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: Monumental: David Brower's Fight for Wild America
--Chronicles the life and times of David Brower, the Sierra Club's legendary first Executive Director.
--An avid mountain climber, he led campaigns to protect national parks and other wildlands in the 1950s through the 1990s.
-- He inspired millions of Americans to become environmentalists!
Book: California's Wild Gardens: A Living Legacy
--From the California Native Plant Society (www.cnps.org)
--If you lived to be 100 and hiked every day throughout California, you couldn't see as many species of wildflowers and different habitats as in this beautiful book. A biodiversity feast for the eyes!
Music: Beethoven's 6th Symphony, the Pastoral
--By Ludwig von Beethoven
--Portions of this symphony, composed two centuries ago, provide the soundtrack for parts of Walt Disney's animated 1940 film, Fantasia. Whether you've seen it or not, hear the entire masterpiece that paints a peaceful rural landscape in music, as a storm moves over it.
TOUR TIP
Winter in the San Francisco Bay Area means lower temperatures and unpredictable rains. Always carry rain gear to stay dry, and wear wool socks that keep your feet warm even if they get wet. But dress in layers, because the day can warm up, then cool off again before sunset.
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
Back in 1875 logger William Waddell became the San Francisco Bay Area's last man to be killed by a grizzly bear. You can retrace his final steps along the waterway named after him, Waddell Creek, on our Redwoods and Waterfalls Walking (or mountain bike) Tour.
No worries about marauding grizzlies, though -- the Bay Area's last grizzly was shot at Bonny Doon Mountain, only a few miles away from Waddell Creek, in 1886. The grizzly is California's official state animal, seen on the state flag, but it's been extinct in California since the 1920s!
Waddell Creek is also a great place for an easy 2-day backpack trip in the redwoods -- only three miles each way, and no uphill. If you're interested, let us know when you'd like to go.
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Newsletter on CaliforniaNatureTours.com
Newsletter of Calfornia Nature Tours
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March-April 2009
It’s Wildflower Season! Mt. Diablo Special Just $10, Sat. April 4
Marin Headlands Wildflower Special Sat. April 25
Coastal Defenses and Wildflowers of San Francisco and Marin, Mon. April 27
Wildflowers and Whales at Point Reyes, Weds. April 30
Plan Ahead for Summer: Wild West Sierra Nevada Tour
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It's Wildflower Season! Mt. Diablo Wildflower Special Just $10, Sat. April 4
Mount Diablo has incredible wildflowers, including the rare Fairy Lantern, Chinese Houses, Woodland Star, Delphiniums, Golden Bush, and dozens more. They only bloom for a few weeks each year. Don’t miss this chance to see them on an easy 5-mile walk. Bring food -- at the halfway point, we’ll stop for lunch at picnic tables. Get details and sign up! . But disregard the price on the website – this one is just $10 for adults, $5 for kids/teens. Starts at 10:30 a.m.
Marin Headlands Wildflower Special Sat. April 25
For an entirely different wildflower array, follow David to his favorite spots in the Marin Headlands, where dozens of different species bloom on four sides of a hill. This special five-hour, five-mile walk, timed to hit the wildflowers at their peak, is not advertised on the website – and it’s just $10 for adults, $5 for kids/teens! Starts at 10:00 a.m. To get directions to meeting place and sign up, email: info@californianaturetours.com
Coastal Defenses and Wildflowers of San Francisco and Marin, Mon. April 27
This unique full-day experience combines the spectacular, 3-hour San Francisco Coastal Trail Walk in the morning with the six-hour Coastal Defense Tourof historic military sites in the Marin Headlands and the Presidio in the afternoon. Don’t worry, it’s not strenuous – the Coastal Defense Tour includes transportation between sites, and very short walks around each site. And wildflowers everywhere! Two tours for the price of just one -- $49!
The new Coastal Trail Walk starts at the Golden Gate Bridge, and follows new trails west through the Presidio’s natural coastal bluffs. Spectacular views await as you walk through hidden historic forts, Baker’s Beach, and Land’s End, finishing at the ruins of Sutro Baths. You’ll see harbor seals, pelicans, cormorants, and many other bird species. It’s just four miles (7k).
Wildflowers and Whales at Point Reyes, Weds. April 30
This 9-hour custom private tour starts in San Francisco and goes all the way to Chimney Rock at the west end of Point Reyes, where we’ll use binoculars to spot whales on their northward journey. The Point Reyes Peninsula is the Bay Area’s largest prime wildflower area, and this tour is timed to hit the peak of the bloom. We’ll also take a short walk and picnic at Drakes Beach, where food is available. Transportation is included for just $49, but space is limited, so sign up here (tour is not on the website). Starts at 9:00 a.m.
Custom Tours: Anywhere in Northern California!
The San Francisco Bay Area has more than 5,000 miles of scenic trails. Bus tours take you to just one (in Muir Woods), neglecting the other 4,999! At your request, California Nature Tours will design a custom tour for your group of two or more people, led by naturalist and historian David D. Schmidt, to experience the best of natural California: Coastal vistas, redwood and oak forests, mountains, lakes, wildflowers. Just ask David – if it’s in Northern California, he’ll take you there!
