COMING SOON-- WORKSHOPS
What really goes in the blue bin
--and what doesn't
Deepen your outdoor experience
--Use a topo map and compass
COMING SOON-- PHOTO GALLERY
Browse photos of a coming tour
--or of the tour you just took
ARMCHAIR TOUR!
Movie: Cane Toads: An Unnatural History
--A comedic short documentary that examines the disastrous results of interfering with an ecosystem by bringing in non-native species. Farmers in Australia, frustrated with an infestation of beetles, imported cane toads from Hawaii who wound up not eating the beetles, poisoning all their natural predators and multiplying to the point of becoming a larger nuisance than the beetles ever were.
Book: The Life of the Skies
--by Jonathan Rosen
--New York Times book review says: If Peterson and Sibley [birding guide book authors] provided checklists . . . then “The Life of the Skies” is the essay question, the question being: Does bird-watching offer a bird-watcher an avenue toward greater meaning, like prayer or yoga? For his part, Rosen, a novelist and the author of “The Talmud and the Internet,” has a lot of faith in it as a meditative act. “I can’t think of any activity that more fully captures what it means to be human in the modern world than watching birds,” he writes.
Stories of all the great American birders are included, from Thoreau to Teddy Roosevelt to "Kenn Kaufman, the Jack Kerouac of birding, who in the '70s hitchhiked the back roads of America for sightings."
Music: Appalachian Spring
--By Aaron Copland
--The sound of spring fever on the West Coast, not only in Appalachia! Try the recording by Michael Tilson Thomas's S.F. Symphony.
TOUR TIP
The warmer sunshine feels good, but don't pay for it later. Remember your hat or bandana and a lightweight long sleeved shirt. Apply sunscreen effective against both UVA and UVB, and bring a small bottle so you can reapply during rest breaks. The spot most people forget to protect? The top edge of the ears! Ouch!
CUSTOMIZE
Not sure which tour is right for you? Special event coming up? A topic you're especially interested in?
Let us create a tour just for you!
Learn more today.
ECO-HISTORY FACT
The Eco-History facts revealed in our 3/2/08 tour of the Quicksilver Mine in Almaden were so fascinating that folks demanded we offer it again! Do you know how Bay Area people and the environment have always influenced each other... in this case, from the pre-Gold Rush discovery of mercury ore to today?
Learn the surprising facts as we walk through beautiful landscapes, ghost towns with gardens still blooming today, and see a mercury reduction furnace. See the tour description from the first time we offered it!
The tentative date for this second visit is 6/7/08. If you're interested, let us know. Give your email address, and we'll keep you posted. Remember, if you enjoyed the first trip, the wildflowers and weather will be different the second time!
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About David D. Schmidt at CaliforniaNatureTours.com
About California Nature Tours & David D. Schmidt
Enjoy fun and flexible outdoor tours from David D. Schmidt full of the magic of "Eco-History". "Eco-History" combines ecology and human history to unlock hidden secrets of the past. Come with us to really see the beautiful landscapes of the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California!
Experienced and flexible, David addresses your interests, respects your effort level, and ensures your safety.
Fascinating and Fun Eco-History on Every Tour
As a 5th generation San Franciscan, David shares the secrets of an intrepid local environmentalist. You'll be amazed by how people have changed --and protected-- the land, waterways, and plants.
Want to Learn More about Eco-History?
Select a wide variety of tours. See the coast, walk redwoods, roam East Bay hills, learn about wine country, go inland to Yosemite.
Come back often and enjoy David's Eco-History blog.
And, don't miss out-- get the newsletter!
And now, David tells how it started when he was only 5yrs old...
David age 7 already a history buff! On historic train with sister.
 David makes it easy to understand ecology during an educational event
Helping everyone spot endangered birds and other wildlife. Bring your binocs on your tour! © Christy Shake
I’ve loved Nature ever since my grandfather took me on my first walk in San Francisco California’s undeveloped McLaren Park when I was five years old.
It must have been towards the end of the rainy season. Beyond the asphalt streets and blocks of row houses, a muddy trail beckoned us into green rolling hills, and a rivulet of clear water coursed through the meadow at our feet. It was a whole new magical world. Around that time, he told me his memories of surviving the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, and of building a kite so big it dragged him across a field where houses now stood.
Soon I was hooked on California’s natural and human stories, a passion I pursued in sports, university studies, at the EPA, and for the last 15 years leading hikes and tours. I’ve also worked hard to protect California’s incomparable natural landscapes with groups including the Greenbelt Alliance, San Bruno Mountain Watch, and the Golden Gate National Parks’ Habitat Restoration Team.
And now, I've created California Nature Tours where I unlock for you the magic hidden to the untrained eye while we smell the plants, observe wildlife, taste wild foods, feel the sun and fog, hear the streams and surf, and relive the stories of those who came before. See you soon!
Sincerely, David
Read more Eco-History on David's Eco-History blog.
And, don't miss out-- get the newsletter!
Or, feel free to contact David
FIND A GREAT TOUR!
Below are the top six tours. Or see QuickView list of All Tours.
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Action Alert
California State Parks Saved!
Gov. Schwarzenegger scuttled his plan to close 48 of them! Call the Governor to thank him at (916) 445-2841.
Learn more
I've really enjoyed many of David's hikes!
On Montara Mountain we had a stunning 360 degree panoramic view of the coast.
At Point Reyes we swam in beautiful Bass Lake and saw the sublime Alamere Waterfalls.
David is very knowledgeable about Nature and the History of the Bay Area. He's also very attentive to the hikers.
I'll be back-- again!
Mr. M.C.
San Mateo, CA
Thank you David, for your
hike at China Camp.
It was a beautiful setting and we saw deer at close range.
But what made it especially interesting & memorable was your knowledge of the area.
I'm looking forward to
reading the book!
Thanks again and regards,
Ms. A.V.
Oakland, CA
I'm an inquisitive hiker who often wants to know more than previous guides seem to know...
But sometimes I just
want quiet moments.
Somehow, David does both
things just right!
A tour with David really does have something more.
Ms. C.A.
San Francisco, CA
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
John Muir
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