Archive for Land Protection
Living Among Lions on the San Francisco Peninsula
Via Wikimedia Commons
A map of mountain lion sightings in residential areas in the San Jose Mercury News suggests that the cats are coming from the greenbelt of open spaces on the west side of Highway 280 — which includes several POST-protected parcels. One puma was spotted in Windy Hill. (POST Conservation Project Manager Abigail Adams also recently spotted a paw print on a POST easement near San Gregorio.)
That’s a good thing. More open spaces, along with a ban on hunting in California, are beginning to boost the predators’ numbers. Officials estimate there are 6,000 of them in the state.
Admittedly, it’s scary to spot a mountain lion on your block or to find one napping in your tree. But you are more likely to be killed by a deer than by a mountain lion, according to Zara McDonald of the Felidae Conservation Fund. The cats, by predilection, avoid humans whenever they can. In fact, some trackers have found evidence that humans have come within 50 feet of a mountain lion without ever knowing it was there.
When a puma ends up on Alpine Road, it’s probably looking for a mountainous throughway of another sort: Wildlife corridors are a vital ingredient for keeping puma populations healthy. When they can’t find natural throughways, pumas sometimes revert to highways and suburban byways, neither of which are good news for people.
Take another look at the Mercury map: You’ll see that almost all of the sightings are on the boundary of an open space or in a stretch of developed land between large open spaces.
So treat the cats with some respect if you happen to see one — and be sure to follow the experts’ best recommendations for not having a conflict with it.
You can make your home less appealing to a wandering mountain lion by avoiding feeding any wildlife that it might prey on. Make your best effort to keep deer away by landscaping with plants they don’t like to eat. Keep pets indoors. Motion-activated lighting can also repel the cats.
To steer clear of mountain lions in wilderness areas, avoid hiking alone or wearing headphones. Keep children and dogs close to you. Never approach or run away from a mountain lion, if you see one. Instead, make an effort to appear bigger by raising your arms. If all else fails and you are attacked, fight back! One 60-year-old woman likely saved her husband’s life by repeatedly jabbing an attacking puma with a ballpoint pen!
Little Basin: Time for S’mores and More
by Megan Hansen
Little Basin is a great redwood retreat for families. Once the exclusive campground of Hewlett-Packard employees, POST and the Sempervirens Fund purchased the 534-acre property and transferred it earlier this year to California State Parks. Now part of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, it’s open to the public all year long for day hikes and overnight camping (with a four-person minimum per camping group).
On the day we arrived, we set up camp at site 20, and it couldn’t have been easier. Our site, equipped with a charcoal-burning barbecue grill, a table with benches, a food locker and wood-burning fire pit, was right next to a swing set—which is very handy when you’re putting up a tent with a toddler helping out.
During previous visits to Little Basin, we had the campground largely to ourselves. This time, the breeze was filled with the laughter of “big kids” (as my toddler calls them) playing on swings and running across the footbridges over the creek. Nearby, adults chatted while visiting each other at their spacious campsites. At one point someone broke out an acoustic guitar and started playing, much to our delight.
Once we set up camp, we took a walk around to explore. We easily found the bathrooms (spotless!). We spent the afternoon playing all-terrain bocce ball and riding our bikes along the paved loop road. Soon it was time to eat (veggie tinfoil dinners) and start our blueberry and peach Dutch-oven cobbler. (You can’t go wrong with this recipe!) And while it might be tricky to pack in ice cream, you can always bring whipped cream to top your treat.
We followed our meal with a leisurely walk to Little Basin’s big meadow, where we saw several deer. We gazed up at the moon and stars before returning to our tent for a campfire and some s’mores. As night fell, the campground became still and quiet. Mesmerized by the fire, we told stories before heading off to bed.
We awoke to a cool and refreshing morning. We started a campfire and relaxed with breakfast and coffee. When we were done, we packed up camp (dowsing the fire thoroughly, of course) and took a hike on the Tanbark Loop Trail (PDF map). Redwoods, knob-cone pines and mixed hardwood forest shade the leisurely trail.
After our two-hour hike, we ate lunch at one of the many picnic tables and stopped at the playground before loading up the car and heading back home over the mountain. It felt as if Little Basin had woken up from a long slumber and was welcoming us with open arms. We’re already planning a return trip to this magical place.
Little Basin is open daily for hiking. Overnight campaign is available year-round for groups of four or more. There are 12 cabins, 38 tent spaces, several RV sites and a large group camping area. Amenities include a recreation hall, tennis court, basketball court, two sports fields, group BBQ area and playgrounds. Firewood available for purchase at the entrance.
Click here to get more information on how to make a reservation. Click here for a map.
Fresh Strawberries at Blue House Farm
By Kelsey Grousbeck, Intern
Recently a handful of Skyline donors and their kids bundled up to pick strawberries at Blue House Farm on the Coastside. Ned Conwell, one of the farm’s co-founders, taught us about the history of Blue House Farm, which began as a plot of land on Cloverdale Coastal Ranches and developed into a three-acre farm with over 100 varieties of produce.
Blue House Farms (c) Ann Duwe
Ned also showed us some of the techniques certified organic farmers use for eco-friendly pest control and to maintain soil fertility. Some of these techniques, such as using the parasitoid wasp that lays its eggs inside some agricultural pests, were a bit more creepy crawly than others. To finish the tour, Ned showed us the old-growth lumber barn containing the creative produce washing bathtub and lettuce-drying Maytag dryer, then let us run wild with their flock of chickens to warm up a little.
In the chicken pen with Ned (c) Kelsey Grousbeck
After Ned’s tour, POST donors eagerly made their way to the strawberry patch, where they got to work picking that week’s strawberry crop, each taking home enough strawberries to be used for everything from preserves to a tasty summer salad.
POST donors picking and enjoying strawberries! (c) Kelsey Grousbeck
Ned and his business partner Ryan Casey have been leasing the land for Blue House Farm from POST for the past five years. In that time, their success has come from operating as a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture farm. With this program, members pay an annual fee to have a weekly box delivered with a selection of that season’s produce, as well as flowers and eggs if requested. POST’s office in Palo Alto is one of the drop-off sites for these boxes, and many POST donors and staff have participated in the CSA program at Blue House Farm over the years.
Strawberry Bounty (c) Kelsey Grousbeck
In addition to informing people about the CSA program, they have been running Blue House Farm as an educational farm, offering tours to school groups and explaining how to operate an organic and sustainability-oriented farm. Part of the reason they founded Blue House Farm together was, as Ned said, because he and Ryan “share a similar dream of combining farming with environmental education” (Landscapes Fall 2008). For more information about Blue House Farm and their CSA program, please visit http://www.bluehousefarm.org
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Jeff Powers
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Meghan Scanlon
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