The Trail Companion

Fall 2000

Theme: Parks with a Past

A Brief History of Bay Area Parks and Open Spaces.
Part 1. From the 1840s through the 1950s

In an increasingly overcrowded Bay Area, privately held open space is disappearing at an alarming pace. Yet our region also boasts an unrivaled greenbelt preserve, unmatched in any other major metropolitan area and seemingly immune to the pressures of the Silicon Valley economy. This did not come about by chance, but much of the story behind it is invisible. By Brian Kunde.

A Conservation Timeline
Part 1. From the 1840s through the 1950s

A companion to the Brief History. By Brian Kunde.

Up and Down the Peninsula and South Bay

William Brewer, a professor of agriculture, was picked by Josiah Whitney to join the first geological survey of the new state of California in 1860, which was to include "a full and scientific description of its rocks, fossils, soils, minerals, and of its botanical and zoological productions, along with specimens of the same." For the next four years, the party traveled all over state and Brewer kept a detailed journal throughout. He visited the Santa Clara Valley and surrounding areas several times, giving us a glimpse of our future parkland in his writings.

Names on the Land
Part 1. San Mateo County

From Alambique Creek to Devils Canyon to Slate Creek.

Other Features

Sudden Oak Death

You may have heard about the sudden death of Bay Area tanoaks and coast live oaks. This problem has become so serious that a state of emergency may be declared in Marin County. Deaths of tanoaks and coast live oaks have reached epidemic proportions. Researchers have dubbed the syndrome Sudden Oak Death, or S.O.D. Learn what is known about this syndrome and how to avoid spreading it to new areas. By Bob Kelly.

Oak Mortality Syndrome: A report from the Santa Cruz Mountains Bioregional Council meeting, Sept. 28, 2000

Jeffrey Caldwell of the California Garden Habitat Network reports a session dealing with Oak Mortality Syndrome (the current preferred term for "Sudden Oak Death"), a panel presentation and discussion: "Sudden Oak Death -- Dealing With a Potentially Devastating Forest Disease, and Lessons Learned from Pine Pitch Canker". The panelists were David Rizzo, the plant pathologist who recently identified the water mold causing the disease, Steve Tjosvold who conducts local field research on it, and Rick Hawley who studied the effectiveness of control methods for the unrelated Pine Pitch Canker disease. By Jeffrey Caldwell.

Grazing through Huckleberry Heaven

The California huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) is one of the greatest treats of autumn and if you visit the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains, you can often find these succulent berries in abundance. A hike in Sam McDonald and Pescadero County Parks, with a recipe for old-fashioned huckleberry muffins. By Geoffrey Skinner.

Wild Lit

In this issue, new poems from two California poets - encountering the mysterious.

A Note from the Literary Editor: Blacksmith Fork and Fox - Megan E. Hansen; Down Harkins Fire Road (El Mar de la Purissima)