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PETITION TO UCSF: SAVE SUTRO FOREST
PETITION : Stop NAP, save the Forest
PETITION: Sierra Club, Please Stop!
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Recent Posts
- A Pesticides Road Map
- Season’s Greetings!
- Tree-Thoughts at 125 Years
- Sutro Forest Destruction – March 2022
- More Trees Being Felled in Sutro Forest
- Why Urban Forests Can’t be “Native”
- A Candle for the New Year
- Don’t Feed Coyotes
- Wildcare’s Request: Respect the Nest
- Dr Morley Singer, RIP
- Destruction of Sutro Forest Likely to Accelerate
- Season’s Greetings – 2020
- UCSF Parnassus: December 2020 Meeting Report
- UCSF Plans More Damage to Sutro Forest
- Trees on Clarendon Avenue Felled
A HIKE IN SUTRO FOREST (Links)
BIRDS & WILDLIFE IN BAY AREA (Links)
- Bird checklist for San Francisco from USGS
- Birding – A really good blog for Oregon and California (including San Francisco)
- Birding on Mt Sutro
- San Francisco's coyotes
- The Beavers at Martinez
- Urban Wildness: San Francisco wildlife (birds, coyotes, insects)
- Wildlife Activism blog
- Wildlife Hospital in San Rafael (Marin County, CA)
BUTTERFLY ID (Links)
HERBICIDES (Links)
SAVING TREES (Links)
SITES OF INTEREST (Other Links)
Tag Archives: native plants
Native Plant Restoration: “Someone Pays and Someone Profits”
The article below was first published on April 1st on MillionTrees.me – a site fighting unnecessary tree destruction in the San Francisco Bay Area. Though it references mainly the widespread tree destruction planned for the East Bay, the same principles apply broadly. … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, nativism
Tagged FEMA misuse, native plants, nativism, trees
Comments Off on Native Plant Restoration: “Someone Pays and Someone Profits”
“Invasive” Plants can Save Native Wildlife
We recently came upon this article by author Toby Hemenway, on his blog Pattern Literacy. Written from the point of view of a permaculturist, it responds to nativist objections that the permaculture community plants non-native or even “invasive” species. Since … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, eucalyptus, nativism
Tagged butterfly, environment, eucalyptus, native plants, nativism, wildlife
1 Comment
A Hiker’s Letter: Sutro Forest A Midcity Treasure
We received this letter recently, and publish it here with permission. I’m a solitary hiker who loves San Francisco’s beautiful parks and am concerned about all the overdone enthusiasm lately for baring our forests so that there will be mostly … Continue reading
Posted in deforestation, Mount Sutro Stewards, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF
Tagged cloud forest, mount sutro, native plants, trails, UCSF
5 Comments
Glen Canyon Park: The Tree-Cutting Started
We’ve been following the situation in Glen Canyon Park at this site for some time now. In a nutshell: Major changes are planned for Glen Canyon, which until a couple of years ago was a bucolic treasure of a park. … Continue reading
Posted in deforestation, Natural areas Program, Neighborhood impact
Tagged environment, eucalyptus, Glen Canyon Park, native plants, trees
1 Comment
Insects Don’t Prefer Native Plants
New data, but old theories? One argument that Native Plant Advocates make for their attempts to convert San Francisco’s open spaces to native plants (despite the habitat destruction and pesticide use) is that it’s better for wildlife. In fact, it’s … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, nativism, Natural areas Program
Tagged environment, insects, native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program
1 Comment
Why Low Dose Pesticides are Still Hazards
When we speak up against the Natural Area Program’s frequent pesticide use, its supporters frequently tell us that – compared with say commercial agriculture – the Natural Areas Program (NAP) uses small amounts of toxic chemicals. “The dose makes the … Continue reading
Posted in Herbicides, Natural areas Program
Tagged endocrine disruptors, herbicide, native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program, toxic
1 Comment
What Adolph Sutro Didn’t Know About the Eucalyptus Forest
Mount Sutro Cloud Forest, a century-old forest of eucalyptus, was planted by former mayor and philanthropist Adolph Sutro (1830-1898). Like the larger and better-known Muir Woods, it’s the last remnant of a forest that covered a much larger area – … Continue reading
Posted in deforestation, Environment, eucalyptus, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, nativism
Tagged adolph sutro, bias, eucalyptus, eucalyptus myths, Jewish, native plants, nativism, Sutro Forest, UCSF
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Sutro Forest in February 2012
We were up in Mt Sutro Forest a couple of days ago, the day after Valentine’s Day. The forest looked appropriately romantic. A number of cherry trees were in bloom with tiny white flowers, like this one near the entry … Continue reading
Posted in Mount Sutro Stewards, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF
Tagged mt sutro stewards, native plants, Sutro Forest, UCSF
4 Comments
The $3.4 mn “Park” at Sutro Dunes
We’ve driven by there a hundred times, and never noticed it… but it’s a Natural Area and a park, opposite Ocean Beach. It’s just below the bluff topped by Sutro Park, across the road from some neat condos. It’s been … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, nativism, Natural areas Program
Tagged birds, native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program
5 Comments
Mt. Davidson Park – An Open Space Preserved for Recreation or Native Plants?
