January 30, 2012
It was cold and cloudy today, but still a good day to go to the beach. I had the afternoon free, so I set off to continue my quest to visit all of the 70 California state parks that are slated for permanent closure by July 1. My destination was Gray Whale Cove State Beach, a tiny little pocket beach along the San Mateo County coast. The entrance to the beach is easy to miss, just a small sign above a gated dirt road. Parking is on the opposite side of Highway 1, so crossing over can be a bit risky. Down the dirt road, a trail leads to a steep stairway, which goes down to the beach. Gray Whale Cove is known as a nude beach, but there was nobody there today. Golden sand gave the beach a warm glow, and the steep cliffs created a sense of isolation, just steps away from the highway. It was a nice quiet place to sit in the sand, read a book, and contemplate the waves. I didn't see any gray whales, but this beach is said to a good place to see them close to the shore. The budget for this beach must be tiny - the only thing to maintain would be the portable toilets at the top of the stairway. This is another park that will be difficult to close, since access is so easy.

January 26, 2011
The countdown to the closure of dozens of California state parks is happening in earnest this year. In response to this, the California State Parks Foundation is conducting a campaign to save these parks. One part of the campaign is to emphasize that "Closing Parks is Bad for Business," in that many communities near state parks rely on dollars spent by visitors to the parks. It is estimated that each park visitor spends an average of $57.63 during a park visit, most of this in surrounding communities. The overall impact of visitors to California state parks represents a $4.32 billion annual contribution to the state's economy. On top of this, every dollar the state spends on state parks generates $2.35 in tax revenue for the state. These numbers make it clear that Closing Parks is TRULY Bad for Business. Business leaders are asked to write Governor Brown and let him know how closing state parks will adversely affect their bottom line. Other park supporters can send a message to state legislators and Governor Brown, using an online form.

One of the most effective ways that people can influence our state legislators is to participate in Park Advocacy Day. This all-day event brings state park supporters from all over California to Sacramento for a day of rallying supporters, talking to legislators in the State Capitol Building, and discussing strategies for protecting and funding our state parks. Registration is open until February 23 and there is no cost to participate.

January 6, 2011
I joined the Presidio Forest group this morning, a volunteer group that meets twice monthly to help maintain the historic (although not native) forests of the Presidio. Today we worked in the forest along Arguello Boulevard, near the Spire, Andy Goldsworthy's natural sculpture that integrates art with nature. The Spire, which is constructed of Monterey cypress logs that were salvaged from restoration projects around the Presidio, is surrounded by a forest of recently planted Monterey cypress trees. Over time, the small forest will grow taller and taller, gradually surpassing the top of the Spire itself. I've always loved the concept of Goldsworthy's work - the way the art itself evolves over time and becomes a part of the surrounding forest. In this case it is actually the forest that is evolving and growing, while the sculpture is gradually decaying and decomposing back into the forest. Slowly the process integrates art with nature.

These trees were first planted a few years ago, at the time the Spire was installed, and over time, some of them did not survive. Most of them have done very well, but today we were replacing the few that did not make it for one reason or another. The replacement trees came from seedlings that we had planted into pots last summer at the Presidio Nursery. It was great to see how much they had grown since then, and to witness another step in the process of the growth cycle. One of the most gratifying parts of volunteering in the Presidio is to see and be part of the dramatic transformation that is taking place in this unique national park.

The morning started off very cold and foggy, but within the first hour the sun started to come out and it warmed up a quite a bit. This hillside is a great place to spot hawks and other raptors, which feast on the plentiful supply of gophers that dig their burrows here. At one point a hawk dropped out of a tree and landed in the brush about 20 yards from me. It picked up something - it all happened so fast it was hard to tell what it was - and took off again with its treasure clutched in its talons. Another saga in the ongoing process of nature that takes place all around us, even in a sprawling urban area such as San Francisco.