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Tag Archives: urban parks
managing the urban forest in golden gate park
Standing near the intersection of Transverse Drive and Middle Drive West in Golden Gate Park, looking downhill towards Elk Glen Lake, I am surrounded by urban forest, no hint of the city in sight. The air is warm and … Continue reading
a labor of love: mapping central park’s trees
This article from today’s New York Times tells of two friends who have spent two years putting together a map of the trees in Central Park, New York. Of the approximately 23,000 trees in the park, only about 150 … Continue reading
quail in golden gate park
According to the Golden Gate Audubon Society web page: “The haunting call of the California Quail, the California State bird, is now rarely heard in Golden Gate Park. Historically, San Francisco’s streams and coastal scrub vegetation provided the food, cover, … Continue reading
horses and the founding of golden gate park
A horse actually played a key role in the founding of Golden Gate Park. The story goes like this: In the early 1870s, faced with the daunting task of establishing a vegetative cover on the sand dunes that had been … Continue reading
horse stable to open in central park
The following excerpt is from a recent article in the New York Times: ‘Central Park is laced with bridle paths and dotted with pastures, and its plants were once fertilized with manure. But though carriage horses trot through it, police … Continue reading
perils of the park: man beaten in early morning attack
Lately there have been reports of some violent incidents in Golden Gate Park, fueling official discussions about possibly restricting use of the park at night. This echoes for me a long journalistic tradition, commencing in the nineteenth century, focusing on … Continue reading
Posted in "lost" golden gate park, events in Golden Gate Park, health and safety, people
Tagged golden gate park, safety, urban parks
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the vigor of weeds: got to admire them!
Working at the San Francisco Botanical Garden nursery, repotting native plants for the past few weeks in preparation for the annual plant sale, I’ve noticed a miniature battle going on in the pots. It’s actually the same battle that goes on … Continue reading
Posted in plants, san francisco botanical garden, urban ecology
Tagged golden gate park, invasive plants, native plants, urban parks
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exquisite black and white photos capture moody park
Walking around Stow Lake these days you might encounter a dapper, white-haired gentleman with a gorgeous 4 x 5 camera on a tripod, lens focused on a group of stones at the water’s edge or a distant, misty view of … Continue reading
Posted in arts, people, trees/urban forest
Tagged golden gate park, nature photography, urban parks
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feeding feral cats in golden gate park
The definition of “wildlife” in urban parks is far from precise! Here’s an excerpt from a story by Matt Smith from SF Weekly that illustrates evolving urban ecology and some of the dilemmas that attend this evolution. “It’s 7 o’clock … Continue reading
Posted in people, urban ecology, wildlife
Tagged feral cats, golden gate park, urban parks, urban wildlife
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report says closing roads increases park use
jfk drive on a sunday (photo: http://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=JFK_Drive) It’s difficult to measure the public health benefits of urban parks, although intuitively we believe they must be good for our health and well-being. But some interesting statistics about Golden Gate Park are … Continue reading
Posted in health and safety, people, recreation
Tagged golden gate park, urban parks, walk in the park
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golden gate park: views from the thicket 