Open Space Council's Blog

Happenings on 04.03.13

It's Wednesday and it's Happenings. Here is some news from around the region that in some way relates to protecting and connecting people to land.

Reading this by email? Fantastic! Click here for the trailer of A Fierce Green Fire, a new documentary about the environmental movement. Where and when you can see it is here.

• Golden Gate NRA achievements win awards. Crissy Field, Presidio, other local projects win national awards (San Francisco Chronicle)
• National park bottle ban has detractors. As the Golden Gate National Recreation Area looks into banning the sale of bottled water, the beverage industry is hoping to have a say in the matter. (San Francisco Examiner)
• Calif. water supply could reach historic low. California's water supply is on track to shatter a record low, according to the latest snow survey from the state's Department of Water Resources. (ABC7)
• Nobody is declaring a state of drought in California, but... Surveyors in the Sierra find only half the snowpack that is normal for the date. But it could have been worse, considering the last three months have been the driest January-March period on record. (LA Times)
• Yosemite revamp plan gets mixed response. A National Park Service plan to take out swimming pools, eliminate bicycle and horse rentals, and remove the ice rink in Yosemite Valley in an attempt to restore some native habitat got a decidedly mixed reception at a recent public hearing. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Proposed Law Could Deliver Major Boost to Urban Agriculture in California. Bill would give property tax breaks to landowners who lease their parcels to urban farmers. (Earth Island Journal)
• Easing Brain Fatigue With a Walk in the Park. An innovative new study from Scotland suggests that you can ease brain fatigue simply by strolling through a leafy park. (New York Times)
• Using Your Phone to Connect with Urban Nature. Researchers and artists aim to change our perception of urban nature and help us better understand the evolution of our cities with a new smart phone app. (Utne)
• How You Can Revise Your Website, Raise Your Gifts 30%. You can redesign and rewrite your organization’s website like Save the Redwoods League did and raise 30 percent more online donations — without spending much money. (Kivi's Blog)
• Dark Gray Paint. Something to read if you're trying to change the world. (Alex Steffen)
• Plan Bay Area is holding Town Halls in April and May. Learn more about it here and provide feedback online or at a meeting. The draft Environmental Impact Report has been released which you can read here.

 

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Happenings is our weekly post with news and other interesting tidbits about land conservation in the Bay Area. We do it every Wednesday and past Happenings can be found here. 

 

Happenings on 03.27.13

Every Wednesday we look around for stories about land conservation and we share what we find here. Take a sip of your coffee (or tea or water), relax your shoulders and read some stories with us...

Craig Anderson of LandPaths and then-Assemblyman, now-Congressman Jared Huffman singing and playing at the 2012 Open Space Conference. Mark Nechodom, Director of the CA Department of Conservation, captures it all in the lower right corner. Registration is now open for the 2013 Open Space Conference but we're not promising any singing. Photo by Jen Hale.

• High-speed rail, water bond support weak. A recent survey says that fewer Californians support the high-speed-rail system and a bond that would help pay for an overhaul of the state's water system. (SF Chronicle)
• State parks need overhaul, agency says. A new report, which can be read here, analyzes State Parks system and provides some recommendations. (SF Chronicle)
• Outdoor recreation in California generates $85.4 billion. Hiking, camping, hunting and fishing, among other outdoor activities, help generate $85.4 billion in annual spending in California, more than any other state in the country, according to a new study. (LA Times)
• The Science of Moving Science Across Town. How the Exploratorium is moving 3 miles across San Francisco. (New York Times)
• Quarry Lakes on leading edge of lead ban. The lakes, which are managed by East Bay Regional Park District, are among the cleanest around, thanks to a ban on lead fishing tackle that's thought to be the only such ban in the state. (SF Chronicle)
• Unlikely Allies. In the Golden State, an odd alliance has taken root between two groups with distinct (sometimes opposing) views of how land should be used are teaming up to work together: the conservation community and the state’s ranchers. (Defenders of Wildlife)
• Land Trusts and Park Conservancies: In the Same Business…or Not? An analysis of the different approaches that land trusts and park conservancies take to achieve their missions. (City Parks Blog)
• Devil’s Slide tunnels an environmental success story. The new tunnels through San Pedro Mountain open this week, giving us a chance to look at what could have been. (Bay Nature)

 

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Happenings is our weekly post with news and other interesting tidbits about land conservation in the Bay Area. We do it every Wednesday and past Happenings can be found here. 

 

Happenings on 03.20.13

What's that wet stuff falling from the sky? It's been gloriously beautiful this "winter" in the Bay Area. But this wet stuff sure feels good. Here's some news for you, some of which also feels good.