It’s not just Sutro Forest. Native plant interests threaten trees throughout the city, and in particular, in San Francisco’s other significant century-old forest: Mt Davidson. A favorite area for the residents of Miraloma Park, the Significant Natural Areas Management Plan … Continue reading
Posted in deforestation, eucalyptus, nativism, Natural areas Program
Tagged eucalyptus, Miraloma Park, Mt Davidson, native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program, trails, trees
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The San Francisco Forest Alliance
We’ve been critical of the so-called “Natural” areas program (or officially, the Significant Natural Resource Areas Plan) that covers some 1100 acres across 32 separate parks in San Francisco. While the idea of a Natural Area is appealing (as it … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, eucalyptus, Herbicides, Herbicides: Roundup, Garlon, nativism, Natural areas Program
Tagged birds, habitat, herbicide, native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program, san francisco, trees, wildlife
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Bees, Weeds, and Nativism
Nativists who favor “native pollinators” often believe that these insects – bees, butterflies, moths and similar insects – rely on native plants. The plants and insects co-evolved, goes the argument; and so to protect one, you must plant the other. … Continue reading
Native Restorations Don’t “Restore” Anything – Professor Arthur Shapiro
We are reprinting, with permission, Professor Shapiro’s comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report on the Significant Natural Areas Program. It was first published on Death of a Million Trees. ————————————————————————- With permission and in its entirety we are publishing … Continue reading
San Francisco’s Natural Areas: The Many Mistakes in the Draft EIR
We’ve posted several times recently about the San Francisco Natural Areas Program. About the overall program: Why San Francisco’s Natural Areas Are — Unnatural About trees to be felled: Destroying the Trees of San Francisco About pesticide use: Toxic and … Continue reading
San Francisco Natural Area’s Pesticide Violations
As we noted in our previous post, the San Francisco Natural Areas Program seems to be using increasing amounts of toxic pesticides. From time to time, we’ve posted information here about pesticide use in the Natural Areas Program (NAP) lands. … Continue reading
Natural Areas Program’s Pesticides: Toxic and Toxic-er
It’s no surprise that people are beginning to associate San Francisco’s Natural Areas Program with pesticides. It’s been using them (if the city’s records are accurate) at an increasing rate. In 2009, it applied Garlon 16 times; in 2010, it … Continue reading
“Natural Areas Program”: Destroying the Trees of San Francisco
We re-publish this recent article with permission (and minor edits) from Death of a Million Trees. Plans for managing San Francisco’s Natural Areas — currently the subject of a Draft Environmental Impact Report — calls for cutting down thousands of … Continue reading
Why San Francisco’s Natural Areas Are — Unnatural
WHEN I first heard about San Francisco’s Natural Areas Program (SF NAP) some years ago, I was charmed. Over 1000 acres of city-owned land would be left to Nature, more wild and free than the orderly, gardened lawns and playgrounds … Continue reading
San Francisco’s Natural Areas Program…Where’s It Going?