Plan Ahead: Wild West Sierra Nevada Tour
Our 8-day Wild West Sierra Nevada Tour takes you to historic mining towns like Nevada City and Virginia City, where you’ll stay in historic hotels and visit old mines, cross Donner Pass on the old Emigrant Trail, swim in crystal clear Lake Tahoe, visit the ghost town of Bodie, ride a historic steam train, travel through Yosemite’s back country! Accommodations must be booked at least four months in advance, so reserve by March 15 for July/August; by June 1 for October.
No car? No problem! If you want to go on any of these outings but don’t have a car, Contact David and he'll pick you up and return you to any location in San Francisco!
Go right to sign up, or for details and photos see each tour-- browse the California Nature Tours 2008 Schedule text view, or California Tours Photos thumbnails view. Questions? Contact David.
January-February 2009
It’s Winter Waterfall Season!
Only in Winter: The Miracle of Salmon Spawning
New 3-hour Tours: San Francisco Coastal Trail, Muir Woods Backroads
Custom Tours: Anywhere in Northern California
Plan Ahead for Summer: Wild West Sierra Nevada Tour
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It's Winter Waterfall Season!
Never been to the astounding waterfalls in Mt. Tamalpais and Big Basin State Parks? Now is the time to go, after winter rains swell the dozen waterfalls on Mt. Tamalpais and three falls in Big Basin. Both would be world-class sightseeing destinations, but for one thing: You have to walk to them (in Big Basin, you can also bike). Sign up now for a triple waterfall delight at Big Basin, any Saturday or Sunday from Jan. 24 through March 10.
Only in Winter: The Miracle of Salmon Spawning
Winter is salmon spawning time, as rains swell creeks enough for endangered coho salmon and steelhead trout in the ocean to fight their way upstream to spawning grounds in Muir Woods and on Lagunitas Creek north of Mt. Tamalpais. Learn about salmon restoration efforts and see their spawning habitat on this easy walk.
New 3-hour Tours: San Fran. Coastal Trail, Muir Woods Backroads
Visitors and business travelers may not have a full day for Nature, so we’ve created two new 3-hour walks that go where tour buses don’t: San Francisco’s Coastal Trail west of the Golden Gate Bridge, and Muir Woods Backroads.
The new Coastal Trail Walk starts at the Golden Gate Bridge, and follows new trails west through the Presidio’s natural coastal bluffs. Spectacular views await as you walk through hidden historic forts, Baker’s Beach, and Land’s End, finishing at the ruins of Sutro Baths. You’ll see harbor seals, pelicans, cormorants, and many other bird species. It’s just four miles (7k).
The new Muir Woods Backroads Tour starts on Mt. Tamalpais, and winds downhill into the back country of Muir Woods on the path of an abandoned railroad. No tour bus crowds in this quiet neck of the redwoods! We’ll stop at the huge, fallen Kent Tree, then along Redwood Creek through “fairy rings” of living giant trees, finishing at Muir Woods Visitor Center.
Custom Tours: Anywhere in Northern California
The San Francisco Bay Area has more than 5,000 miles of scenic trails. Bus tours take you to just one (in Muir Woods), neglecting the other 4,999! At your request, California Nature Tours will design a custom tour for your group of two or more people, led by naturalist and historian David D. Schmidt, to experience the best of natural California: Coastal vistas, redwood and oak forests, mountains, lakes, wildflowers. Just ask David – if it’s in Northern California, he’ll take you there!
Plan Ahead: Wild West Sierra Nevada Tour
Our 8-day Wild West Sierra Nevada Tour takes you to historic mining towns like Nevada City and Virginia City, where you’ll stay in historic hotels and visit old mines, cross Donner Pass on the old Emigrant Trail, swim in crystal clear Lake Tahoe, visit the ghost town of Bodie, ride a historic steam train, travel through Yosemite’s back country! Accommodations must be booked at least four months in advance, so reserve by March 15 for July/August; by June 1 for October.
No car? No problem! If you want to go on any of these outings but don’t have a car, Contact David and he'll pick you up and return you to any location in San Francisco!
Go right to sign up, or for details and photos see each tour-- browse the California Nature Tours 2008 Schedule text view, or California Tours Photos thumbnails view. Questions? Contact David.
August-September 2008
Step into September with a California Nature Tour!
San Francisco Bay Area residents know something most visitors don’t: The best weather comes in September. The fog clears out, beaches get warm and sunny, and it’s the best time for a swim at idyllic Bass Lake (Sept. 14), a crowd-free stroll along Muir Woods’ Redwood Creek (Sep. 20), or a walk along the majestic shoreline of San Francisco’s Coastal Trail (Sep. 27). And for tours after Sep. 10, take advantage of our off-season prices of just $25 per adult for scheduled tours with small groups. Here are the next four; remember you can always reserve any of our 26 tours as a custom tour on any day you choose.
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September Tours
On Sunday Sept. 7, head to the Sonoma wine country for our tour of historic wineries and organic vineyards. Stops include the Bartholomew Park winery, where the region’s wine industry began in the 1850s, the Sonoma Mission, the Benziger Family Winery, and Jack London State Historic Park. Tasting fees, park fees, and travel to and from San Francisco included. Just two spots left on this tour – so sign up fast!