 

• Anonymous Donor Gives $200,000 toward Calistoga Vine Trail, Bay Area Ridge Trail. The Ridge Trail will be 5 miles longer in Napa County. (Napa Valley Patch)
• What do we mean by Latinos in the Outdoors? An examination of Latinos' relationship with being outside, the outdoors and The Outdoors. (News Taco)
• The Top Five Myths about the Sequester and National Parks. How the federal budget is and will affect our National Parks. (National Park Conservation Association)
• On Western Lands, a Free-Market Path. How some conservation groups are working to protect public lands from extraction. (New York Times)
• Funding opportunity with the Coastal Conservancy: Explore the Coast applications due May 10.
• Public meetings for the OneBayArea plan are scheduled for this spring. Land conservation needs to be a part of the plan and so your participation is important. Click here for more info.
• A new art exhibit at the California Historical Society: Curating the Bay: Crowdsourcing a New Environmental History

 

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Happenings is our weekly post with news and other interesting tidbits about land conservation in the Bay Area. We do it every Wednesday and past Happenings can be found here.

Our Almost Spring Gathering is tomorrow and we'll be doin' our thing here on the blog: posting pictures, sharing the presentations, and giving you the low down every 10-15 minutes. We'll also be tweeting at #osc321 We'll see you at the event or here online!

 

Happenings on 03.13.13

Every week we scour the internet for news about our member organizations, videos that inspire, and articles that make us think. We pull it all together for you every Wednesday and here's this week's happenings:

Reading this by email? Cool! Click here to watch Ron Finley, a guerilla gardener in South Central LA, talk about the power of gardens and food.

• Argentine ants march through Bay Area. Researchers at Stanford are studying the explosion of non-native Argentine ant populations at the Jasper Ridge Preserve. (Mercury News) 
• POST looks to grow farm programs. Peninsula Open Space Trust debuts agricultural easements in San Mateo County. (Half Moon Bay Review)
• National Parks Pump Big Bucks Into Marin Economy. Visitors to Point Reyes and Muir Woods spent more than $150 million in 2011, a new study shows. (Novato Patch)
• Tesla land near Carnegie: Off-roaders vs. preservationists. A vigorous debate over State Park land near Alameda and San Joaquin county line. (Mercury News)
• The most recent Outdoor Recreation report that states that the industry generates $646 billion in consumer spending and sustains 6.1 million direct jobs.
• GOP questions Interior nominee Sally Jewell over lawsuits. Republicans are raising concerns that Interior Department nominee Sally Jewell belonged to a conservation group that in the past has sued the government dozens of times but the issue doesn’t appear to be slowing her confirmation process. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Endangered or Not, but at Least No Longer Waiting. The Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service is giving more than 250 species a thumbs up or down for protection under the Endangered Species Act. (New York Times)
• It’s Never Too Late to Play: Corps Programs Are Good News for Young Adults Who Grew up During the Indoor-Childhood Epidemic. Going to the beach may seem commonplace to some, but it's not the case for everyone. (Totem Magic, hat tip to Outdoor Afro)

 

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Happenings is our weekly post with news and other interesting tidbits about land conservation in the Bay Area. We do it every Wednesday and past Happenings can be found here.

 

 

Happenings on 03.06.13

There are a thousand stories about the California State Parks closures and ongoing crisis. We submit this one as one of our favorites:

Click here to watch the video if you're reading this by email. Hats off to Plus M Productions for another mesmorizing video. 

 

• Land deal doubles size of protected open space around Uvas Reservoir south of San Jose.The Peninsula Open Space Trust has purchased a 357-acre property in the hills above Uvas Reservoir, south of Morgan Hill. (Mercury News)
• San Francisco Bay Named 'A Wetland Of Importance'. The San Francisco Bay estuary has been added to a list of protected wetlands under a 1971 international treaty among 163 countries meant to limit damaging development along ecologically important waterways. (Huffington Post)
• County of Marin parks to cash in 'naming rights' for private donations. Marin officials approved guidelines allowing businesses, organizations, families and individuals to sponsor local recreational facilities. (Marin IJ)
• For national parks, sequester could mean cancelled parades, dirty bathrooms. National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis talks about the impact of the federal government's sequestration. (CBS News)
• Good Health For All. How protected land can improve people's health and lives. (Land Trust Alliance)
• Employing Youth to Protect our Natural Heritage: Win-Win Solutions in Tough Economic Times. The recent reintroduction of the Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2013aims to provide young people with job training and educational opportunities, while addressing the backlog of conservation and restoration projects piling up on our public lands. (Sierra Club)
• Editorial: A better way to preserve a ranch. The Press Democrat's editorial board responds to last week's news about Preservation Ranch. (Press Democrat)

 

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Happenings is our weekly post with news and other interesting tidbits about land conservation in the Bay Area. We do it every Wednesday and past Happenings can be found here.

Our Gathering on March 21 is at capacity. Read more about the event here and join the waitlist in case seats open up. 

