Philip’s Garden Blog

In the Moment, Rick Carpenter 2002

This is a garden about garbage.

This is a garden about art made from garbage.

This is a garden about recycling garbage that may save our planet. 

When I first heard that there was not only a garden at the dump, but that the city of San Francisco also sponsored an “Artist in Residency” program there, I knew that this was something I had to see.  The reaction from other people when I said I planned to visit a ”dump garden” was mixed. Some people said, “Cool” and other people wrinkled their noses, asking, “Will it smell?”  I set out on the third Thursday of the month when tours are given of the facility, the artist’s studios, and the sculpture garden to find out for myself. Would I be the only person there? I met with a good sized group that had gathered for the tour.

San Francisco is considered one of  America’s greenest cities and Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Board of Supervisors have enacted a plan to cut greenhouse gases in the city to 20% below the 1990 level by 2012. All kinds of people have come together in San Francisco to make practical changes towards sustainability in their personal lives, and in the community. Recycling garbage is certainly a way where an individual or a family can do something “hands on” to make a difference.

After a discussion of ecological concerns and about the work done at the SF Recycling & Disposal, Inc.’s Solid Waste Transfer and Recycling Center (affectionately known to those in the know as “The Dump”), we donned orange vests, protective glasses and hard hats (the explanation for the wearing of the hats was to prevent us from getting seagull poop in our hair. OK. Sounds good to me!).  On the way to the garden we headed into the garbage facility itself.

Standing in the garbage shed was my perfect idea of Hell. Odd bits of refuse continuously banged through a chute placed high up the wall adding to the pile, and yes, it stank. In a way, there was a kind perverse humor for me in this experience. I am known in my family as someone who will go to great lengths to avoid unpleasant things, and for the most part, my experience with trash is a tidy affair. We sort discarded things neatly in their color-coded bins and then it is taken away. Where this trash goes is rarely considered; refuse goes “out there”, to a landfill perhaps; a nether place far away.  In the presentation that commenced the tour, we discussed some pressing ecological “time bombs”. By becoming aware of the ”Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, I now know that garbage is in everyone’s face.

Eco Bomb, Francisco Perez Cardona 1991

Crossing the Pacific Ocean in 1997 after competing in a trans-Pacific yacht race, Captain Charles Moore discovered “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, a floating debris field two times the size of Texas. Formed by circular currents called Gyres, debris from the of the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean (garbage from the US, Japan and other nations) is drawn to the still waters of the center. This monstrous accumulation of trash chokes not only the surface of the Pacific, but hundreds of feet into the ocean’s depth.

Particles Dancing, Linda Raynsford 2000

“I want to say one word to you.  Just one word…plastics.”  This line from the 1967 film, The Graduate is to me like one of those prophecy twists from the ancient Greeks. Yes, there is a future in plastics because it never goes away: plastic stays around forever, becoming smaller and smaller, and ever more deadly.

Unlike natural debris which eventually degrades, plastic remains a polymer even at the molecular level. In the Great Pacific Garbage Patch photodegraded plastic particulates choke the upper water column. Fish ingest the plastic particulate, birds feed this to their chicks, and the plastic enters the food chain.

There is no consensus on how to clean up the massive Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but hopefully we can prevent it from from expanding. San Francisco has banned plastic bags from large stores such as supermarkets. This translates into 5 million fewer plastic bags every month. Other cities, nations have followed suit, or are considering a ban. In my house we now have a collection of re-usable canvas bags that we take with us every time we go shopping. It is actually quite easy to do, something practical in a small way that when done with others has a big impact.

Deborah Munk who led the tour pointed out this bale of paper collected for recycling. Deborah explained that a ton of paper like the one showed here was the equivalent of 17 to 24 trees.

I thought is was so fitting than an envelope from the Sierra Club was found in this bale.  One of the oldest grassroots environmental organizations in the United States, the Sierra Club was founded by the preservationist, John Muir.  Looking at the image of this paper bale after my visit, I had to call Deborah Munk again to confirm how many trees a bale like this would preserve. I imagined John Muir with his lanky, upright figure and grizzled beard standing before a grove swaying in the breeze; a grove of about seventeen to twenty-four trees.