On Sunday Sept. 14, take David’s favorite hike to Point Reyes' lake country. It’s an easy day hike to two natural lakes, including the Bay Area’s best swimming hole, plus three miraculous year-round waterfalls, clifftop ocean views, and a forest of Douglas fir. Includes transportation to and from San Francisco.
On Saturday Sept. 20, experience the calm of Redwood Creek in Muir Woodsand adjacent Mt. Tamalpais State Park. On this walk, we'll travel deep into Muir Woods, and each find a place within hearing range of the sound of Redwood Creek flowing over rocks, for a quiet hour of individual meditation, rest, or prayer. Later, we’ll follow the creek to its confluence with the Pacific Ocean at Muir Beach.
On Saturday Sept. 27, sleep late in the morning, then experience Nature in the City on our new 4-hour walking tour of San Francisco’s dramatic coastline, from the Golden Gate Bridge through the Presidio, Sea Cliff, and Land’s End to Ocean Beach, where we’ll stop for a beer or food at the Beach Chalet Restaurant, a favorite with locals.
No car? No problem! If you want to go on any of these outings but don’t have a car, Contact David and he'll pick you up and return you to any location in San Francisco!
Go right to sign up, or for details and photos see each tour-- or, browse the California Nature Tours 2008 Schedule text view, or California Tours Photos thumbnails view. Questions? Contact David.
EcoHistory: Bay Nature's Great New Website
Bay Nature, the magazine of all things natural in the San Francisco Bay Area, has launched its new Web site. The site has nature events listings, information about all of the Bay Area’s natural parks, articles from the magazine, videos, features on local plants and wildlife, and links to more than 300 organizations – including California Nature Tours!
Tour Report: Muir Woods to Stinson Beach, Twice in Two Days
David led two hikes one day apart on the same exact route – Marin’s Dipsea Trail -- but thanks to California's changeable coastal weather and unpredictable wildlife, the experiences were very different. On the first day, the hot sun slowed the group’s progress until they re-entered the redwood and Douglas fir forest, stopping to pick and eat ripe wild huckleberries and thimbleberries. The trail leveled off and took them across a grassy hillside with a fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean, Marin Headlands, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz Mountains in the distance -- a view that visitors on tour buses never see. See our
Eco-History Blog. for details.
July 2008
Take Visitors Far From the Madding Crowd with California Nature Tours!
From mid-July through early September, San Francisco’s famed tourist attractions will be standing room only. They’ll cram the Bay Cruise boats, wait hours in line for a cable car, and jam the sidewalks of Chinatown. Meanwhile, California Nature Tours participants will experience uncrowded trails through redwoods, wildflowers, and vineyards. Expecting guests this summer? Let them share the magic of natural California on an unforgettable journey on any day they choose, with our small groups of 10 or fewer. Here are just four options.
** Share this with your summer visitors!
Most Popular San Francisco Bay Area Tours
Many visitors are in the San Francisco Area for only a few days, and may have time for only one Nature Tour. Here are the ones that, in our opinion, offer first-time visitors the most memorable experiences of the region's great outdoors.
David’s favorite hike goes to Point Reyes' lake country. Join him for an easy day hike to two natural lakes, including the Bay Area’s best swimming hole, plus three miraculous year-round waterfalls, clifftop ocean views, and more. Includes transportation to and from San Francisco.
Hike the historic Indian Trail from Muir Woods to Stinson Beach, and avoid the tour bus crowds! You’ll see stunning ocean vistas, pick wild, delicious blackberries and thimbleberries, and afterwards relax with beer and snacks at an outdoor restaurant -– a centuries-old European summer tradition practically unknown in the U.S. Includes transportation to and from San Francisco.
Or, head to the Sonoma Valley Wine Country with our tour of historic wineries and organic vineyards. Stops include the Bartholomew Park winery, where the region’s wine industry began in the 1850s, the Sonoma Mission, the Benziger Family Winery, and Jack London State Historic Park. Tasting fees, park fees, and travel to and from San Francisco included.
Or experience Nature in the City on our grand walking tour of San Francisco’s dramatic coastline, from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Presidio, Crissy Field, Golden Gate Bridge, Land’s End, and Ocean Beach, where we’ll stop for a beer or food at the Beach Chalet Restaurant, a favorite with locals. Return trip is by electric trolley car.
No car? No problem! If you want to go on any of these outings but don’t have a car, Contact David and he'll pick you up and return you to any location in San Francisco!
Go right to sign up, or for details and photos see each tour-- or, browse the California Nature Tours 2008 Schedule text view, or California Tours Photos thumbnails view. Questions? Contact David.
California Fires
On TV screens all across North America, viewers have been seeing some of the more than 1,600 wildfires blazing across California during the past month. Luckily, none of these fires have affected California Nature Tours. While the sheer number is unusual, fire has always been part of California’s ecology. Spreading oaks and towering redwoods are well-adapted to live for centuries despite periodic fires. Some native species, like the Bishop Pine, actually needs fires to open its cones and spread seeds. Without fire, the species would die out.
Wildland fires usually leapfrog over acres at a time, leaving some areas untouched, including riparian areas, where waterlogged plants and trees are far less vulnerable than parched grass and brush. Ironically, the fires are creating huge firebreaks that will protect unburned areas from fires in September and October, when humidity drops and fire season is most dangerous.
