All art is either instruction or infection. The Greeks realized that
what one thinks is often an outgrowth of what he sees and hears.
John Ruskin
1. Job opportunities
2. One Theory of Effective Restoration and Redefining Sustainability
TONIGHT in Los Altos
3. Controversial Gualala River Floodplain Redwood Logging - Rally
for the River TOMORROW
4. Forest destruction: gypsy moth/orangutan habitat in Borneo
5. Our ravaged forests
6. California Center for Natural History calendar
7. Presidio Trust Board selects Jean Fraser as CEO
8. McLaren Park Treasure Hunt and Fun Day July 23
9. Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour early signup/native plant sale Oct 23
10. Feedback: coyotes on Mt Sutro
11. Multiplying cairns change the value of the wilderness experience
12. Racial divide endangering environmental protection?
13. Pokemon to aid bioblitzes?
14. Photos of San Francisco in 1940s and 50s
15. Two summer poems
16. Restore Hetch Hetchy Appeals Landmark Case to Undo Century-Old
Historic Mistake & Trial Court Error
17. Anniversary of 1977 New York City blackout. Lord of the Flies?
18. The middle class vacation squeeze/new age in finance
1. Job opportunities
a. California Native Plant Society is hiring for Director of
Communications and Marketing
http://cnps.org/cnps/jobs/comm_dir-cnps201607.pdf
_____________________________
Hiring for Green Business Associate
San Francisco Department of the Environment
https://www.jobaps.com/SF/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1=PEX&R2=9922&R3=068913
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2.
One Theory of Effective Restoration and Redefining Sustainability
a talk by Lech Naumovich, Golden Hour Restoration Institute
Friday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Los Altos Library Program Room
13 South San Antonio Road, Los Altos
All too often, conservation efforts focus on the exclusion of human
activities, or the repair of human impacts. All these stories
typically place humans in a negative light. This presentation will
attempt to highlight cases where the most effective tool for
restoration is human effort, particularly in areas where habitat is
highly fractured and historic landscape scale processes are defunct.
We will look at a heterogeneous disturbance hypothesis, as well as the
role of humans in a wild landscape and how these two theories make for
a more cohesive and powerful role for humans.
We will discuss how we apply effective management in two cases with
rare flora and fauna: 1) Serpentine Prairie, Oakland and 2) Twin
Peaks, San Francisco. Through this journey we hope to reconsider
success criteria and possibly redefine sustainability for future
restoration efforts.
Lech first became fascinated by botany at Fort Ord and has meandered
along the winding path of a conservation botanist since 1998. He has
worked as the CNPS East Bay Conservation Analyst, as the Restoration
Coordinator for Fort Hunter Liggett, as a private botanical
consultant, as an independent conservation photographer, and now as
the Director of the Golden Hour Restoration Institute. He is well
versed in Bay Area, Central Coast, and California desert botany. He
recently co-authored the 2nd Edition of The Annotated Checklist of the
East Bay Flora with Barbara Ertter and A Guidebook to Botanical
Priority Protection Areas of the East Bay with Heath Bartosh and Laura
Baker.
Directions: From Foothill Expressway, travel one-half mile on San
Antonio Road towards the Bay, cross Hillview and turn right into the
driveway; the library is on the left. From El Camino Real, travel
towards the hills on San Antonio Road, cross Edith and turn left into
the unmarked driveway just before Hillview. The sign on San Antonio
Road reads “Civic Center, Library and History Museum.” Enter through
the lobby of the main entrance.
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3.
Friends of Gualala River, Forest Unlimited, and the Dorothy King
Young Chapter of CNPS have filed suit to stop a horrendous Timber
Harvest Plan ("Dogwood") by Gualala Redwoods Timber which would
harvest 2nd growth redwoods from the floodplains of the Gualala River.
This is an egregious plan: in order to approve it, CalFire Director
Ken Pimlott had to make a finding of exception to the recent provision
under the Forest Practices Rules that specifies that there is to be no
logging in flood-prone areas. There should be a loud cry of outrage
over this. Much more information is available through the links in
the message below, and there will be a protest rally this Saturday at
the Gualala Regional Park.
