The News Blog is a place where updates to the guidebooks are posted. It is also a repository for news and information related to the state and national parks of the Bay Area, including upcoming events, benefits, and rallies to support our parks.
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Current News Blog page:
July 2010
News Blog Archive:
June 2010 | May 2010 | April 2010 | March 2010 | February 2010 | January 2010 | December 2009 | November 2009 | October 2009
January 29, 2010
The Marine Mammal Center, located at Fort Cronkhite in the Marin Headlands, is a rescue center and hospital for seals, sea lions, otters, dolphins, and whales that become injured, sick, or orphaned in the waters of San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Their newly renovated and expanded facility is a great place to visit and see firsthand the work that is being done to protect marine life along the coast of California. There is a great viewing platform on the second floor, where visitors can watch the staff and volunteers feeding, treating, and caring for their patients. Green technology has been incorporated into the facility as well, with solar panels to provide energy for the center, and shade for the animals.
A lot of sea lions come into the center at this time of year, including the wayward sea lion dubbed Abagnale by the center's biologists, after the Leonardo DiCaprio character in the film "Catch Me If You Can." Abagnale, who first showed up at Pier 39 in San Francisco, with fishing line wrapped and tangled around his neck, eluded capture for weeks. He was finally caught at Moss Landing and brought to the Marine Mammal Center for treatment. He will be nursed back to health and eventually released back into the wild.
The Marine Mammal Center is open to the public each day, 10:00AM to 5:00PM, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Guided tours for groups are available, or visitors can take self-guided tours.
$1 from each sale of A Visitor's Guide to the Marin Headlands goes to support the Marine Mammal Center.
January 28, 2010
The rains have finally let up and I had a chance to go hiking this morning, for the first time in a while. The perfect place to go after so much rain is Cataract Creek on Mount Tamalpais, where the waterfalls are raging. For a mile and a half, one cascade after another tumbles down a steep canyon lined with ferns and moss covered rocks in a palette of every shade of green. The roar of rushing water fills the air, as the trail winds down and around the artfully crafted stairways and wooden bridges built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. On the route back, I took the Kent Trail up from Alpine Lake, moving into the silence of the forest, where the songs of birds and croaking of bullfrogs could be heard performing their own symphony. I took a long break at Serpentine Knoll, to rest my out of shape legs and enjoy the first sunshine to grace these parts in weeks.
The hike along the Cataract Trail is covered in A Visitor's Guide to Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods, along with a number of other hikes and bike rides.
January 27, 2010
As the California budget crisis continues, Governor Scwartzenegger is initiating a bizarre and divisive campaign to pit environmentalists, conservationists, and supporters of our state parks against each other. When he released his proposed FY 2010-11 State Budget last week, he proposed funding the state parks with the proceeds from an offshore oil lease in the Santa Barbara Channel. Send a letter to your state senator or member of the assembly, urging them to reject this shortsighted proposal.
The relatively new idea that state parks are an expendable luxury is sadly catching on. Facing a budget shortfall, the State Parks Board in Arizona unanimously voted to close 13 parks by June 3, 2010. Eight others have already been closed, leaving just nine state parks open in the entire state. Included in the closures are Tombstone Courthouse, Yuma Territorial Prison, and Sedona's Red Rock State Park. For states that are heavily reliant on tourism, closing state parks is clearly a bad idea, completely lacking in common sense. It is an especially bad idea in archeologically rich Arizona, where unprotected ruins will become a target for vandals, thieves, and pot hunters. The Arizona State Parks Foundation is leading the effort to stop this misguided effort at cutting costs.
January 12, 2010
The newest guidebook from Way Out There Press is out.
A Visitor's Guide to the Marin Headlands is available now for immediate download. This guidebook takes visitors through the sights of the Marin Headlands, including historic military sites and scenic attractions. Seven hikes and three bike rides are described in detail, with maps and trail descriptions for each.
$1 from every sale goes to support the Marine Mammal Center. This non-profit organization, located at Fort Cronkhite in the Marin Headlands, plays a critical role in the rescue and treatment of sick and injured marine wildlife along the California coast.
Special Offer:
Take $2 off when you order this guidebook, or any order from Way Out There Press. Enter this code on the Shopping Cart page and click on the Apply Coupon button: 1262205133. Offer expires March 31, 2010.