Tour Reports: Big Sur; Point Reyes Lakes and Waterfalls
Participants on our Big Sur Tour in early June saw gigantic smoke clouds in the distance as we skirted The Indians Fire in mid-June, and Point Reyes National Seashore’s hidden lakes and waterfalls delighted tour participants in early July – see our Eco-History Blog. for details.
Online Payment By Credit Card Now Available
CaliforniaNatureTours.com now accepts credit card payments via PayPal, allowing you to sign up and pay for a trip online, and receive confirmation in minutes. PayPal is a secure payment site used by millions of people every day, including most people buying or selling items on e-Bay. It’s easy, convenient, and safe worldwide. Payment can still be made by mailing a check, but your reservation is not confirmed until we receive it.
** Would you let me know what you found interesting in this newsletter?
** Tell me what you thought of it!
** HAVE A GREAT SUMMER AND LET US HEAR FROM YOU!
June 2008
ACTION SUCCESS: 48 State Parks Saved!
Thanks to calls and letters from park users throughout California, Gov. Schwarzenegger’s final state budget released in May keeps all state parks open. For months, his earlier budget proposal threatened to close 48 state parks, cutting off all public use and eliminating the jobs of many park employees. Tens of thousands of Californians voiced their opposition to the plan. This victory for parks, including several on California Nature Tours’ 2008 schedule, shows the impact ordinary citizens can have when they take action together.
** Share this good news with a friend!
2-FOR-1 SPECIAL ON SIX SUMMER TOURS!
California Nature Tours is offering a 2-for-1 special to all readers of this newsletter on the following 6 tours, if you pay online by July 4. When you sign up online, just mention that you’re taking advantage of our 2-for-1 special offer, and pay for only one person!
The Summer Solstice in Point Reyes 4-Day Backpack starts June 20. Celebrate the four longest days of the year in a stunning seashore wilderness of beaches, forests, waterfalls and lakes! June 16 signup deadline.
Have you been to Point Reyes' lake country? If not, join us on Sunday June 29 for an easy day hike to two natural lakes, including the Bay Area’s best swimming hole, plus three miraculous year-round waterfalls, clifftop ocean views, and more. Includes transportation to and from San Francisco for the first four to sign up.
On the 4th of July weekend, what better way to celebrate the holiday than our Saturday, July 5 tour of San Francisco’s historic coastal defense sites, from Spanish cannons to the Gold Rush Era Fort Winfield Scott to the cavernous underground Cold War Era Nike Missile base in the Marin Headlands? Meet uniformed Civil War re-enactors at Fort Scott and Cold War veterans at the Nike site. This tour also given on August 2.
On Saturday 8/15, head to the Sonoma Valley Wine Country with our van tour of historic wineries and organic vineyards. Stops include two wineries, including one where the region’s wine industry began in the 1850s, the Sonoma Mission, and Jack London State Historic Park. Wine tasting and state park entry fees included.
On Saturday August 16, take our grand walking tour of San Francisco’s dramatic coastline, from the Ferry Building to Fisherman’s Wharf to the Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge, Land’s End, and Ocean Beach, where we’ll stop for a beer or food at the Beach Chalet Restaurant, a favorite with locals. Return trip will be by electric trolley.
No car? No problem! If you want to go on any of these outings but don’t have a car, Contact David and he'll help you arrange a car pool.
Go right to sign up, or for details and photos see each tour-- or, browse the California Nature Tours 2008 Schedule text view, or California Tours Photos thumbnails view. Questions? Contact David.
Marvelous Marin Parks and the Marin Conservation League
Of all the San Francisco Bay Area’s nine counties, Marin has the greatest proportion of natural lands protected as parks. In addition to world-famous Muir Woods, there are Mt. Tamalpais, Tomales Bay, Samuel P. Taylor, and Angel Island State Parks, Point Reyes National Seashore, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and more. What all these parks (except Muir Woods) have in common is the crucial role of the Marin Conservation League’s four women founders in saving them between the 1930s and the 1970s. For details, go to our Eco-History Blog.
Take A Walk: See Wild California Around the “Dynasty” Mansion
San Francisco Area’s early settlers wrote of oak-studded valleys and vast fields of wildflowers. But after more than two centuries of agriculture and development, there are only a few places where you can see ancient oaks on valley flatlands today. One is Filoli, the Woodside estate where TV’s Dynasty was filmed in the 1980s. Every Saturday starting at 10:30 a.m., from mid-February through Oct. 25 (except August) Filoli docents lead an easy 2.5-hour hike through nearly 600 acres of oaks and wildflowers. Admission is $5 per person. To reserve, call 650-364-8300x507. For details, go to http://www.filoli.org
Butte Creek Chinook Salmon Buck Dismal Trend
California’s salmon fishing season has been cancelled this year due to alarmingly low numbers of the fish returning to streams to spawn. But the bright spot in the picture is Butte Creek, a stream fed by Lassen Peak snowmelt, that empties into the Sacramento River near Colusa. In the creek, an average of 10,000 Spring Run Chinook Salmon have made the spawning trek each year during the past decade, thanks to dam removal and ecological restoration efforts since the mid-1990s. It’s a big turnaround from 1987, when only 14 spawners returned. Best place to see the spectacle is in Butte Creek Canyon near Chico.