Rally for the River:
Saturday, July 16 at 11am
There will be a Community Protest Rally at Gualala Point Regional Park
on Saturday July 16, from 11 am to noon. Sonoma County Parks has
waived the entrance fee for this event.
Enter the park on the west side of Highway One. Just after the pay
station, there is a parking area called the Salal parking area. We
will congregate there, beginning at 10:30 am. At 11 we will walk down
the path in the meadow, which passes by the Serge – the totems – and
then to the smaller parking area which overlooks the Gualala River
Lagoon. There will be speakers. Bring a protest sign, your family and
friends, and well-mannered dogs are invited too.
Notice of Intent to Sue CAL FIRE over Approval of Controversial
Gualala River Floodplain Redwood Logging – “Dogwood” Timber Harvest
Plan, Sonoma County
On Friday, July 8, 2016, Friends of Gualala River and Forest Unlimited
attorney Edward Yates sent CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry
and Fire Protection) a Notice of Intent to Sue over the agency’s final
approval of the controversial, delayed “Dogwood” Timber Harvest Plan.
The applicant is Gualala Redwoods Timber (GRT), which purchased the
timberland from Gualala Redwoods Inc, in April 2015. The forest
manager of both companies is Henry Alden, forester of the former
Headwaters Forest old-growth redwood clear-cut logging controversy of
the 1980s and 1990s . . .
Read the full article on GualalaRiver.org
Below: 90-100 year old redwood tree marked for cutting in Gualala
River floodplain;
photo credit: copyright © 2016 Mike Shoys, used with permission
Copyright © 2016 Friends of the Gualala River, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Friends of the Gualala River
P.O. Box 1543
Gualala, CA 95445
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4.
On Jul 13, 2016, at 1:06 PM, Eric Mills wrote:
More cheery news....
http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/07/11/gypsy-moths-are-destroying-forests-climate-dries?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2016-07-12
http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/07/09/bornean-orangutan-critically-endangered?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2016-07-12
JS: Get used to it; you're going to see headlines like this for the
rest of your life. This is only the beginning.
#############################
5. Our ravaged forests
On Jul 12, 2016, at 10:00 AM, S. Gilbert wrote:
I wonder whether you've seen the article on the threats to America's
western forest in the July 9 issue of The Economist ("Ravaged
woodlands," pp. 18–20). It's a good piece. I read many popular
magazines via the SFPL's online Zinio reader service
(https://www.rbdigital.com/sanfranciscoca/service/zinio/landing?).
Utterly free, and the library sends me an email message whenever a new
issue is available.
Sam: I read it and debated posting it, but it is too long to post in
an already over-long newsletter. I will be glad to send the story to
anyone requesting, or perhaps readers can get it from the SF Public
Library (above).
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6. California Center for Natural History
This month we're exploring ancient sand dunes in San Francisco &
finding an endangered flower that lives there, getting folks familiar
with iNaturalist, documenting the biodiversity at Lake Merritt, and
celebrating National Moth Week with not one, but two Moth Balls in
Santa Cruz!
Come and join us for these mid-summer festivities. There's always
something happening outside!
Don't forget that you can always check out our full event calendar at:
www.calnature.org
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7.
Presidio Trust Board Selects Jean S. Fraser as CEO
View the press release >>
Here is the Chronicle story (for subscribers only): John King's fine article
On Jul 14, 2016, at 6:16 AM, Amy Meyer wrote:
Jean Fraser's interests, experience, and direction are what I believe
will meet the needs of the Presidio Trust as they shift away from an
emphasis on real estate and embrace more outreach and programs.
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8. McLaren Park Treasure Hunt and Fun Day July 23
Greetings Natural Area advocates and Hiking enthusiasts, we would like
to invite you to the upcoming McLaren Treasure Hunt and Fun Day which
will kick off the planning process for the 2012 Bond Project. We will
be having a special event later this summer devoted to trails and
natural areas, but we hope you will still join us in July. We would be
happy to come and talk to your organization, if you are interested,
just reply to this.