Look for Way Out There Press on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=346012300719.
Become a fan and get news and updates on your News Feed.
Current News Blog page:
July 2010
News Blog Archive:
June 2010 | May 2010 | April 2010 | March 2010 | February 2010 | January 2010 | December 2009 | November 2009 | October 2009
January 29, 2010The Marine Mammal Center, located at Fort Cronkhite in the Marin Headlands, is a rescue center and hospital for seals, sea lions, otters, dolphins, and whales that become injured, sick, or orphaned in the waters of San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Their newly renovated and expanded facility is a great place to visit and see firsthand the work that is being done to protect marine life along the coast of California. There is a great viewing platform on the second floor, where visitors can watch the staff and volunteers feeding, treating, and caring for their patients. Green technology has been incorporated into the facility as well, with solar panels to provide energy for the center, and shade for the animals.
A lot of sea lions come into the center at this time of year, including the wayward sea lion dubbed Abagnale by the center's biologists, after the Leonardo DiCaprio character in the film "Catch Me If You Can." Abagnale, who first showed up at Pier 39 in San Francisco, with fishing line wrapped and tangled around his neck, eluded capture for weeks. He was finally caught at Moss Landing and brought to the Marine Mammal Center for treatment. He will be nursed back to health and eventually released back into the wild.
The Marine Mammal Center is open to the public each day, 10:00AM to 5:00PM, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Guided tours for groups are available, or visitors can take self-guided tours.
$1 from each sale of A Visitor's Guide to the Marin Headlands goes to support the Marine Mammal Center.
January 28, 2010The rains have finally let up and I had a chance to go hiking this morning, for the first time in a while. The perfect place to go after so much rain is Cataract Creek on Mount Tamalpais, where the waterfalls are raging. For a mile and a half, one cascade after another tumbles down a steep canyon lined with ferns and moss covered rocks in a palette of every shade of green. The roar of rushing water fills the air, as the trail winds down and around the artfully crafted stairways and wooden bridges built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. On the route back, I took the Kent Trail up from Alpine Lake, moving into the silence of the forest, where the songs of birds and croaking of bullfrogs could be heard performing their own symphony. I took a long break at Serpentine Knoll, to rest my out of shape legs and enjoy the first sunshine to grace these parts in weeks.
The hike along the Cataract Trail is covered in A Visitor's Guide to Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods, along with a number of other hikes and bike rides.
January 27, 2010
As the California budget crisis continues, Governor Scwartzenegger is initiating a bizarre and divisive campaign to pit environmentalists, conservationists, and supporters of our state parks against each other. When he released his proposed FY 2010-11 State Budget last week, he proposed funding the state parks with the proceeds from an offshore oil lease in the Santa Barbara Channel. Send a letter to your state senator or member of the assembly, urging them to reject this shortsighted proposal.
The relatively new idea that state parks are an expendable luxury is sadly catching on. Facing a budget shortfall, the State Parks Board in Arizona unanimously voted to close 13 parks by June 3, 2010. Eight others have already been closed, leaving just nine state parks open in the entire state. Included in the closures are Tombstone Courthouse, Yuma Territorial Prison, and Sedona's Red Rock State Park. For states that are heavily reliant on tourism, closing state parks is clearly a bad idea, completely lacking in common sense. It is an especially bad idea in archeologically rich Arizona, where unprotected ruins will become a target for vandals, thieves, and pot hunters. The Arizona State Parks Foundation is leading the effort to stop this misguided effort at cutting costs.
January 12, 2010The newest guidebook from Way Out There Press is out.
A Visitor's Guide to the Marin Headlands is available now for immediate download. This guidebook takes visitors through the sights of the Marin Headlands, including historic military sites and scenic attractions. Seven hikes and three bike rides are described in detail, with maps and trail descriptions for each.
$1 from every sale goes to support the Marine Mammal Center. This non-profit organization, located at Fort Cronkhite in the Marin Headlands, plays a critical role in the rescue and treatment of sick and injured marine wildlife along the California coast.
Special Offer:
Take $2 off when you order this guidebook, or any order from Way Out There Press. Enter this code on the Shopping Cart page and click on the Apply Coupon button: 1262205133. Offer expires March 31, 2010.