Conehead Chairs, Norma Yorba 1995

San Francisco recycles an impressive 70% of its garbage. This can be compared to the city of Dallas, Texas which only recycles 2%.  In many places change and awareness of environmental concerns is begun by just one person. In San Francisco in the 1970’s the artist Jo Hansen began to sweep the litter strewn sidewalk outside her house and compiled journals of urban detritus. Her personal act of sweeping one sidewalk grew into a celebrated public art practice and citywide anti-litter campaign. As a vocal SF Arts Commissioner, Hanson suggested to Norcal Waste Systems, Inc. and the City of San Francisco that they develop an artist in residence program at the city dump, offering a studio and stipend for artists to create artwork from the waste stream to raise public awareness.

Deborah Munk explained that the artists in the program can only use items from the dump. Shopping carts are used by the artists to gather the materials that they will need assemble and create works of art. As the artists sift through the trash with their carts in tow, they say they are “going shopping”.

Stanley, Dana Albany 2003

A collection of sculptures created by the artists are displayed in the sculpture garden. Placed on the hill above the dump, the garden incorporates some plants rescued from the trash, and the paths were constructed from salvaged concrete from the old Embarcadero freeway that had been torn down after being damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.  A show featuring the work of the current artists in residence, David King and Christine Lee is being held this January 23 & 24, 2009.

There are many gardeners that would say that a garden is strictly about plants. I have to admit I am entranced by flowers, striking plant combinations, edible plants, native plants and the like, and I relish and honor the horticultural expertise of the plantsperson.  I would argue that gardens have also been about The Idea: the yearnings of the collective unconscious.

The great Mannerist and Baroque gardens were expressions of temporal power; the sublimation of nature manifested as a triumph of civilization.  The landscape parks of the 19th century, as well as the “natural” gardens of Robinson and Jekyll can be seen as a reaction to the despoiling of the landscape during the industrial revolution:  an expression of the Arcadian ideal.  An art garden at a dump speaks to us now: with a planet in peril, each person, each family, every gardener can make a difference to save the Earth we love.

For further information and to visit the garden go to: www.sunsetscavenger.com

Garden tours are held for adults on the third Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. The tours are geared to those interested in knowing more about the AIR Program, and for those interested in applying to be one of  the artists. Tours also include an overview of the company and the garbage and recycling operations in San Francisco. For safety reasons, the tour is not appropriate for children under 8 years of age. To make a reservation for a Saturday tour, please call Deborah Munk at (415) 330-1415.

 an old pond
 a frog jumps in
 the sound of water
                        Basho 

In a narrow coastal valley nestled in the Marin headlands is the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, also known as Green Dragon Temple (Soryu-ji). This Buddhist practice center in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition seeks to “awaken the bodhisattva spirit, the spirit of kindness and realistic helpfulness”. This approach is also applied to the stewardship of the land. On the site of what was a sprawling ranch, the Green Gulch tributary, the gentle creek that traverses this place of gardens and meditation, had become choked by invasive non-native plants.

The following images are of the restored habitat today, where many diverse native plant species thrive.

Overlooking the pond, the Zendo (meditation hall) is a refinished barn from the former ranch.

embraced by water;
hugging cedars, grasses, reeds:
brown spongy swamp mud
                                    Sondra Ball

the single rivulet
how slowly a pond
lets go
                                      Laurie W. Stoelting

Introduced as an ornamental houseplant from South Africa, Cape Ivy (Delairea odorata) is now considered a serious invasive pest along the California coast. Cape Ivy expands vegetatively as a vine through the spread of stolons. Fragments of the plant as short as one half inch, carried by runoff or landscape machinery, can take root and colonize new areas. In riparian corridors such at Green Gulch, choking mats of Cape Ivy have been removed. Other exotics such as nettles and poison hemlock have been removed as well and hauled to the compost yard to produce finished compost. The result of the restoration is a rich diversity of native grasses, annuals and aquatic plants.

tender willow
almost gold, almost amber,
almost light…
                Jose Juan Tablada

In sheltered areas along the creek, young Coho Salmon have been spotted. The restored creek has been brought back into balance with the cycles of the seasons and the rythms of nature.
For more information, and to visit the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center:
http://www.sfzc.org

soldier ferns, soft moss 
beside the slow moving creek
the sun’s rays are warm
                                Sondra Ball
 

As the days of the year grow shorter, the Pacific coast near San Francisco clears of fog. This is my favorite time of year to be out and about, to be in the sun; an expedition to a world away minutes from home. Recently, on a warm and hazy December afternoon, we took a jaunt to one of my favorite places, the Marin headlands.