Great Book: San Francisco: A Natural History
Ever wonder what San Francisco looked like before the city was built? City native Greg Gaar had the same idea 40 years ago after seeing the then-open San Miguel Hills developed into the present-day Diamond Heights neighborhood. He began collecting historic photos of San Francisco’s neighborhoods when they were still rural, or in early stages of development. By the 1990s, he had amassed a trove of more than 3,000 historic photos. The best of these have been published in Gaar’s book, San Francisco: A Natural History, co-authored with Ryder W. Miller and published by Arcadia in 2006.
Great Website: SF Estuary Institute Historical Ecology Project
Over the past decade, the Oakland-based San Francisco Estuary Institute’s Historical Ecology Project has exhaustively researched the environmental history of more than half a dozen creek watersheds that drain into the Bay-Delta. Their aim is to document the pre-1850 conditions of wetlands and land cover, as a way to guide future ecological restoration efforts in these watersheds. Their reports on the watersheds of San Lorenzo Creek (Alameda County), Coyote Creek (Santa Clara County), Sonoma Creek (Sonoma County), Miller Creek (Marin County) and the Napa River can all be accessed at this website: http://www.sfei.org/HEP/
Online Payment By Credit Card Now Available
CaliforniaNatureTours.com now accepts credit card payments via PayPal, allowing you to sign up and pay for a trip online, and receive confirmation in minutes. PayPal is a secure payment site used by millions of people every day, including most people buying or selling items on e-Bay. It’s easy, convenient, and safe worldwide. Payment can still be made by mailing a check, but your reservation is not confirmed until we receive it.
** Would you let me know what you found interesting in this newsletter?
** Tell me what you thought of it!
** HAVE A GREAT SUMMER AND LET US HEAR FROM YOU!
May 2008
ACTION ALERT: Reduce Bay Trash -- Call Governor at 916-445-2841!
Trash dumping in San Francisco Bay was banned nearly 40 years ago, but last September, nearly 300,000 pounds of trash were pulled from the Bay on just one volunteer cleanup day. How does it get there? Mostly, it’s litter from streets that gets washed into creeks and the Bay during rainstorms. A recent study found an average of three pieces of trash along every foot of streams that lead to the Bay! This poisonous runoff – including plastic bags, Styrofoam cups, cigarette butts, cans, bottles and batteries – kills wildlife, smothers wetlands and pollutes water. Either phone or send an old-fashioned letter Gov. Schwarzenegger, State Capitol Building, Sacramento, CA 95814, asking him to:
• Encourage the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board to do what it takes to reduce trash discharge into the Bay, and
• Make state funding available for cities’ and counties’ trash prevention efforts.
** Tell a friend so they can help save the Bay, too.
Wildflowers Paved the Paths on Russian Ridge
On April 27, California Nature Tours naturalist and historian David D. Schmidt led a walk on Russian Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains overlooking Palo Alto. Participants enjoyed wide open spaces that belonged to San Francisco Mayor and California Governor James “Sunny Jim” Rolph in the 1920s, including oak and bay forest, and hilltop grasslands where wildflowers lined the trails. In one place, an unused trail was literally paved with blue lupine flowers. In another, a clump of California Golden Poppies glowed brilliantly, like bright orange goblets.
A surprising pattern was visible: Much of the grassland was covered with non-native annual grasses but no wildflowers, the result of overgrazing by cattle decades ago. The non-native grasses grow so thick that they haven’t allowed native wildflowers to recolonize after the cattle were removed – except where trails were cut, making the soil too poor for the grasses, but just right for native lupine!
Ordinarily, when bulldozers clear a patch of land, non-native invasive plants like sow thistle, Italian thistle, and fennel quickly move in.
Self-guided 1-Hour Nature Walk: Wildlife and Solitude by I-280
People in cars whizzing through the Crystal Springs Watershed on I-280 in San Mateo County are often struck by the way I-280 divides urban areas on its east side from pristine watershed lands on its west side. Did you know there are two trails through the watershed that are open to the public 365 days a year? For details, go to our Eco-History Blog..
Did Killing Cougars Wipe Out Yosemite Valley Wildflowers?
A new study on the ecological impact of efforts to extirpate mountain lions from Yosemite Valley in the 1920s suggests that cougar removal triggered a chain reaction throughout the area’s food chain, ultimately destroying oaks and wildflowers that once thrived on the valley floor. The report by Oregon State University’s William Ripple and Robert Beschta was published online in the journal Biological Conservation. For more on mountain lion history in California, go to our Eco-History Blog..
Sign Up Now For Summer Multi-Day Tours
Most California Nature Tours multi-day trips can only be given once a year, because campground and lodging reservations must be made months in advance (the Big Basin Redwoods Easy Backpack is the exception). So if you plan to go, book now. Here’s what’s in store for this summer:
As of May 20, the 4-day Big Sur Car Camping Tour is almost sold out. The scenery is spectacular, especially from the crest of the Santa Lucia Mountains, where few visitors ever go. Camping will be among coastal redwoods at Limekiln SP and on the Big Sur River June 13, 14, and 15, with a visit the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium 6/16. There are just two spaces left, so grab them while you still can.