Happenings on 02.27.13

Wow! 20,000 acres will be preserved in the northwestern part of the Sonoma County thanks to many organizations including two Open Space Council members and the Coastal Conservancy. Read on...

• $24.5 million deal to protect 20,000-acre Sonoma County forest. A national conservation group has reached an agreement to buy nearly 20,000 acres of timberland in northwestern Sonoma County. (Press Democrat)
• License plate promotes California farms. A new specialty license plate available in March will promote California agriculture and fund farm education programs. (SF Gate)
• Drakes Bay Oyster Co. gets reprieve. A federal appeals court granted a reprieve Monday to an oyster farm that challenged the federal government's refusal to renew its lease at Point Reyes National Seashore, site of a proposed marine wilderness. (SF Gate)
• Short-Lived Federal Program Is Turning Parks Into Transit Hubs Though its funding ends next year, the Transit in Parks program is seeking solutions to congested parks and opening federal lands to non-motorized travel (Outside Magazine blog
• Laws Give Break for Land Preservation. But Hurry. The new tax legislation signed at the beginning of the year renewed generous federal tax breaks for landowners who permanently preserve scenic, environmentally sensitive or historical properties. (Wall Street Journal)
• Bird-friendly Farms Catching On in California. Migratory birds find refuge on farms as part of conservation plan. (National Geographic)
• How the environmental movement can save the environment. The environmental movement’s challenge isn’t energy, it’s power. (Grist)
• And for the birders among us, The Owl Comes Into Its Own (New York Times)

 

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Happenings is our weekly post with news and other interesting tidbits about land conservation in the Bay Area. We do it every Wednesday and past Happenings can be found here.

Happenings: 02.20.13

Here is our weekly round up of news related to conservation in the Bay Area, around the state, and on a national level.

Snow on Mt Diablo yesterday. Photo by RHM Images.

• 7-year-old hero appointed to Lassen park board. A seven-year-old Los Gatos boy has been appointed to the board of directors of the Lassen Park Foundation for an inspirational act of giving — and to provide advice about what youngsters want at parks. (SF Gate)
• Boxer and Feinsten seek money for repairs to bay and Marin wetlands. On the heels of San Francisco Bay and adjacent Marin wetlands being given a special worldwide designation, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer have re-introduced a bill seeking money for restoration work for the estuary. (Marin IJ)
• Ken Salazar Heads Back To Colorado: Friends, Foes Reflect On His Time At Interior. While liberals and environmentalists tend to view Salazar as a centrist, moderate and level-headed pragmatist, conservatives and people in the oil and gas business sometimes have viewed him as an obstacle to the American Way. (Huffington Post)
• National park advocates pressing Congress to prevent deep budget cuts. Advocates for the vast numbers of visitors to America’s national parks are pressuring Congress to prevent deep automatic spending cuts that would result in reduced hours and services across the country. (Washington Post)
• Wildlife agency tries to bridge divide. A bill introduced last yearby then-Assemblyman Jared Huffman changed the name of the agency in January from "Fish and Game" to "Fish and Wildlife" to reflect what officials say is a new reality. But the name change itself has become a source of controversy and concern.
• Democratic lawmakers revive oil extraction tax for California. Two leading Senate Democrats proposed a new tax on oil pumped from the ground in California to raise $2 billion annually to pay for state university and parks programs. (LA Times)
• Audubon Canyon Ranch Adds to Mayacamas Sanctuary with Modini Bequest. The year-long process to transfer ownership of the 1,750 Modini Ingalls Ecological Preserve in northern Sonoma and Lake Counties to Audubon Canyon Ranch was completed this week. (Healdburg Patch)
• An overview of the Climate Smart workshop held in November 2012 by Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium published by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership.

 

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Happenings is our weekly post with news and other interesting tidbits about land conservation in the Bay Area. We do it every Wednesday and past Happenings can be found here.

 

Happenings: 02.13.13

Happy Valentine's Day Eve! Have a dance with us:

Click to see A bird ballet | Music Video from Neels CASTILLON on Vimeo.

 

• Castle Rock could get royal treatment. Sempervirens Fund wants to replace Castle Rock's ramshackle entrance, pursuing a $4 million, six-acre plan that adds a relocated gateway, more parking, new buildings, pavilions and trailheads and a small amphitheater.  (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
• Preserving Living Landscapes. Land Trust of Santa Cruz County raises $13.5 million to protect local land. (Good Times)
• Pinnacles Given National Park Status. The designation of the Pinnacles means California now has more national parks than any other state. (The California Report)
• Land Trust hopes to raise profile, revenue with purchase of Borreo. The Land Trust of Napa County purchases prominent building in downtown Napa. (Napa Valley Register)
• Bringing Oysters Back to the Bay. A Richmond-based nonprofit has plans to restore the shellfish’s lost habitat along the Point Pinole shoreline. (KQED)
• Groups advocate El Cerrito open space purchase. Hikers, mountain bikers and environmentalists are trying to encourage the city to purchase a 7-acre plot that would connect trails between the southern and northern hillside areas. (Oakland Tribune)
• Clash over open space, development in Moraga. A call to strengthen Moraga's general plan has momentarily reignited a battle between open space advocates and proponents of moderate levels of development. (Contra Costa Times)
• Upcoming meetings about the Cap and Trade Auction in Fresno and Sacramento.
• And for fun there's The Planners, a reality show about urban planning courtesy of the BBC. Thanks to Greenbelt Alliance for the tip.