 

Like all good adventures, getting to the destination is part of the fun. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco is a thrilling preparatory to the headlands itself. As one progresses over the bridge the traffic slows. People strolling and admiring the view flank the right, bicyclists on the left. The towers of the bridge rise above, first one and then the other as you pass underneath. Painted the distinctive color, “international orange”, the towers for all their Art Deco modeling are muscular and thrilling as they suspend their cables over the roiling sea below.

 

Take the Alexander exit beyond the bridge. Turn left under the freeway. Turn as though heading south back onto the bridge. Veer up the hill to Conzulman road. At the rise there is a small gravel parking area on the left. follow the trail to Battery Spencer. This area is currently undergoing a native plant restoration.

 

The view from Battery Spencer is a familiar one to many from television and the movies, but that does not lessen the heady experience when one stands on the natural platform gazing over the cliff. 

 

The headlands played a vital role during WW II in the defense of the bay and the nation. Strategic military batteries in the headlands, once top secret, are now linked by public trails.

 

Another former battery, Hawk’s Hill is now the home of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory. From Battery Spencer, continue 1.8 miles on Conzulman road until it becomes one-way. Park off the roadway and walk up the trail on the west side of Hawk Hill past the locked gate. It is a just a few hundred feet to the summit.

 

Raptors, such as red tail hawks, golden eagles and peregrine falcons use the headlands as a migration thoroughfare.  While on migration, birds of prey use air movements, such as rising thermals and updrafts on hills to maintain their altitude. Many hawks prefer to fly over land, avoiding open water.

 

Upon reaching the Golden Gate, migrating raptors are squeezed by the San Francisco Bay on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Hawk’s Hill is the ideal spot to witness this remarkable migration as the raptors, if they can catch a good tail wind, zip across the two mile gap.

 

From their website: http://www.ggro.org/index.html

“We saw the two adult peregrines flying around and showing off. From there, the peregrine party took off. We had a total of nine buzzing the hill, chasing around red-tails and otherwise causing havok during the course of the day. We also got a nice look at an adult golden eagle.“

 

A few paces from the summit is the perfect bench to observe the raptor migration, passing ships and to simply commune with the beauty of it all.

 

Hawk’s Hill, with the cypress trees crowning the summit, can be seen from Point Bonita.

 

Shaded from the afternoon sun, a winding footpath leads to the Point Bonita lighthouse. Warn children that like all exciting adventures or a quest, sometimes one must proceed with caution!

 

Wild cabbage, Brassica oleracea, thrives on these marine cliffs.Tolerant of sea salt, but not plant competition, wild cabbage is perfectly edible. I am familiar with this type of plant from my childhood as it was one of the few things that would grow on the rocky seaside cliffs near my family’s home.

 

The path to the lighthouse leads through a tunnel. The sound of the ocean on three sides is like what one imagines when placing one’s ear to a nautilus.

Emerging from the roughly cut tunnel , one then crosses a bridge placed between rocky outcrops. The tunnel was dug by the Chinese workmen who also constructed the Sierra tunnels for the Transcontinental Railroad.

 

 The atmosphere surrounding the lighthouse is diffused with mist from the surf below, blinding with reflective light.

 

Point Bonita lighthouse is reached by a final suspension bridge over crashing waves.  Standing sentinel at the entrance of the Golden Gate, The lighthouse has guided mariners through a spot notorious for strong currents, deadly shoals, rogue waves and great white sharks!   Originally the lighthouse was located higher up the hill. Frequently enshrouded by dense fog, the lighthouse was relocated to its present location just above the Pacific and below the fogline.

 

Living in the keeper’s residence next to the lighthouse was not without its challenges. In the early 20th century Keeper Alex Martin and his wife fashioned harnesses for their young children as they played outside. This fortunately saved young Dorothy as she was found one afternoon dangling over the cliff secured only by her tether!

 

Unlike Southern California, most of Northern California’s cities are inland. The coast here is wild, austere and wonderfully unspoiled. One can spot grey whales with their calves off this coast this spring as they migrate from Baja to Alaska. Look for the blow or spout up to 15 feet high. Sometimes you will see the fluke, the 12 foot wide tail of the grey whale at it descends into the deep.

The road from Point Bonita winds north to Fort Cronkhite. Once a military base during WW II, this fort, along with other military posts such as Fort Baker and the Presidio across the bay in San Francisco are now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the National Park Service. Once a seasonal home of the Miwok, this beach and lagoon is today a place to contemplate, run around, fly a kite and spread your toes in the sand.

