

The question is: for the opening ceremony, would everyone wear fleece vests with their logos emprinted on them, or would we invest in costumes?

 

Open Space Happenings: 07.25.12

What parks and trails are around you? Check out our new video:

Click here to watch this video. Now... feel inspired to go outside and get moving? Take the Transit & Trails Challenge! 

 

The big news this week is the revelation of a $54 million surplus for the CA State Parks. We rounded up the news stories from the weekend which you can read here. Here are two additional stories:

• What's Next for the $54 Million California State Parks Surplus? (KQED)
• State parks fund stash eyed for closures (SF Chronicle)

And in other news:

• East Palo Alto celebrates a new park along the bay. A decades-long effort involving numerous federal, state and local government agencies, and countless activists culminated with the official opening of the Cooley Landing Park. (Mercury News)
• Los Angeles as Bicycling Paradise. For us Northern Californians, a perspective that might be surprising. (Bipediality)
• Ducks Unlimited to help restore wetland.California's Wildlife Conservation Board awarded the nonprofit group $8 million to improve public access and help restore portions of Eden Landing's 5,000-acre reserve.  (SF Chronicle)
• Co-founder of Save Mount Diablo dies.What started out as an effort to draw attention to the 4,000-foot peak and preserve the then 6,788-acre Mount Diablo State Park, evolved in to a movement that has helped save 110,000 acres as open space and more than 40 parks in the East Bay. (Contra Costa Times)
• $200,000 donation to save Mount Umunhum radar tower. Saying that the former Air Force radar tower atop Mount Umunhum south of San Jose is a historic building that should not be torn down, former Oakland A's owner and Santa Clara developer Steve Schott announced Friday that he will donate $200,000 to help save the structure. (Mercury News)
• California Coastal Trail connects Midcoast community. Within two years, the old stretch of Highway One at Devil's Slide will be converted for the use of fair-footed travelers as part of the Devil’s Slide California Coastal Trail that winds from Montara to Pacifica. A management plan for the trail was finalized Friday. (Half Moon Bay Review)
• Bay Area Landscape Likely to Come Up Short on Water. We hear a lot about how climate change will affect rainfall in California, but climate scientists are increasingly looking at a new indicator: water deficit. (KQED Blog) Note: The Conservation Lands Network is involved in this work!

 

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

 

 

Happenings: CA State Parks has $54 million surplus

In the afternoon of Friday, July 20, the news broke that California State Parks has a surplus of $54 million. This caused a flurry of articles, emails, Facebook posts, and tweets. 

Tune into this discussion on KQED's Forum scheduled for 9am on Monday, July 23. Guests include the  reporter who broke the story, Matt Weiser, and Elizabeth Goldstein (President of the CA State Parks Foundation) and Bob Berman (a member of the Open Space Council's Executive Committee).

Over the weekend there was this report from ABC7:

    

 

And there were these articles:

• The investigation that started it all: Unauthorized vacation buyouts secretly pushed through at state parks department, audit says (Sacramento Bee)
• Ruth Coleman's resignation letter (courtesy of the Sacremaneto Bee)
• Hidden California state parks funds spark outrage (Sacramento Bee)
• Ruth Coleman, California parks director, resigns amid budget irregularities (Mercury News)
• Ruth Coleman, California Department Of Parks And Recreation, Resigns Amid Scandal (Huffington Post)
• State Parks Chief Resigns - Department Found Sitting on $54 Million Surplus (KQED Blog)
• State parks shakeup: Scandal sinks plans for local tax measure (Press Democrat)
• CSPF Statement on News of Funds Hidden by the Department of Parks and Recreation (CA State Parks Foundation)
• State parks scandal may undercut tax pitch (San Francisco Chronicle)
• California parks department finds $54-million surplus (LA Times)
• Jerry Brown appoints interim parks chief in wake of scandal (Sacramento Bee)

 

And these tweets:

Hop over to the Facebook page of California State Parks Foundation for a lively debate about what is known now and what to do next. At "press time," there are 78 comments, 81 likes and 98 shares on CSPF's post about the news. And at "press time," there weren't any posts related to the issue on the California State Parks Facebook page.

Did we miss any links, videos, or other coverage? Share it in the comments below. 

What is your take on all of this? Share in the comments or tweet with @BA_OpenSpace 

Open Space Happenings: 07.18.12

Who's at the North American Congress for Conservation Biology in Oakland today? Let us know how it is over on Twitter at #NACCB2012 or in the Comments below. What's been the highlight?