The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department invites you to
attend the upcoming McLaren Park Treasure Hunt and Fun Day on July
23rd at 10am. Join us at the Group Picnic area at 116 John F. Shelley
Drive for:
- A Treasure Hunt that will take you to all of McLaren Parks’
best spots for views, picnics, and hiking;
- Mobile Recreation activities which will include: a rock
climbing wall, BMX biking, Skateboarding and Slack Lining;
- Nature Crafts;
- Zumba; and
- An opportunity for you to participate in the McLaren Park
Improvement Project planning process – this is a community effort that
will prioritize how to spend $10 million in 2012 Bond Funds to make
McLaren safer and enjoyable for all park users.
Please download and distribute the attached flyers and project page
link to your groups. Let us know if you would like hard copies, they
are available in English, Spanish and Traditional Chinese.
Space is limited for the Treasure Hunt, please be sure to RSVP your group here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mclaren-park-treasure-hunt-fun-day-registration-25527192520
For more information on the McLaren Improvement Project visit:
http:bit.ly/mclarenparkproject
###############################
9. Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour
Our fall workshop schedule is now up on the Bringing Back the Natives
Garden Tour’s website, and registration is open.
Join us this fall, and learn how to:
remove your lawn
install a drip irrigation system
select native plants for your garden
propagate natives from seeds, cuttings, and divisions
and garden sustainably
These workshops will fill; register now to avoid being disappointed.
Save that Date! Native Plant Sale Extravaganza
Please join us on Sunday, October 23, at this year’s fall Native Plant
Sale Extravaganza, when seven nurseries will be open from 10:00-4:00,
with knowledgeable staff on hand to help you select native plants for
your garden. Fall is the time to plant natives; take advantage of this
great opportunity to purchase hard-to-find plants! Shop to your
heart’s content, as a portion of the proceeds from this event go to
support the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour.
Advertise with the Tour! If you are interested in running an ad in
the garden guide, please e-mail to reserve a space.
Sponsors are being sought to support the 2017 Tour; let us know if
your company would be interested in becoming a Tour sponsor.
Follow and “like” the Tour on Facebook to see a changing gallery of
native plant garden photos, read about what to do in your native plant
garden each month, and stay informed about Bringing Back the Natives
Garden Tour events.
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10. Feedback
On Jul 12, 2016, at 5:15 PM, Steve Lawrence wrote:
Jake, I don't buy the assertion that five years ago coyotes were not
on Mt. Sutro. More than five years ago my wife spotted one at the
crest of Clayton, in front of a Water tank or building. More recently,
within the past two years, I've seen coyotes twice within 100 of my
home (Forest Hill). I believe they come off Hawk Hill. Cat
disappearances and sightings by others confirm them here. They've
eradicated the feral cat problem in Golden Gate Park long ago, and
here in my neighborhood there seem to be fewer raccoons, skunks,
possum, feral cats, and (I hope) rats. More than ten years ago I saw
one on the Olympic Club golf course (not that I play). They've spread
widely through SF, I believe, and have been here longer than some seem
to think. (Now, if they'd only get the gopher in my back yard ;)
###################################
11. Stop the rock-stacking
Stones: We've built pyramids and castles with them and painstakingly
cleared them out of farm fields, using them to build low walls for
fencing. We marvel at the rocks in the Grand Canyon, Arches and Grand
Teton national parks. Yet a perplexing practice has been gaining
ground in our wild spaces: People have begun stacking rocks on top of
one another, balancing them carefully and doing this for unknown
reasons, though probably as some kind of personal or "spiritual"
statement.