The straightforward military buildings of Fort Cronkhite have found a new life with organizations such as the Headlands Center for the Arts.  Mission statement:

In creating Headlands Center for the Arts, the founders sought to re-configure the role of the artist from a marginalized position to that of a central participant in our society. Over 1,000 artists have worked with Headlands in its various programs. We host artists from different disciplines and cultural backgrounds, and our public programs bring artists together with scholars, activists and other professionals. By facilitating interaction across traditional boundaries, Headlands works to introduce artists and audiences to new creative processes, and to broaden the range of possibilities for art’s function in our society.

I honor the creative process, and I welcomed this rare glimpse into these artists’ studios. The above studio intrigued me: the tableaux of wing chair placed resolutely away from the stunning view beyond the windows; the wine bottle and glass carefully placed.

I loved this studio for its delicious ferment: the masses of squeezed paint tubes and brushes; old fashioned metal trash cans and a monitor fitted with a propeller.

I love the tubes of classic oil paints: burnt sienna, raw umber, Vandyke brown, Prussian blue, Alizarin crimson, sap green, cadmium yellow, manganese blue, titanium zinc-white…

The Headlands Center for The Arts mess hall has an open kitchen. Filled with light from south facing windows, I thought this place had a wonderful atmosphere. Dinners accompany many of their public programs.  www.headlands.org

The “mess hall” walls feature hand painted paper panels; each unique panel depicting the native plants and wildlife of the headlands.

The Marine Mammal Center Hospital is currently closed to the public. Their new facility, currently under construction above Fort Cronkhite will open in 2009.
The Marine Mammal Center has rescued thousands of ill and orphaned marine mammals such as elephant seals, sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, fur seals, dolphins, harbor porpoises and the like at their facility. Their programs have educated thousands of schoolchildren and members of the public to our interdependence with marine mammals, their importance as sentinels of the ocean environment, the health of which is essential for all life.
http://www.marinemammalcenter.org

Located in Fort Cronkhite near Rodeo beach, The Headlands Native Plant Nursery is one of five native plant nurseries operated by the The Golden Gate National Park Conservancy. These nurseries grow over 140,000 plants for up to 50 different habitat restoration projects.

Volunteer at this or any of the other nurseries:  www.parksconservancy.org.

Come grow with us at the Marin Headlands Native Plant Nursery! Each year, we grow over 30,000 plants to restore natural habitats within the Marin Headlands. The dedication and support of our volunteers are vital in the effort to grow plants, collect seeds, maintain the nursery facility, and much more. Our projects are outside, fun, and always hands-on.

East of Fort Cronkhite on the San Francisco Bay is Fort Baker, set on Horseshoe Cove.

A military site since the 1860’s, Fort Baker’s distinctive colonial revival architecture was constructed in the early 20th century.

Gracious officers’ quarters were placed around an expansive parade ground. Stands of Monterey Cypress and Blue Gum Eucalyptus were established as windbreaks.

Fort Baker is now part of the Golden Gate National Park. The historic structures which had fallen into great disrepair have undergone a stunning restoration. Currently undergoing LEED accreditation for its eco practices in reuse and green build, Fort Baker is home to The Institute at The Golden Gate, an organization that partners with others to address environmental issues such as climate change and preserving urban open space.

The newest lodge in the National Park system, Cavallo Point-The lodge at the Golden Gate is acclaimed for its commitment to the highest standards of environmental sustainability.

As as special treat during our visit to the headlands, we enjoyed a memorable lunch at the restaurant at Cavallo Point Lodge, Murray Circle.

Being out in the sun and fresh air works up an appetite, and ginger spice pot de creme with homemade biscotti was the perfect way to end a day spent exploring the headlands!

This spring these tawny hills will explode with wildflowers. From military base to national park, the Marin Headlands is enjoying a renaissance. From rescuing marine mammals, tracking raptors, restoring plant habitats and creating art, people are actively working together to make a difference, in this place and for the planet. With its incomparable views, trails, soaring eagles and volunteer park stewards, the Marin Headlands delight and inspire me in every season.