 

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Happenings is our weekly post with news and other interesting tidbits about land conservation in the Bay Area. We do it every Wednesday and past Happenings can be found here.

Our March 21 Gathering is almost sold out. If you care about land and public funding to purchase and steward it, check it out and sign up to attend. 

 

Happenings: 02.06.13

There's a lot of news to share today! From 50 year plans to oysters to a new Director of the Department of the Interior... check it out below.

Tweeted from space by Canadian Astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield

REI CEO Sally Jewell nominated as new Director of the Department of the Interior:

• Obama to nominate CEO of outdoor equipment giant REI to become interior secretary (Washington Post)
• Sally Jewell Picked To Be Interior Secretary By Obama (Huffington Post)

Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan:

• (Before) San Jose poised to approve sweeping environmental plan. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday is poised to take one of its most important environmental votes in decades on a plan that over the next 50 years would protect habitat for endangered species even as development continues. (Mercury News)
• (After) San Jose City Council adopts habitat conservation plan. After eight years of work with five other government agencies, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted 10-1 to adopt a Habitat Conservation Plan that attempts to balance conservation and construction in Santa Clara County over the next five decades. (Mercury News)
• At long last, the Habitat Conservation Plan has been adopted. An analysis by Greenbelt Alliance.

And more!

• Supervisors OK Taylor Mountain transfer to parks department. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the transfer of the 1,100-acre open space on Taylor Mountain overlooking Santa Rosa to the county's Regional Parks Department. (Press Democrat)
• Some of the Best Environmental Coverage Around -- Funded by Qatar Oil Money. An interesting perspective on environmental journalism. (On Earth)
• You May Have Been Born to Flock. Studying animals' tendency to form groups, including homo sapiens. (Wired)
• Judge upholds eviction of Drake's Bay oyster farm. A federal judge on Monday denied a Northern California oyster farm's request to have its removal from Point Reyes National Seashore overturned, and ruled against allowing it to continue doing business in the park while its lawsuit is being heard in court. (KTVU)
• News about Drake's Bay Oysters also on ABC7.
• Babbitt Exhorts Obama to Protect Public Lands. Bruce Babbitt, the interior secretary in the Clinton administration and a former governor of Arizona, made one of his periodic forays out of the political wilderness on Tuesday to criticize the Obama administration for favoring oil and gas development over conservation on public lands. (NY Times)
• California Latinos to outnumber whites early next year, state says. California could be home to 50 million people in 2049, and it will be a dramatically different state, beginning this summer, when Latinos will catch up to whites on their way toward becoming the largest group in a diverse population. (Mercury News)
• California Council of Land Trusts' conference on March 18-20. Click for agenda and here for registration. 
• For those that watched the Super Bowl, and maybe especially for those that didn't, here is analysis about the commercial "Farmer" with Paul Harvey's speech in the Atlantic. And here is a response from Latino Rebels that caught our eye.

 

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Happenings is our weekly post with news and other interesting tidbits about land conservation in the Bay Area. We do it every Wednesday and past Happenings can be found here.

 

Happenings: 01.30.13

It's Wednesday, almost the end of January, and a few days before the 49ers play in the Super Bowl. And this video makes me want to go backpacking...

A couple hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2012. They took pictures of their tent every night. Click here to see the video and more about their adventures here.

 

• POST acquires 1,000 more acres of open space. The new acquisitions put the Palo Alto-based POST about halfway toward its goal of protecting 20,000 acres of remaining redwood forest in the Santa Cruz mountains. (The Almanac)
• Green Groups Must Embrace Latinos' Concern for Environment. When it comes to the environment, Latinos show far more interest in conservation issues and stronger pollution laws than their Anglo counterparts. (Huffington Post)
• Makes Sense to Keep the Secretary of Interior a Latino. With Ken Salazar's departure, there is speculation about who Obama will appoint to the position. (News Taco)
• Altamont Pass turbines kill fewer birds. A new study suggests that the number of eagles, kestrels, burrowing owls and red-tailed hawks killed at Altamont each year has fallen roughly 50 percent since 2005. (SF Gate)

 

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Happenings is a regular feature on our blog that highlights news and information about land, parks, trails, farms, ranches and other kinds of open space here in the Bay Area. You can scroll through past Happenings here.