These piles aren't true cairns, the official term for deliberately
stacked rocks. From middle Gaelic, the word means "mound of stones
built as a memorial or landmark." There are plenty of those in Celtic
territories, that's for sure, as well as in other cultures; indigenous
peoples in the United States often used cairns to cover and bury their
dead. Those of us who like to hike through wilderness areas are glad
to see the occasional cairn, as long as it's indicating the right way
to go at critical junctions in the backcountry.
Stone piles have their uses, but the many rock stacks that I'm seeing
on our public lands are increasingly problematic. First, if they're
set in a random place, they can lead an unsuspecting hiker into
trouble, away from the trail and into a potentially dangerous place.
Second, we go to wilderness to remove ourselves from the human
saturation of our lives, not to see mementoes from other people's
lives.
We hike, we mountain bike, we run, we backpack, we boat in wilderness
areas to retreat from civilization. We need undeveloped places to find
quiet in our lives. A stack of rocks left by someone who preceded us
on the trail does nothing more than remind us that other people were
there before us. It is an unnecessary marker of humanity, like leaving
graffiti –– no different than finding a tissue bleached and decaying
against the earth that a previous traveler didn't pack out, or a
forgotten water bottle. Pointless cairns are simply pointless
reminders of the human ego.or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in
your browser.
I'm not sure exactly when the practice of stacking stones began in the
West. But the so-called Harmonic Convergence in 1987, a globally
synchronized meditation event, brought a tighter focus on New Age
practices to Sedona, Arizona, just south of my home. Vortexes, those
places where spiritual and metaphysical energy are reputed to be
found, began to figure prominently on national forest and other public
lands surrounding Sedona. Hikers near these vortexes couldn't miss
seeing so many new lines of rocks or stacks of stones.
Since then, the cairns, referred to as "prayer stone stacks" by some,
have been multiplying on our public lands. Where there were just a
dozen or so stone stacks at a much-visited state park on Sedona's Oak
Creek 10 years ago, now there are hundreds. What's more, the cairn
craze has mushroomed, invading wilderness areas everywhere in the
West.
Why should we care about a practice that can be dismantled with a
simple foot-push, that uses natural materials that can be returned
quickly to the earth, and that some say nature will remove eventually
anyway?
Because it's not a harmless practice: Moving rocks increases erosion
by exposing the soil underneath, allowing it to wash away and thin
soil cover for native plants. Every time a rock is disturbed, an
animal loses a potential home, since many insects and mammals burrow
under rocks for protection and reproduction.
The multiplying rock stacks.
Robyn Martin
But mainly, pointless cairns change the value of the wilderness
experience by degrading an already beautiful landscape. Building
cairns where none are needed for route finding is antithetical to
Leave-No-Trace ethics. Move a stone, and you've changed the
environment from something that it wasn't to something manmade. Cairn
building might also be illegal, since erecting structures or moving
natural materials on public lands often comes with fines and/or jail
time. Of course, I doubt the Forest Service will hunt down someone who
decided that his or her self-expression required erecting a balanced
stone sculpture on a sandstone ridge. Yet it is an unwelcome reminder
of humanity, something we strive to avoid as we enjoy our wild spaces.
Let's end this invasive practice. Fight the urge to stack rocks and
make your mark. Consider deconstructing them when you find them,
unless they're marking a critical trail junction. If you must worship
in the wild, repress that urge to rearrange the rocks and just say a
silent prayer to yourself. Or bring along a journal or sketchpad to
recall what you felt in the wild.
Let's check our egos at the trailheads and boat launches, and leave
the earth's natural beauty alone. Her geology, as it stands, is
already perfect.
Comment column in High Country News
JS: In the 1970s I backpacked with a group in the High Sierra. The
group decided that rather than stick to the trail we would climb up a
high ridge separating us from another watershed. Along the way we
found that someone else had stacked cairns along the same route we
were hiking. I resented that, and began knocking down every one of
them. This annoyed some of my fellow hikers, who asked what right I
had to knock them down.
I replied "What right did they have to build them?"
"Someone might need them."
"They need them to go cross-country? Then they should never leave the
trail." Duh. I thought that so obvious as to hardly need saying. It
is a type of vandalism.