Movement, change, light growth and decay are the lifeblood of nature, the energies that I try to tap through my work. I need the shock of touch, the resistance of place, materials and weather, the earth as my source. I want to get under the surface. When I work with a leaf, rock, stick, it is not just that material itself, it is an opening into the processes of life within and around it. When I leave it, these processes continue.
      -Andy Goldsworthy, Sculptor, “The Spire”

 The forests of the Presidio are all planted by man and as such they are a cultural landscape: an artifact, naturalistic more than natural; the forest and The Spire re-iterate similar themes and re-enforce the other.
      -Peter Erlich, Forestry Manager, The Presidio Trust

 A towering new sculpture has been completed in San Francisco and is soon to be open to the public. Located on the highest ridge of the Presidio National Park and surrrounded by century old and recently planted Monterey cypress trees, “The Spire” is the most recent work by the British artist, Andy Goldsworthy. Known for his site specific works using natural, found materials such as rock, branches and snow, Goldsworthy created the 100 foot tall structure from the mature cypress trees on the site, felled at the end of their life span.

Last weekend  I enjoyed a tour of the site and forest from Peter Erlich, forestry manager for The Presidio Trust. I came initially to see the work by Goldsworthy, but in the end I became facinated by the history of the Presidio forest, its geology and challenges so enthusiastically shared by Erlich. Growing up near Manhattan, Erlich felt more at home along the Hudson River than he did among the skyscapers of that city. In 1968, like so many others of that generation who heard the clarion call, he came to San Francisco. It was here in Northern California, with its mountains and forests that Erlich, an English major, found poetry in the landscape. Graduating from the University of California at Berkeley in their Foresty program, Erlich eventually began to work in urban Forestry. As Forestry manager at the Presidio he oversees the re-forestation program there. Erlich is a man who loves trees and what he does, all the while quoting his favorite poet Yeats and the story of the remarkable urban forest that is the Presidio.

From 1776 to 1994 The northwest tip of the San Francisco peninsula was a strategic military base which guarded the Golden Gate, the natural portal to one of the world’s great natural harbors. Despite the spectacular views, a posting at the Presidio was considered a great hardship. Combined with damp fog, the winds of the Pacific sent sand from the dunes in a relentless drive to the base. Soldiers stationed at the Presidio complained of endlessly digging sand away from buildings, from the sand in their bunks and the sand in their food.

 

From 1886 to 1900, in a remarkable feat of horticultural endeavor, the army planted over a hundred thousand Monterey Cypress, Blue gum Eucalyptus and Monterey pines in the sterile sand of the Presidio. Plantings were placed on the high ridge to accentuate the topography as in the 19th century landscape manner. The establishment of these man made forests on these once barren dunes rapidly changed the climate of not only the Presidio, but of the growing city of San Francisco. With the wind and sand blocked from these new natural windbreaks, the Presidio  became the verdant landscape we see today.

The Forests of the Presidio are now coming to the end of their natural life span. Planted in a short 14 year period of the late 19th century, the forest does not have the mix of young and old trees which characterize a natural forest. While Eucalyptus continue to thrive, the Monterey cypress and Monterey pine are declining. Each year the trust replants two or three acres, staggering their efforts to create a healthy forest that can be sustained. Although these forests are not native, they have become an integral element of the park’s ecosystem, providing an important wildlife habitat. The trust has removed 150 of the dying cypress trees at the grove along the Bay Area Ridge Trail. These are the materials for Goldsworthy’s Spire. The trust will replant 1200 trees in this area in the next 10 years.

The Presidio plant nursery has taken on the task of propagating the tree seedlings. The process begins with germination in seed flats.The shoots are then placed in 5″ long tubes until they are ready for Stewey tree pots. This brand of pot is very tall. The typical one gallon pot creates circular roots, while the extended Stewey pots encourage long roots. These roots are just what the seedlings need to become established in the poor soils of the Presidio.

An collection of impromtu sculptures by anonymous artists, assembled from the scraps of lumber from the creation of The Spire, is located opposite the site on the Bay Ridge Trail.

The crew that  constructed The Spire, with Goldsworthy directing from below, is the same crew that is engaged in the forestry program at the Presidio. I think of this as the perfect metaphor for this art installation and shows the blending between the management of the forest and the creation of art.

The Spire by Goldsworthy is a kind of poem to the forest which surrounds it. Growth, decay and renewal are all suggested here. As the young plantings of cypress grow, the sculpture will become part of the larger forest setting.

 Eventually, The Spire will disappear into the forest.

Last Sunday, on a foggy morning in August, I took a walk through Crissy Field in the Presidio National Park. This year is the tenth anniversary of this parks restoration from abandoned airfield to the ecological treasure it is today. I knew before I went that the spectacular burst of spring wildflowers had long passed, and that I was between the migratory seasons of birds and waterfowl. What I found was that this park had treasures  to be discovered any time of the year.

