2. India Basin Walking Tour 5.30 pm July 15 - begin and end at one of the best breweries
3. Support Bird-Safe Building Guidelines in San Francisco July 14
4. Identify and document landscapes that contain plants of exceptional value and convey a sense of place Friday in Palo Alto
5. Laurel Hill Playground Historic Plant Site workday July 16
6. The soul is a wanderer with many hands and feet/Sign up for a daily poem
7. Change makeup of Fish & Game Commission? Or continue the fox guarding the henhouse
8. Time magazine cover story: Can farming save the last wild food?/The King sends scouts to foretell kingdom's future
9. Lake Merced Watershed Community Update July 19
10. SPAWN is hosting its second annual Summer Salmon Institute, July 18th-22nd
11. Come to film, dinner, and silent auction fundraise to protect Niles Canyon July 17
12. Feedback: Other bees than just honeybees?
13. Support Pacifica Land Trust at dinner July 19
14. More of those pink clarkias - in Golden Gate Park
15. "The US is wrestling with the problems that accumulate whenever a country has been a great power for some time."
16. New entrant in GOP presidential race may have a good chance of winning
1. Good news - you can vote on the great Central Subway boondoggle:
"Civic Watchdogs Indict Central Subway- Now You Can, Too"
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2011/07/08/civic_watchdogs_indict_central_subway_now_you_can_too.php&ct=ga&cad=CAEQARgAIAAoATAAOABAvOXe8ARIAVgBYgVlbi1VUw&cd=Xa--E3lOJfM&usg=AFQjCNELoAvPrLBrZ0rUXu2ax4G2eKRIlQ
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2. Friday, July 15, 5:30 pm
INDIA BASIN WALKING TOUR
Begins & Ends at Speakeasy Lagers & Ales
1195 Evans @ Keith, SF
Take a FREE guided 1-hour walking tour of the India Basin waterfront and on a full-moon Friday night. Learn about the India Basin Neighborhood Association Community Vision for fun, food, and family homes along the eastern SF shoreline -- PLUS -- a safe and scenic bike / ped road to connect the rest of the city to our neighborhood and to the Hunters Point Shipyard. Tour begins and ends at Speakeasy (our neighborhood brewery). Tour and Speakeasy are family friendly. Over 21? Enjoy a beer with the neighbors after the tour. Can’t make the walk? Stop by Speakeasy from 6:30 - 8:30 for the virtual version. Everyone welcome.
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3. Support Bird-Safe Building Guidelines in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO PLANNING COMMISSION
Commission Chambers - Room 400
City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Golden Gate Audubon is asking all its members and friends to support the proposed San Francisco Standards for Bird-Safe Buildings before the S.F. Planning Commission at City Hall Room 400 on July 14, 2011 at 4:00pm. Collisions with buildings, communication towers, and windows kill approximately 1 billion birds in North America each year. Migratory birds are especially threatened by collision risks. There are clear steps that we can take in designing and operating buildings in our cities to reduce these unnecessary risks to birds.
The Standards for Bird-Safe Buildings provide information for project sponsors and their tenants to reduce potential hazards to birds, create a voluntary program to encourage more bird-safe practices, and establish requirements for buildings sited in the most hazardous areas for birds.
If you cannot attend this hearing please email the S.F. Planning Commission by Wednesday July 13, 2011 c/o Linda.Avery@sfgov.org to encourage the Planning Commission to adopt these Standards for Bird-Safe Buildings. For more information, please visit http://www.sf-planning.org/index.aspx?page=2506.
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4. Botanical Priority Protection Areas of the East Bay
Speaker: Heath Bartosh, East Bay CNPS Rare Plants Chair
Friday, July 15, 2011, 7:30 - 9:30PM
Lucie Stern Community Center Fireside Room
1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
The CNPS East Bay chapter has recently put out a publication called the "Botanical Priority Areas of the East Bay" to help communicate the value of local botanical resources to decision makers and the general public. This book was the result of a project of the same name to identify and document 15 of the most important
landscapes in the East Bay that contain plants of exceptional value and convey a “sense of place.”
Many of these areas will have development proposals in the next decade, including the current proposal to extend the Oakland Zoo into Knowland Park.
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5. Laurel Hill Playground Historic Plant Site Workday
Saturday, July 16, 2011, 9am - noon
Rain or shine!
Meet inside the playground at Collins & Euclid. Rec and Park provides tools and gloves, but you are allowed to bring your own
gloves.