###########################
12. Racial divide
On Jul 12, 2016, at 5:35 PM, Eric Mills wrote:
Jake, is this something you might wish to post in your alert? It's a
good and important speech.
I fear that all our environmental/animal protection work will be for
naught, unless we get this racial divide resolved.
http://time.com/4403543/president-obama-dallas-shooting-memorial-service-speech-transcript/
##########################
13. Pokemon
On Jul 12, 2016, at 6:10 PM, Alice Polesky wrote:
Its mobile version is encouraging players to contribute to bioblitzes
http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/07/12/scientists-new-research-tool-pokemon-go?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2016-07-12
###########################
14.
On Jul 11, 2016, at 6:48 PM, Clare Bell-Fuller wrote:
Almost hurts to look at these photos....
32 Stunning Photos Of San Francisco In The 40s And 50s
##########################
15. Two poems
The Daylight is Huge
by Amy MacLennan
The daylight is huge.
Five a.m. and the sky already
blushing gray. Mornings so full
of blue the clouds almost sheepish
as they wisp over hills.
High noon only happens in June,
mid-day a tipping point, the scale
weighed down on both sides
with blazed hours. And the evenings—
so drawn out the land lies stunned
by that shambling last light.
From The Body, A Tree. © MoonPath Press, 2016
One Summer Day on the Number One Train
by Anne Whitehouse
When the doors of the express opened at 72 Street,
the local was waiting. She entered with me,
tall and angular as a crane, her expression alert,
violin poised against her clavicle like a wing.
The train was half-empty, the passengers dozing
or absorbed in their smartphones.
She stood at one end of the car, her gaze
swiftly appraising us, while the doors slid shut.
Closing her eyes, she lifted her bow
and dipped her chin, and into that pause
went all the years of preparation
that had brought her to this moment.
The train accelerated in a rush of cacophony,
her music welled up, and I recognized
a Bach concerto blossoming to fullness
like an ever-opening rose. Suddenly
I was crying for no reason and every reason,
in front of strangers. I thought of the courtroom
where, an hour ago, I’d sat listening to testimony
with fellow jurors, charged to determine the facts
and follow the law. But no matter how we tried,
we couldn’t reverse damage or undo wrong.
The music was contrast and balm, like sunlight
in subterranean air. The tears wet on my cheeks,
I broke into applause, joined by fellow passengers.
We’d become an audience, her audience,
just before the doors opened and we scattered.
Making my offering, I exited, too shy to catch her eye.
But she’d seen the effect her music had wrought.
Its echo resounded in my memory, following me
into the glory of the summer afternoon.
It is with me still.
##########################
16.
Restore Hetch Hetchy Appeals Landmark Case to Undo Century-Old
Historic Mistake & Trial Court Error
Restore Hetch Hetchy challenges San Francisco's evasion of California
Law; asks court to consider merits of restoration of "one of nature's
rarest and most precious mountain temples" as nation celebrates
Centennial of the National Park Service
Oakland, CA - July 13, 2016 - Restore Hetch Hetchy notified the
Tuolumne County Superior Court on July 12th that it is appealing the
Court's ruling that prevents California courts from considering the
merits of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park
(Case No. CV 59426). The appeal comes on the eve of the Centennial
celebrations of the National Park Service, which was created in
response to the flooding and damming of the majestic Hetch Hetchy
Valley in 1913.
"San Francisco's water system is not above the laws of California,"
said Restore Hetch Hetchy Executive Director Spreck Rosekrans. "We
expect the appellate court to overturn the lower court's ruling."
Restore Hetch Hetchy's case alleges that the reservoir that has buried
the Hetch Hetchy Valley under 300 feet of water violates the water
diversion mandates in the California Constitution. Restore Hetch
Hetchy seeks a hearing in the California courts which would weigh the
significant value of restoration against the cost of water system
improvements necessary for San Francisco to retain its existing
Tuolumne River supplies without Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.