Situated in the northeast corner of the San Francisco peninsula, Crissy Field is like a platform  placed before one of the world’s most beautiful settings:  on the rugged and sparsely populated northern California coast, the coastal mountains part to reveal one of the greatest of natural harbors, the San Francisco Bay. The “Golden Gate” is not just a bridge, but a natural portal to the one of the world’s most dynamic regions.  In looking at this park today it is hard to imagine that this is a restored urban landscape. Imagine this place a flat airfield, abandoned and derelict. Covered in concrete, asphalt, hazardous waste and studded with weeds, Crissy Field and its views were off limits to visitors.

Because of its stategic location, the Presidio was one of the nation’s preeminent military bases. Crissy Field, named in honor of Major Dana Crissy, was the military’s first Air Coast Defense Station on the Pacific coast. The end of the cold war led to a re-evaluation of the nation’s military locatiions. In October 1994, the U.S. Army lowered its flag for the last time, and the Presidio was transferred to the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  Beginning in 1998, tons of asphalt and rubble was removed. A new kind of park was concieved which balanced both ecological habitat restoration  and recreation. A legion of volunteers planted over 100,000 native plant species. Ten years later Crissy field thrives for both nature and people.

The fragrance hits you first: imagine the smell of sage and the astringent quality of artemisia. Combine that with a woody note like sandalwood and you are there.  These are the aromas of the coastal scrub which takes me right back to my childhood growing up on the wild California coast.

This place was once the village called Pentlenuc. It was the winter seasonal home of the Yelamu tribe, associated with the larger Ohlone American Indian tribe which populated the  Bay Area. With only about 200 members, the Yelamu divided their time here and with the eastern parts of  the peninsula.  In June of 1776, Spanish missionaries established the Mission San Francisco de Asisi; the tribe was quickly incorporated into the mission and the Yelamu’s traditional way of life was lost. Today Crissy field remains a spiritual place for the native Ohlone people.

 
Plants and grasses knit together with an incredible diversity. This also helps to conserve moisture in the soil during the long dry season.

The California Aster, Aster chilensis, is a perennial which provides nectar for butterflies and the over 60 species of bees which inhabit The Presidio. It has a long summer bloom despite the fact that it must rely on months of drought. Native to salt marches and grasslands, it has found the perfect habitat at Crissy field and flourishes here.

Striking stands of Wrights Paintbrush, Castilleja weightii, flourish in the coastal scrub. The brilliant red color (also seen in red and gold) is produced not by flowers, but by bracts. Paintbrush cannot live alone as it is a partial parasitic. Sending sneaky projections from its roots called haustoria, it takes nutrients from its favorite hosts such as bunchgrass and wild buckwheat.  The green mounding shrubs are Coyote Brush, Baccaris pilularis. An important element to the coastal scrub, the plants roots secure the soil and emerges when native grassland is spared grazing.

The sticky Monkey flower, mimulus aurantiacus, has a complex relationship with the specialist butterfly Ephydryas Chalcedona. This butterfly lays its larvae on the leaves of this plant in the spring when the nutrients and the sticky resin which coats the leaves are at their highest levels. The high nutrients act to feed the larvae, but the sticky resin prevents the plant from being consumed completely!  When the larvae no longer feed on the leaves in the early summer, the Sticky Monkey Flower converts energy from the production of resin to flowers, producing the glorious displays you see here.

Yellow bush lupine, Lupinus arboreus, begins to produce seedheads in the late summer. When the tidal marsh was being restored, remnants of a historic Yelamu shellmound was discovered. Seeds of yellow bush lupine found at the 400 year level of the shellmound proved that the species was native to the area, and not introduced at the time of the Mexican and American settlements.

The restored tidal marsh is a central feature of the park. Once buried in hazardous waste covered in asphalt, the marsh re-creates the one which once existed behind the coastal dunes.

The Presidio is visited by an astonishing 200 species of birds, more that any urban park in the world. Located on the Pacific flyway, the marsh at Crissy field is visited by 9o% of all the migratory birds who pass through this area from the Northern Arctic to the tip of South America. The restored saltwater marsh is home to 17 fish species.