The Summer Solstice in Point Reyes Backpack starts June 20. Celebrate the four longest days of the year in a stunning seashore wilderness of beaches, forests, waterfalls and lakes! See details and sign up by June 10 deadline.
Parents planning summer activities for kids, don’t forget our Nature Camp at Point Reyes on July 7-11. It’s a five-day car camp for adults and kids with nature walks each day to different habitats – beaches, lakes, grasslands, forests, dunes, scrub, and tidal wetlands. Tule elk and a historic dairy, too! See details and sign up by June 15 deadline.
And for an unforgettable dream tour of the Old West, check out our 8-day van tour of California’s historic Gold Country Mines and Ghost Towns, Tahoe, the Sierra, and Yosemite, Aug. 5-12. See details and sign up by July 5 deadline.
No car? No problem! If you want to go on any of these outings but don’t have a car, Contact David and he'll help you arrange a car pool.
Go right to sign up, or for details and photos see each tour-- or, browse the California Nature Tours 2008 Schedule text view, or California Tours Photos thumbnails view. Questions? Contact David.
GREAT 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: 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. Book includes stories of all the great American birders, from Henry David Thoreau to Teddy Roosevelt to "Kenn Kaufman, the Jack Kerouac of birding, who in the '70s hitchhiked the back roads of America for sightings."
GREAT WEBSITE: Grist.org
Imagine a funny, ironic daily environmental newspaper – only without the paper. That’s www.grist.org , which carries all the environmental news each day, nationally and internationally, with side orders of Eco-tips, feature stories, and newsmaker interviews. Every day brings new developments in the struggles to stop global warming, save endangered species, and on many other environmental fronts. It’s easy to stay informed without getting depressed if you read
Grist.
Online Payment By Credit Card Now Available
CaliforniaNatureTours.com now accepts credit card payments via PayPal, allowing you to sign up and pay for a trip online, and receive confirmation in minutes. PayPal is a secure payment site used by millions of people every day, including most people buying or selling items on e-Bay. It’s easy, convenient, and safe worldwide. Payment can still be made by mailing a check, but your reservation is not confirmed until we receive it.
** Would you let me know what you found interesting in this newsletter?
** Tell me what you thought of it!
** HAVE A GREAT MAYTIME AND LET US HEAR FROM YOU!
April 2008
ACTION ALERT: Last Chance to Save Your Parks -- Call Governor at 916-445-2841!
Forty-eight State Parks, including the huge expanse of Henry Coe in Santa Clara County, and Tomales Bay in Marin, will be closed indefinitely if Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposed parks budget cut goes through. You’ll even be locked out of Heart’s Desire Beach on Tomales Bay! His final budget proposal will be released around May 1, so call or write by mid-April. State parks are needed more than ever -- many parks with campsites are already booked solid for the whole summer! If you’ve already called, send an old-fashioned letter to: Gov. Schwarzenegger, State Capitol Building, Sacramento, CA 95814.
** Tell a friend so they can help save our parks, too.
Online Payment By Credit Card Now Available
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Bike Ride Hits High Spots on Sweeney Ridge
On March 30, ten California Nature Tours cyclists rode to the top of Sweeney Ridge, stopping at the monument commemorating the discovery of San Francisco Bay by Spanish soldiers under the command of Gaspar de Portola on November 2, 1769. The Portola Valley in San Mateo County, and Portola Drive and the Portola District in San Francisco are named for him. Today, the ridge is on national park land that separates San Bruno and Pacifica. The tour continued south into the Crystal Springs Watershed, a vast natural area owned by the city of San Francisco that has been protected from urban development for almost 150 years.
It’s also been closed to most public access since 1914. But CNT leader David D. Schmidt has been certified by the San Francisco Water Department as a docent to lead hiking and biking tours into this pristine area. Contact us to schedule a custom tour. The hilly area is covered with coastal scrub, wildflowers, and Douglas Fir forests; in the valleys lie streams and reservoirs used to provide water for San Francisco since 1862. For more details on this trip, go to our Blog.
Wildflowers Shine at Mt. Diablo – Thanks to Mary Bowerman and Art Bonwell
On April 6, David led a group of wildflower lovers through Mount Diablo’s Mitchell Canyon in search of the rare Mt. Diablo Fairy Lantern (Calochortus pulchellus) a rare native lemon-yellow tulip that grows only in a few spots on the mountain – and nowhere else. The searchers spotted about a dozen of the plants, each with a flower or two blooming. It’s just one of 650 species of plants found on the mountain, making it one of California’s richest examples of botanical diversity.
We can thank the late Mary Bowerman not just for her book on Mt. Diablo’s flora, published in 1944, but for her determined and successful efforts to save it from urban development. In 1971 she and fellow Sierra Club activist Art Bonwell founded Save Mount Diablo. The group has lobbied constantly for state and local funding to purchase and protect open space lands on and around the mountain. Bowerman remained an active board member until her death at age 97 on August 21, 2005. For details, go to our Blog.
