Upcoming Naturalist Society Events |
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GGNRA Endangered Species Big Year The Golden Gate National Recreation Area contains more endangered species than any other unit of the National Park System in continental North America: more then Yosemite, Yellowstone, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks combined. This astounding array of imperiled biodiversity—in the midst of the Bay Area's vibrant civilization—is certainly a source of wonder and celebration, but also cause for reflection and concern, as the species' dire status may indicate that something is wrong with our relationship to the Park. In 2008, the San Francisco Naturalist Society and several partner organizations will embark on an exciting campaign to reconnect people with the superlative resources and values of the Park: the Endangered Species Big Year. The Big Year provides Park visitors with opportunities to see each of the 33 listed species found in the Park, both through individual exploration and guided expeditions. But it doesn't stop there: the Endangered Species Big Year also empowers individuals to take 33 conservation action items that aid species recovery, reconnecting people with the preservationist values of this urban national park experiment. Find out more and sign up at www.ggnrabigyear.org. |
Today's Events Thurs., July 24 The Commonwealth Club will be hosting an event entitled, "Van Jones and Senator Darrell Steinberg: Green for All". How can green-collar job development help the economy and the environment? Could "green-collar" jobs clean the "dirty-energy economy" and lift people out of poverty? In the past, job creation and protecting the environment have been, some say, mutually exclusive. But in 2007, the Green Jobs Act and the founding of Green for All, an organization that focuses on green job training, marked the beginning of a movement to redefine economic growth. Is it possible to reconcile these historic opposites? Senator Steinberg and Green for All founder Jones will talk about green economic development and its potential. Commonwealth Club Office, 595 Market Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA. 6 pm check-in, 6:30 pm program. The following link may provide you with more information: http://tickets.commonwealthclub.org/open.asp?show=766. $12 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID). Thurs., July 24 “Hawks, Falcons, and other Raptors of the Bay Area.” Join guest speaker Craig Nikitas for a multi-part slide show revealing nineteen species of raptors that can be seen in the Bay Area. Learn where the densest raptor migration on the West Coast can be observed and discover how to identify those species that hunt, live, and breed right here in the City, in our parks, medians, and back yards. Craig Nikitas is an urban planner with the City and County of San Francisco. Having a life-long interest in birds of prey, he also volunteers with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, where for fourteen years he has banded wild raptors as part of an ongoing study to monitor their populations in the Marin Headlands. Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, SF, CA. 7:30 pm. For more information, call (415) 554-9600 or go to www.randallmuseum.org. Free. |
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Quote of the Day |
"Bird taxonomy is a difficult field because of the severe anatomical constraints imposed by flight. There are only so many ways to design a bird capable, say, of catching insects in mid-air, with the result that birds of similar habitats tend to have very similar anatomies, whatever their ancestry. For example, American vultures look and behave much like Old World vultures, but biologists have come to realize that the former are related to storks, the latter to hawks, and that their resemblances result from their common lifestyle." -Jared Diamond, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee" |