The restoration of Crissy Field included a balance of natural restoration, historic preservation and recreational use. Large grassy lawns recall the original grass airfield. The distinctive red and white structures include the historic Presidio Coast Guard Station. shown above. It is now the home of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center.
Native plants have been emphasized in the park, but the tall palms have been retained as they help tell the story of the park’s history.

Crissy field now has a popular sandy beach which is popular with children, strollers and dogs. This is not a swimming beach as there are terrific underwater currents, great white sharks and frigid water!

Looking east the skyline of San Francisco emerges from the morning fog.

Another component in the natural restoration of the park is the re-creation of the dune swale habitat which originally existed here. Located between the bay and the tidal marsh, endangered plants which are native to San Francisco are preserved here.

The Beach Evening Primrose, Camissonia cheiranthifolia, has a large root system which secures the dunes from shifting.

Native to the San Francisco dunes, the Dune Tansey, Tanacetum camphoratum, is greatly endangered due to habitat loss. It is thrilling to see this plant in person and to know it has been saved from extinction.

Crissy field needs your help! Volunteer and become a Presidio Park Steward.

From the Golden Gate National parks conservancy website:

Help enhance rare native plant habitat and create important wildlife corridors in the Presidio of San Francisco. Learn about dune and serpentine systems while working in our scrub, grassland, woodland, wetland, and bluff habitats. Our activities will include invasive plant removal during the summer dry season and native revegetation during the winter rainy season. Habitat restoration is a proactive way to participate in environmental healing while removing invasive plants and revegetating with natives. Come learn about local plants and animals and be a habitat hero!

For  more information contact:
PresidioParkStewards@parksconservancy.org
 

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive,
and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me. There was a padlock and chain upon the gate.
I called in my dream to the Lodge-Keeper, and had no answer, and peering through the rusted spokes of the
gate I saw that the lodge was uninhabited.” 
Exerpt: “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier

My brother Patrick  used to live on the street located below Tanglewood, a large uninhabited estate 
which revealed itself in tantalizing glimpses. One of the oldest homes in Sausalito, CA, Tanglewood was built in the
1870’s by a sea captain in a “Hong Kong Colonial” style. Pyramidal shaped roofs sheltered sweeping verandas which
took in heady views of the Sausalito harbor, Richardson Bay, and Belvedare island beyond. Exotic plantings collected
from the captain’s travels graced the property.

Neglected for years, In 1994  the estate was deeded to the University of Califonia Botanic Garden at Berkeley. 
 A kind of fantastic wilderness emerged with  flowering shubs popular in the 19th century assuming mad
proportions and the whole cloaked in verdure; a romantic place of moonlight and shadows. 

 Tanglewood, now leased as a private property by the botanic garden, is beginning to be restored.
I visited the garden last weekend on a tour sponsered by the Sausalito Women’s Club.

In the entrance garden shaded by large California oaks (Quercus agrifolia), alum root or coral bells Heuchera sanguinea,
and the Channel Islands native heuchera maxima, are planted with Geranium pratense “Mrs. Kendall Clark”.
California oaks do not like to be overwatered, and the selection of these perennial species, some native, enables the
garden to be relatively drought tolerant. 
All bloom in dappled shade and yet maintain that unique
atmosphere that is Tanglewood:  a wild garden of secrets and enchantment. 

Once it was called the Porciuncula river, and its meandering path from its sources in the mountains which
flank the San Fernando valley, through the Glendale Narrows and on to Long Beach where it meets the sea
provided water and sustenence for the many Gabrielino Indian villages on its changing banks.  Rapid urbanization
of Los Angeles in the first quarter of the 20th century and a series of devastating floods in the 1930’s prompted
the Army Corps of Engineers to transform the river into the concrete lined “Los Angeles Flood Control Channel”. 
The river truly lost its identity in more ways than its name.

In 1986, a non profit organization, Friends of the Los Angeles River, was founded. Its mission statement
“To Protect and restore the natural and historic heritage of the Los Angeles River and its riparian habitat through
inclusive planning, education and wise stewardship”.

Recently, Rick Magnus and Ron Harrison gave me a tour of a section where the riverbed no longer has concrete.

Noise from the Interstate Highway 5 which paralles this section is masked by the river which is now allowed
to flow naturally. Water percolates into the mud riverbed, replenishing the aquifers.

 Large carp are a delight to The Atwater fishing club, with a catch and release program

This May 17th is an opportunity to participate in a cleanup of the river’s banks and learn more about
its ecology. For further resources and information, contact the Friends of the Los Angeles River
http://www.folar.org/