Become a part of the next chapter in the story of rare manzanitas and other native species that used to grace the slopes of Laurel
Hill Cemetery land! Bring your friends!
Help to prepare the land to make Laurel Hill Playground once again the location of special plants such as Lizard tail, Sticky
Monkeyflower, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus and manzanita.
The workdays are the third Saturdays of every other month, 9am-noon. Future days, thus, are as follows: Nov 19, 2011, Jan 21, 2012, Mar 17, 2012
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6.
A Map to the Next World
In the last days of the fourth world I wished to make a map
for those who would climb through the hole in the sky.
My only tools were the desires of humans as they emerged from the killing fields,
from the bedrooms and the kitchens.
For the soul is a wanderer with many hands and feet.
The map must be of sand and can't be read by ordinary light.
It must carry fire to the next tribal town, for renewal of spirit.
In the legend are instructions on the language of the land,
how it was we forgot to acknowledge the gift, as if we were not in it or of it.
Take note of the proliferation of supermarkets and malls, the altars of money.
They best describe the detour from grace.
Keep track of the errors of our forgetfulness; a fog steals our children while we sleep.
Flowers of rage spring up in the depression, the monsters are born there of nuclear anger.
Trees of ashes wave good-bye to good-bye and the map appears to disappear.
We no longer know the names of the birds here,
how to speak to them by their personal names.
Once we knew everything in this lush promise.
What I am telling you is real and is printed in a warning on the map.
Our forgetfulness stalks us, walks the earth behind us,
leaving a trail of paper diapers, needles and wasted blood.
An imperfect map will have to do little one.
The place of entry is the sea of your mother's blood,
your father's small death as he longs to know himself in another.
There is no exit.
The map can be interpreted through the wall of the intestine --
a spiral on the road of knowledge.
You will travel through the membrane of death,
smell cooking from the encampment where our relatives make a feast
of fresh deer meat and corn soup, in the Milky Way.
They have never left us; we abandoned them for science.
And when you take your next breath as we enter the fifth world there will be no X,
no guide book with words you can carry.
You will have to navigate by your mother's voice, renew the song she is singing.
Fresh courage glimmers from planets.
And lights the map printed with the blood of history,
a map you will have to know by your intention, by the language of suns.
When you emerge note the tracks of the monster slayers
where they entered the cities of artificial light and killed what was killing us.
You will see red cliffs. They are the heart, contain the ladder.
A white deer will come to greet you when the last human climbs from the destruction.
Remember the hole of our shame marking the act of abandoning our tribal grounds.
We were never perfect.
Yet, the journey we make together is perfect on this earth
who was once a star and made the same mistakes as humans.
We might make them again, she said.
Crucial to finding the way is this: there is no beginning or end.
You must make your own map.
~ Joy Harjo ~
(A Map to the Next World: Poems)
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You can sign up for these daily poems: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Panhala/
Web version of archived messages at www.Panhala.net/Archive/Index.html
Panhala is Hindi for "source of fresh water" (more or less). The purpose of this group is to share poems and prose that make the day a little brighter.
"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." -- Edith Wharton
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7. Eric Mills, Action for Animals:
This Commission will be revamping the Dept. of Fish and Game and the Commission, a much-needed effort.
The California Fish & Wildlife Strategic Vision Blue Ribbon Citizen Commission meets next Thursday, July 21 in the State Capitol, room 444, 1:30-4:30pm. They're still accepting applications for membership (through July 15, I think). If interested, get in touch. I'm really concerned about the make-up of the committee: Director of DFG, President of F&G Commission, former Senator Dennis Hollingsworth--sounds like the Fox and the Henhouse. (Hollingsworth was key in forcing former F&G Commission Judd Hanna to resign due to Hanna's outspokenness on the lead shot issue). On a brighter note, former Assemblyman Pedro Nava is a wonderful addition
I would urge you all to get on this mailing list, and get involved in the effort.
Hope to see you at that meeting. Note the opportunity for Public Comments.
Applications to serve on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Strategic Vision Stakeholder Advisory Group
APPLICATION PERIOD ENDS WEDNESDAY JULY 13
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Applications to serve on the California Fish and Wildlife Strategic Vision Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) are due this Wednesday, July 13 by midnight. All stakeholders of the Department of Fish and Game and/or the Fish and Game Commission are encouraged to apply.
The online application consists of approximately 25 questions that are designed to help create a group that will represent a diverse range of interests affecting state policies that manage fish and wildlife.
For more information on the Fish and Wildlife Strategic Vision or to apply for the Stakeholder Advisory Group please visit www.vision.ca.gov.