Upcoming Day Trips: Big Basin Bike Ride 4/19; Russian Ridge 4/27, Henry Coe 5/4
The arrival of balmy weather in the Bay Area means that Spring wildflowers won’t last much longer. California Nature Tours has three more day trips to see them at their best. First, a fat-tire bike ride to three waterfalls in Big Basin State Park on Saturday 4/19. This one’s a two-for-one special – pay for one person, bring a second for free! Sign up
On Sunday 4/27, join us for a wildflower walk at Russian Ridge, overlooking Palo Alto. Open grasslands are dotted with more than a dozen species of native flowers. There’s also an ancient oak forest, and a nearby Ohlone Indian site with bedrock mortars used for pounding acorns. Sign up
On Sunday May 4, hike in Henry Coe State Park in Santa Clara County to see one of Nature’s miracles – the regeneration of flowers, shrubs, trees, and grass following last September’s wildfire, which burned many square miles of the park. This may be your last chance to see Coe’s unspoiled hills and canyons, since it’s one of the 48 state parks slated for closure due to budget cuts. Sign up
Plan Now for CNT Summer Multi-Day Trips!
California Nature Tours kicks off summer multi-day trips with a two-day Easy Backpack in Big Basin Redwoods on May 31-June 1. Sign-up deadline for multi-day and van trips is up to 30 days before departure, so don’t miss your chance to go on one of these great trips! Deadline for the Big Basin Trip is May 18. Sign up
Next is a four-day car camping trip through Big Sur to Monterey, starting Friday June 13. Along the way, we’ll stop at historic Mission San Antonio, cross the rugged Santa Lucia Range, camp by the Big Sur River, and visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Sign up deadline is May 25.
The Summer Solstice in Point Reyes Backpack starts June 20. Spend the four longest days of the year in a stunning seashore wilderness of beaches, forests, waterfalls and lakes! For details go to Sign up (May 31 deadline).
Parents planning summer activities for kids, don’t forget our Nature Camp at Point Reyes on July 7-11. It’s a five-day car camp for adults and kids with nature walks each day to different habitats – beaches, lakes, grasslands, forests, dunes, and tidal wetlands. Tule elk and a historic dairy, too! For details go to Sign up (June 15 deadline).
And for an unforgettable dream tour of the Old West, check out our 8-day van tour of California’s historic Gold Country, Tahoe, the Sierra, and Yosemite, Aug. 5-12. For details go to Sign up (July 5 deadline).
No car? No problem! If you want to go on any of these outings but don’t have a car, Contact David and he'll help you arrange a car pool.
Go right to sign up, or for details and photos see each tour-- or, browse the California Nature Tours 2008 Schedule text view, or California Tours Photos thumbnails view. Questions? Contact David.
GREAT WEBSITE-- Save Mount Diablo
Great website: Save Mount Diablo. Everything about the East Bay’s tallest peak, including ongoing efforts to protect open space lands on and around it.
** See the Save Mount Diablo website.
** Would you let me know what you found interesting?
GREAT PUBLICATION-- Mount Diablo Area Trail Map
Fantastic new trail map of Mount Diablo, Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, Morgan Territory, Round Valley, and the trails connecting these parks. Available for about $11 from REI or Save Mount Diablo (see website, above).
** Tell me what you thought of it!
** HAVE A GREAT APRIL AND LET US HEAR FROM YOU!
March 2008
ACTION ALERT: This land is your land! Save Your Parks -- Call Governor at (916) 445-2841. !
Forty-eight California State Parks, 17% of state park lands, are still on the state budget chopping block! Join environmental groups telling Gov. Schwarzenegger to keep all parks open permanently with a dedicated, guaranteed source of funding. If you haven’t yet called, call now. If you’ve already called, send him an old-fashioned letter before March 30 to: Gov. Schwarzenegger, State Capitol Building, Sacramento, CA 95814.
** Tell a friend so they can help save our parks, too.
A Great Day at the Shore: Habitat Restoration at Mori Point
On Saturday February 16, volunteers from California Nature Tours and two other groups, totaling about 40, met at Mori Point in Pacifica to restore habitat for the endangered California Red-legged Frog and San Francisco Garter Snake. It was a beautiful sunny day on this headland overlooking Pacifica's longest beach, and people had a great time learning about the new ponds built for the frogs and the aquatic snake, planting native plants, and seeing early wildflowers like the pink Checkerbloom. Luckily, photographer Dale Mead was on hand to record the event and has created a beautiful photo gallery on Flickr. Check out the story on David’s Eco-History Blog
Ghost Towns of Almaden Hike Explored Gold Rush Mining
Due to High Demand, we've going again around June 7!
On Sunday March 2, California Nature Tours’ David D. Schmidt led a group of history-minded hikers on a walk into Gold Rush Era history at New Almaden Quicksilver County Park in the hills south of San Jose. Quicksilver is an old word for mercury, a silvery, highly toxic liquid metal which appears to be “quick,” or living, because it jiggles when touched.
The hike began on a soccer-field-sized flat that once was the site of a huge “reduction” plant where cinnabar ore was heated in furnaces to vaporize its mercury. The mercury then passed through a series of pipes, condensing into pure liquid metal.
David told how this mine produced more wealth than any California gold mine because it supplied gold and silver mines throughout the West with the mercury they needed to extract microscopic gold and silver particles from crushed ore.