And now, for something completely different, we have some music for your mid-summer Wednesday:

For those reading this by email, click here to watch the Blackberry Bushes Stringband play Cluck Old Hen at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley. Turn up your volume and dance along!

 

• Bald eagles soaring to recovery in Bay Area and state. The iconic bird known for its fierce gaze, strength and wild spirit had been nearly wiped out in the lower 48 states by the early 1960s. Development had damaged its habitat; DDT, a pesticide since banned, made the bird's egg shells too weak for hatching. (Mercury News)
• Steve Abbors: Join the debate over the cube on Mount Umunhum. At Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, we have a rare opportunity to do two amazing things: Create a unique recreational destination with breathtaking views and honor the full arc of our region's history. (Mercury News)
• Conservation Biologists Take on Climate Change at Oakland Meeting. Conservation biologists at the first-ever North American Congress for Conservation Biology are meeting in Oakland. (KQED)
• Revolutionary Plots. A look at urban agriculture by a local writer featuring Bay Area farms. (Orion Magazine)
• Bill to restore Mount Diablo beacon is signed by governor. Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed a bill easing the path for a conservation group to restore the historic beacon atop Mount Diablo. (Mercury News)
• How Urban Parks Enhance Your Brain. A new study that shows that nature walks might provide a cost-efficient supplement to traditional treatments for major depression, and more. (The Atlantic Cities)
• Western snowy plovers make sweet comeback at Pescadero State Beach. A pair of Western snowy plover chicks learned to fly last week at Pescadero State Beach, sending the spirits of local conservationists soaring. (Mercury News)

 

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

 

15 Years: Farms and Ranches and Food

Did you know that over 40% of Bay Area lands are farms and ranches? That's a pretty big number, right? One of the many reasons why it's 40% is because of the Bay Program of the Coastal Conservancy. 

Projects and organizations that have benefited from the Coastal Conservancy's support of local farms include Marin Agricultural Land Trust, EcoVillage Farm, Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust, participants in the Fish Friendly Farming Environmental Certification / Napa Green Program, and more. 

Read more about what the Coastal Conservancy has done to feed us all in their 15th Anniversary report.

 

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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.

 

Open Space Happenings: 07.11.12

Ahh, summer. Don't you love it? We do at the Open Space Council. We're trying to convince the David Brower Center to install a pool on the 2nd floor terrace. We're sure that Mr. Brower would approve.

For something different, watch The Natural Histories Video Project, by Benjamin Drummund and Sara Joy Steele

• Look, Don't Touch. The Problem with Environmental Education. (Orion Magazine)
• Plan approved to restore Breuner Marsh and open it to public. The plan for the 150-acre Breuner Marsh -- named for the furniture store family that once owned it -- also will plug a 1.5 mile-long gap in the Bay Trail. When the project is done in 2015, the shoreline trail will connect with the southern part of Point Pinole Regional Shoreline. (Mercury News)
• REPORT: “The Outdoor Recreation Economy” details the economic impact of outdoor recreation in the United States. This follow-up and expansion to the 2006 economic impact report commissioned by OIA demonstrates that outdoor recreation is big business in this country, to the tune of: 6.1 million direct American jobs, $646 billion in direct consumer spending each year. $39.9 billion in federal tax revenue and $39.7 billion in state/local tax revenue. (Outdoor Industry Association)
• Beyond Death and Taxes: A Californian Perspective. The Koopman Family shares their story of a conservation easement. (Working Ranch)
• MALT keeps Tomales dairy from development. A 126-acre organic dairy near Tomales in the far reaches of West Marin will remain free of future housing development as part of a deal involving landowners and the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. (Marin IJ)
• People's Parks: Protecting Open Spaces for Everyone. Highlights LandPaths' work to connect people to State Parks. (KQED Quest)
• A World Without Fences: A Review of Will Allen’s New Book The Good Food Revolution. A review of the newest book by the keynote speaker at last year's Land Trust Alliance Rally. (Civil Eats)

 

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

Happy Independence!

On this Independence Day, let's celebrate a freedom from walls, buildings, concrete, and artificial lighting. Let's go outside and enjoy sunshine, dirt, creeks, and hillsides.

Let's also remember the community of people who helped preserve some of our Bay Area dirt, creeks and hillsides. There are many people who worked tirelessly for the Bay Area open spaces who preceded us. But there are many who are protecting farms from being converted to subdivisions, making trails accessible, studying our native plants and animals, and much more. They are our land conservation community. 

Let's celebrate our independence by toasting everyone who is working to keep the Bay Area the special place that it is. And then go outside and soak up some sunshine.