(Email from Eric Mills, Action for Animals, to Clark Blanchard, Associate Director for Communications, California Natural Resources Agency, regarding the Blue Ribbon Citizen Commission et al):
A few questions I hope you can answer:
1. Who appointed the current members to the Blue Ribbon Citizen Commission? The Governor? Do you know how/why they were chosen? Did they apply for the job?
The Fish and Wildlife Strategic Vision Executive Committee appointed the members of BRCC at its June 28 meeting.
The members were chosen because of their diverse range of experience and perspectives, as well as their expertise in policy, management and fiscal issues.
The members did not apply for the job.
2. How many total members will there be? And who selects them? The Gov again?
There may be one or two more members selected. They are looking for a member with a strong scientific background, as well as a possible student representative (non-voting).
(JS: If you are confused by the "Dept of Fish & Game" vs "Dept of Fish & Wildlife", I am too. Several years ago many conservation organizations wanted the name changed to reflect the Department's charge to protect and manage natural resources, not just hunting and fishing. For some reason they refused to change at that time. Now it appears that that may have happened? I hope so.)
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8. And more from Eric:
July 12, 2011
RECOMMENDED READING -
TIME Magazine, July 18, 2011 (now on the newsstands) has a cover story entitled, "THE FUTURE OF FISH: Can farming save the last wild food? The aquaculture of barramundi is also discussed.
And don't miss Paul Greenberg's 2010 "FOUR FISH: The Future of the Last Wild food." Highly readable, and very informative, a NEW YORK TIMES bestseller. An important book, this.
Relatedly, there was a cover story in the Sunday, July 10, 2011 issue of the OAKLAND TRIBUNE: "Invasive species to invade plates: Environmentalists urge Americans to feast upon troublesome fish." (The lionfish, an Indian Ocean species which is now taking over massive areas of the Caribbean and Eastern US seaboard.) Hey, maybe that's the answer to the growing python problem in the Florida Everglades, too! Or the non-native frogs and turtles overrunning California.
Reminds me of the old joke: King sends out scouts to foretell the kingdom's future. Scouts return, with Good News and Bad News: Good News: "In 50 years there'll be nothing to eat but cow patties." Bad News: "There ain't gonna be enough to go around."
Glad I'm old. How about you?
Eric Mills,coordinator
ACTION FOR ANIMALS
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9. Lake Merced Watershed Community Update
Tuesday, 19 July 2011, 6.30-8 pm
Harding Park Clubhouse
Representatives of SFPUC and SFRPD will provide updates on:
Lake Merced draft Memorandum of Understanding
New approach to management by the SFPUC
Harding Road Boathouse
Daly City's Stormwater Project
Information: sgautier@sfwater.org or alex.randolph@sfgov.org
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10. The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) is hosting its second annual Summer Salmon Institute, July 18th-22nd. This program is a five-day series of hands-on workshops, field experiences, and guest lecturers discussing the critical connection that salmon represent between oceans and watershed health. Participating teachers receive curricula and ongoing support with projects and field trips throughout the school year.
All activities take place daily 9am-5pm in west Marin County, near Point Reyes Station. Continuing Education Units are available through Dominican University, and, while the workshop is free, additional stipends are available for teachers from Title I schools.
If you're interested in learning more, please see the attached flyer or check out SPAWN's website,
http://www.spawnusa.org/bwet, and feel free to contact us with any questions or to register.
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11. Come to the Film, Dinner and Silent Auction Fundraiser to Protect Niles Canyon this Sunday, July 17 in Niles
Help us celebrate our initial legal victory stopping the misguided Caltrans highway widening project in Niles Canyon! Join the Alameda Creek Alliance and Save Niles Canyon at a benefit event for our campaign to save Niles Canyon on Sunday, July 17 beginning at 5 pm.
Enjoy dinner, drinks and a movie at the historic Silent Film Museum in Niles. The feature film is the acclaimed documentary River of Renewal, which tells the story of conflict over the resources of California and Oregon's Klamath Basin and the struggle to restore the Klamath River salmon runs. Producer Steve Most will attend the screening and answer questions after the film.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door.Ticket price includes dinner of salad and lasagna. You can send a check for advance tickets to: Alameda Creek Alliance, PO Box 2626, Niles, CA 94536; or easily buy tickets via PayPal on our web site.
Doors open at 5 pm. Dinner will be served at 6 pm. The film showing is at 7 pm. Come early for complimentary appetizers and beverages and to view and bid on our fabulous silent auction items. Wine will be on available by the glass for a small donation.