This article has been reprinted with permission from Death of a Million Trees, a blog dedicated to preventing unnecessary tree-felling. (The emphasis is ours, as are minor edits.) [Edited to Add: MillionTrees updated this post. We have copied over the … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Herbicides, nativism, Natural areas Program
Tagged native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program
5 Comments
San Francisco, Biodiversity, and the Department of the Environment
We’re aware of San Francisco’s Department of the Environment as the first line of defense against toxic chemicals in our public lands. But they’re more than the defense-against-the-dark-chems guys. They’re the recycling guys. The energy saving guys. The community gardens … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Herbicides, nativism
Tagged Garlon, imazapyr, native plants, nativism, Roundup
2 Comments
Kareiva, Nature Conservancy, and Nativism
A few days ago, we attended a talk by Peter Kareiva, chief scientist at the well-known Nature Conservancy. (He’s also been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences.) It’s an environmental organization that prides itself on being science-based; … Continue reading
SF NAP on Twin Peaks: Rainy Days and Roundup…
Rainy days and Roundup always make me sigh… This report is brought to you from the drenched slopes of Twin Peaks. And here’s another one… They’re putting the pesticide notices high and visible now, which is an improvement. Also, they’re … Continue reading
Posted in Herbicides, Herbicides: Roundup, Garlon, nativism
Tagged herbicide, native plants, Natural Areas Program, Roundup, Twin Peaks
3 Comments
Lament for Oakland’s Garber Park
We read this article in the Spring issue of Hills Conservation Network’s newsletter (the link goes to a PDF), and it resonated with us who want to save Sutro Forest’s habitat. Ecological destruction, whether from building and traffic, or from … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, nativism
Tagged 1991 oakland fire, East Bay, hills conservation network, native plants, nativism
3 Comments
In Mount Sutro Forest, May 2011
Last Thursday evening, we wandered around the forest. We hadn’t headed that way, but it drew us in, as it often does. Despite the recent habitat destruction here and on the Kill-Trees Trail, it’s still a magical place. Here’s our report. THE GASH The Gash … Continue reading
Posted in Mount Sutro Stewards, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest
Tagged Edgewood, mount sutro, mt sutro stewards, native plants, Sutro Stewards
4 Comments
Mount Sutro Forest, Native Plants, and Ideology: Debate between a Climatologist and Charlie – Part III
This is part of a continuing series of conversations between Charlie, a US-based naturalist, and Gov Pavlicek, a climatologist in Europe (on our front-page comments section). We’re finding their contrasting worldviews interesting. For those interested in earlier exchanges, here’s Part I … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, nativism
Tagged environment, mount sutro, native plants, nativism, unscientific
1 Comment
Mount Sutro Forest, Native Plants, and Ideology: Debate between a Climatologist and Charlie – Part II
In this post, we continue the conversation between Charlie and climatologist Gov Pavlicek. Gov responded to Charlie’s earlier comment. That discussion is here. GOV: “ECOLOGY” AND XENOPHOBIA From Gov: “Charlie, thanks for the thorough reply. I was astonished by the … Continue reading
Native Plants, Oxalis and the Futility of Garlon
Some days ago, in a comment on our post responding to Jake Sigg’s defense of Garlon, Wendy Poinsot said: Garlon is effective on oxalis and other broadleaf weeds like dandelion. Who wants a park full of south african oxalis? Not … Continue reading
Posted in Herbicides: Roundup, Garlon, nativism
Tagged native plants, Natural Areas Program, oxalis
8 Comments
Garlon, Natural Areas, and the City
San Francisco’s Department of the Environment (SF DOE) is our second line of protection against chemicals after the EPA; it regulates the use of pesticides on all city properties. We attended their monthly meeting yesterday, mainly because Lisa Wayne, the … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Herbicides, nativism
Tagged Garlon, Glen Canyon, herbicide, native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program
3 Comments
More Garlon for Glen Canyon Park?
We’ve been observing the issue of pesticides at Glen Canyon Park at a remove; but here’s what we understand. The place falls under the Natural Areas Program (NAP), which plans to use Garlon, one of the most toxic herbicides San … Continue reading
Posted in Herbicides, Herbicides: Roundup, Garlon, nativism
Tagged Garlon, Glen Canyon, native plants, Natural Areas Program, Sutro Forest
2 Comments
Mount Sutro Forest That Was 