The hikers explored the ghost mining towns of Spanish Town and English Town, then got a close look at a reduction plant that was used in the 1940s and 1950s, when mercury was used to make explosive bomb fuses. Patches of garden flowers like periwinkle marked former home sites. Wildflowers in bloom included Mission Bells, Star Lily, and Hound’s Tongue. In the distance, hikers saw Mount Umunhum, a mountain named with one of the few Ohlone Indian names still on Bay Area maps. It means "resting place of the hummingbird".
So many people have asked David to lead this same hike again we've scheduled another date! The second date has been tentatively set for Saturday June 7. If you’re interested in going June 7 or on another date, Contact David.
Wildflower Outings Welcome Spring on March 15, 30, and April 6
Early wildflowers are blooming in the Bay Area’s hills, and California Nature Tours has three outings that go to the region’s best blooms at the height of the season. The first is at San Bruno Mountain in northern San Mateo County, home to more than 400 species of native plants – one of the most diverse collections of native species in California. This hike on Saturday March 15 will have more than just wildflowers – there’s also a chance to see the endangered Mission Blue Butterfly, and learn how it played a key role in saving the mountain from development. And, we’ll visit one of the mountain’s three ancient Ohlone Indian village sites to learn about their vanished way of life.
On Sunday March 30, David will lead a fat-tire bike ride from Sweeney Ridge in San Bruno to the heart of the Crystal Springs Watershed, a huge natural area that is normally closed to the public. Expect hundreds of purple iris in bloom, a stop at the site where Gaspar de
Portola’s Spanish soldiers discovered San Francisco Bay in 1769, and great views of San Andreas and Pilarcitos Lakes, Montara Mountain, the Pacific Ocean, and the South Bay.
On Sunday April 6, join David on the northeast side of Mount Diablo in the East Bay to see the rare Mount Diablo Fairy Lantern, deep orange Wind Poppy, purple and white Chinese Houses, and more than a dozen other wildflower species.
No car? No problem! If you want to go on any of these outings but don’t have a car, Contact David and he'll help you arrange a car pool.
Go right to sign up, or for details and photos see each tour--
San Bruno Mountain, 3/15
Crystal Springs and Ridges Cycling, 3/30
Mount Diablo, 4/6
Or, browse the California Nature Tours 2008 Schedule text view, or California Tours Photos thumbnails view. Questions? Contact David.
GREAT WEBSITE-- California Native Plant Society
If you love wildflowers, you MUST visit the California Native Plant Society’site. This statewide group has been working to save California’s incredibly diverse flora (more than 4,000 native plant species) since 1965. There are links to local chapters, which offer field trips and slide shows throughout the state.
** See the California Native Plant Society.
** Would you let me know what you found interesting?
GREAT BOOK-- Chief Marin: Leader, Rebel, and Legend
Most people in marvelous Marin County know it was named after a Miwok Indian who rowed boats across the Bay, but until this book was published last year it was almost impossible to learn anything more about the man. Marin archeology and anthropology Professor Betty Goerke spent 20 years delving into old mission records and other sources to piece together not just the story of Chief Marin, whose Indian name was Huicmuse, but of the whole Miwok Tribe. Along the way, Goerke recounts some fascinating stories, like the time the rebellious Indian was imprisoned at San Francisco’s Presidio and a mission priest tried to convert him to Catholicism. Marin steadfastly resisted, telling the priest that if he was so concerned about saving his soul, he should come back after Marin was dead and talk to his corpse! Published by Heyday Books in Berkeley, $21.95 in paperback. Don't forget you can protect the environment by checking it out of the library, finding it used, or splitting the purchase with a friend.
** Tell me what you thought of it!
GREAT DVD-- Galapagos: The Islands That Changed the World
In this 3-part, 150-minute BBC series, Academy Award-winning actress Tilda Swinton narrates an intimate look at the islands’ unique wildlife, including seagoing, algae-eating iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and giant tortoises more than a century old. You’ll find out how island fauna inspired Charles Darwin to develop his theory of evolution through natural selection when he visited here in the early 1800s. Don't forget you can protect the environment by checking it out of the library, renting it from your DVD service, or splitting the purchase with a friend. Definitely worth the price of $19.98.
** HAVE A GREAT MARCH AND LET US HEAR FROM YOU!
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Action Alert
Help Save Bay Area's Greenbelt!
If you enjoy the San Francisco Bay Area's natural beauty, you should find out how local residents have been working together to preserve it since 1958 with the Greenbelt Alliance -- and if you live in California, get involved!
The redwoods were AMAZING! . . . a truly magical experience . . . I felt transported to another world, every step
yielding amazing sights, and
David has so much knowledge
about the flora and fauna
as well as local and national history . . .
I highly recommend David's unique personalised tours . . .
You'll remember it always, I know I will!
Kim H.
Manchester, England
I was thrilled to find
California Nature Tours--
a San Francisco Bay treasure!
My tours to Muir Woods and
Point Reyes National Seashore
were relaxing, educational, and just magnificent.
I highly recommend David Schmidt and California Nature Tours.
You will come away feeling great and knowing you have seen California through the eyes of someone extraordinary.
You will love it!
Ms. G. K.
Washington, D.C.
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.
Thanks again and regards,
Ms. A.V.
Oakland, 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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