Jeff Miller, the Executive Director of the Alliance Creek Alliance, and Save Niles Canyon activists will give a brief update on the fight to protect Niles Canyon before the film. All proceeds will go toward legal efforts to protect Niles Canyon, specifically to fund our lawsuit challenging the Caltrans highway-widening project.
Please RSVP to Rich Cimino (yellowbilledtours AT gmail DOT com) by July 13, and state dinner preference - meat or vegetarian. Please contact Rich to donate a silent auction item, trip or vacation getaway!
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12. Feedback
Judith Lowry:
Jake - I note that the Bee-a-thon seems to be another of those events and organizations that don't recognize native bees. "Bee" means only the European honeybee.
The evaluation of the monetary worth of insects and their activities seemed startlingly low. And it was great to read the quotes from E.B. White, such a brilliant guy.
Judith
I know, Judith. As a rule I promote honeybees also, as they are still vital to humans in this screwed-up world--besides being lovable. Their demise would not necessarily promote native bees a great deal. If honeybees became extinct, knowing the ways of Homo sap he would then aggressively manipulate the native bees, trying to bend them to his will--you know, like training dolphins and porpoises to spy for us, or deliver torpedos. We are unteachable, perhaps the first species that doesn't learn from experience.
(OK, I was a little over the top there, but you'll excuse a little bitterness, won't you?)
I totally agree with you about promoting and protecting both. It just "bugs" me when books (The Kiss of the bees, Bee Season, The Life of Bees, etc etc etc ) and organizations act as though there is only one species.
I also agree abt Homo "sap"iens, and got a bitter chuckle out of your bitterness.
How do you explain a species where some members like to learn and some refuse to? I ask you, because E.B. White is deceased.
Deceased? So is Socrates, to whom I usually defer. He continually asked the question but never found an answer, in fact he never found an answer to anything. Athenians got tired of his perpetual questions and shit disturbing.
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13. Support the Pacifica Land Trust - A Grape in the Fog Fundraiser
Join friends and Land Trust colleagues and enjoy wine and a casual dinner at A Grape in the Fog to benefit the Pacifica Land Trust!
Tuesday evening, July 19, starting at 6:30. Dinner will be served as guests arrive between 6:30 and 8.
About the Pacific Land Trust and PPCA
In partnership with the Pedro Point Community Association (PPCA), the Pacifica Land Trust is in the midst of restoring the natural beauty of the Pedro Point Headlands. This project is all about outreach, building community and, not just acquiring, but enhancing public open space to both provide a quality visitor experience and restore natural values. And, like all worthwhile projects, this project needs funds that are perennially in short supply.
The mission of the PPCA, which owns the Pedro Point Firehouse, is to foster a sense of community for the Pedro Point neighborhood through events and fundraisers.
Support the PLT
Dinner, wine and dessert, $25; dinner only, $14. Or just stop by for a glass of wine.
A portion of the evening's proceeds will go directly to the Pacifica Land Trust.
A Grape in the Fog is located at 400 Old County Rd., Rockaway Beach (north of the Clock Tower)
Reservations aren’t required, but we’ve told Beth at AGITF we’d provide her with an approximate head count. Please let me (breck@breckhitz.com) know if you think you’ll attend.
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14. Hi Jake,
Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia rubicunda) and evening primrose (Oenothera hookeri) were featured on Sunday July 10th at the ' FRIENDS OF OAK WOODLANDS - GOLDEN GATE PARK ' hosted table at ' Summer Streets ' in Golden Gate Park.
These beauties were part of an exhibition of a variety of plants now blooming in the Oak Woodlands Natural Area, on the recently restored Lick Hill Cliffs overlooking the Horseshoe Arena.
If you want to tour the Oak Woodlands, or participate in a variety of restoration projects in the Woodlands, please email Rob Bakewell at <rcbakewell(at)yahoo.com> and / or go to our Group Facebook page ' Oak Woodlands in Golden Gate Park ' for information.
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15. New Rome is not new Greece - just yet
by Timothy Garton Ash in Guardian Weekly 08.07.11
It's encouraging to see the US acknowledge the financial hole that it is in. It's a pity that Americans cannot agree how to get out of it.
"The US is wrestling with the problems that accumulate whenever a country has been a great power for some time."
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16. New entrant in the GOP presidential nomination race
Not just a primitive victim of evolution...a model of Neanderthal man from the Neanderthal Museum, Mettamann, Germany
(The candidate with a decidedly more pleasant mien, don't you think? He may win.)
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