San Francisco argues that the reservoir is subject only to federal law
and not to California law and that any such complaint should have been
filed decades ago. On April 28, Judge Kevin Seibert ruled in San
Francisco's favor.
"The federal government has no direct stake in San Francisco's system,
and Congress specifically required that all elements of the City's
water system comply with California law," said Michael Lozeau, chief
counsel for Restore Hetch Hetchy.
"The trial court ruling, that the statute of limitations for filing a
complaint under the California Constitution has expired, is
inconsistent with past court rulings that form the bedrock of State
water law," added Richard Frank, co-counsel for Restore Hetch Hetchy.
"We don't think it will be upheld on appeal."
The O'Shaughnessy Dam and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir have flooded a valley
that conservationist John Muir called "one of nature's rarest and most
precious mountain temples." In 1913, the unprecedented debate over
building a dam in a national park drew opposition from more than 200
newspapers across the United States. Less than three years later,
Congress passed the National Park Service Act, ensuring that no such
destruction would ever again be allowed.
"We are on the right side of history by committing to win this
important environmental battle, while assuring that San Francisco will
retain or improve the reliability of its water system," continued
Rosekrans. "On the eve of the Centennial of the National Park Service
it is worth noting that no one would consider damming an iconic
glacier carved valley in Yosemite National Park today. There is no
reason we need to live with this 100 year old mistake."
Citizens who are interested in joining the 100-year old mission to
restore Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Valley can find out more at
www.hetchhetchy.org.
Restore Hetch Hetchy's mission is to return the Hetch Hetchy Valley in
Yosemite National Park National Park to its natural splendor while
continuing to meet the water and power needs of all communities that
depend on the Tuolumne River.
#############################
17.
There was a blackout in New York City on July 13 in 1977. Lightning
struck three times that night, hitting Con Edison substations and
shutting down the power grid. The city went dark at about 9:30 p.m.
Kennedy and LaGuardia airports had to be shut down for eight hours,
tunnels in and out of the city were closed, and thousands of people
had to be evacuated from the subways.
There had been a similar blackout in 1965, and people had faced it
with good humor, but in 1977, New York was in the middle of an
economic crisis, and unemployment rates were high. There was also a
serial killer, who called himself "Son of Sam," on the loose, and the
city was in the grip of a brutal heat wave. It was the worst time for
a catastrophic blackout; the city was a powder keg.
In the 25 hours before power was restored, more than 1,600 stores were
looted, more than a thousand fires were set, and nearly 3,800 looters
were arrested. It was an ugly day in New York City.
Writer's Almanac
(Lord of the Flies?)
#############################
18.
Marketplace
The middle class vacation squeeze:
The latest installment of our Economic Anxiety Index series centers on
a luxury some Americans can no longer afford: vacations. Taking an
annual vacation is the mark of middle-class attainment, but our
Marketplace-Edison Research Poll found that 24 percent of households
reported have not taken a vacation, of one week or longer, in more
than five years.
____________________________
Welcome to a new age in finance
JS:
1. Remember when we bought government bonds--ie, lent money to the
government--and it rewarded us by paying interest on the money we lent
them?
Now, in many countries--and probably soon in the U.S.--when we "lend"
it money we must pay the government.
Remember when we were anxious to prevent inflation because it was so
destructive, and the government took drastic steps to prevent it?
The printing presses were busy* from 2008 to 2013 printing $85 billion
dollars every month to try to stimulate the economy and to convince us
to buy things (including things we don't need).
Remember when companies sold shares to finance their business's expansion?
Marketplace: One key part of why markets are doing so well? Companies
are buying their own stock. Companies in the S&P 500 bought back
$161.39 billion of shares during the first three months of the year,
the second-biggest quarter for repurchases ever. Why do they do this?
To keep their stock price high.
Have you noticed--almost everything is upside-down? No wonder I am in
an almost constant state of confusion.
* They don't really print money; the Federal Reserve just adds
another zero to the figures in the books. Has the same effect; it's
not real anyway.
###########################
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